Thomas Burgess is a veteran energy industry executive, advisor, and educator with more than 40 years of experience in electric grid reliability, transmission policy, utility regulation, and strategic energy planning. He most recently served as Vice President and Director of Reliability Assessment and Performance Analysis at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), where he led initiatives to strengthen the reliability and resilience of North America’s bulk power system through advanced analytics, risk assessment, and industry coordination. Prior to NERC, Burgess spent nearly four decades at FirstEnergy Corporation in a variety of leadership roles, culminating as Executive Director of Integrated System Planning and Development, where he oversaw long-term transmission and generation strategy during the transition from regulated to competitive electricity markets. Throughout his career, he has played an influential role in shaping national energy policy and reliability standards, contributing to the formation of the Electric Reliability Organization under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and serving on numerous industry boards and committees, including those affiliated with PJM Interconnection, the Edison Electric Institute, and the North American Energy Standards Board. Burgess is also a respected lecturer and speaker on energy law, grid reliability, and utility regulation, delivering annual lectures at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and speaking at major industry conferences and academic institutions. He holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Akron, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and is both a licensed attorney and professional engineer in Ohio.