Townhall Session

Technology & Applications in North America

Industry leaders from the United States and Canada share insights on grid reliability, synchronized measurements, and the evolution of power system operations across North America.

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | SGSMA 2026

Mark G. Lauby is the Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). He joined NERC in January 2007 and has held multiple leadership positions, following 20 years at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

He began his electric industry career in 1979 at the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool in Minneapolis, where his work included transmission planning, reliability assessment, and probabilistic evaluation.

Mr. Lauby has served in key industry and policy roles, including the North American Energy Standards Board and the U.S. Department of Energy Electric Advisory Committee. He is an IEEE Fellow, has received major IEEE PES reliability awards, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2020.

He has authored more than 150 technical papers and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Damir Novosel is founder and Chief Technology Officer of Danovo Energy Solutions (formerly Quanta Technology). He previously served as president of Quanta Technology and Quanta Energized Services, president of KEMA T&D U.S., and vice president of ABB Global Automation Products.

He is an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University and has served on advisory boards for S&C and Argonne National Laboratory, among others. He is a business and technical leader with 18 patents, more than 200 publications, and contributions to multiple technical books.

Dr. Novosel is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, IEEE Fellow and Life Fellow, past IEEE PES President, and active contributor in CIGRE leadership. He holds PhD, MSc, and BSc degrees in Electrical Engineering.

Dr. Rahmatian is founder and president of NuGrid Power Corp. He is a Professional Engineer, IEEE Fellow for contributions to optical voltage and current sensors, and a Distinguished Member of CIGRE.

He is a past Chair of the IEEE PES Technical Council and has been active in IEEE and CIGRE technical committees, as well as IEC standardization groups.

His current work focuses on grid resiliency, optical sensors, synchronized measurement systems, digital substations, and high-speed grid measurements. He has authored over 100 technical papers and holds 14 patents.

Diane Watkins, P.E., is VP of Engineering at United Power in Brighton, Colorado, where she leads innovation for utility-scale battery deployment on distribution systems.

She has more than 25 years of experience in power and energy, with leadership roles at utilities in Arizona, Puerto Rico, and Colorado. Her expertise includes substation engineering, wholesale energy markets, and distributed energy resources.

She currently serves as VP of New Initiatives and Outreach for IEEE PES and is Past Chair of the IEEE PES Technical Council. She holds a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Arizona State University.

Nenad Uzelac is a Senior Innovation Director at G&W Electric. He has more than 25 years of R&D experience in medium-voltage switchgear, spanning conceptual development through commercialization.

He previously served as Chair of CIGRE Study Committee A3 (Transmission and Distribution Equipment) and has supported collaboration between CIGRE and IEEE PES technical councils.

He has also held multiple leadership roles in the IEEE Switchgear Committee and currently chairs the ER&P Subcommittee. His interests include switching technologies, internal arc studies, condition assessment, and low-power instrument transformers.