FERC Chairman Willie Phillips today named Kal Ayoub Director of the Office of Electric Reliability (OER).
Ayoub brings more than 25 years of industry and regulatory experience in electric transmission and generation engineering, cybersecurity and bulk electric system reliability to the position. He has served as Chairman Phillips’ Critical Infrastructure and Resilience advisor since February 2023, and served as Deputy Director of the Division of Cybersecurity within OER since 2015.
“Reliability has been one of FERC’s three pillars since January 2023,” Chairman Phillips said. “Kal has been an indispensable member of my team, providing sound advice on the critical reliability, resilience and security issues facing the Commission. His expertise and proven leadership will guide OER as it continues to address emerging challenges and advance the Commission’s mission to ensure a reliable, safe and secure grid.”
Ayoub joined FERC in 2009, and since then has held various positions of increasing responsibility within OER, including as electrical engineer, supervisory electrical engineer and Deputy Director. He was instrumental in advancing the Commission’s regulatory initiatives to strengthen cybersecurity and physical security standards, enhance grid resilience, and ensure the reliability and security of the bulk electric system.
Before joining FERC, Ayoub gained extensive private sector experience in the electric industry, holding key roles in performance engineering, power plant operations, project management and risk management. Notably, he contributed to establishing reliability and compliance programs in preparation for the nation’s first mandatory reliability standards, which FERC approved in 2007.
Ayoub earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
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