2026 Fall Reliability & Security Summit
Registration
Click here to register.
What to expect
Join RF at our annual Fall Reliability & Security Summit, hosted this year at the Ohioan Hotel & Event Center just outside of Columbus.
This year’s event begins Monday, Sept. 14, with closed meetings of the Compliance User Group (CUG) and Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee (CIPC) as well as an optional tour of a nearby data center. Then our General Session on Tuesday, Sept. 15, features a full day of insightful presentations, panel discussions, networking, on-site breakfast and lunch, and an awards reception to close the day. Half-day programming follows on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with guests choosing from one of three breakout sessions, focusing either on energy policy, critical infrastructure protection, or data submittals.
Agenda
Monday, Sept. 14
| Time slot | Agenda item |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Optional: Data center tour with Expedient |
| 1:00 – 2:45 PM | CUG meeting (industry meeting for members and invitees) |
| 1:00 – 2:00 PM | Optional: Data center tour with Expedient |
| 2:45 – 3:00 PM | Break |
| 3:00 – 5:00 PM | CIPC meeting (industry meeting for members and invitees) |
Tuesday, Sept. 15 (General Session)
| Time slot | Agenda item | Presenter(s) |
| 7:30 – 8:30 AM | Breakfast and registration | |
| 8:30 – 8:45 AM | Welcome to RF’s Fall Reliability & Security Summit | ReliabilityFirst |
| 8:45 – 9:30 AM | *To be announced | |
| 9:30 – 10:30 AM | State energy leadership outlook fireside chat: Policy reliability, and the future of the grid | • Suzanne Jaworowski, Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources, State of Indiana • Tim Gallagher, President & CEO, RF |
| 10:30 – 11:00 AM | Networking break | |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Managing the AI era: Reliability challenges and opportunities related to large computational loads | • Stacey Burbure, Senior Vice President of Transmission Regulatory Engagement & Compliance, AEP • Dennis Deters, Commissioner, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio • Julie LaBella, Vice President – Regulatory & External Affairs, Talen Energy • Craig Sundstrom, Head of Energy and Sustainability Public Policy, Americas, Amazon Web Services |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 1:00 – 2:00 PM | The evolving threat landscape: Protecting critical energy infrastructure | Garris Ference, Intel Analyst, FBI |
| 2:00 – 2:30 PM | Strengthening reliability through natural gas and electric system coordination | Jerry James, President, Artex Oil Company |
| 2:30 – 2:45 PM | Networking break | |
| 2:45 – 3:20 PM | Data driven reliability: Leveraging analytics to identify and mitigate emerging risks | Greg Park, Senior Risk Analysis Specialist, WECC |
| 3:20 – 4:00 PM | ReliabilityFirst Regional Risk Assessment: Risk priorities and mitigation strategies | Johnny Gest, Manager, Engineering & System Performance, RF |
| 4:00 – 4:15 PM | Networking break | |
| 4:15 – 6:00 PM | Reliability Recognition Awards Ceremony & Reception | ReliabilityFirst |
Wednesday, Sept. 16 (Breakouts)
| Time slot | Agenda item | Presenter(s) |
| 8:00 – 9:00 AM | Breakfast | |
|
Track 1: Energy Policy |
||
| 9:00 – 9:45 AM | Preparing for load growth: Insights from the Large Load Working Group | Wayman Smith, Director, Transmission Planning, AEP |
| 10:00 – 10:45 AM | Energy assurance: Strengthening preparedness across the electricity sector | Tim Fryfogle, Principal Engineer – Resource, Engineering & System Performance, RF |
| 11:00 – 11:45 AM | Flexible load as a reliability resource: Opportunities and challenges | Aidan Tuohy, Director, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) |
|
Track 2: Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) |
||
| 9:00 – 9:45 AM | Cloud adoption and reliability: Insights from the Standards Drafting Team | Lew Folkerth, Principal Reliability Consultant, External Affairs, RF |
| 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Supply chain risk management: Updates from the CIP-013 project 2025-06 Standard Drafting Team | Natalie Fabian, Compliance Lead, Duke Energy |
| 11:00 – 11:45 AM | CIP in practice: Lessons learned from real-world case studies | Bridget McLean, Counsel, Enforcement, RF |
|
Track 3: Data Submittals |
||
| 9:00 – 9:45 AM | xADS reporting: Best practices for accurate and effective submissions | Gerald Esteban, Senior Engineer – Resource Adequacy, Engineering & System Performance, RF |
| 10:00 – 10:45 AM | Self-reports: Expectations and best practices | Marian Toney, Counsel, Enforcement, RF |
| 11:00 – 11:45 AM | Event reporting: Best practices and expectations of effective event data | Tony Purgar, Senior Manager, Operational Analysis & Awareness, RF |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
Accommodations
The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center
100 Green Meadows Dr. S.
Lewis Center, OH 43035
*Update – room block has sold out!
Alternative accommodations in the area include: