Michehl Gent
Vice Chair, Texas Regional Entity Board of Directors 
Chair, Texas Regional Entity Advisory Committee
Unaffiliated (Independent) Board Member

Michehl Gent, former president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), has more than 40 years of experience in electric reliability, primarily with reliability councils. He has expertise in building organizations, developing operating rules and procedures, and fostering communication between partner organizations.

Mr. Gent joined NERC in 1980 as executive vice president and was elected president in 1982. Under his leadership, NERC grew from an organization of five people to more than 50 employees. He was at the forefront of the industry’s efforts to improve the protection of critical and cyber assets, both before and after September 11, 2001. He also led the technical investigations into the August 14, 2003, blackout and implementation of recommendations resulting from the investigation. Mr. Gent retired as president and CEO of NERC in 2005.

Prior to joining NERC, Mr. Gent was general manager of the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group, a voluntary power pool for Florida's electric utilities. He also held several positions in both operations and planning at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.

Mr. Gent has taught in the graduate schools of the University of Southern California and Loyola University and is a registered professional engineer. He currently serves on several policy committees and boards including the United States Energy Association and the IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee.

A native of New York, Mr. Gent is a veteran of the U.S. Army and holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University and a master of science degree from USC.