Introducing the new Advanced Grid Institute (AGI) Industry Advisory Board (IAB) members

AGI would like to introduce four new IAB members that will help advise and lead the institute into the future; Mark Lauby, William Rambo, Avnaesh Jayantilal, and Mike Diedesch.

An advantage of having an IAB is being able to tap into the expertise of industry experts from a diverse range of topics within AGI’s research scope. Members of the IAB hail from Portland General Electric, Puget Sound Energy, Avista, Seattle City Light, Grant County Public Utility Department (PUD), Schweitzer Engineering Laboratory (SEL), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Power Engineers, GE Vernova Electrification Software, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

“One of the primary focuses of the AGI is to tackle regional challenges associated with power grids,” said Wei Du, AGI co-director. “By including major regional stakeholders as IAB members, AGI researchers can gain deeper insights into the specific issues in the Northwest region. The IAB’s guidance can greatly help AGI to conduct practical, solutions-oriented research that addresses real-world problems effectively.”

Having advisors from a broad range of organizations helps steer AGI’s research by helping the institute understand the current issues facing industry partners  and areas of growth or challenges that research can address.

“IAB members provide invaluable expertise and strategic insight, ensuring that our research is not only innovative but also closely aligned with real-world needs. Their guidance is essential in identifying key research priorities that address the evolving challenges of the grid transformation, technological advancements, and regulatory changes. By helping shape the direction of research, IAB members foster the development of responsible, reliable, and impactful solutions that meet the demands of both today and the future,” AGI co-director Anamika Dubey said.

Read their bios below and visit our IAB page to learn more about their excitement for AGI.

Mark Lauby

Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer

North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)

Mark G. Lauby is senior vice president and chief engineer at NERC. Mr. Lauby joined NERC in January 2007 and has held a number of positions, including vice president and director of Standards and vice president and director of Reliability Assessments and Performance Analysis.He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. In addition, Mr. Lauby attended the London Business School Accelerated Development Program as well as the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.

In 2012, Mr. Lauby was elected to the North American Energy Standards Board and was appointed to the Department of Energy’s Electric Advisory Committee by the Secretary of Energy in 2014. Mr. Lauby has served as chair and is a life member of the International Electricity Research Exchange and served as chair of a number of IEEE working groups. From 1999 to 2007, Mr. Lauby was an appointed member of the Board of Excellent Energy International Co., LTD, an energy service company based in Thailand. He has been recognized for his technical achievements in many technical associations, including the 1992 IEEE Walter Fee Young Engineer of the Year Award. He was named a Fellow by IEEE in November 2011 for “leadership in the development and application of techniques for bulk power system reliability.” In 2014, Mr. Lauby was awarded the IEEE Power and Energy Society’s Roy Billinton Power System Reliability Award. In 2020, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) elected Mr. Lauby as a member, citing his development and application of techniques for electric grid reliability analysis. He is also a member of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Executive Advisory Committee, focused on providing strategic support to the PES Board of Directors.

Mr. Lauby is the author of more than 100 technical papers on the subjects of power system reliability, expert systems, transmission system planning, and power system numerical analysis techniques.

William Rambo

Director of Technology

POWER Engineers, Inc.

William Rambo is an experienced energy industry professional. He has accumulated more than three decades of industry experience including technical and leadership roles for Fortune 100 companies, large and small technology firms, and technology startups, alongside work as a consultant. He joined POWER Engineers as a director in 2018. There, he helps clients solve problems by collaborating with POWER experts and deploying enabling technologies to deliver effective solutions. William holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and management engineering from Montana State University.

DR. AVNAESH JAYANTILAL

Chief Technology Officer

Applied Grid Innovation

GE Vernova Electrification Software

Dr Avnaesh Jayantilal is the CTO for Applied Grid Innovation at GE Vernova Electrification Software, part of GE Vernova. He manages the Advance Technology Organization (ATO) and is leading innovation of advanced technologies including AI/ML for Markets, Transmission and Distribution applications to orchestrate the electric grid for grid resiliency and reliability.

Dr. Jayantilal joined GE Vernova (then Alstom) in 1999, and prior to his current role he led the Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) product line focusing on enhancing electric distribution grid operations through improving efficiency, reliability and safety. He has also led the Market Management Systems (MMS) product line providing electricity market clearing and settlements solutions to Market Operators (RTO/ISO’s). 

Dr. Jayantilal received his master’s and doctorate degrees in Electrical Power Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). He is a Senior Member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES).

Mike Diedesch

Grid Innovation Lab Manager

Avista

Mike Diedesch is the Grid Innovation Lab Manager at Avista. He joined Avista in 2008 after receiving a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University. Mike has over 16 years of Engineering and Leadership experience in the electric utility industry, with roles in Generation Controls, SCADA, System Protection, Metering and Smart Cities prior to leading the Energy Innovation Lab. 

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