About inpowerd

Earl Shockley is President and Founder of INPOWERD LLC. He is a decisive, action-oriented, senior executive with a unique blend of business, regulatory, and technical expertise. Earl’s experience includes 40+ years in the electric utility industry and 8 years as a regulator launching and directing various programs and maintaining operational sustainability at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). His leadership was key in the development and successful deployment of numerous NERC and Regional Entity programs.

Earl founded INPOWERD with the goal of simplifying complexity around NERC regulation and helping his clients focus on the strategic objectives that truly matter. Earl’s goal is to help organizations translate regulatory requirements into actionable business practices that reduce reliability risk.

Earl is a sought-after strategic consultant, solution architect, public speaker, and expert witness on complex issues like regulatory compliance, risk management, organizational culture change, power grid operations and cybersecurity. Earl is the author of many formal reports, whitepapers, and publications including a series of short articles on organizational culture and regulatory compliance entitled “Perspective of an Ex-Regulator” which has appeared in publications like Electric Light and Power Magazine.

Time at NERC

Earl is a highly experienced ex-regulator who:

• Led or participated on 100+ Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) compliance and enforcement-related engagements.
• Led Multiple NERC analytical and investigative efforts, including the FERC/NERC Inquiry & Investigation of the September 8, 2011, Arizona-California Blackout, the joint FERC/NERC Compliance Investigation of the February 2008 Florida Blackout, and the FERC/NERC inquiries of the February 2011 Southwest Cold Snap event and October 2011 Northeast Snowstorm event.
• Was instrumental in the shift from the “zero-defect” compliance and enforcement approach to one that focuses on a company’s inherent risk and ability to manage reliability risk with associated internal risk control programs.
  

Education

Earl holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration & Organizational Management. Earl also completed numerous advanced technical power system apprenticeships and certification courses while in the U.S. Navy and the electric industry; he holds or has held certifications in the following areas:

• Certified NERC Auditor
• Certified Level 3 Investigator - Accident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis
• Certified Technical Instructor / Facilitator
• NERC Certified System Operator – Reliability (1998 – 2012)
• WSCC Certified System Operator (1998 – 2000)
  

Major Publications

• White paper "Hitting a Moving Regulatory Target - CIP Case Study"
• A series of short articles on cybersecurity, regulatory compliance and organizational culture entitled “Perspective of an Ex-Regulator.” Earl’s articles have been published internationally in Electric Power and Light Magazine.
• Whitepaper “Overcoming Cybersecurity Challenges in Industrial Control Systems”
• Article “INPOWERD Four Principles for Compliance Program Success”
• Article “INPOWERD Compliance Audit Preparation Best Practices”
• Article “INPOWERD Testing NERC Compliance Evidence for Quality"

Reports

• Feb 2011 Southwest Cold Snap Event Report
• Sept 2011, Arizona-California Blackout Report
• Oct 2011, Northeast Snowstorm Event Report
• Oct 2012, Hurricane Sandy Analysis Report
• Jan 2014, Polar Vortex Review

Current and previously held certifications

• Certified NERC Auditor
• Certified Level 3 Investigator – Accident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis (2005 – present)
• Certified Technical Instructor / Facilitator (2005 – present)
• NERC Certified System Operator, Reliability (1998 – 2012)
• WSCC Certified System Operator – (1998 – 2001)