SPP names Antoine Lucas as new chief operating officer
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Southwest Power Pool (SPP) announced Jan. 14 that Antoine Lucas will become its executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) effective April 1. Lucas joined SPP in 2007 and currently serves as vice president of markets. He will succeed current COO Lanny Nickell, who was selected to serve as SPP’s new president and CEO effective April 1.
“I’m pleased to see Antoine step into the role of executive vice president and COO,” said Lanny Nickell, SPP president and CEO-elect. “Antoine’s keen understanding of what it will take to make SPP successful in the future, trusted relationships developed within and outside our organization, and authentic leadership qualities make him a great fit for the position. I look forward to working with him to achieve my vision for SPP’s continued success built on our collaborative culture and achieved through operational excellence, ambitious strategy and high visibility.”
In his current role as vice president of markets, Lucas oversees development and design of SPP’s market-based services. He works with stakeholders to ensure the efficient and reliable operation of wholesale electricity markets administered under the SPP Open Access Transmission Tariff and to develop additional value-based services. Lucas serves as executive sponsor of SPP’s Markets+ effort, which aims to develop and administer a regional day-ahead wholesale electricity market serving portions of the Western Interconnection.
Lucas has more than two decades of experience in the electric power industry, where he has served in various engineering, management and executive roles. Before joining SPP, Lucas worked in real-time system operations for Entergy Services, Inc. in roles as an engineer and system operator. Lucas holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Louisiana Tech University.
“I’m excited to collaborate closely with Lanny in his new role, along with our board of directors, stakeholders and staff,” said Lucas. “This is an exciting time to be part of this industry, and I know together we’ll be able to overcome any challenge, discover innovative ways to enhance the value of the services we provide and fulfill our mission of responsibly and economically keeping the lights on today and in the future.”