Steven R. Specker, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, California, was elected by the EPRI Board of Directors on September 1, 2004. Specker has an exceptionally strong technical and business background and an in-depth and highly respected knowledge of the electricity enterprise. His 37-year career has spanned nearly every dimension of the business. Prior to joining EPRI, Specker served as President of Specker Consulting, LLC, where he provided operational and strategic planning services to technology companies serving the global electric power industry. In January 2003, Specker retired from General Electric (GE) after thirty years of diverse technical and business leadership experience with GE. He held various general management positions in GE businesses providing products and services for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power. From 1992 to 2000 Specker was President of GE's Nuclear Energy business where he was responsible for all GE activities in the global commercial nuclear power industry. In 2000 he was appointed President, GE Digital Energy where he was responsible for the formation and startup of a new business venture serving the growing needs of the digital economy for highly reliable electricity. He was named Vice President of Global Marketing for GE Energy in September of 2001. Earlier in his career, Specker was general manager of GE's electric meter, protective relay, and electrical engineering services businesses. Specker began his career as a Nuclear Engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1970 to 1973. Specker holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering science, a Master of Science in nuclear engineering, and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from Iowa State University (1967-1970). |