WIRES Announces 2026 Officers and Board of Directors

David Burnham, Director, Transmission Policy, Eversource Energy Named WIRES 2026 President

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- WIRES, the transmission trade association dedicated to advancing investment in all aspects of the high-voltage grid, announced today its 2026 leadership team. David Burnham, Director, Transmission Policy, Eversource Energy, was elected as WIRES President for the coming year. 

WIRES 2026 Officers:

• President: David Burnham, Director, Transmission Policy, Eversource Energy
• Vice President: Devin McMackin, Director, Federal Affairs, ITC ‎Holdings
• Secretary: Jamie Simler, Vice President, Federal Regulatory Affairs, Ameren
• Treasurer: Mike Saer, Manager, Transmission Policy, Great River Energy

"WIRES continues to be a strong advocate for our growing coalition of transmission owners and associate members, working closely with regulators, legislators and other policymakers to advance policies that will drive the expansion of timely, strategic and affordable transmission," said Larry Gasteiger, Executive Director of WIRES. "In 2026 WIRES will mark 20 years since our formation. Over those two decades, recognition of the need for a robust, modern grid has grown considerably. Today, the accelerating demands of electrification and AI make the expansion and modernization of our transmission system a national imperative. I am eager to collaborate with incoming WIRES president, David Burnham, and the 2026 leadership team, and I extend my sincere thanks to our 2025 Officers and Board of Directors for their outstanding service and leadership."

Amanda Rumsey, WIRES' current president, will join the WIRES Board of Directors in 2026. Two directors have been re-elected to two-year terms, Stacey Burbure, Senior Vice President, Transmission Business Development and Joint Ventures, American Electric Power (AEP) and Pulin Shah, Vice President, Transmission Development, Exelon. Natasha Deschene, Vice President, Electric Asset and Engineering, New York, National Grid will complete her board service at the end of 2025. 

WIRES 2026 Board of Directors:

• Amanda Rumsey, Manager, RTO and Federal Regulatory Policy, PPL
• Jodi Moskowitz, VP Regulatory, Deputy General Counsel & RTO Strategy Officer, PSEG
• Stacey Burbure, Senior Vice President, Transmission Business Development and Joint Ventures, AEP
• Kerry Powell, Vice President, Grid Integration, Duke Energy
• Pulin Shah, Vice President, Transmission Development, Exelon

"The rapid growth in electricity demand driven by data centers and manufacturing revitalization highlights the urgent need for accelerating the build out of transmission infrastructure to support strategic economic development, while ensuring reliability and affordability for customers," said David Burnham, Director, Transmission Policy, Eversource Energy and WIRES incoming 2026 president. "I look forward to working with Larry Gasteiger and our WIRES colleagues to inform policymakers and stakeholders on the benefits of a modern, resilient transmission network and the importance of stable regulatory frameworks that support long-term investment."

WIRES Reports
WIRES disseminates research and reports that inform policymakers, regulators, and the industry on key transmission issues. The most recent analysis published in November was conducted by Grid Strategies.  Delaying Transmission Increases Costs and Reduces Benefits for Consumers explores the economic and reliability costs to consumers of delayed transmission projects. Based on a review of eight benefit-cost studies for transmission portfolios across the country, it finds that for every $1 billion investment in well-planned, large-scale transmission that is delayed, it costs consumers approximately $150 million to $370 million in lost net benefits for each year of delay. These losses stem from postponed reliability improvements, reduced access to lower-cost generation, and foregone economic efficiencies. Visit the WIRES Reports page for this and other transmission industry resources.

About WIRES
WIRES is a non-profit trade association of investor-, publicly-, and cooperatively-owned transmission providers and developers, transmission customers, regional grid managers, and equipment and service companies. WIRES promotes investment in the North American electric transmission system and champions robust and effective transmission solutions to address reliability, economic, environmental and national security objectives. For more information, visit www.wiresgroup.com.

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SOURCE WIRES