JackiePeer2026_1.JPG

Director of Industry Outreach

Jackie serves as director of industry outreach at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), where she fosters strategic relationships and collaboration across the electric power industry. With a unique background spanning engineering, research and development, sales, marketing, education, and corporate affairs, she is recognized for connecting people, ideas, and organizations to address the evolving challenges of the energy sector.

Over her 30-year career, she has held leadership roles at SEL and OMICRON electronics and has been an active contributor to industry organizations, including service on the Northwest Public Power Association Board of Trustees, the IEEE Power & Energy Society Governing Board, the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors, and the executive committee of the U.S. National Committee of CIGRE, where she helps advance collaboration on global power system challenges.

Jackie is a recipient of The Manufacturing Institute's STEP Award and is passionate about mentoring and developing the next generation of industry leaders, advancing opportunities in engineering, and strengthening the relationships that help shape the future of the power industry.

Jackie M. Peer

Ensuring there is enough generation is becoming one of the most significant challenges facing the power industry. In this episode, guest host Jackie Peer talks with Dr. James Merlo, CEO of the North American Generator Forum (NAGF), about resource adequacy from the generator perspective. They discuss the realities of maintaining an aging generation fleet, the reliability services generators provide beyond energy production, and what it will take to keep the lights on as AI, data centers, manufacturing, and electrification drive unprecedented demand for electricity.

James Merlo_Episode 85.png

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Merlo is a human factors engineer with a proven track record in organizational leadership from the battlefield to the boardroom. He works from the premise that humans are the most important part of any system and given a good design, an appropriate procedure, and consistent competent leadership, organizations and their human capital will thrive. 

Dr. Merlo currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the North American Generator Forum (NAGF). The NAGF is an independent, member-driven organization whose collective knowledge and expertise in the generation sector represents over 50% of the generation capacity in North America. Through open-source collaboration and information exchange with generator industry professionals, the NAGF provides a united voice with the goal of improving the reliability, resiliency, and security of the bulk electric system.

Prior to joining the NAGF, he served as a Vice President at Knowledge Vine, the leader in Human Performance Implementation and Application. He led Knowledge Vine’s efforts in helping companies around the world leverage Human Performance Improvement technologies to reduce the frequency and severity of errors while building an organization of shared trust. 

Dr. Merlo also worked at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) as a Vice President and Director of the Reliability Risk Management department. In this role, he led the electric reliability organization’s efforts to assess the industry vulnerabilities with regard to events on the Bulk Electric System and how human performance challenges affected system reliability. 

He served over 22 years in a variety of leadership roles in the US Army, including combat tours in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Significant positions include; Deputy Brigade Commander in Baghdad, Iraq 2004-2005 and as an assistant professor and program director at the United States Military Academy.

Dr. Merlo earned his Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Psychology from West Point, his Masters in Engineering Psychology from the University of Illinois, and his PhD in Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology from the University of Central Florida. He is the author of over 50 publications on the subjects of human factors engineering and human performance. An avid snowboarder, wake surfer, and outdoorsman, when James is not working, he can always be found in or on the water.

The Resource Adequacy Challenge: Ensuring the Power Is There