Board of Directors

James D. Hinds is Chair of the IESO Board of Directors. Mr. Hinds is also Chairman of Irish Line Capital Inc., a private investment company. He is a career investment banker, specializing in public equity markets underwriting and advice for media, industrial, mining and real estate companies. Starting in 1985 at CIBC Wood Gundy Inc., Mr. Hinds joined Newcrest Capital Inc. and then served as a managing director of TD Securities Inc. A native of Sudbury, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University at University of Toronto, a Master of Business Administration degree from Wharton at University of Pennsylvania, and a law degree from the University of Toronto.

William J. Museler is Chair of the IESO Audit Committee. Mr. Museler was most recently President and CEO of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO). Prior to his service at NYISO, Mr. Museler held senior positions at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO), and Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has served as a federal representative for the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) and as chairman of the Southeastern Electric Reliability Council (SERC). He is currently a member of the Secretary of Energy’s Energy Advisory Board (EAB). A graduate of the Pratt Institute with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science, Mr. Museler also holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Rudy G. Riedl is Chair of the IESO Human Resources and Governance Committee. Mr. Riedl has been involved in the Canadian and North American energy business for more than 33 years. Since his retirement from Enbridge, where he last served as president of Enbridge Consumers Gas from 1997 to 2001, he has served as president of R.G.Riedl Consulting Inc. Mr. Riedl has extensive experience in the management and restructuring of regulated utilities, energy policy development and organizational effectiveness.

Roberta S. Brown is President of Sassafras River Associates and has been involved in power generation and delivery in planning, design, engineering, construction, operations, and maintenance throughout her long career. She was previously a Vice President of Pepco, Delmarva Power, and Conectiv, regional providers of energy and energy delivery. She led the formation and startup of ReliabilityFirst, a new regional electric reliability council, and chaired the stakeholders' process responsible for the model to deregulate the Mid-Atlantic energy markets.  She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of ISO-New England.   Roberta earned her Bachelor Degree in physics and math from Immaculata College and is a registered professional engineer.  She is Board Chair of the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula and a Trustee of the Nature Conservancy - Delaware.

David Cassivi is a career educator having taught in the Windsor Board of Education for 33 years. Mr. Cassivi has also served the people of Windsor in municipal politics for over three decades, first as a Separate School Trustee and then as a city councillor from 1982 to 2006. He also has experience in the energy sector having served first as a member and then Chair of ENWIN Utilities, Windsor's local distribution company. Mr. Cassivi has been a member of numerous community boards, including Chair of the Windsor Separate School Board and Windsor's International Relations Committee, Vice-Chair of the Windsor Detroit Tunnel Commission and the Windsor Police Services Board and Member of the Windsor Canada Utilities Board, the Essex Region Conservation Authority and the Windsor Essex County Health Unit. Mr. Cassivi holds a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary's University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and a Master of Education from the University of Virginia.

Angela Ferrante was most recently Chief Operating Officer of the Ontario Energy Board. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, at BMO Financial Group. She has also been Vice President, Public Affairs, at Ontario Power Generation, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the C.D. Howe Institute, Canada's leading independent research and public policy institute. Formerly a journalist, she has worked for a number of publications including Maclean's Newsmagazine, where she served as Assistant Managing Editor. Ms. Ferrante plays an active role in the community, and has served on a number of not for profit Boards. She is currently a Member of the Canadian Journalism Foundation Board as well as the former Chair of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.) and formerly Chair of the TVOntario Foundation Board. Ms. Ferrante is currently a member of Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada Inc. and is an ICD.D Certified Director.

Howard Lincoln Shearer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hitachi Canada Ltd (HCL), having joined Hitachi in October, 1984. He is also a member of HCL's Board of Directors, a position to which he was appointed in 1999. Prior to this, he served as Vice-President & General Manager of HCL's Semiconductor division. Prior to joining Hitachi, Mr. Shearer was employed in the high-tech industry by Texas Instruments as well as Murata Erie. Mr. Shearer holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and serves on the boards of the following non-profit organizations: Responsible Gambling Council of Canada (RGCC), Japan Society and the Canadian Nurse Foundation. He is a member of the Principal's Advisory Council (PAC) at the University of Toronto as well as a member of other professional organizations including the Energy Council of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Association.

Paul Murphy was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Electricity System Operator in October 2006. Under Mr. Murphy, the IESO is responsible for overseeing the safe and reliable operation of Ontario's bulk electrical system - one of the most diversified and efficient in the world. The organization also oversees the IESO-administered wholesale electricity markets.

Previously, as Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Murphy led the IESO through the opening of the market and the recovery from the 2003 blackout. He has worked in the operation and planning of Ontario’s electrical system for over 30 years and in the development of competitive markets for the last ten.

Helen Polatajko is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at CIBC Mellon and is also a member of the company’s executive committee. She is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of CIBC Mellon’s information technology function. Ms. Polatajko has over 30 years of experience in the technology services field and prior to joining CIBC Mellon in 1998 as Chief Information Officer, she was CIO at Mellon Financial’s subsidiary in Houston, Texas. In 1996, she was recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Computing, acknowledging her achievements and contributions to information services and technology. Since 2004, she has served on the judging panel of the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA) and is a founding member, and currently on the Advisory Board, of the CIO Executive Council, established in 2005. Ms. Polatajko received her education from The University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, attaining a Bachelor in Science in Mathematics and Psychology degree, and graduated from The Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware.

John Wiersma has worked in the electricity sector for more than 37 years. He was appointed founding President & CEO of Veridian Corporation in 1999, and continued as Chair of the Board of Directors following his retirement in 2004.  Mr. Wiersma stepped down as Chair upon his appointment to the IESO Board of Directors in 2005.  He is an advocate for energy efficiency and electrical safety and serves on the board of directors of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, and the Electrical Safety Authority. Mr. Wiersma has also received a number of distinguished awards for his dedication to the electricity industry and to the local Ajax-Pickering community, where he lives.