DOE official will discuss securing the power grid in Auburn livestream June 2
Published: May 29, 2020 2:06 PM
By Chris Anthony
Auburn University will host a top official from the U.S. Department of Energy on June 2 for a livestreamed conversation on the department’s top priorities and challenges in securing the power grid.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Sean Plankey will offer remarks on DOE’s support of the energy sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be followed by a conversation with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo on other key issues, including risk reduction and the Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System, issued on May 1.
The event will begin at 1 p.m. EDT/noon CDT and will be livestreamed at aub.ie/securing-the-grid. To register for the discussion, click here.
Plankey is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response. Prior to joining DOE, Plankey served on the National Security Council as the Director for Maritime and Pacific Cybersecurity Policy, where he designed national security policy to address threats from cyberspace. He has also served as the Global Cyber Intelligence Advisor for BP and as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for U.S. Navy Intelligence.
Plankey’s talk is the latest high-profile event hosted by the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. In the past several months, Transportation Security Administration Administrator David P. Pekoske, FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf have all spoken on campus or through livestreamed events.
The McCrary Institute is focused on practical, interdisciplinary research and innovation in infrastructure and cybersecurity. Founded through a gift from the Alabama Power Foundation in 2014, the institute is tasked with developing next-generation technologies aimed at improving the security and operation of the nation’s infrastructure.
Media Contact: , austinp@auburn.edu, 334.844.2444
Sean Plankey from the Department of Energy will present a talk on "Securing the Grid."
