Dick Pursley, director of transmission services at Great River Energy, was recently presented with this year’s HERO Award from Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO).
The annual HERO Award serves as a peer recognition program for individuals who set standards of excellence aligned with the principles of high-reliability organizations. MRO’s mission is to identify, prioritize and assure effective and efficient mitigation of risks to the reliability and security of the North American bulk power system by promoting Highly Effective Reliability Organizations (HEROs).
Pursley served as chair of MRO’s Reliability Advisory Council (RAC) from 2021 to 2023 and his contributions date back even further, having been a member of the former MRO Operating Committee since 2010. He was instrumental in launching the inaugural Cold Weather Preparedness Workshop in 2021, which was a direct response to the impacts of Winter Storm Uri on the southern portions of MRO’s territory. Pursley has also actively participated in MRO’s generator winterization program and hosted tours to support its objectives.
“I’m so proud of Dick and the work he has done focusing on risk management and improving the reliability of the grid. He has set a high standard of excellence — not only for Great River Energy but utilities across the Midwest — and is very deserving of this award.”
— Great River Energy Vice President and Chief Transmission Officer Priti Patel
MRO said Pursley has contributed to various planning subgroups, authored several newsletter articles and supported numerous outreach and training initiatives. He has been an integral part of the review teams for MRO’s summer and winter assessments.
“I am humbly honored and pleasantly surprised to be selected this year’s HERO Award recipient,” Pursley said, while also giving thanks to Great River Energy for encouraging participation in industry forums. “The utility industry is unique in that collaboration among competitors is a necessity to ensure we deliver a product that is consumed when it is created. The practice of sharing ideas and best practices with a focus to improve is essential to our national security and economic well-being.”
Pursley, who relinquished his seat on the RAC earlier this year, received the HERO Award after years of leadership, preoccupation with failure and risk, and reluctance to simplify interpretation. The MRO said Pursley’s commitment to resilience has been clear during quarterly discussions with MRO staff and the region’s reliability and planning coordinators — a practice he helped established during his tenure as RAC chair.
“Pursley has had a hall-of-fame career supporting reliability and exemplifies the HERO attributes this award aims to honor,” said JoAnn Thompson, chair of the MRO Organization Group Oversight Committee.
" data-object-fit="cover">
" data-object-fit="cover">