ReliabilityFirst Corporation
Niki Schaefer has a strong background in the legal field, with experience at various companies. Niki currently serves as the Vice President and General Counsel at ReliabilityFirst Corporation, a position they have held since April 2020. Prior to this, they worked at Eaton, where they held several roles including Counsel - Electrical Sector and Litigation from August 2018 to April 2020, Counsel - Electrical Sector from August 2017 to August 2018, and Senior Attorney - Litigation from August 2015 to August 2017. Before joining Eaton, Niki worked as the Managing Enforcement Counsel at ReliabilityFirst Corporation from June 2013 to August 2015. Niki also gained legal experience as an Attorney at Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff from August 2006 to May 2013, and at Gallagher Sharp LLP from August 2005 to July 2006.
Niki Schaefer pursued their education by first attending Cornell University from 1998 to 2002. During this time, they obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree with a focus on American Studies. Following their undergraduate studies, they enrolled at Case Western Reserve University School of Law from 2002 to 2005. Niki Schaefer successfully completed their legal education, earning a Doctor of Law (J.D.) degree with a concentration in International Law.
ReliabilityFirst Corporation
ReliabilityFirst works to maintain the reliability, security and resilience of the electric grid across 13 states and the District of Columbia, which stretches from the Atlantic Seaboard to Lake Michigan. The electric grid is the backbone of our economy, is critical for our national security and necessary to support our public welfare. In fact, a reliable and secure electric grid is fundamental to our most basic daily routines and needs. Our mission is to ensure that this cornerstone to our national well-being is reliable and secure – not only for today but also for tomorrow. To achieve this mission, we bring together a diverse and broad spectrum of experts from across the nation with various professional, technical, and industry backgrounds. We identify and prioritize risks facing our electric grid; determine sustainable mitigation strategies to address these identified risks; and develop and deploy communication and outreach strategies to drive awareness and further ensure risk resolution. Our team includes electrical engineers, computer engineers and cyber security experts, statisticians and risk experts, attorneys and regulatory experts, professional auditors, systems engineers, organizational design experts, and professional trainers. ReliabilityFirst is one of only six companies across North America that are responsible for this vital work under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-approved delegation agreements with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Specifically, our company is responsible for the reliability and security of the electric grid in the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes areas of the United States, which includes all or portions of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia. We are proud to call Cleveland, Ohio our home.