People

New Positions:

President Bush named Dr. Nils J. Diaz chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), succeeding Richard A. Meserve. Diaz's current NRC term expires in 2006. Diaz also is professor-emeritus of Nuclear Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida.

Pantellos named Jim Neikirk president and CEO. Neikirk spent five years at Entergy Corp. as vice president and chief procurement officer.

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) brought aboard another "loaned executive" in Entergy Vice President Chuck Dugger, who will serve as vice president of nuclear operations at NEI. Dugger becomes the third loaned executive at the institute, joining Don Cox and Mike Comiskey (see "People," 4/15).

Exelon appointed Darryl M. Bradford vice president and associate general counsel, putting him in charge of legal responsibilities for Exelon's Chicago subsidiary, ComEd. Bradford previously was a senior partner for Jenner & Block.

Kerry Stroup, formerly director of utilities for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, joined PJM interconnection as its manager of regulatory affairs. Stroup most recently was associate director for the National Regulatory Research Institute.

The United PowerLine Council board of directors elected Leif Ericson and Joe Cufari as its co-chairs. Ericson is business manager at Southern Telecom and Cufari is vice president of business development at Current Technologies.