Pablo Vegas, President and CEO of The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, announced the hiring of Robert Black as the organization’s new Vice President of Public Affairs. Black joins ERCOT from AEP Texas, where he served as Vice President of External Affairs. He will begin work at ERCOT on Nov. 7.

Prior to joining AEP, Black served as Gov. Rick Perry’s Press Secretary and Communications Director, as a senior media advisor for Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s 2014 campaign, and as the communications director for Greg Abbott’s successful 2002 campaign for Attorney General. He has also worked for two Texas Senators and began his career working for Rep. Tom Craddick.