COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. TRANSFORM.
COLLABORATE.
INNOVATE.
TRANSFORM.
AEIC's 142nd Annual Meeting | Ojai, California
October 20-22, 2026
For 142 consecutive years, AEIC’s Annual Meeting has been the premier event for the most senior operational leaders in the electric utility industry. This is where more than 300 executives and senior leaders gather, not for presentations, but for peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing and collaborative thinking about the greatest challenges and opportunities facing the grid today.
The value is in the room: uncensored insights, strategic leadership, and innovative approaches from those successfully navigating change. Don’t risk missing out on the one event of the year where the industry’s most influential voices define the path forward.
A Message From Our President
My involvement with AEIC has been a valuable part of my career at Southern Company, and I’m honored to serve as AEIC President in 2026.
Our industry is navigating an unprecedented period of change: we are addressing growth, resilience, data, workforce needs and rising customer expectations simultaneously. Rising to these challenges takes collaboration, shared learning and practical solutions – tenets that have long been central to AEIC’s mission. The work ahead underscores the value of utilities coming together to exchange insights and advance the industry responsibly. It also highlights the value of AEIC as a network for senior industry leaders.
Learning alongside executive leaders across the industry has sharpened my perspective. AEIC provides a trusted forum where peers can share what’s working, examine challenges in a constructive way and build on relationships and ideas that help move the work forward.
I encourage you to join us in Ojai, California, Oct. 20–22, 2026, for AEIC’s 142nd Annual Meeting. Our theme — Collaborate. Innovate. Transform. — reflects both the moment our industry is in and the purpose of our time together.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Jim Heilbron
Senior Vice President, Technical Shared Services
Southern Company
2026 AEIC President
A Message From Our CEO
For decades, AEIC’s Annual Meeting has been a unique forum where electric utility executives come to engage in the robust exchange of ideas, discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the industry, and to build trusted relationships with their peers. It is with this historical legacy, spirit of collaboration, and sense of camaraderie that we have planned the agenda for this year’s 142nd Annual Meeting under the theme: Collaborate. Innovate. Transform.
During the day, senior leaders from AEIC’s member companies and industry partners will have plenty of business to discuss and knowledge to share. Our agenda will cover topics ranging from the need for additional infrastructure to meet demand, how to address the workforce challenges ahead, best practices for harnessing data analytics to drive decision-making, strategies for engaging customers and key stakeholders, and of course, doing all this while putting safety first.
In the evenings, we gather in social settings with spouses and guests where conversations will continue, new friends and connections will be made, and peer-to-peer networks will be strengthened.
All of this will take place in the spectacular setting of Ojai Valley, California. The Valley is home to rich landscapes, artisans, adventurers, and a flourishing dining scene, offering both small-town charm, an award-winning luxury atmosphere, and the chance to connect and explore at your own pace. The Ojai Valley Inn’s website encourages visitors to “Slow Down. Breathe it all in. And find your moment.” That sounds like a great mantra for this year’s annual meeting as well!
So, join us for this year’s 142nd AEIC Annual Meeting from October 20-22, 2026. Help us continue to build on AEIC’s rich legacy of advancing operational excellence in the electric utility industry.
AEIC