Auburn University’s McCrary Institute welcomes new leadership to Southeast Region Cybersecurity Collaboration Center (SERC3) Industry Advisory Board 

The McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University announced the appointment of two stalwarts of the energy sector to lead its industry-led energy advisory board.  

Jennifer Flandermeyer and KC Carnes, executives at NextEra Energy, Inc. and the Tennessee Valley Authority, respectively, together bring decades of experience to the McCrary Institute’s Southeast Region Cybersecurity Collaboration Center (SERC3) Industry Advisory Board. They will help guide the McCrary-led SERC3 initiative, which helps energy companies solve the most pressing cybersecurity and operational technology challenges as adversaries increasingly target America’s energy grid. Flandermeyer will serve as the board’s chair and Carnes will join as vice chair. 

“At a time when the energy sector is facing near-constant threats from nation-states, cyber criminals and AI-powered attacks, Jennifer Flandermeyer and KC Carnes bring the operational perspective SERC3 needs,” said Nick Sellers, chief operating officer of Auburn University’s McCrary Institute. “Their leadership will help keep this initiative focused on practical capabilities, industry collaboration, and real-world solutions to strengthen the cybersecurity of America’s energy infrastructure at a critical time.” 

SERC3 is an industry-informed, industry-led initiative designed to address the growing challenges in operational technology cybersecurity, especially those central to the increasingly complex challenges faced by energy companies powering our ways of life.  

Funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy, SERC3 brings together experts from the private sector, academia and government to share information and generate innovative, real-world solutions to protect the nation’s power grid and other key sectors. SERC3 is powered by the McCrary Institute’s Edge Lab, which tests, validates, and accelerates cybersecurity capabilities for critical infrastructure environments. 

“I am honored to serve as Board Chair and support SERC3’s mission to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure and strengthen energy security,” said Jennifer Flandermeyer, Director, Cyber Intelligence, Government Affairs and Assessments at NextEra Energy, Inc. “SERC3’s industry-driven focus on advancing operational technology cybersecurity, accelerating workforce readiness, and promoting collaboration across sectors is essential to meeting the evolving needs of the energy industry. By fostering innovation, real-world training, and scalable public-private partnerships, SERC3 is building a more resilient and secure foundation to defend critical infrastructure against emerging cyber threats.  Our future is bright!” 

“Studying a problem alone does not fix it,” said KC Carnes, Vice President, Cybersecurity and Chief Information Security Officer at the Tennessee Valley Authority. “Auburn’s McCrary Institute is leading the way to help secure the future in critical infrastructure by advancing operational technology cybersecurity research, demonstration, and transition for the energy sector.” 

The SERC3 Industry Advisory Board is industry-led and operationally grounded, bringing together senior leaders and subject- matter experts from utilities, critical infrastructure organizations, national laboratories and industry partners across the sector. The board helps ensure SERC3 remains focused on practical energy-sector needs to support the protection of systems, customers, and the critical services that power everyday life. 

Learn more about SERC3 here. 

About the McCrary Institute at Auburn University  

The McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University is dedicated to defending the systems that power our national and economic security, our communities and our way of life. Positioned at the intersection of policy, applied research and public-private partnerships, the Institute serves as a trusted convener of national leaders — shaping strategy, aligning priorities and driving real-world cybersecurity solutions to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. Learn more at McCraryInstitute.com.