Michael Niggli, chairman and chief executive officer of Sierra Pacific Resources, will speak at UNLV on Nov. 9 on the topic, "A Powerful Future: Deregulating the Electric Power Industry in Nevada."

Niggli, who is coming to campus as a Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering distinguished speaker, will make his presentation at 2:30 p.m. in the Thomas T. Beam Engineering Complex, Room A-107. This free event is open to the public.

Niggli, who has an extensive professional background in the electric power industry, served as chairman, president, and chief executive of ficer of Nevada Power before moving to Sierra Pacific Resources. Before that, he served as a senior vice president at Entergy, a U.S. based global energy company where he was responsible for marketing, customer service, strategic planning, and fuels management. He also spent 17 years at the San Diego Gas and Electric Company in a variety of management positions.

He founded the graduate program in power engineering at San Diego State University and lectured there on a part-time basis for five years.

Niggli earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from San Diego State and a bachelor's degree in the same field from California State University, Long Beach. He also participated in the advanced management program at Harvard's business school.

For additional information on Niggli's presentation at UNLV, call mechanical engineering professor Robert Boehm at 895-4160.