College Station Utilities earns national cybersecurity designation

College Station Utilities has been awarded the Cybersecurity Accelerator Program designation by the American Public Power Association. The recognition highlights the utility’s cybersecurity practices and its commitment to maintaining reliable electric service for the community.

The APPA granted this inaugural designation to 60 public power utilities across the United States. The designation is valid for a period of two years. To qualify, utilities were required to demonstrate proficiency in several key areas, including internal controls, cybersecurity governance and training, incident response, and cyber risk management.

Glenn Gavit, the CSU Electric Utility Director, stated that the organization is proud to earn the distinguished designation. "We go to work every day to ensure safe and reliable service to this community, and it’s nice to see that hard work recognized nationally," Gavit said.

Beyond initial qualifications, designees must demonstrate ongoing capabilities to safeguard critical systems. This includes training staff to recognize and mitigate cyber threats, maintaining incident response plans, and sustaining long-term security practices.

Fred Christie, chair of the APPA’s CAP Review Panel and chief information officer at Easton Utilities in Maryland, commented on the significance of the award. "Receiving an APPA CAP designation is a great honor and a testament to the work these utilities are doing to protect their critical assets from ever-evolving cyber threats," Christie said.

He added that the designees have distinguished themselves by their commitment to protecting their utilities and the U.S. electric grid for the benefit of their communities.