Michael Parkes was born and raised in Rochester, NY. He was a graduate of Honeoye Falls-Lima High School and went on to earn his Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University in 2003. Upon graduating from college he worked as an electrical engineer for O’Brien & Gere and then TRC where he became a licensed professional engineer in the State of New York. After eight years of working in the engineering consulting field he took a position with his family’s electrical contracting business (O’Connell Electric) as the Power Group General Manager and in 2019 was promoted to Vice President – Power Group. Michael’s group manages all of the company’s utility accounts which covers substations, underground T&D and overhead T&D. Michael is responsible for over 300 field and office employees and approximately $200 million in annual revenue. Michael currently serves as the ELECTRI Council Chair, is an ELECTRI Trustee and is a NECA Innovation and Strategy Task Force Member.