As Vice President and General Counsel for ReliabilityFirst, Niki Schaefer leads the Legal, Enforcement, and Compliance Monitoring (auditing) teams. ReliabilityFirst is one of six companies across the country that have statutory authority delegated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to regulate the reliability of electricity. Niki is responsible for ensuring ReliabilityFirst’s auditing and enforcement functions are effectively executed for electric utilities in the 13 states and Washington, D.C. that make up the ReliabilityFirst footprint.
Niki returned to ReliabilityFirst from Eaton Corporation where she served as legal counsel to senior leadership teams across multiple business units within Eaton’s Electrical Sector supporting more than $2 billion in revenue. Prior to Eaton, Niki was the Managing Enforcement Counsel at ReliabilityFirst and directed the teams responsible for carrying out enforcement of electric reliability regulations. Before working in the electric industry, Niki was a trial lawyer at Benesch Friedlander litigating commercial and personal injury cases in State and Federal Courts across the country. She was also an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Law.
In addition to earning multiple professional awards, Niki (a stroke survivor) is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association’s Northeastern Ohio Chapter and a tireless advocate for brain and heart health. Until 2024, Niki served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Gathering Place, an organization with a mission to provide free therapeutic services to people on a cancer journey and their loved ones. Niki is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, a global, invitation-only collection of lawyers dedicated to the betterment of the legal profession.
Niki received her B.A. with honors in American Studies from Cornell University, and graduated cum laude from CWRU School of Law where she received an academic scholarship. She lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio with her husband, son, daughter, and their two dogs. In her free time, Niki is an avid runner and snowboarder, loves to cook and entertain, and is a close follower of politics and fashion.
