Paul Abernathy is the Director of Technical Services at Prysmian, and the CEO, president, and chairman of Electrical Code Academy, Inc., and serves as executive director and founding member of the Certified Master Electrical Code Professional^® (CMECP^®) program. Since entering the electrical industry in 1986, Paul has served as a licensed electrician, electrical contractor, electrical inspector, electrical plans examiner, electrical engineer, code consultant, and educator. He has served on NFPA 70 National Electrical Code Code-Making Panels 5 and 17 and has extensive experience in code development, enforcement, and technical education. Paul’s public-sector experience includes serving as Electrical Engineer II for the City of Richmond, Virginia, overseeing electrical inspectors and inspection operations, and as Manager of Codes for the City of Alexandria, Virginia. He also served as a Southern Field Expert for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). Paul previously owned and operated electrical contracting and electrical design/code consulting firms, including Abernathy Electrical Services in McKinney, Texas, which he closed in 2021. Today, he continues to support the electrical industry through technical leadership, NEC education, professional certification, and training for electricians, inspectors, engineers, contractors, and code professionals."

Ellen Parson is the Editor-in-Chief for EC&M. She has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She's been a business-to-business writer and editor for more than 25 years, most of which have been covering the construction and electrical industries. Contact her at [email protected].