Manu Asthana, the PJM Interconnection president and CEO, who steered the transmission organization through the pandemic but became a lightning rod of controversy for his advocacy of traditional energy sources. He resigned on Monday and will stay on as a senior advisor to the PJM Board through June 2026.Asthana, who has led the largest regional transmission organization in North America since 2019, is credited with guiding PJM through the COVID-19 pandemic, market reforms, interconnection process overhauls, and strengthening the risk-management framework. He has been an outspoken voice for grid reliability amid growing electricity demand.“The PJM Board is grateful to Manu for his strong leadership during a time of tremendous change,” said Board Chair Mark Takahashi. “We have a strong executive team and are considering both internal and external candidates for the role.”The news of Asthana’s departure comes as PJM is struggling to meet the 13-state region’s growing energy needs. More data centers are coming online and the demands of artificial intelligence technology are surging while aging coal and natural-gas powered plants close. An E&ENews story in December said the number of data centers planned or under construction in northern Virginia will double power demand from data centers in the region to 7 GW in 2030.Asthana has warned that the region could face power shortages in the next few years unless electricity can be generated

While CarMax reported solid third-quarter results Thursday (Dec. 19), including a 5.4% increase in retail used unit sales and a 6.3% rise in wholesale unit sales, company officials attributed this growth to strong execution across its business model, led by its omnichannel strategy. This strategy has become a key differentiator, according to CEO Bill Nash. CarMax uses advanced technology to improve car images, reviews and details, providing targeted content based on individual customer preferences. It also aggregates information into easily digestible summaries, making the car-buying process more efficient for customers. “Omnichannel capabilities have strengthened our business model,” Nash shared with analysts during the earnings call