While the Board of Trustees ultimately provides oversight of CPS Energy, the continued performance and prosperity of the utility lies with the our senior executive team and staff. CPS Energy, under the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer, follow resolutions and policy decisions made by the Board and provide Trustees with timely and accurate information to allow them to make sound decisions for the utility.

Meet the Executive Team:

Doyle Beneby
President and Chief Executive Officer

President and CEO Doyle Beneby joined CPS Energy in August 2010. Beneby has more than two decades of experience in electricity generation operations, new generation development, electric distribution operations, customer service and labor relations.

Beneby joined CPS Energy after serving Exelon for eight years in various roles.  Most recently, as president of Exelon Power, Beneby oversaw fossil and hydro generation operations, outage and work management, business operations, engineering and technical support, new generation development, and operational oversight of co-owned facilities and purchased power contracts. Prior to that, Beneby served as senior vice president of Operations for Exelon Power, overseeing daily operations at Exelon’s fossil and hydroelectric facilities in five states.

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Jelynne LeBlanc Burley
Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

Jelynne LeBlanc Burley was named Acting General Manager in November 2009 after serving more than a year as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. In this position, she was charged with overseeing CPS Energy’s organizational excellence and shared services functions. She joined CPS Energy after 24 years in local municipal government.  Before leaving the City of San Antonio, Burley served as Deputy City Manager, assisting in the day-to-day management of 12,000 employees and providing oversight of an operating budget and capital budget of more than $2 billion.

Paula Gold-Williams
Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer

Paula Gold-Williams was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2008 after serving as chief administrative officer and controller.  She joined CPS Energy in 2004 after holding various positions in several San Antonio businesses, including regional controller for Time-Warner Cable and vice president of finance for Luby's, Inc. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

Cris Eugster
Executive Vice President
and Chief Sustainability Officer

As Chief Sustainability Officer, Cris Eugster is charged with helping transform CPS Energy from a successful conventional power company to a utility focused on sustainable energy development. This endeavor can be accomplished through increased use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and other programs that follow CPS Energy's Vision 2020 long-term strategic planning initiatives.

Carolyn E. Shellman
Executive Vice President
and General Counsel

Carolyn E. Shellman joined CPS Energy in 2006 and currently serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for CPS Energy. Before coming to CPS Energy, she was a partner with two firms in Austin and Dallas that focused on regulated industries and governmental relations. She worked for five years in various positions at the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Shellman is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the State Bar of Oklahoma.

Frederick A. James
Senior Vice President
of Energy Delivery Services

Frederick A. James, a CPS Energy employee since 1982, oversees system operations, customer reliability, electrical engineering and technical services, system planning and asset management, construction and maintenance of the electric transmission and distribution systems.  He held a variety of leadership positions in energy delivery services before being appointed Interim Senior Vice President in Dec. 2010.

Richard Peña
Senior Vice President
of Energy Development

Richard Peña oversees all of the utility's fuels, marketing, and energy market operations as well as construction of the Spruce 2 coal plant. He also is charged with maintaining CPS Energy's investment in the South Texas Project Nuclear Facility, Units 1 and 2. Peña joined CPS Energy in 1983 and has held a variety of leadership positions, including Vice President of Gas Systems and Vice President of Fossil Generation, within the organization.

Michael Kotara
Senior Vice President
of Fossil Generation

Michael "Mike" Kotara, as Senior Vice President of Fossil Generation, oversees CPS Energy's fossil fuel generation, planning and development as well as power plant construction and maintenance. He began his career at CPS Energy in 1985 and has held several leadership positions in fuels, generation control and marketing, and gas engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer.

Jeffrey M. Tuttle
Vice President
of Gas Business Unit
Jeffrey M. Tuttle has served as Vice President of the Gas Business Unit since 2005. He is responsible for gas operations, maintenance, construction, engineering and marketing. Tuttle joined CPS Energy in 2002. Prior to his current position, he served as Vice President of Human Resources.  Before coming to CPS Energy, Tuttle spent more than 18 years with Consumers Energy and CMS Energy in Michigan.

Maria Koudouris
Vice President of
Customer Service and Solutions
As Vice President of Customer Service and Solutions, Maria Koudouris oversees meter reading and field collections, customer call center and customer service centers, management of commercial accounts, and the Casa Verde SA weatherization program. She has been a CPS Energy employee since 1999, serving in a variety of positions specific to contract services and procurement. In 2009, she led the utility's creation of Casa Verde SA, which provides weatherization services to low-income families.

Helen Madison
Chief Audit and Ethics Officer

Helen Madison leads a comprehensive program of internal audits and reviews for CPS Energy and oversees the utility's ethics program. Madison joined CPS Energy in 1976 and has held various positions in the financial and audit areas of the company. She has headed the internal audit function since 1988. In 2005, she was given the additional responsibility for the newly-established ethics function. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.