click to enlarge Screen capture / SATV
CPS Energy interim CEO Rudy Garza answers questions during a city council meeting.
CPS Energy's Board of Trustees has approved a 30-day contract negotiation period with Interim President CEO Rudy Garza to make him permanent CEO of the city-owned utility.
The board voted to enter the talks after conducting a nationwide search with the help of headhunting firm Russell Reynolds Associates, according to CPS officials.
“Rudy has a deep understanding of every facet of CPS Energy, as well as the contemporary utility landscape,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg, an ex-officio member of CPS's board, in an emailed statement. “Rudy also understands our community and brings experience working with the utility’s customers and industry leaders. Rudy is the right man for the job.”
Garza joined CPS in 2012, becoming interim CEO last November after the utility's former head, Paula Gold-Williams, resigned amid criticism of her spending habits and her handling of outages during Winter Storm Uri.
Prior to his appointment as interim CEO, Garza was CPS's chief customer and stakeholder engagement officer. He's now set to become the first Latino to hold the utility's top leadership position.
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