While the Board of Trustees ultimately provides oversight of CPS Energy, the continued performance and prosperity of the utility lies with the company’s senior executive team and staff. CPS Energy, under the leadership of the General Manager and 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:

Milton B. Lee
Chief Executive Officer

Milton B. Lee has served San Antonio as CPS Energy’s Chief Executive Officer since February 2002. He joined CPS Energy in 2000 after serving as CEO and general manager of Austin Energy during the 1990s. He began his career with General Electric Co., where he oversaw nuclear steam supply systems, nuclear fuel, gas turbine generators and steam turbine generators.

Lee has held a number of prominent positions in the electric utility industry. He has served as a member of the ERCOT Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Committee, and has held leadership positions in the Texas Public Power and American Public Power Associations. Lee is currently a member of the Huston-Tillotson University Board of Trustees; the University of Texas at Austin Engineering Foundation Advisory Board; the National Society of Black Engineers; the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering; and the Texas Society of Professional Engineers.

Steve Bartley
Interim General Manager

Steve Bartley was named Interim General Manager of CPS Energy in 2009 after serving two years as Deputy General Manager. He has been with the company since 2000 and has almost 30 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Bartley also has served the company as Director of Regulatory Relations, Vice President of Governmental and Regulatory Relations, and as Executive Vice President of Strategy and External Relations.

Before coming to CPS Energy, Bartley held leadership positions with Austin Energy. He began his career with the Lower Colorado River Authority.

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.

Michael Kotara
Executive Vice President of Energy Development

Michael "Mike" Kotara, as Executive Vice President of Energy Development, 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.

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.

John Moore
Executive Vice President of Energy Delivery Services

John Moore joined CPS Energy in April 2009 as Executive Vice President of Energy Delivery Services. In this position, Moore oversees system operations and customer reliability, electrical engineering and technical services, system planning and asset management, and natural gas operations.  Moore possesses more than three decades of electric utility experience. Most recently, he served as vice president of transmission and interconnection for E.ON Climate and Renewables.

Cris Eugster
Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer

Cris Eugster will join CPS Energy on May 4 as its first Chief Sustainability Officer. In this new position, Eugster will be charged with helping transform CPS Energy from a successful conventional power company to one that focuses on sustainable energy development. This endeavor can be accomplished through increased use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and other programs that will follow CPS Energy's Vision 2020 long-term strategic planning initiatives.

Jelynne LeBlanc Burley
Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

Jelynne LeBlanc Burley serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer overseeing CPS Energy’s organizational excellence and shared services functions. She joined CPS Energy after serving in local municipal government for 24 years.  Before leaving the City of San Antonio, she 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.

Christopher Barron
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Christopher Barron, as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, is responsible for leading the company's technology strategy and chairs the global internal information technology governance function. He joined CPS Energy in 2004 as an executive in the company's Information and Communications Services Division.

John Saenz
Senior Vice President
of Retail Energy

John Saenz became Vice President of Retail Energy in 2007. He is charged with oversight of CPS Energy’s retail endeavors and customer service programs. He joined CPS Energy in 2005 after holding numerous sales and marketing positions throughout Texas, including work for various utility companies.