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 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 will leave CPS Energy on Sept. 30.

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.

Jelynne LeBlanc Burley
Acting General Manager

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.

Doyle Beneby
President and CEO, effective August 1

Doyle Beneby has been named CPS Energy's new President and Chief Executive Officer effective Aug. 1. His 25-year career includes eight years with Exelon Power and 17 years with Florida Power & Light and Consumers Energy in Michigan. He has managed energy generation, energy distribution as well as consumer relations, metering and billing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

LLoyd Hollingsworth
Chief Risk Officer

L.D. Hollingsworth joined CPS Energy as Chief Risk Officer in 2006. He is charged with setting strategic direction and leading the Enterprise Risk Management program for CPS Energy. Other areas of focus include company-wide risk assessments, credit risk management, insurance services, corporate security and business continuity planning. Hollingsworth has held various executive positions and has over 30 years experience in the energy and utility industry.