CPS Energy Chief Operating Officer Named Chair Of Smart Electric Power Alliance Board

SAN ANTONIO, April 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) announced CPS Energy Chief Operating Officer Cris Eugster has been named Board Chair of their 19-member Board of Directors. SEPA's mission is to facilitate the electric power industry's smart transition to a clean and modern energy future through education, research, standards and collaboration.

As Chair, Eugster will be responsible for leading the board in developing SEPA initiatives and programming that focus on energy companies' commitments to clean energy including solar energy, demand response, energy storage and electric vehicles. Eugster joins energy leaders from across the country in serving on the SEPA board of directors and his one-year-term as Board Chair began April 23, 2018 following a vote by SEPA board members.

"CPS Energy is at the forefront of clean energy initiatives, and I look forward to sharing our experiences and working with my colleagues on the SEPA Board and its leadership in the coming year," said Cris Eugster, Chief Operating Officer for CPS Energy.  "Together, we will work toward bringing innovation to the development of a clean energy future."

"I am proud and supportive of Cris' new and prestigious leadership role at SEPA.  It is clearly aligned to his evolving strategic perspectives and commitment to energy innovation," said Paula Gold-Williams, President & CEO of CPS Energy. "In turn, Cris' progressive professional leadership and deep industry engagement exemplifies a pattern of continuing growth that we value and invest in every day throughout our great team at CPS Energy."

"SEPA is fortunate to have a Board of Directors who are all active and engaged thought leaders in our industry's transition toward a clean and modern energy future," said President and CEO Julia Hamm. "Similarly, as SEPA continues to grow and our membership evolves, the diversity of our board will keep us nimble and focused on the changes that are necessary for moving the industry forward."

Additional SEPA board election results include:

• Chair ?Elect - Mary Kipp, President and CEO of El Paso Electric Co.
• Past Chair - Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs for Southern California Edison
• Treasurer - John Hewa, Vice President of Corporate Services at the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
• Secretary - Seth Frader-Thompson, President of EnergyHub
• Nominating Committee Chair - Jim Alberts, Senior Vice President, Customer Service at Hawaiian Electric Company
• At-Large - Joe Hoagland, Vice President, Stakeholder Relations at the Tennessee Valley Authority

ABOUT SEPA
The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to working with electric power stakeholders through the most pressing issues affecting the growth and utilization of smart energy. We are a trusted platform for education, research, standards and collaboration to help utilities, customers, and other players deploy and integrate solar, storage, demand response and other distributed energy resources. Through educational activities, working groups, peer-to-peer opportunities and advisory services, SEPA engages interested parties in facilitating necessary information exchange and knowledge transfer to offer the highest amount of value for our membership and partner organizations.

ABOUT CPS ENERGY
Established in 1860, CPS Energy is the nation's largest public power, natural gas and electric company, providing safe, reliable and competitively-priced service to 804,000 electric and 343,000 natural gas customers in San Antonio and portions of seven adjoining counties. Our customers' combined energy bills rank among the lowest of the nation's 20 largest cities ? while generating $7 billion in revenue for the City of San Antonio for more than seven decades. As a trusted and strong Community partner, we continuously focus on job creation, economic development and educational investment. True to our People First philosophy, we are powered by our skilled workforce, whose commitment to the community is demonstrated through our employees' volunteerism in giving back to our city and programs aimed at bringing value to our customers. CPS Energy is among the top public power wind energy buyers in the nation and number one in Texas for solar generation.

SOURCE CPS Energy