Paul Barham, Sr. VP of EDS, CPS Energy, Takes the Helm as Rocky Mountain Electric League (RMEL)'s 2020-2021 President

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rocky Mountain Electric League (RMEL) is pleased to announce that Paul Barham, Sr. Vice President of Energy Delivery Services for CPS Energy, has been appointed RMEL President for 2020-2021.  Barham joined the RMEL Board in 2014 and has been an active Board of Director throughout his tenure.  He has served the board as an executive officer since 2016 in the role of Vice President of Finance, where his contributions and oversight were instrumental in revising RMEL's investment policy, allowing the league to maintain its strong financial position.

RMEL is a not-for-profit energy trade association that has served the electric utility industry with a variety of education and networking services since 1903. 

Barham virtually accepted the gavel from 2019-2020 RMEL President Joel Bladow, Sr. Vice President of Transmission for Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, during RMEL's Virtual Fall Convention in September 22, 2020. 

"I am excited to transition into my new role as the 2020-2021 President for RMEL and am honored to have been appointed to serve and lead our members," said Paul Barham, Sr. Vice President of Energy Delivery Services for CPS Energy. "I look forward to continuing to work alongside my fellow Board members to provide innovative, educational, and networking opportunities that prepare the electric energy industry for a bigger, brighter future."

Barham has worked at CPS Energy for over 30 years and is currently responsible for the transmission and distribution systems at CPS Energy.  He has also served as the Senior Director of Energy Market Operations and was responsible for operations in the ERCOT market and related activities for both generation resources and load demand. He has also served as Senior Director of Integrated Planning and Research where he was responsible for the analysis and development of the long-term strategy for generation resource capacity and demand-side management programs. He also had extensive involvement in the research and evaluation of generation and energy efficiency technologies, including renewable and developing technologies. 

Barham is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas, and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

"I have known Paul for a very long time, and I truly respect his leadership and perspective on the industry. In these times where utilities are quickly evolving business models, we are excited to have Paul lead the association and our membership to new and exciting milestones," said Richard Putnicki, RMEL Executive Director. "I also want to sincerely thank Joel Bladow for being a constant resource and leader to the association and staff as we've navigated all of the challenges of 2020. Our Board of Directors is truly engaged in the success of RMEL, a true reflection of our leadership, past and present."

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 860,934 electric and 358,495 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 $8 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.

About RMEL

RMEL is a not-for-profit energy trade association that has served the electric utility industry with a variety of education and networking services since 1903. RMEL's mission is: Preparing the electric energy industry for the future through education and networking. Once known as the Rocky Mountain Electrical League, the association officially became RMEL in the 1990s to better reflect a membership base that spans the entire country.

SOURCE CPS Energy