The CPS Energy board voted Sept. 6 to approve a contract making Rudy Garza the San Antonio-based utility’s permanent president and CEO.
The utility’s board voted Aug. 23 to enter 30-day contract negotiations with Garza to promote him from interim president and CEO, according to a news release.
Officials with the utility said Garza’s three-year contract runs through January 31, 2026, and includes a two-year extension option at a salary of $655,000. There is no incentive or bonus pay, CPS Energy officials said.
Board Chair Willis Mackey served on CPS Energy’s personnel committee with Committee Chair Janie Gonzalez, the release said, adding that national search firm Russell Reynolds was retained to help the utility with the search.
“We congratulate Rudy D. Garza on his selection as the president and CEO. He is more than qualified and has proven to have the skills, expertise, leadership and heart to lead CPS Energy,” Mackey said in a statement.
Gonzalez congratulated Garza, who becomes the top executive of the nation’s largest municipally owned electric and natural gas company as well as the first Hispanic president and CEO of CPS Energy.
“I am proud to have led this process to get [Garza] in place to continue to lead CPS Energy into the digital future. This is a critical time for our community, and [Garza] has proven himself to be the leader this organization needs to serve our customers and community,” Gonzalez said.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg also praised Garza in a statement.
“He has done an excellent job as interim CEO, and his deep knowledge of the utility and the community it serves made him a clear choice for the job,” Nirenberg said.
CPS Energy Board Member Francine Romero congratulated Garza and said she looks forward to working with him to reduce the utility’s carbon footprint through the future energy generation planning process.
“I have been impressed with [Garza's] leadership, transparency and accessibility, and I look forward to working with him and his team more,” Romero said.
Garza thanked CPS Energy trustees for having confidence in him, his leadership and his team.
“Our accomplishments in my interim role is a testament to our employees’ commitment to our customers during what has been a challenging period for our organization. I also want to thank our community for the honest dialogue we’ve had with them to help make us better,” Garza said.
According to the news release, during his 10 months as CPS Energy’s interim president and CEO, Garza led the company to the approval of the first rate increase in eight years; approval for the next phase of energy efficiency and conservation programs; and discussions with trustees and the Rate Advisory Committee on future power generation planning, the release said.
CPS Energy officials said Garza has more than 25 years in the utility industry and has served as a leader in both the public and private sectors. Garza has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The University of Texas and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Texas.
Garza served as CPS Energy’s chief customer and stakeholder engagement officer before being promoted to replace Paula Gold-Williams, who resigned as the utility’s president and CEO following criticism for her handling of responses to the February 2021 winter storm.
Garza joined CPS Energy in 2012 and previously served as senior vice president of distribution service and operations, overseeing the maintenance and construction activity of the electric distribution system. He has also served the company in the role of vice president of external relations.
