CenterPoint Energy announces organizational changes
CenterPoint Energy announces organizational changes
2023-01-03T06:00:00Z

New streamlined structure supports continued execution of long-term growth strategy and advances company's succession planning efforts

HOUSTON, Jan. 3, 2023 - CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) today announced organizational changes designed to further strengthen execution of the company's long-term growth strategy, its service to customers and communities, value-creation for stakeholders, operational efficiencies, and corporate governance. The streamlined structure, which is effective today, builds upon the previously announced promotion of Jason Wells to President and Chief Operating Officer, effective Jan. 1, with Dave Lesar continuing to serve as Chief Executive Officer. Wells will report to Lesar.

"Since my appointment to CEO more than two years ago, I have been laser focused on pursuing a strategy of unlocking the strength and potential of our company to position us among the premium-valued utilities in our industry," said Lesar. "Accomplishing these strategic priorities starts with our most important resource – our diverse and talented workforce – and the company's continuing investments in developing future leaders to ensure we have a deep succession pipeline."

Lesar added, "Today's leadership promotions and appointments reflect a comprehensive succession planning process that we have developed at the direction of our Board Chairman and full Board of Directors. With Jason at the helm as our President and Chief Operating Officer, he has designed an outstanding organizational structure that I strongly believe will position our company for success for years to come."

Wells said, "As we execute on our long-term growth strategy, our performance continues to require a strong, diverse and talented team that is committed to quality results for our customers, shareholders and communities. It is critical that our employees are empowered to deliver on the opportunities for our company as we implement our industry-leading capital investment plan that is focused on safety, reliability, growth, and enabling cleaner energy investments to benefit our customers and investors. I believe the streamlined organizational structure we are introducing today will help us deliver that value proposition."

Focused Regulatory Services and Government Affairs

With several strategic regulatory and legislative priorities ahead in 2023 and beyond, CenterPoint Energy's Regulatory Services and Government Affairs organization will continue to be a core component in the company's long-term success. Jason Ryan, Executive Vice President, Regulatory Services and Government Affairs will continue to lead this effort. With six rate cases over the next 18 months, Ryan's nearly 25 years of experience and expertise will be critical in leading these business, operational and financial imperatives. He will report to Wells.

Integrated Electric Business and Operations

CenterPoint Energy will combine its Houston Electric and Indiana Electric businesses under a single leadership structure to further leverage best practices across its operations. Lynnae Wilson, formerly Senior Vice President, Houston Electric, has been appointed Senior Vice President, Electric Business. In this role, she will lead all areas of Houston Electric and Indiana Electric, serving more than 2.7 million metered customers in the greater Houston and southwestern Indiana areas, and execution of the company's generation transition plan. Wilson has 20 years of experience in combined electric and natural gas utilities with CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies. She will report to Wells.

Within the electric business, CenterPoint Energy announced an appointment and promotion designed to further its focus on future growth, grid modernization and strategic investments. Eric Easton, formerly Vice President, High Voltage and Real-Time Operations, has been named Vice President, Grid Transformation and Investment Strategy. In this newly created role, Easton will lead the electric business in proactively planning for the future, including transformative opportunities, such as distributed generation, electric vehicles and mass electrification, as well as focusing on plans for modernization and resiliency. Rina Harris, formerly Director, Business Development, Southern Region, has been promoted to Vice President, Business Development. Harris will be responsible for business development and the industrial load growth opportunities across the company's electric business footprint. Easton and Harris will report to Wilson.

Integrated Natural Gas Business and Operations

CenterPoint Energy will also integrate all aspects of its natural gas business under a single leadership structure. Darin Carroll, formerly Senior Vice President, Operations Support, has been appointed Senior Vice President, Natural Gas Business. He will lead all areas of the company's natural gas business that serves approximately 4.2 million customers across a six-state footprint. During his 15-year tenure with CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies, Carroll has held diverse utility leadership roles in natural gas and electric operations, as well as business process optimization. He will report to Wells.

Unified Customer Experience Functions

To further align the company's customer service and experience function with its long-term success, CenterPoint Energy has promoted Tony Gardner, formerly Vice President, Customer Experience, to Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. In this capacity, he will provide strategic leadership to CenterPoint Energy's customer experience and oversee all customer functions. Gardner has nearly 20 years of experience in customer-focused roles. He will report to Wells.

Enhanced Execution, Efficiency and Governance

To continue the company's strong execution of the fundamentals of its industry-leading strategy, Steve Greenley, formerly Senior Vice President, Generation Development, has been appointed Senior Vice President, Utility Operations Support. In this capacity, Greenley and his enterprise safety and technical training, operations support, energy solutions and business services, analytics, and facilities management teams will support the company's electric and natural gas businesses. Greenley has held various leadership roles in natural gas, electric and customer operations over the course of his more than 20 years at CenterPoint Energy. He will report to Wells.

Within the Utility Operations Support organization, the company announced a promotion to build on its momentum in continuous improvement to drive additional efficiencies and improvements across the enterprise. Kate Porter, formerly Director, Continuous Improvement and Data Analytics, has been promoted to Vice President, Enterprise Operational Excellence. She will report to Greenley. 

To further strengthen the company's governance across its technology-related operations and functions, Kenny Coleman, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, will now report to Wells.

Experienced Corporate Function Leaders

As previously announced, a new CFO will be named following the company's currently ongoing search. The CFO position will report to Lesar. Wells will continue to serve as CFO until his successor has been named. Monica Karuturi, Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Lynne Harkel-Rumford, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer will also continue to report to Lesar.

Karuturi will add the leadership of strategic planning, cybersecurity and Energy Systems Group to her current areas of responsibility. Harkel-Rumford will add the leadership of marketing to her responsibilities.

Lesar said, "I believe our entire team is well prepared to deliver on the opportunities for CenterPoint Energy as we continue to execute on our path to premium. These leaders will be instrumental in advancing our strategic priorities, sharing their experience and expertise across the organization, empowering colleagues to develop their careers and achieve their full potential, and strengthening our diverse and inclusive culture."

The company also announced that Scott Doyle, Executive Vice President, Utility Operations and Gregg Knight, Executive Vice President, Customer Transformation and Business Services have left the company as their positions have been eliminated.

"On behalf of everyone at CenterPoint Energy, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Scott and Gregg for their years of service and valuable contributions within our company, across our industry, and in our communities," said Lesar and Wells. "We wish them all the very best in the future."

Forward-looking Statement

This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, such as executive succession planning and timing thereof, CenterPoint Energy's ability to execute on its long-term strategy, expected benefits resulting from the change in leadership structure of CenterPoint Energy, and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) the impact of disruption to the global supply chain; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; (5) effects of competition; (6) weather variations; (7) changes in business plans; and (8) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, CenterPoint Energy's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About CenterPoint Energy

As the only investor-owned electric and natural gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Texas. As of September 30, 2022, the company owned approximately $35 billion in assets. With approximately 8,900 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

For more information contact
Media:
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com  
Investors:
Jackie Richert/Ben Vallejo
Phone 713.207.6500

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

 Recent News

 

 
CenterPoint Energy monitoring and prepared for cold front with strong winds across Greater Houston area

​​​Wind gusts in 35 – 45+ mph range forecasted to impact Greater Houston area Sunday night into Monday morning

Enhanced frontline workforce prepared and ready to respond to potential impacts on system

HOUSTON – March 14, 2026  – CenterPoint Energy is monitoring and prepared for an incoming cold front forecasted to impact the Greater Houston area Sunday night and Monday morning, bringing with it strong winds with potential gusts in the range of 35 – 45+ mph. The company's enhanced workforce of more than 900 CenterPoint frontline workers is prepared to respond to any impacts on electric service. CenterPoint continues to communicate and coordinate with local government officials ahead of Sunday's forecast.

During this week's storms, approximately 97.5% of CenterPoint's 2.9 million customers across the Greater Houston area had uninterrupted service. Customers who experienced storm-related outages were restored on average within approximately 54 minutes. The vast majority of customers were restored within 3 hours or less.

“As a cold front is expected to move through the area, our CenterPoint team has been monitoring the potential for strong winds with gusts of at least 35 – 45+ mph or higher across our service territory," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Manager of Meteorology. “Our crews are prepared for the possibility of another round of very strong winds starting Sunday evening, and our frontline workers stand ready to respond. We will continue to actively monitor for any severe weather and urge our customers to stay alert in anticipation of quickly changing weather conditions."

Preparing for Severe Weather: Key Actions
As part of its storm preparedness efforts, CenterPoint is taking the following actions:

  • Readying t​he company's workforce and resources:More than 900 personnel remain ready to support potential restoration efforts throughout the week.
  • Monitoring severe weather 24/7: The Meteorology team continues to track weather forecast developments, and the company is updating response efforts as conditions evolve.
  • Coordinating with local officials: CenterPoint is providing updates to local officials and emergency management partners.

What customers should do:

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.  
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving more than 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of December 31, 2025, the company had approximately $46.5 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

CenterPoint Energy continues monitoring severe weather and remains prepared as additional storms forecast for southwestern Indiana

​​​CenterPoint's electric infrastructure performed well and had minimal customer impacts during this week's storms and stands ready for another round of severe weather expected Sunday 

Customers encouraged to stay safe and maintain emergency plans

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – March 13, 2026 – CenterPoint Energy is monitoring another round of potentially severe thunderstorms forecast to move through southwestern Indiana on Sunday. According to the National Weather Service, damaging winds, heavy rain and isolated tornadoes are possible Sunday afternoon through the evening hours.

The company has remained in a heightened posture since storms moved through the region on Tuesday and Wednesday. CenterPoint is preparing crews and coordinating with local government officials ahead of Sunday's forecast.

During this week's storms, the company's electric system performed well with minimal outages that peaked at approximately 900 customers out of the approximately 154,000 electric customers CenterPoint serves in the region.

“More than 99% of our customers had uninterrupted service during this week's storms, and we remain fully prepared as another system moves into our area," said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana. “Our teams stand ready to respond."

CenterPoint encourages customers to prepare for severe weather: 

  • Track outages: Bookmark Outage Tracker (available in English and Spanish and mobile-friendly) to see the latest outage information.
  • Stay safe: Visit Ready.gov for storm safety tips. 
  • ​Follow us: Real-time updates will be available on X and at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter. ​

CenterPoint Energy offers expanded support for southwestern Indiana customers as state’s winter disconnection moratorium ends

​EVANSVILLE, Ind. – March 12, 2026 – As part of its commitment to affordability and supporting our local communities, CenterPoint Energy is encouraging customers to take advantage of available payment options, assistance programs and one-on-one support ahead of Indiana's winter disconnection moratorium ending on March 15.

Under Indiana law, customers who receive Energy Assistance Program (EAP) assistance or who are eligible and have applied for the program are protected from service disconnection between December 1 and March 15. As that protection period ends, CenterPoint wants customers to know that help is available and that reaching out is the first step. The company has taken a series of steps over the past year to expand resources and support available to customers managing energy costs.

“We know that affordability is the top issue for many of our customers and we want you to know that there are resources available to help you manage your energy use and bills. Please reach out to us," said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana. “Our teams are here to help and work with you. We can connect you with assistance programs, set up a payment plan or help you find ways to reduce your energy costs. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can help you find a path forward."

Steps customers can take now

Financial assistance programs are available to help customers manage energy costs:

  • ​Payment arrangements: Allow customers who are having difficulty paying their bill in full to set up a plan to pay in smaller increments over time
  • Energy Assistance Program: Provides financial help to income-eligible households and is accepting applications through April 20, 2026
  • Universal Service Fund: Helps natural gas customers who have received EAP save between 15% and 32% on their bills through May 31.
  • Township trustee assistance: Available year-round, with eligibility and support levels determined by local trustee offices

Customers can also sign up for Budget Bill to level out monthly payments, schedule a no-cost Home Energy Assessment or visit the Online Energy Efficiency Store to access discounted energy-saving products.

More ways to connect and get help

As part of its ongoing commitment to affordability, CenterPoint has made it easier for customers to connect and find support. Guided by direct feedback from customers and stakeholders, the company has expanded resources across southwestern Indiana, including:

  • One-on-one support through Community Connect events happening throughout the region
  • A redesigned Customer Resource Hub, making it simpler to find billing support, assistance programs and energy-saving resources in one place

The next Community Connect event is scheduled for March 18 at CenterPoint Energy Plaza, 211 NW Riverside Drive in Evansville, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where customers can meet with CenterPoint team members and get help with any of the programs and resources listed above.

For more information or to explore available resources, customers can visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ResourceHub or call 1-800-227-1376.

Ongoing commitment to affordability

In October 2025, CenterPoint launched its initial series of Community Affordability Actions, including the CenterPoint Energy Foundation's $5 million Community Energy Improvement Fund. Since then, the company has introduced additional bill management tools, expanded customer support programs and implemented additional protections as part of the Indiana Electric rate case settlement – such as annual late-fee waivers upon request, reduced reconnection fees and safeguards for medically vulnerable customers. Additional customer resources are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

CenterPoint Energy offers support for Indiana customers as state’s winter disconnection moratorium ends

INDIANAPOLIS – March 12, 2026 – CenterPoint Energy is encouraging customers to take advantage of available payment options, assistance programs and one-on-one support ahead of Indiana's winter disconnection moratorium ending on March 15.

Under Indiana law, customers who receive Energy Assistance Program (EAP) assistance or who are eligible and have applied for the program are protected from service disconnection between December 1 and March 15. As that protection period ends, CenterPoint wants customers to know that help is available and that reaching out is the first step.

“We know that affordability is the top issue for many of our customers and we want you to know that there are resources available to help you manage your energy use and bills. Please reach out to us," said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana. “Our teams are here to work with you. We can connect you with assistance programs, set up a payment plan or help you find ways to reduce your energy costs. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can help you find a path forward."

Steps customers can take now

Financial assistance programs are available to help customers manage energy costs:

  • Payment arrangements: Allow customers who are having difficulty paying their bill in full to set up a plan to pay in smaller increments over time
  • Energy Assistance Program: Provides financial help to income-eligible households and is accepting applications through April 20, 2026
  • Universal Service Fund: Helps natural gas customers who have received EAP save between 15% and 32% on their bills through May 31
  • Township trustee assistance: Available year-round, with eligibility and support levels determined by local trustee offices

Customers can also sign up for Budget Billing to level out monthly payments or visit the Online Energy Efficiency Store to access discounted energy-saving products.

For more information or to explore available resources, customers can visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ResourceHub or call 1-800-227-1376.​​

Less than 2.5% of CenterPoint Energy customers impacted during midweek storms

Average restoration for a customer was about 54 minutes, with the vast majority of customers restored in 3 hours or less 

 

Essentially all customers impacted by Wednesday afternoon’s storms have now been restored, with crews working diligently to restore remaining 700 customers 

 

 Frontline workers and contractors supported ongoing restoration and continue responding to localized outages 

  

HOUSTON – March 11, 2026 – After Wednesday afternoon’s storms traveled across CenterPoint Energy’s electric service territory, approximately 2.5% of its 2.9 million customers across the Greater Houston area experienced impacts to electric service during the weather event. With more than 70,000 customers impacted since storms started to move through the area around noon, approximately 69,000 customers have been restored since the storms arrived this afternoon. As of 9:45 p.m., approximately 700 customers are currently without power. 

 

The company's Emergency Operation Center was activated ahead of the storms, and more than 1,400 frontline workers and contractor crews were available to respond to isolated outages throughout the company's 12-county service area. The average time to restore customers who experienced storm-related outages was approximately 54 minutes, and the vast majority of customers were restored in 3 hours or less. 

 

The company is expected to return to normal operations tomorrow morning. 

 

“Severe weather and storms are something we prepare for year‑round, and our crews train continuously so we’re ready ahead of the storms reaching our communities,” said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint’s Vice President, Special Response Team and Incident Commander. “We understand how disruptive any outages can be, and our crews work safely and as quickly as possible until every customer is restored. We will monitor the weather the rest of the night and be prepared to respond immediately to any additional outages.” 

 

CenterPoint took the following actions for today’s event: 

 

  • Deployed the company's resources: Had 1,400 personnel ready to respond to outages and support preparedness actions ahead of restoration efforts. 
  • Activated Emergency Operations Center: To coordinate storm response efforts throughout the day, the company proactively activated its Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday and remained ready to respond. 
  • Monitored weather 24/7: The Meteorology team continues to track forecast developments, and the company is updating response plans as conditions evolve. 
  • Pre-positioned resources: Response teams were pre-positioned in areas where storms were forecasted to impact and remain ready to respond to any electric or natural gas service interruptions safely and as quickly as possible. 
  • Coordinated with local officials: The company provided updates to local officials and emergency management partners. 

 

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.   
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving more than 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of December 31, 2025, the company had approximately $46.5 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.  ​

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