Kenneth M. Mercado — Senior Vice President of Electric Operations at CenterPoint Energy

Mr. Kenneth M. Mercado, also known as Kenny, serves as a Senior Vice President of Electric Operations of Centerpoint Energy Resources Corp. Mr. Mercado has been the Senior Vice President of Electric Operations at CenterPoint Energy, Inc. since February 2014. Mr. Mercado has financial and operational responsibility for electric transmission and distribution for 2.2 million customers in the greater Houston area. Mr. Merca was a Division Senior Vice President in CenterPoint Energy's Electric Operations business, responsible for Electric Grid and Market Operations. He was responsible for automating and integrating the company's 5,000 square-mile electric transmission and distribution grid operations and serving the Texas competitive market place. He was also responsible for CenterPoint Energy's smart grid system deployment, which includes smart meters and intelligent grid technology. In his 28-year career at CenterPoint Energy and predecessor companies, Mr. Merca has held numerous leadership positions in engineering and operations in the company's electric business. Prior to leading its smart grid deployment, he was responsible for electric distribution, substation and transmission operations. A licensed professional engineer registered in the state of Texas, Mr. Merca also serves on the board of directors for the March of Dimes in Houston, University of Houston Honors College and Center for Commercialization of Electric Technologies in Texas (CCET). Mr. Merca received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and Master of Science degree in industrial engineering from the University of Houston. He also received an Executive MBA degree from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.