(San Francisco) – PG&E Corporation (NYSE:
PCG) and its utility unit, Pacific Gas and Electric
Company, have made seven new appointments at the officer
level, providing new leadership in areas including
finance, risk management and audit, accounting, strategic
sourcing, civic partnerships and government relations.
The appointments include new assignments for existing
team members as well as the addition of new talent
from outside the organization.
“PG&E is committed to attracting the best
management talent and expertise available and to positioning
our existing leaders where they can have the greatest
impact as we work toward our goal to be the leader
in our industry,” said Peter A. Darbee, PG&E
Corporation President and CEO. “These announcements
reflect that commitment in action.” The appointments
are as follows:
- PG&E Corporation Senior Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer and Controller Christopher P. Johns
will become Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
Officer and Treasurer for both PG&E Corporation
and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, effective October
1, 2005. Johns’ current role as Controller
will be assumed by G. Robert Powell on October 4
(see below). Johns joined Pacific Gas and Electric
Company in 1996 as Vice President and Controller,
and became Controller of PG&E Corporation when
it was formed in January 1997. Johns was named Senior
Vice President and Controller in September 2001.
He assumed his current position on January 1, 2005.
Before joining PG&E, Johns
was a partner of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP. Johns holds
a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University
of Notre Dame and is a Certified Public Accountant
in the states of California and Florida.
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company Senior Vice President,
Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Kent M. Harvey
has been named to the newly established position
of PG&E Corporation Senior Vice President and Chief
Risk and Audit Officer, effective October 1, 2005.
Harvey will oversee the company’s enterprise-wide
risk management and internal audit function. Prior
to assuming his current role in 1997, he was Vice President
and Treasurer. He has also served as Corporate Secretary,
Director of Financial Analysis and Director of Investor
Relations. Harvey began his career at PG&E as an
engineer in 1982. He holds a bachelor’s degree
in economics and a master’s degree in engineering
- economic systems both from Stanford University.
- G. Robert Powell has been named PG&E Corporation
Vice President and Controller, effective October 4,
2005. He joins the company from PricewaterhouseCoopers,
where he was a partner in the audit and business assurance
group within the firm’s National Utility Practice.
Powell is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a
bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and
a master’s degree in management, both from
The Georgia Institute of Technology.
- Ophelia B. Basgal has been named to the newly established
position of Pacific Gas and Electric Company Vice
President, Civic Partnership and Community Initiatives,
effective now. Basgal is responsible for managing
the company’s
charitable contributions program, external relations
and partnerships with community-based organizations.
She is a nationally recognized expert on housing and
community development issues, having served 27 years
as executive director of the Alameda County Housing
Authority. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology
from Arizona State University and a master’s
in social welfare administration from the University
of California, Berkeley.
- DeAnn Hapner has been named Pacific Gas and Electric
Company Vice President, Federal Regulatory Policy
and Rates, effective September 26, 2005. Hapner will
develop, coordinate and manage policy and relations
with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and
other agencies. She joined PG&E in 1985 as a regional public affairs
representative and has since held positions of increasing
responsibility in the company’s public, governmental
and regulatory affairs departments. Hapner became Vice
President, Regulatory Relations at Pacific Gas and
Electric Company in 1998. In 2001 she moved to PG&E
Corporation as Vice President, Special Projects. Since
2004, Hapner has been leading the utility’s governmental
relations department on an interim basis. She holds
a bachelor’s degree in political science and
a master’s degree in American politics and quantitative
methods from the University of Michigan. She also holds
a master’s degree in business administration
from the University of San Francisco.
- Nancy E. McFadden has been named to lead the utility’s
governmental relations department, as Pacific Gas and
Electric Company Vice President, Governmental Relations,
effective September 26, 2005. McFadden has been the
state Senate-appointed chairperson of the California
Medical Assistance Commission since 2003. From 2001
through 2003, she served as Senior Advisor and Deputy
Chief of Staff in the office of Governor Gray Davis,
where her principal responsibilities included overseeing
energy and development issues. She was also General
Counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation from
1996 to 2000. McFadden holds a bachelor’s degree
from San Jose State University and a law degree from
the University of Virginia.
- Walter R. Rhodes has been named Vice President,
Strategic Sourcing and Operations Support, effective
now. Rhodes is responsible for managing the utility’s supply
chain, as well as technological and ecological services,
real estate, corporate security, and operations and
compliance management. Rhodes was most recently Vice
President of Operations and Chief Procurement Officer
for Entergy in New Orleans, La. From 2000 through 2004,
Rhodes was Senior Vice President and General Manager
for Stone & Webster in Boston, Mass. Prior to that,
he was General Manager of Global Supply Chain Management
for General Electric. He has also held management positions
at Motorola and Ford Motor Company. Rhodes holds bachelor’s
degrees in finance and economics from Grambling State
University.
In a separate news release this morning, PG&E
also reported that, effective January 1, 2006, Darbee
will also become Chairman of the Boards of Directors
for PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric
Company, and Thomas B. King will become President
and CEO of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, as well
as a member of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Board of Directors.