CPS Energy Strengthens Legal Department With The Promotion Of Shanna Ramirez As Interim Chief Legal & Ethics Officer (CLEO), And The Appointment Of Three Interim Deputy General Counsels

News provided by

Jun 10, 2021, 13:33 ET

SAN ANTONIO, June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CPS Energy today announced the appointment of Shanna Ramirez as Interim Chief Legal & Ethics Officer (CLEO), General Counsel, & Board Secretary. Ramirez, who is a licensed Texas attorney, most recently served as CPS Energy's Vice President & Chief Integrated Security Officer, where she oversaw physical and data security, cyber, incident response and business continuity.

"Shanna has an incredible commercial and legal mind and brings decades of experience working on complex situations for CPS Energy. She is a dynamic, forward-thinking, consensus-building individual and is the perfect leader for this role," said Paula Gold-Williams, President & CEO of CPS Energy. "Her experience leading CPS Energy's security infrastructure and business continuity programs – combined with her strong experience in complex litigation – give her unique insights that will be invaluable to CPS Energy and our customers as we continue to fight the ongoing negative implications of Winter Storm Uri. Ramirez previously worked for a well-known publicly-traded company that calls Bexar County home. I am certain that she and her team will bring a renewed commitment to the wellbeing of our community and the people we serve."

Ramirez joined CPS Energy in 2015 as Director & Senior Counsel and has extensive experience providing business and legal advice. She practiced employment litigation at Haynes and Boone, LLP, while based in San Antonio, and was Vice President & Deputy General Counsel for publicly traded Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., supervising Legal Services, Safety & Risk, Claims, as well as Licensing & Compliance. While at Fiesta, which is the parent company of San Antonio's Taco Cabana and employs more than 10,000 people, Ramirez spearheaded numerous complex litigation mandates and honed her skills for consensus building and navigating combined commercial and legal decision-making.

"I am grateful to Paula and the Board for entrusting me with the responsibility to fight for our customers and serve as an advocate for San Antonio," said Ramirez. "I have called San Antonio home for many years, I will do everything in my power to drive the best outcomes for our community. I am incredibly excited to work alongside our CEO and many of my colleagues on the CPS Energy legal team, in City Hall, and across Greater San Antonio and to leverage my great working relationships within the San Antonio legal community to benefit our customers."

In the immediate term, Ramirez will help to drive CPS Energy's ongoing efforts to protect its customers from excessive, illegitimate and illegal prices stemming from Winter Storm Uri. She will work closely with the utility's CEO, an experienced bench of outside legal advisors, and members of CPS Energy's internal legal department to continue advancing the interests of its customers and Texans across the state.

The utility has had several notable recent wins in its legal battles and continues to demonstrate the strength of its legal arguments in its cases. In addition to advising and leading litigation efforts, Ramirez will help oversee the implementation of cybersecurity best practices within the legal department, and play a leading role in the utility's adoption of key environmental, social and governance ("ESG") principles.

Ramirez will report to Paula Gold-Williams, President & Chief Executive Officer of CPS Energy, and will be a member of the company's senior executive team. Ramirez's appointment is effective immediately. She replaces Carolyn Shellman, whose departure was announced June 2.

Ramirez earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Trinity University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. She is also a graduate of the Executive Education, Accelerated Development Program at Rice University. Ramirez's skills have been widely recognized in the community, including being named to Scene in S.A. Magazine's "San Antonio's Best Lawyers" in 2010 and 2011; San Antonio Business Journal's "Rising Stars: 40 Under 40" in 2004; and as an alumna of Leadership San Antonio's Class 30. Ramirez is also extremely active as a mentor and philanthropically as a founding member of Women Empowered, a CPS Energy internal networking group; president of the San Antonio Human Resources Management Association; and as a current or former board member for several charities and non-profits including the Texas Ranger Association Foundation, the Clarity Child Guidance Center, the Spurs Sorority Alumni Foundation, San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce, Above the Bones Foundation and Just 1 Foundation.

Simultaneously, Ramirez has promoted three talented internal team members to serve as new Interim Deputy General Counsels. The new leaders are introduced below.

Devi Kumar-Nambiar, who joined CPS Energy in 2015, has garnered extensive internal experience working on major strategic initiatives such as FlexPOWERBundle^SM and FlexSTEP^SM. These are global Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that are helping the company expand its power generation and demand-side options, while remaining focused on energy efficiency and conservation. Prior to working for CPS Energy, Kumar-Nambiar was an attorney with Davidson, Troilo, Ream & Garza, P.C., where she counseled international and domestic corporate clients and represented governmental entities. She also previously served as the Assistant General Counsel for Picoco LLC, an investment firm in California. Kumar-Nambiar earned an MBA from the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business; a Juris Doctor with a specialization in International Legal Studies from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law; and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Riverside. She is licensed to practice in Texas and California. Kumar-Nambiar is a 2021 recipient of the San Antonio Business Journal's "40 Under 40" award.

Luis Garcia joined CPS Energy last year. Since joining CPS Energy, Garcia has supported various initiatives and programs for information technology, finance, security, safety, military operations, and university research. He also provides legal supports to the company's Rate Advisory Committee (RAC). Prior to working for the utility, Garcia was an Executive Director Managing Counsel Technology and Transactions for United Services Automobile Association (USAA), a global insurance company. Garcia's prior work experience also includes Pedernales Electric Cooperative, where he served in multiple C-Suite key roles, including General Counsel / Compliance Officer; Chief Information Technical Officer; and Chief Executive Officer. Educationally, he earned a law degree from St. Mary's University and a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Kip Giles came to work at the company in 2009. He works extensively on litigation-related work including open records, subpoenas, discovery, and claims resolution. Prior to working at CPS Energy, Kip was an Associate at Strasburger & Price, LLP (now Clark Hill PLC), where he broadly worked on general litigation matters. Giles earned a law degree from St. Mary's University and a Bachelor of Science from Angelo State University.

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 more than 884,811 electric and 366,709 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.

SOURCE CPS Energy