WARNER BAXTER ELECTED EEI CHAIR; PEDRO J. PIZARRO AND MARIA POPE ELECTED VICE CHAIRS

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Jun 21, 2022, 18:17 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Warner Baxter, executive chairman of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation, today was elected chair of the board of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the national association of investor-owned electric companies. Also elected were two vice chairs: Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Rosemead, Calif.-based Edison International, and Maria Pope, president and CEO of Portland, Ore.-based Portland General Electric.

The announcement was made during EEI's June board meeting in Orlando, Fla. EEI's chairmanship rotates on an annual basis, and Baxter succeeds Gerry Anderson, executive chairman of Detroit-based DTE Energy.

"On behalf of EEI and our member companies, I extend our sincerest thanks to Gerry Anderson for his service as EEI chair," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "Gerry's continued dedication to delivering a resilient clean energy future to our customers led to the successful inclusion of many key industry priorities in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This law provides significant investments in critical energy infrastructure and new carbon-free technologies and includes a solid down payment on the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to accelerate the electrification of the transportation sector."

"We also are pleased to announce that Warner Baxter was elected EEI chair for the 2022-2023 cycle," added Kuhn. "Warner previously served as an EEI vice chair and is an outstanding leader for Ameren and for our industry. I look forward to continuing our work together to advance our common goals and to advance public policies that benefit the customers we so proudly serve."

"America's electric companies are committed to getting the energy we provide as clean as we can as fast as we can, without compromising on the reliability or affordability that our customers depend on," said Baxter. "Throughout the challenges of the past few years, our industry has remained focused on making investments that enhance energy grid resilience and energy security while enabling a cleaner and affordable future for all."

Kuhn also applauded the vice chairs who will support Baxter as part of the leadership team.

"Pedro and Maria are tremendous leaders for our industry, particularly in their efforts to reduce economy-wide carbon emissions and to enhance energy grid resilience through investments in innovative new technologies. We are extremely fortunate to have them serve on the EEI leadership team."

Warner Baxter is executive chairman of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation, parent company of rate-regulated energy companies that serve more than 2.4 million electric and nearly 1 million natural gas customers in Illinois and Missouri.

During his more than 25-year tenure at Ameren, Baxter has served in a variety of leadership roles, including chairman, president, and CEO of Ameren, a role he held from 2014 through 2021. He previously had served as chief financial officer and president of Ameren Missouri.

Baxter earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and has made meaningful and long-lasting contributions to higher education through his involvement with the University of Missouri System. He is a member of the University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellors Council and the Missouri 100 advisory board.

Baxter sits on several industry boards, including the Electric Power Research Institute (past chairman of the board). Baxter also serves on the board of directors of U.S. Bancorp, BJC HealthCare, and Greater St. Louis Inc. In addition, Baxter serves as vice chair of the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer Council and on the board of CEO's Against Cancer in St. Louis (past chairman of the board).

Pedro J. Pizarro is president and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the nation's largest electric companies. Edison International also is the parent company of Edison Energy, a portfolio of competitive businesses providing commercial and industrial customers with energy management and procurement services. He is a member of Edison International's board of directors.

Pizarro served as president of SCE from October 2014 through May 2016, when he was elected president of Edison International. He was elected CEO in October 2016. Previously, Pizarro was president of Edison Mission Energy and chaired its board of directors from 2011 until the sale of its assets to NRG Energy in April 2014.

Pizarro earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and held National Science Foundation and Department of Defense graduate fellowships. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Harvard University.

Pizarro first was elected an EEI vice chair in June 2020 and he also serves on the boards of the Electric Power Research Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Caltech, and the Analysis and Resilience Center for Systemic Risk. He previously served on the boards of the Electric Power Supply Association, California Power Exchange, Colburn School, House Research Institute, Southern California Leadership Council, and Western Energy Institute.

Maria Pope is president, CEO, and a member of the Board of Directors of Portland General Electric (PGE), which offers its nearly 1 million customers voluntary renewable energy programs that let them choose how much clean energy they want to use. Pope joined PGE in 2009 as chief financial officer and treasurer. She went on to serve as senior vice president of Power Supply, Operations, and Resource Strategy.

Pope represents the electric power industry on the U.S. Department of Energy's Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. Her other board work includes the Electric Power Research Institute, the Oregon Business Council, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and The Nature Conservancy of Oregon.

Pope is an alumna of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and she earned a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University.

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for more than 235 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

SOURCE Edison Electric Institute