Rudy D. Garza
President & CEO, CPS Energy

With the passing of the Senate Bill 7, the Texas state legislature, in 1999, altered the electricity marketplace for ever. The bill ushered in a vibrant impetus and impacted homeowners and the industry in many ways. This deregulation, popularly known as “dereg,” bill impacted on the state’s electricity corporations and in creating a competitive marketplace – the impact that keeps evolving and transforming energy consumption even today. Who better than the top gun in the nation’s largest municipality-owned electricity company to inform us about the trends and the future of this vital industry than our own native son—Rudy D. Garza?

Mr. Garza will address questions dealing with Texas energy industry’s mergers and acquisitions, specifically CPS Energy’s expansion strategy. Also, how does CPS Energy prepare for extreme weather conditions of Texas and how the state’s electricity grid is impacted by rising electricity use by growth industries such as the commercial, industrial and data centers? How can our state electricity be protected from attacks from domestic and global terrorism? How does the AI impact on utilities of the future?

Come, listen and participate in an exciting conversation with a corporate star of Texas and beyond.   Rudy D. Garza is the President & CEO of CPS Energy in San Antonio, the nation’s largest community-owned electric and natural gas utility. He is the first Hispanic leader to hold the position. Rudy has more than 25 years of experience as a leader in the utility industry and has served in both the public and private sectors over the course of his career. He successfully led the company through the approval of two rate cases in 2022 and 2023. He also led the comprehensive strategic engagement plan for Board of Trustees approval of a blended generation planning approach to power our growing community now and in the future. To deliver on CPS Energy’s mission to serve our community, Rudy developed a strategic plan called Vision 2027, a roadmap to guide CPS Energy through the rapid transformation of the utility industry.

Rudy joined CPS Energy in 2012. He previously served as Chief Customer & Stakeholder Engagement Officer and as Senior Vice President of Distribution Service & Operations where he oversaw the maintenance and construction activity of the electric distribution system. He also served the company in the role of Vice President of External Relations. Rudy has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Texas. He continues to serve his Austin alma mater as an Engineering Advisory Board member for the Cockrell School of Electrical Engineering. Rudy is dedicated to public service and is actively engaged in his community through multiple board roles, including the Brooks Development Authority, greater SAT scientific discoveries and hastening transformation to a more sustainable and prosperous global future. He is a graduate of Roy Miller High School in Corpus Christi.

Please reserve your tickets by Noon on August 20, 2024 (Tuesday) because we need to give the headcount to catering staff in advance! For ticket and membership information please visit our website: www.worldaffairstexas.com For more information, please contact: Dr. Anantha Babbili, WACST President & CEO, at 361.563.5177 or at ananthasbabbili@yahoo.com. Only a limited number of tickets are available to be purchased at the door with cash or check on the day of the event.

THE WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF SOUTH TEXAS STRIVES TO SERVE SOUTH TEXAS AND CORPUS CHRISTI TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT AMERICAN ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, TRADE AND ECONOMICS. THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION ALSO PROMOTES CITIZEN DIPLOMACY AND HOSTS FOREIGN VISITORS SPONSORED BY THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT TO FOSTER GOODWILL AND INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND PROSPERITY.

COME JOIN US FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY CONVERSATION AT THE LUNCHEON –-

COURTESY OF

THE WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF SOUTH TEXAS!