LCRA senior management team

 
General Manager Phil Wilson and his direct report team lead LCRA’s day-to-day operations. The team includes the chief of staff; executive vice president of Water; EVP of Enterprise Resources; chief people officer and EVP of External Affairs; general counsel; EVP and COO of Transmission; EVP for Strategic Initiatives and Transformation; chief operating officer of Wholesale Power; chief financial officer; and EVP of Resilience and Technology. The general auditor reports to the LCRA Board of Directors and also serves as part of the general manager’s direct report team. See the organizational chart.

Phil Wilson

General Manager

Phil Wilson became LCRA’s 11th general manager on Feb. 3, 2014. LCRA’s general manager serves as the organization’s chief executive officer and carries out LCRA Board policy, manages LCRA’s relationships with its customers and stakeholders, appoints and directs executive staff, and oversees projects and operations that support LCRA’s public service mission.

Prior to joining LCRA, Wilson was executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. Under the direction of the Texas Transportation Commission, he managed, directed and implemented TxDOT policies, programs and operating strategies. He also represented TxDOT before the Texas Legislature and other entities. Before joining TxDOT in 2011, Wilson served as senior vice president of Public Affairs and as a corporate officer for Luminant, Texas’ largest electric generation company. In 2007, then-Gov. Rick Perry appointed Wilson as Texas’ 106th Secretary of State. In that position, he was the chief elections officer and the chief international protocol officer for Texas. Wilson also served as chair of the Governor’s Competitiveness Council and on the Texas Border Security Council.

Wilson currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Large Public Power Council, and he serves on the Texas Lyceum Advisory and Development Council. In addition, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Wilson in 2021 as chair of the State Energy Plan Advisory Committee, which the Texas Legislature charged with preparing a comprehensive state energy plan to identify solutions for improving the electric and natural gas industries in Texas. He previously served as the Board chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and as the chair of the chamber’s Opportunity Austin initiative, in addition to having served on the chamber’s executive committee. Wilson has a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University.

Fisher Reynolds

Chief of Staff

Fisher Reynolds works closely with Phil and his direct report team to lead a variety of projects and initiatives across all LCRA departments. Before joining LCRA, Fisher was a natural resources and water policy adviser in Gov. Greg Abbott’s Division of Budget and Policy. During his eight years in state government, Fisher worked on many different policy areas, including the alcoholic beverage industry, public safety, natural resources, water and state budgeting. Before joining the governor’s office, Fisher served for three years at the Texas Legislative Budget Board, where he oversaw the administration of state appropriations and made nonpartisan fiscal policy recommendations to House and Senate leadership offices. He previously served as the executive aide to Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. A sixth-generation Texan, Fisher is a native Houstonian, and he is a graduate of Marquette University.

Gerry Garcia

General Auditor

Gerry Garcia leads LCRA’s Auditing Services team in collaboratively implementing risk-based audit plans and partnering with management to ensure the audit function fulfills its vital role at LCRA. Before joining LCRA, Garcia served as president and principal consultant for The Garcia Group, providing risk, controls, audit and analytics advisory services to companies ranging from startups to multibillion-dollar global industry leaders. Garcia also has served as chief audit executive for food wholesaler Supervalu; global management consulting firm ICF; Dole Food Company; and global biotech systems, consumables and services provider Life Technologies. Garcia earned a Master of Business Administration in finance with honors from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Notre Dame. He is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Information Systems Auditor and Certified Fraud Examiner.

John Hofmann

Executive Vice President of Water

John Hofmann oversees LCRA’s water, river, irrigation, dam and hydroelectric operations, water surface management, water resource planning, conservation, water quality protection, water customer services and environmental laboratory services. Prior to joining LCRA, John was a regional manager for the Brazos River Authority, where he was responsible for lake and dam operations, water and wastewater treatment and project development. He also has served as Brazos River Authority’s manager of government and customer relations. Other career highlights include serving as then-Gov. Rick Perry’s liaison to the Texas House of Representatives and working in the commissioner’s office at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. John graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in history and government. He is also a graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Steve Kellicker

Executive Vice President of Enterprise Resources

0224 org seniormanagementteam stevekellicker

Steve Kellicker oversees all aspects of telecommunications and leads LCRA’s enterprise resources, including facilities, fleet, project management and real estate. He has more than 25 years of financial management and leadership experience in government and utility industries. Since joining LCRA in 2002, Steve has served in a finance role for various business operations within LCRA and most recently as LCRA’s senior vice president of Finance. Before joining LCRA, Steve held various finance positions supporting the Massachusetts Secretary of Administration and Finance office. Steve earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Clark University.

Tom Oney

Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President of External Affairs

Tom Oney oversees LCRA’s Human Resources team and all of LCRA’s public-facing and advocacy functions, including Communications, Community Resources, Environmental Affairs, Public Affairs and Regulatory Affairs. Tom also advocates before the Texas Legislature on behalf of LCRA and led LCRA’s public policy team during the 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 Texas legislative sessions. Before joining LCRA in 2014, Tom served as vice president of Regulatory Law and chief compliance officer for Vistra Energy in Dallas, Texas. Before joining Vistra Energy in 2008, Tom was a partner in the Dallas office of Hunton Andrews Kirth LLP, where his practice focused primarily on state and federal regulatory and legislative matters for Fortune 500 energy clients. Tom was born and raised in Waco, Texas, and received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Baylor University in 1996. He received his Juris Doctor cum laude from Tulane University School of Law in 1999. Tom currently represents LCRA on the board of directors of the Association of Electric Companies of Texas and serves as president of the board of directors of both the Austin Library Foundation and Green Doors, an award-winning nonprofit benefitting homeless people in Central Texas.

Leigh Sebastian

General Counsel

Leigh Sebastian oversees LCRA’s Legal Services department, including legal support, LCRA’s ethics program, records management, and regulatory and electric market compliance. She has helped LCRA serve Texans since joining the organization in 1999. Leigh leads Legal Services in litigation in support of LCRA’s mission. She has been responsible for legal aspects of LCRA’s financings, disclosure filings and creation of nonprofit corporations. Leigh also has supported the development of LCRA’s and LCRA Transmission Services Corporation’s legal strategy related to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Before joining LCRA, she was a legislative aide in the Texas House of Representatives. Leigh currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Center for Energy, Law and Business. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Leigh earned her Juris Doctor from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law and Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

Kristen Senechal

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Transmission

Kristen Senechal oversees LCRA’s transmission business. Before joining LCRA, Kristen was director of Strategic Planning at CenterPoint Energy. In this role, she led the strategic planning process at the corporate, business unit and functional levels. She supported growth initiatives and emerging business opportunities, provided internal consulting services, evaluated merger and acquisition opportunities, coordinated the capital commitment review process, and developed business cases for major initiatives and capital commitments. Kristen also held additional roles at CenterPoint in its Regulated Operations Strategy and Treasury departments. Kristen earned her Master of Business Administration from the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. She also holds a doctorate in molecular biology and, prior to turning her attention to the energy industry, spent 10 years conducting research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is currently a board member for the Association of Women in Energy.

Khalil Shalabi

Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Transformation

Khalil Shalabi oversees the development of LCRA’s corporate strategic plans while also transforming the way LCRA harnesses the ever-changing power of technology. Khalil has more than 20 years of leadership and management experience in the industry. Before joining LCRA, Khalil served as vice president for Strategy, Technology and Markets at Austin Energy. Prior to that, he served as chief technology officer and director of Research and Development and Strategic Planning for the New York Power Authority. Khalil earned a Master of Business Administration from New York University, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Randa Stephenson

Chief Operating Officer of Wholesale Power

Randa Stephenson is LCRA’s chief operating officer of Wholesale Power, overseeing all aspects of wholesale power generation and energy operations, including operations of more than 3,200 megawatts of generating facilities. Randa previously served as LCRA’s senior vice president of Wholesale Markets and Supply. She has more than 27 years of energy utilities experience in the areas of asset management, finance, compliance, and governmental and regulatory affairs. Before joining LCRA, Randa held numerous management roles at Energy Future Holdings (Luminant) and NextEra Energy Transmission, most recently as the director of Regulatory Affairs and Strategy. She previously was the chair of the Technical Advisory Committee, which reviews and endorses market design and rule changes and reports directly to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Board of Directors and the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Randa is on the board of the Austin Chapter of the March of Dimes and also serves on the Gulf Coast Power Association emPOWERing Women committee. Randa earned her Master of Business Administration with honors from Southern Methodist University and Bachelor of Science in finance from Trinity University.

Jim Travis

Chief Financial Officer

Jim Travis is responsible for the financial management of LCRA. He oversees accounting, capital and financial planning, finance, investor relations, treasury activities, and supply chain, as well as the financial oversight and compliance related to energy trading and hedging. Since joining LCRA in 1992, Jim has served as controller, manager of planning and treasurer, in addition to leading risk management activities. Prior to joining LCRA, Jim held various positions in finance, audit and accounting with Tenneco Inc., an international energy and manufacturing company. Jim holds a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Texas A&M University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Madhava Utagikar

Executive Vice President of Resilience and Technology

1223 org seniormanagementteam madhavautagikar
Madhava Utagikar leads LCRA’s resilience and technology operations, including cybersecurity, information technology, risk management, safety, public safety, insurance and business continuity. He has more than 27 years of experience in helping utilities more effectively secure and manage their operations. Before joining LCRA, Madhava held key roles in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. As a senior manager at Luminant, a subsidiary of Vistra Energy, Madhava supported the company’s Electric Reliability Council of Texas operations. He ensured operational excellence, managing multimillion-dollar projects to ensure support of industry best practices, regulatory standards and industry standards for system security. Early in Madhava’s career, he managed information security at the Electric Power Research Institute and held software development and management roles at Portland General Electric and Open Systems International. Madhava is a credentialed Certified Information Systems Security Professional and an Engineering graduate from Gulbarga University in Gulbarga, India.