2018 Board of Directors

Mark Walker serves as Assistant General Counsel for Xcel Energy Services, Inc.  He was previously with the law firm of Clark Hill Strasburger and before that was Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for NRG Energy’s Gulf Coast Region. He has served on the ERCOT ISO Board and the Technical Advisory Committee in addition to a number of board and officer positions in electricity trade organizations. Prior to joining NRG, Mark was Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel for ERCOT, beginning on the “startup” team for the initiation of the ERCOT competitive market in 2001, the most successful in the nation. Prior to his ERCOT service, for 10 years Mark was Associate General Counsel for the Lower Colorado River Authority where he focused on electric utility and environmental matters. Mark received his B.A. from Baylor and J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

Kristy Ashley serves as Director, Market Intelligence – ERCOT, for Customized Energy Solutions. In her role, she provides reporting and analysis to CES clients by leveraging her twenty years of experience on both the commercial and regulatory side of the electric markets. Prior to joining CES, Ms. Ashley was Director, Market Development - South and West, for Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest competitive power generators, where she was responsible for wholesale market policies in ERCOT, Southwest Power Pool and other energy markets in which Exelon operates, and she developed the company’s position on policy matters at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC). Ms. Ashley was actively involved in the design of the Texas nodal market. She has held leadership positions in the Texas Competitive Power Association and has served on ERCOT’s Technical Advisory Committee, Wholesale Market Subcommittee and other market stakeholder working groups. She also served as the alternate representative in the Independent Generator Segment on the ERCOT Board of Directors. Ms. Ashley worked for the Exelon Power Team as a trader and asset manager. Prior to joining Exelon, she worked for Mirant Corporation on their ERCOT asset management desk. Ms. Ashley joined the Board of Directors of GCPA in 2016 and is also chairing the GCPA emPOWERing Women Committee for 2016.  She also developed and led the first two GCPA emPOWERing Women Leadership Conferences in 2014 and 2015.

Katie Coleman is a Partner at Thompson & Knight LLP and leads the firm’s Government and Regulatory Practice Group.  Katie represents clients in a broad range of energy litigation and transactions.  Katie is outside counsel for the Texas Industrial Energy Consumers (TIEC), a trade association of large industrial electricity users, and the Texas Association of Manufacturers (TAM), a legislative-focused trade association for manufacturers in Texas. Katie also assists individual companies with regulatory compliance and diligence in contracting and infrastructure projects, including structuring energy agreements, joint ownership agreements for privately owned electrical facilities, energy supply agreements, and cogeneration agreements. Katie was named 2019 Energy Regulatory Law "Lawyer of the Year" for Austin by The Best Lawyers in America^® by Woodward/White Inc.  She previously served as President of the Public Utility Law Section of the State Bar of Texas for 2016-17.  In addition to serving as a speaker or moderator at several GCPA conferences, Katie was co-chair of the 2016 Spring Conference, Vice Chair of the 2018 emPOWERing Women Conference, and will be Chair of the emPOWERing Women Conference in 2019.

Mary Anne Brelinsky currently serves as President of EDF Trading and EDF Energy Services, the North American trading and customer facing business units within the EDF group.  EDF is the world's largest utility and producer of electricity.  As President of EDF, Mary Anne has grown the retail business to the 5th largest in North America and has been recognized as one of the industry’s Thought Leaders by the Energy Thought Summit, received the Houston Business Journal’s Women in Energy Leadership Award, and was a Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Breakthrough Woman in 2017.    Mrs. Brelinsky serves on the Board of Directors for Anahau Energy, Atlas Scholars, DK Energy, and the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.  She also serves on the Advisory Council for the Women’s Energy Network and the University of Houston Energy Advisory Board.   She is a current Board Member of the Gulf Coast Power Association, most recently serving as Board Secretary in 2018 and Board President in 2014. She has also served six terms as Chairman of the ERCOT Demand Side Working Group. Mrs. Brelinsky has an engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Magna Cum Laude, and an MBA from the University of Houston.  Mary Anne lives in Houston with her husband and their three sons.

Tom Anson, a partner at the law firm of Clark Hill Strasburger has a regulatory and administrative law practice that spans over three decades.  He studied energy law and regulated industries in law school and upon graduation clerked for Judge Sam Johnson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth District (who served on the “Gas Panel” which reviews Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decisions). Tom’s primary area of practice is state and federal energy and utility law, including regulatory, contract, administrative, and litigation matters. His practice encompasses representation of clients on a variety of licensing, rate, enforcement, rulemaking, and other regulatory matters before state and federal bodies and officials, such as the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Railroad Commission of Texas, and the FERC. It also involves assisting clients with wholesale power matters and retail electric services in the restructured Texas electric market, and advising clients on various regulatory and quasi-regulatory matters. Tom joined the GCPA Board of Directors in 1997. He served as Secretary from 1997-2003, Vice President in 2004, and President in 2005. He was the Fall Conference Chair in 1992, and the Fall Conference Co-Chair in 2011. In addition he has served as a panel moderator and speaker at several GCPA conferences.

Calvin Crowder is President and CEO of GridLiance, the nation’s first independent transmission company primarily focused on working with Public Power (municipal utilities, joint action agencies and electric cooperatives) to address and solve their transmission needs. As President and CEO, Crowder is responsible for the strategic vision and overall business operation of GridLiance and its independent transmission companies. Calvin has twenty-six years of experience in the utility industry which spans executive leadership, public policy, industry restructuring and RTO development. Prior to his current position, he led the formation and served for over eight years as president of Electric Transmission Texas, LLC, a joint venture of American Electric Power and Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Under his leadership, ETT invested in $2.8 billion of regulated transmission assets in ERCOT. Calvin has provided expert testimony in multiple regulatory proceedings, developed and advocated public policy positions at the state, federal and RTO level and directed major initiatives in business development and organizational restructuring. Calvin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New Mexico State University and a Masters’ degree in Economics from the Center for Public Utilities graduate program at New Mexico State University. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and South Texas. He joined the GCPA Board of Directors in 2010.

Mark Dreyfus has over two decades as a Texas electric industry leader with extensive experience in electric regulatory policy, legislative policy and representation, ERCOT market design, stakeholder collaboration, problem solving, communications, and executive leadership.

Mr. Dreyfus holds a Ph.D. in resource economics and public finance.  He has worked as a consultant in the electric sector and been employed in federal, state and local government positions. 

Mr. Dreyfus has served as Chief Economist in the policy office at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, as a Commissioner’s assistant, and at Austin Energy, as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications.

During his time at Austin Energy, Mr. Dreyfus was responsible for regulatory and market policy before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, for legislative policy and representation, corporate communications, marketing, and rate policy and processes.  He represented the municipal utility sector in the ERCOT stakeholder process, including serving on the ERCOT Board of Directors and as Chair of the ERCOT Technical Advisory Committee.

At MD Energy Consulting, Mr. Dreyfus provides electric sector regulatory and legislative consulting and representation in Austin and ERCOT.

Keith Emery is Vice President of Origination for Tenaska Power Services Co. (TPS). He is responsible for TPS’ marketing and origination activities in the ERCOT and Mexico regions, focusing on providing creative asset optimization solutions for a diverse portfolio of third party generation, wholesale, and industrial customers. Mr. Emery has 27 years of experience in electric utility operations and energy marketing, with 19 years focused on deregulated energy markets throughout the United States. Before joining TPS in 2002, he worked for 13 years with NextEra Energy Resources and Florida Power & Light Company in various power marketing, engineering, and operation positions. Mr. Emery is actively involved with various industry activities, including serving on the board of directors of the Gulf Coast Power Association (GCPA) and on the ERCOT Board of Directors, representing the Independent Power Marketer segment. Mr. Emery is a registered professional engineer and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master of business administration degree from Florida Atlantic University.

Todd Hillman is senior vice president and chief customer officer for MISO, leading all aspects of the regional transmission organization’s customer and external affairs activities. Hillman and his team are responsible for delivering MISO’s commitment to a quality experience for members, stakeholders and employees. Hillman’s team also guides stakeholder affairs, corporate communications and media relations.

Hillman is a veteran customer and business development and origination executive with proven leadership in corporate strategy, project coordination, customer management, product origination, and marketing and development. Most recently, Hillman oversaw the successful integration of the MISO South region, serving as vice president and South region executive for MISO, based in Little Rock. With the introduction of the Entergy system across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, the integration was the largest in RTO history.

Hillman joined MISO in 2004 from Houston-based Reliant Energy, where he worked in both Houston and abroad leading contract management and corporate development. Hillman has also worked for DuPont/Conoco and the New York Mercantile Exchange in contract development, and electricity and natural gas trading and origination.

Hillman is vice chairman of the Southeast Reliability Corp. (SERC), and a board member of the Gulf Coast Power Association (GCPA).

Hillman earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of the Pacific and is an Executive Institute graduate from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Robert King is founder and President of Good Company Associates, an energy and utility policy and business development consulting practice in Austin, Texas. He is also CEO of SPEER, the Southcentral Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (www.eepartnership.org). He has over 40 years' experience in the area of energy and resources policy, business and project development in the area of new energy and utility-related technologies and also is a registered engineer and registered lobbyist. Good Company Associates assists a wide variety of clients and client groups in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, advanced meters and demand response services, energy storage and related emissions and environmental issues, water conservation, and transportation. Bob has a Masters of Public Affairs degree, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at U.T. Austin and a Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Allison Piper is an ardent supporter of innovation and opportunity in energy markets, with almost two decades of experience in and around the electricity industry. Currently the Founder and Principal of Blue Catalyst Group, LLC, Allison worked in retail energy since 1999, culminating in Chief Operating Officer roles at StarTex Power and Spark Energy and then spending almost two years as President of an executive search firm based in Houston. Allison has served in a variety of roles with the Gulf Coast Power Association, most recently as its President in 2017.  Allison is a founding member and former Chair of the GCPA emPOWERing Women committee which provides scholarship, networking and mentoring services to women in the electricity industry. She formerly served as the golf tournament co-chair for the biannual GCPA conferences. Allison’s electricity and energy industry service includes serving as an independent retail electric provider representative on the ERCOT Technical Advisory Committee in 2013, and has served on the Tulane University Energy Institute Advisory Board since 2015 and is its current Vice-Chair. Allison holds an MBA in Finance and Information Systems from Tulane University in New Orleans, a master's degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a bachelor's degree from Clarkson University in New York.

Paul Schulze is vice president of public affairs for Sharyland Utilities, L.P. He provides public affairs support and is responsible for government affairs activities on behalf of the Hunt affiliation of companies. He also serves as director of government affairs for Hunt Consolidated, Inc. Prior to joining Hunt, Schulze spent almost nine years in Washington, D.C., working on and around Capitol Hill. During his time in D.C., he served as legislative assistant to Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas, as federal liaison for the Texas Education Agency, and later as legislative director and then chief of staff to Congressman John Culberson of Texas. A native of Austin, Schulze has also worked in the Texas Legislature. Schulze received a bachelor of arts in government from the University of Texas at Austin and a master of business administration from the University of Maryland. He is a member of the Texas Lyceum and was a 2009 Marshall Memorial Fellow. Schulze was appointed to the GCPA Board in late 2009 and was elected to his first full term in January 2010.

Mr. Shugart is an accomplished energy industry professional with over 15 years of experience in energy project development and management.  Mr. Shugart has participated in the development of over 5,000 MW of power projects in his career, including wind, gas-fired, and coal-fired generation projects. In his current role he leads the operations, maintenance, and asset management of Pattern’s fleet of renewable energy generating facilities. Mr. Shugart has a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from University of Phoenix.

Brad Jones is a distinguished energy industry executive with 29 years of wide-ranging experience, including grid operations, power plant operations, generation development, project finance, wholesale and retail market design, and regulatory and legislative affairs. Mr. Jones accepted the position of President and CEO of NYISO effective October 2015. Before this, Mr. Jones had been with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) since 2013, where he was a Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for Operations, Grid Planning, and Commercial Operations. Prior to that, he was Vice President for Commercial Operations at the ERCOT. Before joining ERCOT, Mr. Jones was Vice President for Government Affairs at Luminant, the competitive generation subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings. Prior to that, Mr. Jones worked at TXU Corporation where he began as a Plant Engineer and rose through the organization to become Vice President for Generation Development. Mr. Jones earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University at Lubbock and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Marcie Zlotnik, co-founder of StarTex Power, has more than ten years of experience in the energy industry. From StarTex Power’s inception in 2004, Marcie was Chief Operating Officer responsible for establishing and directing all day-to-day operations of this $500 million company. In addition, she focused her attention on the company’s legislative and regulatory affairs, and was invited to testify before the Texas House and Senate committees overseeing retail electricity markets. Today, Marcie lectures frequently on corporate culture and its effect on employee productivity and customer satisfaction. Prior to co-founding StarTex in 2004, Marcie served as President and Director of Gexa Energy, a Retail Electric Provider she co-founded in 2001. A recognized and respected leader in the industry, Marcie is the proud recipient of many professional and community awards including the 2008-2010 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist. Most recently, Houston Woman Magazine recognized Marcie as one of Houston’s Most Influential women of 2010 and she was named a “Top 100 professional in Houston” by H Magazine. Marcie has served as Board President and Treasurer for GCPA and is a past Electric Reliability Council of Texas Board Member where she represented the Independent Retailer segment after several years of serving on the Technical Advisory Committee. Additionally, she served on the Board of Texas Energy Association for Marketers (TEAM), a Texas non-profit group whose purpose is to promote deregulated policies and initiatives on behalf of its members. Marcie graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.