Executive Staff
 Pat Pope |
Pat Pope President & CEO Mr. Pope graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and earned a master’s degree in Business Administration in 1995. He joined NPPD in December 1979 as an Electrical Engineer and has also held the positions of Distribution Planning Engineer, District Operations Superintendent, Regional Operations Superintendent, Regional Manager, Energy Control Center Manager and Vice President of Transmission Services. He was appointed Vice President of Energy Delivery in October of 2003. Mr. Pope was named Vice President of Energy Supply in November of 2004 and later was named Chief Operating Officer in January 2008. High Res |
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 Traci Bender |
Traci Bender Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Ms. Bender joined NPPD in 1990 as Supervisor of Technical Accounting. She has also held the positions of District Manager, Rate Supervisor, Finance & Accounting Manager, Assistant Treasurer and Corporate Planning & Risk Manager. Ms. Bender graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and earned a master’s degree in Business Administration-Finance & Accounting from Regis University in 2006. High Res |
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 Ken Curry |
Ken Curry Vice President Customer Services Ken has held engineering positions in the Nuclear Engineering Department and Energy Management Department and leadership positions in Strategic Planning, Corporate Safety, Operations Services, Energy Services, Technical Solutions, Customer Care and Energy Efficiency. Ken also has experience outside of NPPD in the areas of engineering sales, consulting and manufacturing. Ken holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Masters of Business Administration both from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Ken is a registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Energy Manager, a Certified Key Account Executive, and was previously certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Leader through BD Medical. Ken is actively involved with his family and enjoys outdoor activities. Ken is also actively involved in community events serving on the Columbus Public School Board, a Rotarian, a mentor with the Teammates program, and is active in his church and coaching activities. Ken is an Eagle Scout and strong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America program. High Res |
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 Tom Kent |
Tom Kent Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Thomas J. (Tom) Kent holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mr. Kent spent four years on active duty as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy.Mr. Kent has over 20 years of electric utility experience. Tom joined Nebraska Public Power District in 1990 as the Environmental Qualification Coordinator at Cooper Nuclear Station. Tom’s contributions to NPPD’s electrical, instrumentation, and control engineering division at Cooper Nuclear Station earned him the management position of District Manager in 1994 and then Regional Manager in 1996 for NPPD’s Retail Division. Tom was selected as Retail Customer Care Manager in 1999. His leadership played an instrumental role in improving NPPD’s customer service by implementing a new billing system and constructing NPPD’s Centralized Customer Care Center. Tom was appointed as NPPD’s first Chief Information Officer in November of 2001. In 2005, Tom returned to Cooper Nuclear Station as Project Manager for two strategic business projects. Tom then became NPPD’s Corporate Planning & Risk Manager in October of 2006, where he was responsible for completing NPPD’s Integrated Resource Plan. Tom assumed the position of Transmission & Distribution Manager on April 1, 2008. In April of 2011, Tom was named Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. High Res |
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 John McClure |
John McClure Vice President Government Affairs & General Counsel Mr. McClure has undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Nebraska. In 1980 he joined NPPD’s legal department. Since 1993 he has held several management positions involving deregulation, governmental affairs and strategic planning. McClure is an author of the Legislature’s three-year electric industry study (LR 455) and has testified at the state and federal levels on electric industry issues. From January 21, 2011, through April 15, 2011, McClure served as Interim President & CEO. High Res |
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 Brian O'Grady |
Brian O’Grady Vice President & Chief Nuclear Officer Brian O’Grady has more than 25 years experience in the commercial nuclear power industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., with a major in metallurgical and material engineering and a minor in economics. He joined the Cooper Nuclear Station management team in September, 2008, and was named Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer in April, 2010. Prior to joining Entergy, he served as Site Vice President at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, where he was responsible for restarting Unit 1 following 22 years of shutdown, and for the day-to-day operation of Units 2 & 3. O’Grady has also served as Vice President of Operations Support for Entergy Nuclear Northeast, following two years as General Manager, Plant Operations, at James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant. He is also a former Operations Manager of Point Beach Nuclear Plant for the Nuclear Management Company. High Res |
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 Roy Steiner |
Roy Steiner Vice President Human Resources & Corporate Support Mr. Steiner joined NPPD in 1998 as the Human Resources Manager with responsibility over compensation, benefits, payroll, workers compensation and HR Reps located throughout NPPD’s service area. Prior to his current appointment as Vice President of Human Resources & Corporate Support effective June 26, 2006, Roy held the position of NPPD’s Talent Development Manager. Mr. Steiner has also held HR management positions at Carolina Power & Light, Washington Public Power Supply System, Microrim, Inc., and Thousand Trails, Inc. A 1980 graduate of California State University, Mr. Steiner holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and Corporate Communication. Roy earned a master’s degree in Management – HR emphasis from City University in Seattle, Washington in 2005. High Res |
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