PEC - Key Persons
District 7 Director Amy Akers is a corporate transactions lawyer and business consultant. She advises public and private entities on a broad range of general corporate and commercial matters including formation, governance, operations, and M&A.
Amy also holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering with double minors in applied mathematics and computer science.
Prior to her legal career, Amy worked in the construction industry ensuring the seamless completion of commercial projects where she learned the value of establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with government officials, stakeholders, investors, and the general public.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Your Board of Directors
Dawn Southwell joined PEC in 2017 and serves as the Director of Commercial and Industrial Accounts overseeing the development and implementation of partnerships with large commercial and industrial members on account management, energy management, power quality, energy programs, business growth, and project development. During her time with PEC she has contributed towards the successful development and management of the Key Accounts program serving PEC's commercial members who make up over $65 million in revenue for the cooperative. She received her Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree in Communications from University of Texas-San Antonio and brings over 15 years of utility experience to the PEC team.
Don Ballard oversees the cooperative's legal matters, including governance, litigation, risk mitigation and policy. He is responsible for managing ethics and compliance as well as open records administration.
Before joining PEC, he was appointed by the governor to serve as the Texas Public Utility Counsel, representing residential and small business customers in electricity and telecommunications matters. In that position, he served on the board of directors for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
Ballard has also served as general counsel to the Texas Workforce Commission, assistant general counsel at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, a chief attorney at the Texas Public Utility Commission and deputy chief of the Open Records Division in the Office of the Texas Attorney General. He is a past president of the Administrative and Public Law Section of the Austin Bar and is also a qualified mediator. In 2007, he received the Texas General Counsel Forum's Magna Stella Award for excellence in leadership and management.
Ballard graduated from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- Project Manager
- Software Development Operations Manager
Eddie Dauterive joined the PEC team as a software development operations manager in January 2002 and later moved to member services. After starting his career in the mortgage industry, he worked as a management consultant specializing in process re-engineering, project management and technology planning.
Dauterive is a licensed project manager and certified in Six Sigma process improvement methodologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Your Board of Directors
- District 2 Director
District 2 Director Emily Pataki was elected to the PEC Board in 2014 and again in both 2017 and 2020. Pataki is a seventh-generation Texan, and she and her husband have been PEC members since 2008.
Pataki's professional background is in business management and development, strategic planning, and corporate consulting. In 2017, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed her to serve on the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission for the 2018-19 cycle. During that time, the commission reviewed and made recommendations for efficiencies of 32 state entities. Pataki is also a board member and committee chair for Atec Inc., an aerospace firm headquartered in the Houston area. She serves on the board of the Association of Women in Energy (AWE) and is a past president of the Williamson County Republican Women.
Emily Pataki holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where she lettered in Division I varsity softball. She and her husband, Ted, are raising their five children in Cedar Park and are active in their community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Your Board of Directors
- District 5 Director
District 5 Director James Oakley was elected to the PEC board in 2013. In 2014, he was elected as Burnet County judge. He also serves as president of his property owners' association and has been appointed to several other public boards and committees, including the Regional Review Committee for Community Development Block Grants from HUD, hosted by the Capital Area Council of Governments. He was appointed to this position by Gov. George W. Bush in 2000.
Previously, Oakley spent 10 years in corporate communications and public relations. In 2009, he was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which he served on for eight years. He was elected in 1998 as a Burnet County commissioner.
Oakley holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas State University in San Marcos. He and his wife, Julie, reside on Lake Travis with their five children.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, External Relations
Urban oversees Pedernales Electric Cooperative's external initiatives, including legislative, government and media relations, communications, and community engagement. He brings extensive knowledge of the utility industry and a passion for public service to his role.
JP previously served as executive director of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), where he led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw staff, strategic planning, development, and implementation of the agency's operational and fiscal functions. He also held director roles at the PUC in the areas of external and government affairs.
As senior vice president of the Association of Electric Companies (AECT), a trade organization and advocacy group, JP led day-to-day operations and facilitated relationships with the executive and legislative branches of Texas government. Previously, he was the director of government affairs for NRG Energy, a Fortune 500 Company serving 2.9 million retail customers.
Julie Caruthers Parsley brings a wealth of industry knowledge, a commitment to member service and an enthusiasm for the cooperative difference to our top management position. As a result, the Austin Business Journal recognized Parsley as its 2019 Best CEO in the nonprofit category. Parsley was also named as a featured honoree for the 2019 Powerful Women in Energy/Water.
Before coming to PEC, Parsley was a founding partner of Parsley Coffin Renner LLP, a law firm specializing in utility regulations, and focused her practice on energy-related legal services in Texas and the Southwest. A top-rated utility attorney in Austin, Parsley gained distinct honor when selected for inclusion by Thomson Reuters in Texas Super Lawyers in 2004 and 2014-2017, a publication that recognizes no more than five percent of attorneys in the state.
A former commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), Parsley also served on the Regional State Committee in the Southwest Power Pool, where she served terms as president, vice president and secretary-treasurer. She was also a member of the Texas Energy Planning Council, whose recommendations resulted in the ultimate creation and passage of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, or CREZ. Parsley is also a founding board member of the Association of Women in Energy, and a member of the Gulf Coast Power Association and enjoys mentoring individuals in energy, policy and regulatory matters.
Before serving as PUC Commissioner, Parsley served as Texas solicitor general and was an adjunct professor of law, teaching appellate practice and procedure at the University of Texas School of Law. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University, and she received her Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law, which later honored her by selecting her to give the commencement speech to the December graduating class of 2002.
In March 2021, Parsley was elected by her colleagues to represent the electric cooperative segment on the ERCOT Board of Directors to fill an unexpired vacancy.
Job Titles:
- President of the Your Board of Directors
- District 3 Director
District 3 Director Mark Ekrut was elected to the PEC board in 2020. He is a former municipal judge for the city of Jonestown and an active member of the Texas Municipal Court Associative and the Sheriff's Association of Texas. Ekrut has been a small business owner in Cedar Park for more than 25 years.
In his free time, Ekrut is an active volunteer and driver for the local food bank, and a member of the North Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as an appointee to the Jonestown Land Use and Development Board, and is a member of the Friends of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Your Board of Directors
Milton Rister has more than 30 years of executive level management and leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. His extensive experience includes building and leading teams of highly trained and experienced professionals.
Now retired, Milton has been a trusted public servant at various agencies. He was Executive Director of the Railroad Commission of Texas, Governor Rick Perry's Director of Administration, and Executive Director of the Texas Legislative Council. During his career, Milton also served as a Senior Advisor to Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and as the Chief of Staff for State Senator Jane Nelson. Milton's private sector experience includes Marketing Research Manager for Midland based ClayDesta Communications.
Milton is a graduate of the Governor's Executive Development Program and the Transformative Leadership Program, both offered by the LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin. He is a graduate of the City of Georgetown Citizens Academy.
Milton enjoys sharing his knowledge and has taught other managers how to build and lead successful teams. He also served as a mentor to participants in the LBJ School of Public Affairs' Executive Master Program. He graduated from Bartlett High School and attended the University of Texas at Austin.
His wife, Nancy Rister, is the Williamson County Clerk. They have been married for 35 years and have two daughters and two precious grandchildren. Milton and Nancy have been members of Crestview Baptist Church in Georgetown for 20 years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Your Board of Directors
- Secretary - Treasurer
- Management, Energy and Engineering Consultant
District 6 Director Paul Graf is a management, energy and engineering consultant who represents electric utilities, water utilities and businesses of all types. He is registered as a professional engineer.
Graf has more than 30 years of electric power industry experience. He retired as a senior executive at American Electric Power and worked directly for electric utilities in the areas of planning, engineering and operations. He also developed projects internationally, managed risks and served on boards for international business investments.
Graf holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&I University in Kingsville. Graf and his wife, Debi, reside in the Spring Branch area.
Randy Kruger is responsible for overseeing all aspects of PEC's financial operations.
Kruger joined PEC with more than 27 years of energy finance experience. Prior to PEC, Kruger was the chief financial officer at Direct Energy Business, one of North America's largest retail energy suppliers. He has also held the controller roles for J.P. Morgan's global energy trading business and Calpine's energy trading and power generation businesses.
A native Texan, Kruger holds a master's degree in accounting, as well as bachelor's degrees in business administration and economics from The University of Texas at Austin.
Job Titles:
- Commercial and Industrial Accounts Manager
Tessa Schmidtzinsky represents PEC as the Commercial and Industrial Accounts Manager, working with community leaders and area organizations to aid in facilitating economic development and business growth for the PEC service area. Joining PEC in 2007, she has served the membership through community engagement, government relations, and economic development. She is a board director for the National Rural Economic Development Association (NREDA), is active in Texas Economic Development Association (TEDC), holds a certification in Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED), and is a certified facilitator. She attended Texas State University - San Marcos and received Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Public Administration in 2005 and a Masters of Public Administration 2007.
Job Titles:
- Master
- Member of the Your Board of Directors
Travis Cox has served on the PEC Board since 2020 and represents members in District 4. Cox has worked across Texas for more than 17 years with his commercial plumbing company, gaining valuable experience in the construction industry, including new construction and large renovation projects.
He has extensive experience working with customers in the private and public sectors, as well as managing numerous contracts for major entities, including the City of Austin, Austin Independent School District, Texas General Land Office, Texas Military Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas State University, and The University of Texas at Austin.
Cox is a master plumber, licensed with the Texas Board of Plumbing Examiners and holds an underground fire protection sprinkler license with the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office. He is a proud, fifth generation Texan and lives in Driftwood with his wife Victoria and their three daughters. In his free time, Cox serves on the Hays County Livestock Show Board and is an active member to his family's local Wimberley 4-H Club.