Salt River Project’s Board of Directors has named Jim Pratt as the company’s new General Manager and CEO, the Arizona public power utility said on March 23. Pratt will officially start his new role on May 5.
Pratt started at SRP in 1984 as an engineer. He was named Associate General Manager of Customer Operations and Chief Customer Executive in 2018. In that role, he led SRP teams responsible for servicing SRP’s water and power customers through Water Services, Customer Services and Strategy, Customer Programs and Distribution Grid Services Operations.
Pratt has worked in the utility industry for more than 38 years, with extensive experience in a variety of engineering and management positions relating to the generation, transmission, distribution, grid modernization, water and customer service segments of SRP’s business, SRP said.
Pratt will replace SRP’s current GM and CEO Mike Hummel, who will retire on May 5 after more than 40 years with the utility.
“I have worked with Jim Pratt for 35 years and I am confident that he will be an outstanding GM and CEO,” Hummel said in a statement. “He is a skilled leader who inspires others, encourages innovation and will work tirelessly to support customers.”
With Hummel at the helm since 2018, SRP has taken major steps to transition to a low-carbon resource portfolio, retiring coal, significantly increasing investment in solar generation and battery storage capacity, and committing to advancing renewable technologies to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable water and power as demand has surged, the utility noted.
Hummel also has helped lead SRP’s careful water planning, including working with municipal, tribal and agricultural partners, which has helped serve the Valley with a portfolio of water supplies that is resilient despite a record drought that has impacted the watershed for more than 25 years.
In addition to these efforts, SRP said it has achieved new fiscal heights by earning the highest credit ratings of any large public power entity in the United States, including an AA+ rating from S&P Global and an Aa1 rating from Moody’s Investor Service.
