Tom Kuhn: Maria Pope

In honoring Kuhn with Public Utilities Fortnightly's highest award, named for the extraordinary industry leader of a hundred years ago — Owen Young — we salute the man behind the transformational "Power by Association." We do this not alone. What follows are the voices of a dozen of the industry's top leaders of the twenty-first century, about Kuhn's accomplishments, and the man himself. Including four utility Executive Chairs, three utility CEOs, four retired utility CEOs, and Kuhn's longtime key associate at EEI, David Owens.

PUF's Steve Mitnick: When in your career did you begin working with Tom Kuhn and his team at EEI? Talk about that.

Maria Pope: My introduction to Tom and to EEI is likely different than that of my CEO colleagues. I first joined Portland General Electric as a member of the company's board of directors, and I met Tom during an onboarding and educational program that EEI hosts each year to help corporate directors get up to speed on industry issues. Tom delivered welcome remarks and took the time to meet each attendee.

When I moved from the PGE board into a position as the company's CFO about fifteen years ago, I began working more closely with Tom and the EEI team. While I had previously served as CFO of two other public companies, the financial issues and risks that electric companies face are unique.