Two Xcel Energy employees with long records of service and leadership have been named to key positions in the company’s regional substation and transmission organizations.
Perry Foster is the new regional director for Substation Operations and Maintenance, and Cory Wood has been named regional director for Transmission Line Construction and Operations.
“Xcel Energy has invested more than $1.6 billion in substation and transmission improvements in New Mexico and Texas over the past six years, and Perry and Cory have key responsibilities in ensuring the reliability and cost effectiveness of all our grid investments, existing and new,” said David Hudson, president – Xcel Energy New Mexico and Texas. “We rely heavily on their experience and skills to make sure our communities are well served by this power grid and that it delivers safe, reliable and affordable energy.”
Xcel Energy has 468 substations in its New Mexico and Texas service area, and more than 7,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines in those two states and in portions of Oklahoma and Kansas as well.
Foster most recently served as Xcel Energy’s manager for system protection in New Mexico and Texas. In his new role, he oversees transmission and distribution substation maintenance, system protection, and transmission and distribution substation construction. Additionally, Foster is responsible for the implementation of operational strategy, communicating organizational vision, mission, objectives and behavioral expectations aligned with operational excellence.
Foster began his service with Southwestern Public Service Company, which is now a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, as a meter reader in 1989. He holds an associate’s degree in applied science from Amarillo College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
Wood most recently served as senior manager in the company’s transmission project management group, overseeing dozens of transmission development projects across New Mexico and Texas. In his new role as director, Wood provides leadership, strategic direction, and daily operation direction for all activities to support transmission and substation construction, transmission line field operations, transmission civil construction and transmission trucking. He is responsible for meeting organizational, safety, productivity and reliability targets, in addition to overseeing construction schedule and cost performance. Wood also works with Xcel Energy counterparts in other states to establish competitive bidding and execution strategy.
Wood began his service with the company in 1995 as a first-year lineman apprentice before earning journeyman status four years later. He moved into management as a supervisor and then manager for transmission construction.
About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
(News release from Xcel Energy)
