Paul Thomas
Chief Executive Officer and President

Bryan DeCordova
Chief Financial Officer

Bryan M. DeCordova joined Green Mountain Energy as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in November 2002 bringing more than 30 years of finance experience with him. In this position, Bryan manages the finance, accounting, planning and analysis, risk management and capital market functions for the Company.

Previously, Bryan served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Michaels Stores, Inc., (NYSE: MIK) an Irving, TX-based, $3.0 billion specialty retail chain that owns and operates over 1,000 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. In that role Bryan was responsible for all financial, accounting, planning and analysis, investor relations, and risk management activities. He was a critical part of a new management team that turned around a company that had generated operating losses of over $100 million in the two years prior to his arrival into one that achieved 35 percent compounded annual earnings growth after returning to profitability in his first year. As CFO, Bryan introduced long-range financial planning and played a significant role in directing the Michael's investments in infrastructure and technology that spurred record financial growth. He also personally directed every aspect of the company's investor relations efforts, establishing marketplace credibility for Michael's and dramatically increasing the quality and quantity of research on the company, resulting in stock price appreciation of over 650 percent.

From 1990 to 1997, before moving to Michaels Stores, Inc., Bryan served as the vice president of finance, treasurer and chief financial officer for Duckwall-ALCO Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: DUCK) in Abilene, Kansas. In that role Bryan was responsible for all finance, accounting, planning and analysis, information systems and investor relations activities for this 250+ unit discount/variety retail store chain. Upon joining the company, he played a critical role in the development and execution of the company's plan of reorganization. During his tenure, Duckwall increased its store count by 85 percent through expansion and acquisition, went public in 1994 and had a successful follow-on public equity offering in 1996.

Prior to that Bryan spent eight years as a director and officer in the retail sector with companies like May Department Stores and as an accountant with Price Waterhouse & Company.

Bryan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978 with a bachelor's degree of business administration in accounting.

Robert Thomas
Chief Legal Officer

Robert P. Thomas joined Green Mountain Energy Company in January 2001 as vice president, general counsel and secretary and was appointed Chief Legal Officer in May 2003. Bob has over 25 years of domestic and international legal experience. He manages the company's legal, regulatory and governmental affairs, information technology, and human resources functions. Bob served as the Independent Retail Electric Providers Segment representative on the Board of Directors of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas during 2008 and 2009.

From 1988 to 2000, Bob held a variety of legal positions with Chiquita Brands International, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. At Chiquita, Bob handled acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and financings in the U.S., Europe and Latin America and had responsibility for domestic and international litigation and arbitration matters. He also provided antitrust counseling for Chiquita's businesses around the world.

Prior to 1988, Bob was with the law firm of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he handled commercial litigation matters in both state and federal courts. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1981 with a juris doctor degree, Bob held a clerkship with the Hon. Raymond E. Shannon of the First District Court of Appeals of Ohio. He received his bachelor's of science degree in finance in 1978 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Bill Burden
Chief Risk Officer, Chief Environmental Officer

Paul N. Markovich
President of Residential Services

Paul N. Markovich is responsible for providing service to Green Mountain’s hundreds of thousands of residential customers nationwide. Since assuming the position in 2005, the residential customer base has doubled and revenues have more than tripled.      

Paul joined Green Mountain Energy Company in August 2000 as director of business development. He was instrumental in developing the company’s first apartment community sales channel, which continues to be a significant contributor to Green Mountain’s business in Texas. In 2001, Paul was appointed president of the Midwest region where he was responsible for providing service to Green Mountain’s Ohio customers and, subsequently, its Pennsylvania customers. In 2003, he returned to Austin, where he currently resides, and added the Texas customers to his list of responsibilities.

Paul has over 30 years of energy industry experience, and has held leadership positions in divisions ranging from information technology and financial controls to purchasing and supply and trading.

Paul graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and German. He earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Chicago in 1983. In addition to his academic achievements, Paul is a member of the Indiana High School Wrestling Hall of Fame

Scott Hart

President of Commercial Services

Scott Hart's career has been one of leading innovation in the energy industry. Having spent more than 20 years working in the retail energy / utility industry, Scott has extensive executive experience managing both retail energy supply and energy demand-side business operations. 

Before joining Green Mountain Energy Company in 2004, Scott had worked for some of the largest energy / utility companies in the world. Starting his career at Enserch / Lone Star Gas and later moving to TXU Energy where he was one of the original executive members of the new TXU Energy retail unit. While at TXU, Scott served in a variety of executive positions where his last assignment was Vice President of Strategy national Commercial and Industrial market. With the deregulation of the Texas electricity market Scott left TXU Energy to start Texas Commercial Energy which was a one of the first start-up Retail Electricity Providers in the state of Texas. Scott joined Green Mountain Energy in 2004 as President of the newly created Commercial Services division.

A native Texan, Scott Hart received a Masters of Business Administration from Baylor University and a Bachelor of Science from Tarleton State University. Hart is married with three children.

Ronald E. Prater
Senior Vice President, Supply

Since December 2005, Ronald E. Prater has been Senior Vice President, Supply for Green Mountain Energy Company. He is responsible for procuring wholesale energy and renewable energy certificates for Green Mountain Energy Company’s customers. He joined Green Mountain Energy Company in August, 2003 as the General Manager of the Midwest and East regions where he was responsible for service to nearly 500,000 customers.

Previously, Ron was President of LECTRIX LLC, a privately held company developing “merchant” electrical transmission projects.

Prior to joining LECTRIX, Ron was Vice President — Strategic Planning at American Electric Power. Ron joined Ohio Power Co., a subsidiary of American Electric Power, as an attorney in 1976. In 1979, he joined Indiana Michigan Power Company as its General Counsel. In 1988, he became the Fort Wayne Division Manager of Indiana Michigan Power, where he was responsible for service to over 150,000 customers. In 1994, he became Vice President of Kentucky Power. He was promoted to Vice President — Strategic Planning at AEP in May 1995. Prior to joining American Electric Power, Ron was Assistant Attorney General of Ohio representing the Public Utilities Commission.

Ron received a bachelor's degree from Muskingum College in 1972 and a JD degree from Ohio State University School of Law in 1975. He has attended the management leadership program at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Ron has served in numerous community and professional organizations including: the Governor’s Committee on Indiana’s Utility Future, the Corporation Business Modernization and Technology, and Chairman of Science Central.

Ron holds numerous patents and copyrights.

Helen Brauner
Vice President, Strategic Planning

Helen Brauner joined Green Mountain Energy Company in November 2004 as a marketing manager. She eventually ran Green Mountain’s marketing team as the Director of Marketing, where she oversaw the marketing for green power programs in five states and served as company spokesperson. In 2008 Helen took on the role of Senior Assistant to the CEO. In 2009 she became the company’s Vice President of Strategic Planning. Helen also oversees Green Mountain’s public relations division.

While in graduate school Helen worked for the University of Texas’ Clean Energy Incubator in Austin, TX, where she was responsible for evaluating business plans and providing strategic advice to early-stage clean technology companies.

Prior to graduate school Helen was the Manager of Database Marketing for Kindermusik International, a company that develops music and movement programs for families and young children based in Greensboro, NC.

From 1991 to 1997 Helen worked as a consultant and developed internal financial reporting applications for Arthur Andersen in Houston, TX.

Helen received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rice University in 1991. She earned a master of business administration from the University of Texas in 2004, where she earned a Longhorn Business Scholarship, Sord Award and Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence.