The CMS Energy board elected David W. Joos president and CEO. Joos had been president and COO of the company. Former CEO Ken Whipple will continue as chairman of CMS Energy and its principal subsidiary, Consumers Energy. The new positions are effective Oct. 1. Whipple has served as chairman and CEO since May 2002 when a wash trading scandal led to the resignation of former CEO William T. McCormick (see Daily GPI, May 28, 2002). CMS said Whipple will continue to lead the company board’s oversight and guidance as it moves forward with its “utility-plus” strategy. Joos joined the utility in 1976 and has received a succession of increasingly responsible management positions at the company.

Constellation Energy CEO Mayo A. Shattuck announced that Frank O. Heintz plans to retire as president of subsidiary Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BGE) Oct. 1. Shattuck also announced that Kenneth W. DeFontes, currently vice president of electric transmission and distribution, will succeed Heintz as president of the central Maryland utility. Shattuck said Heintz’s contribution to Constellation Energy and BGE has been “invaluable. During his tenure, BGE faced many historic challenges and opportunities including electric deregulation in Maryland, the technological modernization of BGE, and Hurricane Isabel, the most damaging storm in the utility’s 188-year history. Through it all, Frank guided BGE with an unwavering hand and a commitment to excellence that earned him the respect of everyone throughout BGE and Constellation Energy.” Heintz joined BGE in 1996 as a vice president. In 1997, he assumed leadership of the utility’s gas division, and in 1998, was named executive vice president of utility operations. He was elected president and CEO in July 2000. Prior to his tenure with BGE, Heintz served for 13 years as chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission.

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