Corporate Governance

Maria Pope is president, chief executive officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Portland General Electric.

Pope leads PGE in delivering safe, reliable, and affordable energy for Oregonians. Under her leadership, PGE has accelerated the transition to a clean energy future by adding new wind, solar and battery storage, strengthening the energy grid by integrating new technologies, and working with community stakeholders, customers and policy-makers to advance collaborative solutions and build vibrant communities.

Benjamin (Ben) Felton leads PGE’s utility operations groups, including generation, transmission and distribution operations, wildfire and operational compliance, engineering, project management, environmental, corporate security, corporate safety, supply chain and other operations-focused areas.

Felton joined PGE in 2023 and has more than 30 years of energy industry experience. He has held a variety of senior leadership positions including as senior vice president of Energy Supply at DTE, senior vice president of Electric Operations and vice president of Power Delivery at NIPSCO a subsidiary of NiSource, and executive director of Electric Systems Operations and Maintenance at Consumers Energy.

Larry Bekkedahl is responsible for advancing PGE’s strategy to build the grid of the future — one that is resilient, smart, and clean.

He oversees PGE’s strategy, system architecture and system upgrades, which will serve as the foundation for the smart grid of the future. This includes initiatives related to system integration and operations, planning, smart cities, enabling distributed energy resources, energy storage, and standby generation. He also oversees transmission delivery, daily grid operations, transmission policy and market interfaces, data analytics and generative AI, rates and regulatory, and innovation, as well as research and development.

Angelica Espinosa leads PGE’s legal, governance, compliance, communications, public affairs and sustainability teams, as well as PGE’s long term resource planning process.

She joined PGE in 2021 as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary with a focus on board governance, power operations structuring and origination. Espinosa has over 18 years of legal and risk management experience in the utility and energy industries. Before joining PGE, she held leadership positions at Sempra Energy and General Electric.

Joe Trpik leads PGE’s accounting, finance, tax and investor relations efforts.

Trpik joined PGE in 2023 with deep expertise in financial planning and analysis, capital allocation, cost management, risk management, financial systems, accounting, tax and investor communications, among other functions. Prior to joining PGE, he served over 20 years in senior leadership positions with Exelon - one of the nation’s largest utilities – including as senior vice president and chief accounting officer.

John Kochavatr is responsible for PGE's information systems, advancing operational effectiveness through deeper use of technology.

Prior to joining PGE in 2018, he was senior vice president and CIO at SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions. He held several CIO and global leadership roles at General Electric (GE) in the Infrastructure, Power, Aviation, Oil & Gas and Capital divisions.

John McFarland leads PGE’s commercial and customer groups and is responsible for strengthening, expanding, and growing relationships with all its customers, including industrial, commercial, and residential.

McFarland joined PGE in 2024 and has over 20 years of experience in general management, operations, marketing, and product innovation. Before joining PGE, he served as Chief Executive Officer for FirstElement Fuel Inc., the world’s leading hydrogen fueling network, and held leadership positions at General Motors and Procter & Gamble.

Anne Mersereau leads PGE's efforts to develop, attract, and retain a diverse, inclusive and engaged workforce.

Mersereau joined the company in 2009 and became vice president in 2016. She has more than 25 years of human resources experience in the utility, insurance, and hospitality industries. Before joining PGE, she held leadership positions with Hilton Hotels and Marsh USA.

Debbie Powell leads PGE’s transmission and distribution, renewable and thermal power generation, and safety and emergency management teams.  

Powell joined PGE in 2024 with nearly 30 years of energy industry and military experience. Powell spent the last decade in various senior leadership roles at Pacific Gas & Electric where she previously served as vice president of Electric Operations Asset & Risk Management, Community Wildfire Safety Program and vice president of Power Generation.

Kristen Sheeran leads PGE’s government affairs, resource planning, community engagement, corporate social responsibility, energy savings and affordability, and sustainability teams.

Sheeran joined PGE in 2021 after four years as energy and climate advisor to Governor Kate Brown, where she helped lead seminal policy around clean energy, climate, and transportation. She has over 20 years of energy sector experience with deep expertise in energy, climate, transportation, markets and regulation, economics and policy. Her extensive career has included leadership positions in government, non-profits, academia, and for-profit enterprises.