Mr. W. Kent Palmerton has over 37 years of diverse experience in the electric industry, in both the private and public sectors, in Executive Management and directing activities related to wholesale and retail load service; enterprise risk management; generation and transmission development and interconnections; competitive market participation and design; utility planning and operations; reliability organizations; corporate communications, government and regulatory affairs.

Mr. Palmerton founded WK Palmerton Associates, LLC (“WKPA”) in 2004 to provide management and transaction consultancy services to the electric industry. As a consultant, he most recently has served for ten (10) years as General Manager of the Power and Water Resources Pooling Authority, a California Publically Owned Electric Utility, providing electric service at retail to many of the State’s largest Irrigation and Water Districts. Mr. Palmerton developed the Pooling Authority’s risk management policies, pool cost allocation methodologies and operating protocols, retail rate methodologies and power reconciliation metrics, as well as developing various procurement models and and hedge strategies.

Other WKPA clients and assignments have included investment banks and hedge funds seeking investments in power projects across the west, the City and County of San Francisco, San Diego Gas and Electric Company and the CPUC Department of Rate Payer Advocates. Mr. Palmerton has held Vice President and similar level positions with two Fortune 500 Merchant Generator companies where he was responsible for originating structured power products, ISO market development and government affairs in the eleven Western States.

Earlier in his career Mr. Palmerton spent 15 year on the executive management team at NCPA, a large California Joint Action Agency serving the aggregated electric loads of ten (10) interconnected publically owned electric utilities and constructing and operating geothermal, hydro, and gas fired generation for 14 of NCPA’s 15 members. Mr. Palmerton began his career in the Pacific Northwest where he made a number of contributions to the NW Regional Power Planning Council when on loan from the Washington Water Power Company.

Mr. Palmerton holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University and an MBA from Eastern Washington State University. He has two grown children, is an active general aviation pilot and sportsman and he and his wife Nancy are dedicated patrons of the Arts.