Longtime Energy Executive Joins Consumer Energy Alliance’s Board of Directors
The Plaza Group President Randy Velarde to Join Nine-Member Board
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Randy Velarde, president and CEO at The Plaza Group, has joined Consumer
Energy Alliance’s (CEA) Board of Directors, the organization’s
president announced today.
A 30-year veteran of the petrochemical and downstream energy industry,
Velarde spent 15 years in commercial management and market development
at Shell Chemical and Texaco Chemical prior to forming, in 1994, The
Plaza Group, a Houston-based multimillion-dollar international
petrochemical marketing firm. He formerly served on the National
Petroleum Council, appointed by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill
Richardson.
“His record in the chemical, petrochemical and downstream sector speaks
for itself,” CEA President David Holt said. “His expanded leadership
through the Board of Directors makes him an extremely valuable asset to
CEA and its growing list of members in the pivotal years ahead,
especially in advancing CEA’s mission of improving consumer
understanding of how energy policy impacts them. We are very excited to
have Randy’s commodity chemicals markets background on the CEA board.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to join CEA’s Board of Directors,”
Velarde said. “The need for America to increase environmentally sound
protection of all domestic energy resources has never been greater, and
I look forward to working with my fellow Board members to make sure the
policies needed to do this are supported and promoted effectively.”
In addition to previously being named Entrepreneur of the Year by Hispanic
Business magazine and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,
Velarde, a former director of Hightowers Petroleum Co., Inc., was a
partner and board member of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and
a corporate partner of the Hispanic Association on Corporate
Responsibility.
Velarde currently serves on the University of New Mexico, Department of
Engineering Board of Advisors, the University of New Mexico Foundation
Board, and formerly on the Board of the University of St. Thomas in
Houston, and Chairman of the Development Committee at the University of
St. Thomas. In 2011, he was a finalist for Ernst & Young’s prestigious
Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Other CEA board members include Wayne Zemke, (Board Chair)
Marketing Support Manager of Caterpillar, Inc.; Brett Vassey,
(Vice Chair) President and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers
Association; Brian Welch, (Treasurer) Managing Director at
Wortham Insurance & Risk Management; Jennifer Diggins,
(immediate past Chair) Director of Public Affairs at Nucor Steel; John
Heimlich, Vice President and Chief Economist for Airlines for
America; Mark Pulliam, Solution Partner with Sabre Airline
Solutions; John Eichberger, Vice President of Government
Relations for the National Association of Convenience Stores; and David
Holt, President of Consumer Energy Alliance.
About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer
Energy Alliance (CEA) brings together consumers, producers and
manufacturers to engage in a meaningful dialogue about America’s energy
future. With more than 400,000 members nationwide, our mission is to
help ensure stable prices for consumers and energy security. We believe
energy development is something that touches everyone in our nation, and
thus it is necessary for all consumers to actively engage in the
conversation about how we develop and diversify our energy resources and
energy’s importance to the economy. CEA promotes a thoughtful dialogue
to help produce our abundant energy supply, and balance our energy needs
with our nation’s environmental and conservation goals. Learn more at ConsumerEnergyAlliance.org.
Contacts
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA)
Shawn Martini, 303-895-5070
smartini@consumerenergyalliance.org
