Christian T. Beam
Executive Vice President – Energy Services, American Electric Power

Chris Beam is executive vice president of Energy Services and is responsible for American Electric Powers's generation, transmission, nuclear, supply chain, procurement, fleet, and safety and health organizations.

Most recently, he was president and chief operating officer of Appalachian Power, where he oversaw the company's distribution operations and a wide range of customer and regulatory relationships. Beam also served as vice president - Projects, Controls & Construction, responsible for all aspects of project management, project controls, commissioning and construction activities within AEP's Generation organization.

Previously, he was managing director - Projects & Construction, from November 2010 to January 2013. In this role he was responsible for project management of the Western fleet, all new generating projects, and the commissioning and construction activities within the Generation organization.

Beam received a bachelor's degree in Technical Management from DeVry University. He has completed the Executive Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, the AEP Management Development Program at The Ohio State University, the AEP Leadership Program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and is a member of the Leadership Columbus class of 2014. He is a Certified Project Management Professional.

Heather L. Cushman
Controller, BHE U.S. Transmission

Heather Cushman is the controller of BHE U.S. Transmission. Cushman is responsible for accounting, financial analysis related to acquisitions and competitive project bids, reporting and controls, forecasting and budgeting oversight and joint-venture coordination. She oversees regulatory accounting activities and has provided testimony on filings covering electric transmission before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Prior to joining Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Cushman served in finance, accounting and treasury roles at public and private international companies in industries including software, food distribution and teleservice operations.

Cushman has more than 20 years of experience in public accounting and financial leadership. She has a bachelor's of business administration degree in accounting from Iowa State University and a master's of business administration from the University of Iowa.

Cushman was the vice president of finance during Grid Assurance's start-up phase and now serves on the board.

Her and her husband, Bill, have two daughters and reside in Urbandale, Iowa.

Antonio P. Smyth
Senior Vice President - Transmission Ventures, Strategy & Policy, American Electric Power

Antonio Smyth is senior vice president, Transmission Ventures, Strategy & Policy. In this role, Smyth is responsible for Asset Strategy and Policy, in addition to his current responsibilities supporting Transmission's Joint Ventures and competitive development efforts. Transmission Asset Strategy & Policy is responsible for oversight of regulatory outcomes at the federal (FERC), state and Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) levels; project siting, outreach and right-of-way; and coordination of financial and strategic matters related to AEP Transmission.

Previously, Smyth was vice president of Transmission Ventures, the subsidiary of American Electric Power responsible for the development, ownership and operation of competitive-regulated electric transmission infrastructure projects across the United States. He is responsible for AEP's portfolio of FERC jurisdictional electric transmission joint ventures and serves as president or on the board of directors of joint ventures with Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Duke Energy, Exelon Corporation, Westar Energy and First Energy.

Smyth has held positions of increasing responsibility throughout the past 17 years within AEP and has worked in the Columbus, Ohio, headquarters and the London, U.K., offices. He has testified as an expert witness on electric transmission matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and various state regulatory commissions.

Prior to his role in the transmission organization, Smyth most recently managed the strategic initiatives organization, which is responsible for corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions, and the corporate finance organization, which is responsible for debt and equity capital markets and rating agency activities.

Smyth earned both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in economics from Ohio State University, and is a graduate of the Management Development Program at Ohio State University.

Smyth is a United States military veteran and serves on the board of the Childhood League Center, Inc.

He and his wife, Emily, have two daughters and reside in Columbus, Ohio.

R. Patrick Reiten
Senior Vice President, Government Relations, Berkshire Hathaway Energy

Patrick Reiten is senior vice president of government relations at Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Reiten is responsible for leading the national policy and legislative work of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a $91 billion portfolio of locally managed businesses that share a vision for a secure and sustainable energy future.

Reiten has extensive experience in executive leadership in the energy business. Prior to his current role, he was president and chief executive officer of PacifiCorp Transmission at PacifiCorp, a position he has held since March 2015, managing the West's largest single owned-and-operated transmission system. Prior to that role, Reiten was President and CEO of Pacific Power, an electric energy company serving about 750,000 customers in California, Oregon and Washington. He was appointed to that role in September 2006.

Before joining PacifiCorp, Reiten was president and chief executive officer of PNGC Power, an energy cooperative located in Portland, Oregon. He was appointed to that position in May 2002 and was responsible for the overall operations of two corporate entities (PNGC Power and Power Resources Cooperative).

Prior to PNGC Power, Reiten served as an aide to U.S. Sen. Mark O. Hatfield, responsible for many issues, particularly those associated with the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He also served as an official in several different capacities at the U.S. Department of Interior, including deputy director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Reiten has served in many director or board leadership roles in community and industry groups. He is the immediate past chair of Associated Oregon Industries and is co-chair of The Freshwater Trust; he also serves on the board of directors of the American Council on Renewable Energy, Legacy Health System and Electric Transmission Texas LLC.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis in economics from the University of Washington and completed executive training at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.