Wyoming Infrastructure Authority

Mike Easley, is a native of Stillwater, Oklahoma, and a graduate of Oklahoma State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. Before coming to Powder River Energy he was employed by Wolverine Power Supply Generation and Transmission Cooperative in Cadillac, Michigan as Vice President of System Operations.

Prior to that, he worked at Copper Valley Electric Association in Valdez, Alaska for 10 years where he was the Chief Operating Officer.

Mike’s first job at an electric cooperative was as an electrical engineer with Western Farmers Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma. He started off as a Transmission Design Engineer and eventually moved into a supervisory position responsible for Western’s Transmission and Substation construction.

As CEO of Powder River Energy, Mike is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the electric cooperative. He answers directly to the board of directors, which is made up of 10 Powder River Energy members.

Appointed 03/01/2008
Expired 03/01/2012

Kyle White is Vice President of Regulatory and Governmental Affairs for Black Hills Corporation, a diversified energy company with interests throughout the Midwestern and Rocky Mountain states. Black Hills Corporation’s business interests include coal mining, power generation development, oil and gas production, wholesale energy marketing, retail natural gas distribution and retail electricity sales.

Mr. White began his employment with the corporation in 1982 at Black Hills Power and has had various regulatory, governmental affairs, public affairs and marketing responsibilities within the corporation and its subsidiaries. Through these responsibilities he has had the opportunity to support the Corporation’s efforts to build coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants, as well as, transmission infrastructure, including 230 kV transmission lines and an AC/DC/AC tie converter station.

In 2004, Mr. White was appointed by Governor Freudenthal to the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, a state instrumentality focused on developing electric transmission in Wyoming. He is a past chairman of the Western Business Roundtable, a business advocacy organization which focuses on environmental and energy issues in the West.

Mr. White holds a B.S. and M.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. He and his wife, Suzanne, make their home in Rapid City, South Dakota and have four children.

Appointed 07/01/2007
Expired 03/01/2011

Appointed in May of 2003 by Governor Dave Freudenthal, Bryce Freeman currently serves as Administrator of the Wyoming Office of Consumer Advocate. The OCA provides independent representation of utility customers in contested cases before the Wyoming Public Service Commission. Prior to being appointed to his current position, Bryce was on the staff of the Wyoming Public Service Commission for approximately nine years. Prior to his time at the Public Service Commission Bryce served as a Principal Appraiser in the utility valuation section of the Wyoming Department of Revenue and served as Assistant Deputy Treasurer in Laramie County. Bryce has also been, and continues to be, heavily involved in regulatory and energy policy development on behalf of Wyoming including serving as Secretary of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, Secretary of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, as well as active participation in the Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation and the Northern Tier Transmission Group.

Appointed 07/01/2006
Expired 03/01/2010

Recently retired from Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc., where he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Shafer has 42 years experience in the Electric Utility Industry. He has worked in the Private, Federal and Rural Electric Cooperative Sectors of the industry. Included in his experience is 30 years of management of the construction, operation, maintenance, rate setting and marketing of electric power generation and transmission facilities and products. He also served as the Administrator of Western Area Power Administration in Golden, Colorado and Southwestern Power Administration in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Western Farmers Electric Cooperative in Anadarko, Oklahoma. He has served on the Board of Directors of regional and national electric utility industry organizations such as the North American Electric Reliability Council, Western Electric Coordinating Council, Electric Power Research Institute, and Southwest Power Pool. He has an in-depth understanding of the electric utility industry and the challenges it faces.

Shafer is a native of Thermopolis, Wyoming and a graduate of the University of Wyoming with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Wyoming.

Appointed 03/01/20009
Expired 03/01/2013

Bret Jones is a senior vice-president in the Wyoming public finance operation of George K. Baum & Company, an investment banking firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Jones spent over twenty years in local government management, serving as the chief administrative officer in four different municipalities, during which he worked with governing bodies in the development of various policy initiatives and had responsibility for the oversight of daily operations for general government and utility functions. Mr. Jones background knowledge in the electric industry, including power supply, generation and transmission issues, is a result of his oversight of municipal electric utility operations in three of the four communities he served during his local government career. Mr. Jones, a native of South Dakota and a resident of Wyoming for the last eight years, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a masters degree in public administration from the University of South Dakota. He was appointed to the Authority by Governor Freudenthal in 2009.

Appointed 03/01/2009
Expired 03/01/2013