Futrell names Duncan as interim General Manager of Austin Energy

City Manager Toby Futrell Monday named Roger Duncan as interim General Manager of Austin Energy. Duncan, 60, has served as Deputy General Manager since August 2004.

 

He will assume the duties of Juan Garza, who is leaving Austin Energy to become General Manager of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative at the beginning of February.

 

Duncan said, “It is a great honor to be named interim General Manager of one of the best utilities in the country. I look forward to serving our customers and the excellent employees we have at Austin Energy. I also want to thank the city manager for placing her trust in me. In addition, I want to thank Juan Garza for establishing a culture of trust and openness at the utility and I want to continue that tradition.”

 

In his current position, Duncan is responsible for overseeing AE’s nationally recognized Green Building program, as well as distributed energy services, strategic planning, governmental relations, energy conservation and air quality.

 

From 1998 to 2004, Duncan was Vice-President in charge of Conservation, Renewables, and Environmental Policy for the utility.  Prior to joining Austin Energy, Duncan was director of the city’s Planning, Environmental and Conservation Services Department.

 

Duncan served two terms on the Austin City Council from 1981-1985. He began his political career in the early 1970s as an anti-nuclear activist. He has worked with Mayor Will Wynn to start Austin’s climate protection plan and spearheaded the plug-in hybrid vehicle campaign.

 

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and the Public Sustainability Partnership.  Duncan is married to In Fact Daily Editor Jo Clifton.

 

Futrell said a national search for a permanent replacement for the Austin Energy General Manager position would begin later this year. The City Council plans to hire a new city manager later this month since Futrell announced that she plans to retire at the end of May. The city also has three acting department directors—for EMS, Public Works and Parks and Recreation.

 

Austin Energy is the 10th largest public power utility in the country with 380,000 customers and serving a population of 880,000. The utility provides low-cost, reliable power and is nationally recognized for some of the most advanced and comprehensive energy efficiency and Green Building programs in the nation. Under a recently announced “Climate Protection Plan” by the City of Austin, Austin Energy will offset by 2020 the need for a 700-megawatt power plant through energy efficiency and load shifting initiatives, among other measures.