PRPA names chief strategy officer

FORT COLLINS — Platte River Power Authority has named Eddie Gutiérrez to its leadership team as the organization’s chief strategy officer. 

“Eddie is a compassionate strategist and communicator and brings decades of advocacy and community engagement experience to Platte River,” Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO of Platte River, said in a press statement. “He and his team are critical to the ongoing collaboration with our owner communities and the customers they serve to communicate how we will achieve our noncarbon energy future by 2030.”

Platte River is owned by and is the wholesale electrical power supplier for Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Estes Park.

Gutiérrez has 20 years of nonprofit and utility experience. He will lead the organization’s business strategies and development, overseeing human resources, safety, communications and marketing, community engagement and government affairs, and leading Platte River’s overall external affairs advocacy. He’ll also be charged with fostering regional partnerships and collaboration, “which will be essential as our owner communities come together to help inform and educate our customers in the region on how we will achieve the Resource Diversification Policy,” PRPA said in the statement. 

“Speaking from one voice, our communities have an opportunity to be a national leader in actually transforming the energy landscape, edging closer to 100% noncarbon energy resources ahead of most electric utilities nationwide while maintaining reliability and affordability for our communities in Northern Colorado,” Gutiérrez said. 

“Investments to decarbonize our energy resources is a commitment and responsibility we take seriously. Our owner communities believe in safe, reliable, environmentally responsible and financially sustainable energy that enables the economic vibrancy and innovation in the region. We are well-positioned to achieve our energy goals as advocates of public and community-owned power.”

Most recently, Gutiérrez was vice president of strategic communications, customer care and community engagement for El Paso Electric, an investor-owned utility based in El Paso, Texas. He was also founder and managing director of the Gutiérrez Group LLC, a marketing and public relations firm specializing in consumer and public affairs. 

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Gutiérrez holds a master of public and international affairs degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. His bachelor’s degree is in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College in Los Angeles.

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