Terry Bassham, Executive Vice President, Utility Operations, KCP&L

As executive vice president of utility operations, Terry Bassham focuses KCP&L's operational functions on achieving Tier 1 performance in safety, operations and customer service. This responsibility includes championing innovation and driving continuous improvement and process efficiency throughout the organization. He also oversees regulatory compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) rules, standards and requirements, and serves on the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Company's board of directors and operations committee.

Prior to being named to this position in May 2010, Mr. Bassham served as KCP&L's executive vice president of finance & strategic development and chief financial officer. He was instrumental in leading KCP&L through its comprehensive energy plan, an ambitious initiative that included building 100 megawatts of wind power, installing environmental retrofits at several generating facilities and constructing Iatan 2, a 850 megawatt coal-fired power plant. Mr. Bassham also helped transform KCP&L's business through the sale of Strategic Energy and the acquisition of Aquila, which doubled the company's workforce and significantly increased its service territory.

Before joining KCP&L in March 2005, Mr. Bassham was executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer for El Paso Electric Company (EPE) in Texas, where he oversaw the financial, treasury, regulatory and administrative functions. He joined EPE in 1996 as general counsel with responsibility for legislative affairs, regulatory affairs and corporate governance.

He began his career in 1985 when he joined El Paso's Kemp, Smith, Duncan & Hammond law firm as an associate attorney. Mr. Bassham worked on EPE's first Texas rate case involving the addition of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, representing the company in each of its subsequent related rate cases in Texas and New Mexico.

Active in the Kansas City area community, Mr. Bassham serves as a board member of the Kansas City Symphony, the Guadalupe Center and the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. He also is a member of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School of Business and Public Administration advisory council and Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Business Council.

Mr. Bassham holds a BBA - Accounting from the University of Texas-Arlington, and a Juris Doctorate degree from St. Mary's University Law School, San Antonio, Texas.