Mike Chesser, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Great Plains Energy and KCP&L

Mr. Chesser joined the Company in October 2003 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer after a distinguished career in the utility industry that began at Baltimore Gas and Electric. He subsequently served as President and Chief Operating Officer at Atlantic Energy, Inc. and President and CEO at GPU Energy, an electric utility serving New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Great Plains Energy, he was Chairman and CEO of United Water, which owns and operates several regulated water utilities along with its contract operations.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech; a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola College, Baltimore; and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. He is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni of Georgia Tech.

Mr. Chesser has taken a national role in the research and development of energy technologies as past chairman and current member of the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Board of Directors and executive committee. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI).

Mr. Chesser is very involved in the business community, serving as trustee of the Midwest Research Institute (MRI), and the Committee for Economic Development (CED) in Washington, D.C. He is co-chair of the CED’s Sub-Committee on Education and a member of their Policy and Impact Committee.

Also active in the Kansas City area community, Mr. Chesser serves as chairman of the Economic Development Corporation and on the board of the Civic Council of Kansas City. He is chairman of the Partnership for Children and vice chair of the Mayor’s New Tools for Urban Economic Development Task Force. He also serves on the Early Learning Leadership Board of the Mid-America Regional Council and is a member of the Kansas Business Education Partnership.