Ben Fowke is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Xcel Energy. He previously served as president and chief operating officer (COO) with responsibility for overall corporate operations as well as Xcel Energy's four operating companies, which do business in eight states.
Prior to being named president and COO in 2009, Fowke held a variety of executive positions at the company, including vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) and vice president and CFO of Energy Markets, where he was responsible for the financial operations of the company's commodities trading and marketing business unit. Prior to the 2000 merger of Northern States Power Co. and New Century Energies (NCE) to form Xcel Energy, he was a vice president in the NCE Retail business unit.
Prior to Xcel Energy, Fowke served 10 years with FPL Group, Inc., where he held various management positions. He also has held positions outside the energy industry with DWG Corp. and KPMG.
Currently he serves on the board of directors of the Edison Electric Institute, Electric Power Research Institute, Nuclear Energy Institute, Energy Insurance Mutual, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, American Wind Energy Association, the Minnesota Business Partnership and Greater MSP. He also serves on the advisory board of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association.
Fowke earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and accounting from Towson University and obtained his CPA in 1982.
Xcel Energy Inc. is a utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving more than 3.3 million electric customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. It consists of four operating subsidiaries: Northern States Power-Minnesota, Northern States Power-Wisconsin, Public Service Company of Colorado, and Southwestern Public Service Co. Ben Fowke is the Chairman, CEO, and President.
