John G. Russell, 65, has served since May 2016 as Chairman of the Boards of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. He served from May 2010 to July 2016 as president and chief executive officer of CMS Energy and president and chief executive officer of Consumers Energy. Prior to that he served from October 2004 to May 2010 as president and chief operating officer of Consumers Energy; he served from December 2001 to July 2004 as executive vice president and president and chief executive officer-electric of Consumers Energy; and from July 2004 to October 2004 as executive vice president and president-electric and gas of Consumers Energy. He serves on the board of Hubbell Incorporated. He has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since May 2010.

Russell is qualified to serve on the Board based on the knowledge and experience acquired throughout his more than 30 years with Consumers Energy. He has in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the utility. His vast experience within the regulated utility industry, hands-on experience and the leadership positions he has held have provided him with a perspective from which the Board greatly benefits. Russell serves on the board of directors of Grand Valley University Foundation and also serves as chairman of The Russell Family Foundation. Russell previously served as a director on the boards of Grand Valley State University, Business Leaders for Michigan, The Right Place, Inc., the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the American Gas Association and Edison Electric Institute.

Garrick J. Rochow, 48, has served since December 2020 as president and chief executive officer of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. From July 2016 through November 2020, he was responsible for the company’s electric and natural gas distribution and transmission operations, generation and compression operations, regulatory compliance, planning and scheduling, and operations performance. Prior to that role, he served in a variety of leadership positions across the business as Consumers Energy’s senior vice president of distribution and customer operations and as vice president of customer experience, rates and regulation and quality and chief customer officer after serving as vice president of energy delivery. He has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since December 2020.

Rochow is qualified to serve on the Board based on his more than 20 years of experience and knowledge gained in the utility industry. He has extensive utility knowledge, including 19 years with CMS Energy. The Board benefits from Rochow’s prior leadership roles within the company. He currently serves on the board of the American Gas Association and Edison Electric Institute, as well as the boards and executive committees of Business Leaders for Michigan and The Right Place. He also serves on the boards of Priority Health, New Community Transformation Fund, West Michigan Policy Forum, Grand Rapids Economic Club, and American Gas Foundation.

Jon E. Barfield, 71, is president and chief executive officer of LJ Holdings Investment Company LLC, a private investment company. In March 2012, he retired from Bartech Group, Inc. (‘‘Bartech’’) where he served since 1981 as president and from 1995 to March 2012 as chairman and president of this industry-leading professional services firm, with headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, delivering talent management, business process outsourcing and managed services provider solutions to Global 1,000 firms. Bartech managed the daily work assignments for more than 120,000 associates and more than $4.7 billion in annual procurement for major employers around the world, making Bartech (now owned by Impellam Group, PLC) one of the largest talent acquisition and managed service provider firms in the United States. During the past five years, Barfield previously served as a director of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Good Technology Corporation. He has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since August 2005.

Barfield brings to the Board legal knowledge and experience, having practiced corporate and securities law at Sidley Austin LLP. His qualifications to serve as a director stem primarily from his experiences as a senior leader, and his varied service as a director with considerable experience regarding legal risk oversight and risk management, financial reporting, attracting and retaining key talent and related human resources experience, corporate governance, customer service and marketing, and mergers and acquisitions. Barfield previously served as a director of Dow Jones, Inc., Motorola Mobility, BMC Software and National City Corp. He served for many years as chairman of the audit committee of the Princeton University Board of Trustees.

Deborah H. Butler, 68, retired in October 2015 as the executive vice president of planning and chief information officer of Norfolk Southern Corporation (“Norfolk Southern”), which is engaged in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products and finished goods. Butler joined Norfolk Southern in 1978 and served in positions of increasing responsibility in operations until being named assistant vice president transportation customer service in 2000 and vice president customer services in 2002, a position she held until her appointment as executive vice president in 2007. She has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since January 2015.

Kurt L. Darrow, 68, retired in April 2021 as the president and chief executive officer of La-Z-Boy Incorporated (“La-Z-Boy”), an integrated furniture retailer and manufacturer. Darrow joined La-Z-Boy in 1979, and served in positions of increasing responsibility, including president of La-Z-Boy Residential, its largest division. Darrow has served as a board member of La-Z-Boy since 2003 and was elected as chairman of the board in 2011. He has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since November 2013.

Darrow’s qualifications for service on the Board include his extensive public company experience spanning 40 years, and his thorough strategic, marketing and leadership experience and customer orientation derived from his varying roles at La-Z-Boy, including his current chairman role. Darrow is a member of the Business Leaders for Michigan, a non-profit executive leadership organization, and serves on its executive committee. He serves as a member of the ProMedica Board of Trustees and was previously chairman of the ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital Board of Trustees. Darrow is a former chairman of the American Home Furnishings Alliance and continues to serve as director emeritus.

William D. Harvey, 74, retired in March 2012 as chairman and chief executive officer of Alliant Energy Corporation (“Alliant”) and its two utility subsidiaries, Interstate Power & Light Company and Wisconsin Power & Light Company (“WPL”). Harvey served in those positions since February 2006. Alliant is a Madison, Wisconsin-based public utility holding company, which provides regulated electricity and natural gas services through its subsidiary companies. He is a general partner of Shade Tree Investments Limited Partnership, a private family investment group. He has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since August 2012. Harvey has served as Presiding Director since May 2016.

Harvey brings to the Board legal knowledge and experience, having begun his career as an attorney in private practice and having served as general counsel of WPL. Harvey’s qualifications for service on the Board include his long-term experience with public utility operations and publicly traded companies, knowledge of customer perspectives, utility and environmental regulations and safety and diversity initiatives. Harvey previously served as a director of Sentry Insurance Company.

Suzanne F. Shank, 61, has served since 1996 as president and chief executive officer and a co-founder of Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC, (formerly Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC), a full-service investment banking and financial services company that managed or co-managed over $2 trillion in municipal bond, corporate bond and equity transactions. Prior to her financial services career, Shank was a structural engineer for General Dynamics. She currently serves on the boards of Rocket Companies, Inc. and White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. Shank previously served on the board of American Virtual Cloud Technologies, Inc. She has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since January 2019.

Shank brings over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, including extensive experience developing strategies for new business growth nationally and managing financial, operational and regulatory matters. She currently serves as Chair of the Skillman Foundation and as a director of the Detroit Regional Chamber and Global Citizen. Shank also serves as the Vice Chair of the Spelman College Board of Trustees and on the Wharton Graduate Advisory Board and the Kresge Foundation Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the International Women’s Forum.

Myrna M. Soto, 54, is the Founder and CEO of Apogee Executive Advisors. Apogee Executive Advisors is a boutique advisory firm focused on providing strategic consulting in the areas of Technology Risk, CyberSecurity, Technology Integrations, Venture Capital & Private Equity Investments and Enterprise Risk Management. From March 2020 through May 2021, she served as the chief strategy and trust officer of Forcepoint (a cybersecurity technology provider). At Forcepoint she provided leadership in Forcepoint's growth and strategy. Prior to joining Forcepoint, she served from March 2019 through May 2020 as the chief operating officer of Digital Hands (a Managed CyberSecurity Services Provider). Since March 2019, she has been a venture advisor for ForgePoint Capital (formerly known as Trident Capital Cybersecurity) (‘‘ForgePoint’’), a venture capital firm investing exclusively in early stage cybersecurity companies and has served as a partner at ForgePoint since April 2018. From August 2015 through April 2018, she served as the senior vice president and global chief information security officer of Comcast Corporation (“Comcast”), which operates as a worldwide media and technology company. Soto served from 2009 to August 2015 as senior vice president and chief infrastructure and information security officer at Comcast. Soto was responsible for the alignment and development of cyber and data security strategies and policies. Soto currently serves on the board of Spirit Airlines, Inc., Popular, Inc., and TriNet Group, Inc. She has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since January 2015.

Soto brings over 25 years of focused information technology and security experience from a variety of industries, including financial services, hospitality, insurance and risk management and gaming and entertainment. She serves on the advisory board of Ginger and previously served as Vice Chairman and executive committee board member of the Hispanic IT Executive Council and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Cabrini College.

John G. Sznewajs, 55, has served since 2007 as the vice president and chief financial officer of Masco Corporation (“Masco”), which operates as a global leader in design, manufacture and distribution of branded building products. Sznewajs is responsible for strategic and operational financial functions and also has oversight of information technology. Sznewajs also served as the treasurer of Masco from 2005 until 2016. Effective, May 31, 2023, Sznewajs will retire as vice president and chief financial officer of Masco. He has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since July 2015.

In addition to his financial expertise, Sznewajs has almost 20 years of experience in business and corporate development. His extensive background and knowledge in financial matters, which he has gained over his career, along with in-depth experience in enterprise-wide strategy, qualify him to serve on the Board. He serves as director and treasurer of the Detroit Zoological Society and on the board of Teach for America - Detroit.

Ronald J. Tanski, 70, served as president and chief executive officer of National Fuel Gas Company (“National Fuel”), a diversified energy company from March 2013 through his retirement on July 1, 2019. Tanski joined National Fuel as an attorney in 1979 and served in positions of increasing responsibility during his career. Tanski continues to serve as a director of National Fuel. He has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since November 2019.

Tanski brings 40 years’ experience in both the regulated and non-regulated gas business. Having begun his career as an attorney with National Fuel, the Board benefits from his legal knowledge and experience. Tanski was a member of the American Gas Association and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (“INGAA”), having served as INGAA’s chair. He previously served on the board of managers of the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Laura H. Wright, 63, retired from Southwest Airlines Co. (“Southwest”) as senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer, positions she had held since July 2004. During her 25-year career with Southwest, she held various positions, including vice president of finance and treasurer, treasurer, assistant treasurer and other financial roles. Southwest is based in Dallas, Texas, and is engaged in the operation of passenger airlines that provide scheduled air transportation in the United States. Until 2020, she consulted under GSB Advisory LLC, which she founded in 2012, to provide interim executive and financial management to growth and non-profit companies. Wright currently serves as a board member of TE Connectivity Ltd., Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. and Joby Aviation, Inc. Until 2019, she served as a trustee of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust. She has been a director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since February 2013.

As an active certified public accountant in the state of Texas, the Board benefits from Wright’s extensive technical expertise and experience in financial accounting and reporting, corporate finance and risk management. She has extensive experience working in a consumer-oriented business environment. Prior to Southwest, Wright was a manager with Arthur Young & Co. in Dallas.