John G. Russell served from May 2010 to July 2016 as president and chief executive officer of CMS Energy and 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 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 has served since December 2020 as president and chief executive officer of CMS and Consumers. 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’ 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. 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 and Grand Rapids Economic Club.

Deborah H. Butler 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 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 to 2022 and as chairman from 2011 to 2022. 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. 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.

Ralph Izzo retired in September 2022 as the Chairman, President and CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (“PSEG”), a publicly traded diversified energy holding company, a position he held from April 2007. He served from September 2022 until December 2022 as Executive Chair of PSEG. He was PSEG’s president and chief operating officer and a member of the Board of Directors from October 2006 until his appointment as Chairman, President and CEO. Previously, Izzo was president and chief operating officer of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (“PSE&G”), an operating subsidiary of PSEG. Izzo joined PSE&G in 1992 and held several executive positions within the PSEG family of companies.  He currently serves on the boards of directors of Ovintiv Inc. and The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. He has been a Director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since May 2023.

Izzo is qualified to serve on the Board based on the knowledge and experience acquired throughout his more than 30 years in the electric and gas business.  Izzo is on the Board of Directors of Argonne National Lab and TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company.  He currently serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, on the board of trustees of the Liberty Science Center and on the Boards of Directors of The Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, for which he also serves on the Executive Committee. He previously served as the chair of the Nuclear Energy Institute and on the Board of Directors for the Edison Electric Institute, Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. Izzo is on the advisory board for the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Department, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peddie School and Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment Advisory Council, as well as a member of the Visiting Committee for the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Columbia University School of Engineering Board of Visitors.

Suzanne F. Shank 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 is the CEO of Apogee Executive Advisors, which she founded in 2021. Apogee Executive Advisors is a boutique advisory firm focused on providing strategic consulting and advisory services 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 30 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 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. Soto serves on a number of privately held organizations most of which are Technology and Cybersecurity focused.

John G. Sznewajs is a Partner at Shore Capital (“Shore”), a Chicago-based private equity fund. He is a Partner in the Industrials Platform at Shore where he oversees the strategy and investments in industrial services and manufacturing companies. He served from 2007 until May 2023 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 was 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. He has been a Director of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy since July 2015.

In addition to his financial expertise, Sznewajs has almost 25 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 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 retired from Southwest Airlines Co. (“Southwest”) in 2012 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.