Our Team

• William Keith Maxwell III

  Chief Executive Officer

  

  Keith founded Spark Energy in 1999, and grew the company from a small regional retail gas company to a large nationally recognized electricity and gas retail operation. Prior to Spark Energy, Keith was a founding partner in Wickford Energy in 1994, a large oil and gas producer services company. Wickford was sold to Black Hills Utilities in 1997. Prior to Wickford Energy, Keith was a partner in Polaris Pipeline formed in 1988, a medium size natural gas producer services and midstream company sold to TECO Pipeline in 1994. Keith has a long history of organic value creation in the energy industry. A native of Houston, Texas, Keith earned a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987.

  Keith has an uncommon ability to identify opportunities and build businesses from the ground up to capitalize on those opportunities. That unique ability was formally recognized in 2010 when Keith was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Energy, Chemicals and Mining category.

  Keith and his family are very active in giving time and money to Special Olympics, Child Advocates, Salvation Army, Star of Hope and Helping a Hero.

• Phillip W. Tonge

  President

  

  Phil Tonge has 30 years of extensive experience in growing businesses with national footprints, especially in services industries. He was brought on board to help guide the rapid growth of Spark Energy and to shape the company as it moves into its next phase. As President, Phil oversees day-to-day operations, guides and manages growth and helps shape the overall strategy of the company. He is also deeply involved in the sales and marketing strategy of Spark Energy and its affiliates. Phil reports directly to Keith Maxwell III, Spark Energy’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

  Prior to coming to Spark Energy as a consultant, Phil held executive level positions at AT&T, where he served as President, Residential Local Services, Director of Small Business Markets and Director for consumer long distance markets; DuPont and, most recently, at Direct Energy, where he was President of Residential and Small Commercial Business across North America. His experience working with the legislature and regulators, advising on and shaping policies has been widely recognized, leading to his regular booking as a speaker on energy industry topics like green energy options and sustainability at events like the KEMA Executive Forum.

  Phil graduated from the University of Delaware with a BA in Political Science. He is a member of the national Board of Governors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, on the board of advisors for the Texas Institute for Sustainability in Dallas, on the board of directors for Verecloud, Inc. in Englewood, Colorado. Most recently, Phil was elected to the board of directors for Prepared4Life, a non-profit and key community partner for Spark Energy best known for Lemonade Day, a community outreach initiative that promotes youth entrepreneurship. He has previously served as a board member of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and been a past member of the Houston Technology Center Advisory Board and the Dallas Citizens Council.

• Nathan Kroeker

  Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer

  

  Mr. Kroeker has over 13 years of diverse experience in public accounting, consulting, and the energy industry and now serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Spark Energy Ventures.

  As CFO, Mr. Kroeker oversees all finance, accounting, budgeting, treasury and risk management functions for the company. He also evaluates investment opportunities and analyzes operation and industry trends with a focus on Spark Energy's long-term growth potential.

  Before joining Spark Energy in July 2010, Mr. Kroeker was the Finance SVP for Macquarie Bank's global wholesale energy business. Prior to that, he held several senior Finance & Portfolio Management roles at Direct Energy. Mr. Kroeker began his career in public accounting including both audit and M&A advisory.

  Mr. Kroeker graduated with honors with a Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba. He has both a CPA in Texas as well as a CA in Canada.

• Waters Davis

  Chief Strategy Officer

  

  Waters has more than 20 years of senior management experience in the energy industry and now serves as Chief Strategic Officer. He is responsible for advising on business strategy and identifying and evaluating opportunities to expand Spark Energy’s offerings. He previously served as Executive Vice President, overseeing strategic planning, operations and administrative functions.

  Prior to joining Spark Energy in December of 2009, Waters was an executive at a number of early stage privately held businesses. He was also President of Reliant Energy Retail Services for 4 years, Senior Vice President-Shared Services with Houston Industries for 3 years, and a senior management consultant with McKinsey & Company serving the energy industry for 8 years.

  Waters graduated with honors with a BS degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin. He also earned his MBA and graduated with distinction from Harvard Business School.

• Christopher Barron

  Senior Vice President – Chief Information Officer

  

  As Chief Information Officer, Christopher oversees infrastructure, business intelligence, customer web, enterprise applications, IT project management, operational IT support, business operations and billing and transactions. With more than 20 years of experience that spans six continents and a strong energy industry background, Christopher’s focus on flexible, scalable solutions and operational efficiencies are a natural fit Spark Energy’s vision for growth and profitability.

  Before he came to Spark Energy, Christopher was a senior partner within an international consulting firm providing CIO advisory services to companies in the energy, manufacturing and consumer packaged goods industries. Prior to that, he served as CPS Energy’s first Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, where he transformed IT from a reactive service organization into a proactive value-driving partner. Christopher identified and implemented numerous efficiencies as Director of IT at IdaCorp and served as Group Director of Global SAP Applications and Operations at Weyerhaeuser Corporation, where he focused on streamlining, automation, and system optimization.

  An industry-recognized talent, Christopher is a two-time CIO 100 winner, a Computerworld Premier 100 winner, a Stanford Certified Project Manager and a six sigma black belt. Outside of work, Christopher has served as a board member for Communities in Schools San Antonio, an organization dedicated to dropout prevention, and guest lectures at various universities and events on career development within the field of technology.

  Christopher holds a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Idaho, an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a Masters in Management & Systems from NYU.

• Charlie Palmer

  Senior Vice President – Energy Structuring and Supply

  

  As Senior Vice President of Energy Structuring and Supply, Charlie’s responsibilities include overall portfolio management, risk management, trading, valuation, execution of structured transactions, model development, pricing analytics, load forecasting and portfolio optimization for Spark Energy’s retail electricity and gas businesses.

  Charlie brings over 30 years of energy industry knowledge and experience to the position from increasingly senior leadership roles at a host of notable companies. Prior to joining Spark Energy, Charlie was a Director at Sirius Solutions where he consulted with numerous major retail energy providers and developed a hosted load forecasting service. Before that, he served as VP of Retail Energy Supply for Reliant Energy, EVP of Koch Industries’ Corpus Christi Refining and Chemicals Business, and senior management consultant with McKinsey & Company. Charlie started his career with Exxon.

  Charlie holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and an MBA from the University of Houston.

• Mandy Bush

  Vice President - Controller

  

  Mandy Bush plays a vital role in all aspects of accounting at Spark Energy, as well as financial planning and analytics. Mandy started out at Spark Energy as Assistant Controller of Financial Reporting, playing a vital role in annual audits. Her responsibilities eventually grew to include oversight of accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash application, hedge accounting and numerous special accounting projects. As the company prepares to grow and expand its offerings in new markets, Mandy will provide a vital role in all aspects of our accounting responsibilities.

  Prior to joining Spark Energy, Mandy served as Acting Audit Manager at nationally acclaimed PricewaterhouseCoopers, gaining experience with large-scale audits and reporting, regulatory compliance, team leadership and more. There, she planned and coordinated major audits, trained other auditors, played a part in SEC filings, managed processes related to Sarbanes Oxley compliance and more.

  Mandy earned her Master in Accountancy from the University of Houston in Clear Lake, Texas and holds a Texas CPA. She's also a regular competitor in the MS150 bike race benefiting multiple sclerosis and the Houston Half Marathon.

• Jim Head

  Vice President - Marketing and Sales

  

  With more than 14 years of experience growing both well established businesses and start-ups alike, Jim joined Spark Energy in June 2010 as Director of Mass Marketing and Sales. His ability to dramatically impact sales and maximize existing marketing channels was quickly recognized, and he was promoted to his current role. Jim now oversees and guides the entire marketing and sales organization, including residential, small business and commercial/industrial sales; online marketing; advertising; and retention and loyalty.

  Before joining Spark Energy, Jim held several marketing- and sales-related Director roles at Comcast Cable, where he devised numerous programs, initiatives, incentives and organizational adjustments that drove significant sales gains and increased loyalty. Jim also worked at AT&T, where his leadership drove record breaking sales, reinvigorated laggard products and helped formulate successful new pricing strategies.

  Jim’s understanding of growth strategies for both rapidly expanding business and more mature, well established categories makes him a perfect fit for Spark Energy, which operates in both well developed and emerging markets.

  Jim graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications.

• Christi Morrison

  Vice President – Assistant General Counsel

  

  Christi Morrison brings a wide range of legal experience to Spark Energy, focused around the energy industry and specifically related to drafting and negotiating all types of commercial contracts, dealing with a variety of regulatory, marketing and employment issues, as well as handling acquisitions, divestitures, corporate governance and securities-related matters. As Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Christi provides strategic, proactive, business-oriented advice to the leadership team and oversees all day to day legal aspects related to Spark Energy, Spark Gas and the affiliated retail companies.

  Prior to working at Spark Energy, Christi gained significant energy industry experience working for energy companies and in private practice alike. Some of her previous posts include positions as senior legal counsel at Global Industries and Direct Energy and working in the corporate and securities group at Thompson & Knight.

  Christi earned her BA from Texas A&M University and her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. She is also a member of the Texas Bar Association, the Houston Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

  A Houston native, Christi enjoys running marathons and volunteering for the Make a Wish Foundation in her spare time.

• Denis Vermette

  Vice President – Finance and Treasurer

  

  As Vice President, Finance and Treasurer, Denis's responsibilities include cash management, forecasting and reporting, managing relationships with financial institutions, compliance, credit management and call center operations. Denis previously served as Managing Director Credit Contracts and Compliance, where he maintained a substantial risk portfolio, coordinated multiple departments and shaped risk strategy and corporate policies.

  Denis brings more than a decade of finance experience to the team. Before joining Spark Energy, Denis held Director positions at Dominion Resources, Ameren Corporation, Merchant Energy Group of the Americas, and Koch Oil. His previous management of energy risk and credit portfolios at multiple national companies is truly an asset to Spark Energy as the company expands its customer base and enters new markets.

  As an industry expert, Denis is also a regular speaker on the topics of risk and credit management; some of his speaking engagements include the National Energy Petroleum Credit Association, the National Association of Credit Management, the International Energy Credit Risk Association and Energy Risk Waters.

  Denis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a Minor in Management from the University of Calgary in Canada.