The Bluebonnet Executive Team

Matt Bentke became Bluebonnet’s fifth general manager in July 2016. He began his Bluebonnet career in 2000 and has served as Manager of Finance, Manager of System Operations, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy General Manager. He is on the board of directors for GenTex Power Corporation, which owns the Lost Pines 1 Power Plant in Bastrop, the Texas Public Power Association and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Brenham, and serves on Texas Electric Cooperative’s government relations committee. Matt is also on the Brenham Economic Development Foundation's board of directors.

Matt was born and raised in Washington County. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Business Administration/Management degree. He is passionate about service to Bluebonnet members and communities, being outdoors and living a healthy lifestyle. He loves spending time with his kids and participating in all of their athletic endeavors. He and his wife, Rachel, and their two children live in Brenham.

Matt on Bluebonnet’s commitment to its members and communities:
At Bluebonnet, service to our members and communities comes above all else. The core aspects of our business – safety, reliability, cost competitiveness and environmental stewardship – will never be compromised. But serving our members will always come first. It’s what we do every day. That’s what sets us apart from other companies.

Whether restoring power, building power lines, guiding members on bill payment or our online services, our purpose, as it has been since 1939, is to work and care for our members. The product just happens to be electricity. Bluebonnet’s employees created and insist on a culture that empowers them to be leaders in that commitment to members, communities and one another. I have the great pleasure and honor to serve with them in such a fine organization.

 

As Chief Financial Officer, Elizabeth Kana works to ensure that Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative maintains a strong, sound financial position. She leads the co-op's strategic business planning, accounting, forecasting and budgeting. Her team makes sure Bluebonnet has the finances to maintain and grow electric power, implement the technology that members expect and still have competitive electricity rates. Before coming to Bluebonnet, Elizabeth worked in public accounting for the construction and underground utility industries and then moved to the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) in 1988. There, she was corporate accounting supervisor, overseeing monthly and annual financial statements and serving as corporate liaison for the LCRA Water Services business. She has been the CFO of Bluebonnet since 2002. Elizabeth, who grew up in the small South Texas town of Bruni, holds a degree in accounting from Southwest Texas State University and has been a certified public accountant since 1982. She and her husband, Roy, live in Bastrop and have four children and five grandchildren.

Elizabeth on Bluebonnet's Foundation Values: Safety, Courage, Respect, Reliability, Community and Love.

If we treat each other with respect and compassion, I think we'll all love our jobs, and therefore do our best at work and in our communities.

Sarah Elizabeth Newman-Altamirano serves as General Counsel for Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative. She has a strong background in state and federal regulatory compliance, employment law, corporate governance, contract preparation and negotiation, intellectual property and commercial litigation. Sarah has been named three times as a Texas Rising Star, a designation by the Super Lawyer rating system for the top two percent of Texas lawyers younger than 40. Before joining Bluebonnet, Sarah worked for several private law firms and was senior vice president and general counsel of GECU, one of the largest credit unions in El Paso. Sarah, who grew up in Norman, Okla., earned a degree in criminology and Spanish from the University of Oklahoma and holds a law degree from Southern Methodist University. She is a member of Ascension Catholic Church in Bastrop and volunteers for Women LEAD, a nonprofit organization that offers leadership training for women in Nepal. She and her husband, Sergio, live in Bastrop and have 2 daughters.

Sarah on Bluebonnet's Foundation Values: Safety, Courage, Respect, Reliability, Community and Love.

I want to be a reliable member of our team, both for our members and employees; I want to have the answer they need in the time they need it. I also feel very strongly about LOVE. Because we spend most of our waking hours at work, it is important that we not only love our jobs, but also have a sense of love for those we work with and the working environment we all collaborate to create.

Grant Gutierrez serves as Chief Information Officer and Controller for Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative. He oversees information technology strategy and operations, finance, accounting and billing services. His work directly affects co-op members in the areas of cost savings, setting electricity rates, monthly billing, power supply management, and technology options that help members more easily and efficiently interact with Bluebonnet. Grant, who grew up in Bastrop, is a Certified Public Accountant. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Texas A&M University. Before joining Bluebonnet in 2005, Grant worked for Ernst & Young (EY), a global accounting and professional services firm. He and his wife, Krystel, live in Smithville and have three daughters. Grant is on the Board of Trustees of the Smithville Independent School District, is a member of the district's site-based planning committee, and is a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Grant on Bluebonnet's Foundation Values: Safety, Courage, Respect, Reliability, Community and Love.

Transparency is very important to us. As a member-owned cooperative, we respect our members' right to know how we are running their company. We invite their input so that we may continue to provide safe, reliable power and the best possible member service. We also respect our employees and empower them to make decisions and propose changes to management in order to improve every way, every day.

 

Eric Kocian keeps the electricity flowing as Chief Engineer and System Operations Officer at Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative. He leads the team of employees who are responsible for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of the Bluebonnet electric system. He makes sure the electric system is safe, reliable and efficient while developing processes to reduce repair time when power outages occur. Eric began his energy career in 1994 as an engineer for Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative in Gonzales. He joined Bluebonnet in 2003 as manager of engineering. Eric, who grew up in Wharton, holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's in business administration from Prairie View A&M University. Eric and his wife, Karissa, have two children and live in La Grange.

Eric on Bluebonnet's Foundation Values: Safety, Courage, Respect, Reliability, Community and Love.

Respect is not only about how you treat people, but also about educating yourself to know what employees are doing, thinking and feeling so you can help them be successful. Asking others to educate themselves and educating yourself about these things then enables you to maximize teamwork and produce the best product and service for the member.

 

As Chief Administrative Officer, Rachel Ellis oversees human resources, member services, facilities, safety and administration for Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative. She has more than 21 years of experience in the electric utility field. She also is Bluebonnet's liaison with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Rachel began working at Bluebonnet in 1997 as a human resources clerk and worked her way up as executive assistant, business manager and administrative services manager. She graduated from St. Edward's University in Austin with a bachelor of arts degree in organizational communication, and a minor in public safety. Rachel is active in community events and activities in Giddings, where she attended high school. She and her husband, Phillip, have two children.

Rachel on Bluebonnet's Foundation Values: Safety, Courage, Respect, Reliability, Community and Love.

Bluebonnet's core values create a family environment with a team focus that allows employees to work toward the same goals.

 

Johnny Sanders, a fourth-generation Bastrop resident, is Manager of Community and Development Services for Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative. He and his team represent Bluebonnet throughout the year by working and providing resources to area public events. Johnny and the community and economic development representatives, whom he supervises, work closely with commercial and large Bluebonnet customers to keep their power running safely and properly. They also help people who want to create or expand a business by putting people in the public and private sectors in touch so the city and county development process works efficiently. Johnny and his team run the Bluebonnet programs for youth, including scholarships and academic education and for trade and technical schools, government youth tours and electric safety presentations in schools and the community. Johnny studied business management at North Texas State University and the University of Texas at Austin. He was a Bastrop county commissioner for nearly 16 years, developing subdivision regulations and working with developers to improve guidelines. He also served on the Bastrop city council, was president of the Bastrop school board and holds a real estate broker's license. Johnny was voted Man of the Year by the Bastrop Chamber of Commerce in 2013. He has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Johnny on Bluebonnet's Foundation Values: Safety, Courage, Respect, Reliability, Community and Love.

As a member-owned utility, Bluebonnet's Community Foundation Value exemplifies the commitment we feel to serve our members and the communities in which we live and work. We see our jobs as much more than providing safe, reliable power; we strive to make our communities better in every aspect.

 

Will Holford serves Bluebonnet’s members as manager of public affairs. He oversees the co-op’s government and media relations, regulatory affairs and coordinates communications during outage events. He also supports Bluebonnet’s member services and marketing and communications teams with strategic communications guidance. Prior to joining Bluebonnet in 2007, he served on the executive staff of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts as special assistant for communications. He has more than 20 years of experience in journalism and communications in both the private and public sectors.
 
Will is a native Texan and a graduate of Texas State University in San Marcos, with a degree in print journalism and history. He and his wife live in Austin where he is active in his church and various community activities. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, wildlife photography, hiking, bird hunting, whitewater rafting and boating.
 
Will on Bluebonnet’s Foundation Values: Safety, Courage, Respect, Reliability, Community and Love.
 
The wonderful thing about Bluebonnet is that our Foundation Values emanate from our employees and represent the commitment we all feel to serve our members and communities. Our relationship with our members is personal.
 
When a member walks into one of our member service centers, our employees almost certainly know him or her. Likewise, when one of our linemen goes to a member’s property to restore power, it’s possible they grew up together or know each other through church or their kids’ school or sports. Those connections are meaningful and set us apart from other utilities.