At BGE, leadership means integrity, forward thinking, openness to ideas and principled decision-making. BGE has been serving Central Maryland for more than 200 years. That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by chance. It happens because of the men and women whose talents and skills guide our strategic direction and inspire others to follow their lead.
Our values are part of our daily operations and our commitment to the region. BGE defines itself through how we operate and what we believe. Our values reflect the principles we stand for and guide our actions and our interactions.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carim V. Khouzami is the president and chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), the nation's first gas utility. Khouzami oversees safety, reliability, customer service, financial performance and BGE's commitment to creating an inclusive culture. He is a member of BGE's Board of Directors and the executive committee of BGE's parent company, Exelon.
Prior to his role as president and CEO of BGE, Khouzami was senior vice president and chief operating officer of Exelon Utilities. In that role since 2018, Khouzami oversaw daily administrative and operational functions for Exelon's six regulated utilities, including BGE. As COO he was responsible for the independent oversight of all grid and customer operations, and safety programs and issues of Exelon Utilities, as well as managing large investment projects that span all the Exelon utilities. Previously, Khouzami was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Exelon Utilities, responsible for the treasury, financial planning and analysis, and accounting functions for the six Exelon utility companies.
His career in the energy sector started with Constellation and BGE, which were acquired by Exelon in 2012. Khouzami joined Constellation Energy in February 2005. He was appointed Executive Director, Investor Relations for Constellation Energy in 2009. During that time, he managed the company's relationships with shareholders and analysts. In January 2010, he assumed the additional responsibility of leading the company's corporate financial planning and analysis activities. In January 2011, he was named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of BGE overseeing the treasury, financial planning and analysis, and accounting functions for the utility.
In 2014, he was named chief integration officer for the successful $6.8 billion acquisition of Pepco Holdings, Inc. He was responsible for leading all integration activities, as well as serving as a key witness in each of the state regulatory processes.
In February 2010, Khouzami was named #1 Investor Relations Professional in the Utilities Sector by Institutional Investor Magazine. In 2014, Khouzami was recognized by Baltimore Business Journal as one of the top chief financial officers in the Baltimore area.
Prior to joining Constellation Energy, Khouzami held financial positions at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., primarily focusing on mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions within the financial institutions and insurance sectors.
Khouzami serves on the board of directors and serves on the executive committee for the Port Discovery Children’s Museum. He is also on the board of trustees for Johns Hopkins Hospital; the board of directors for Bridges Baltimore, an organization committed to the long-term success of motivated Baltimore City youth and life-changing volunteer opportunities for independent schools; and the board of directors for the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, which brings together business, government, education and non-profit leaders to market the region's economic development assets and opportunities.
Khouzami earned a bachelor's degree in economics and communications studies from Vanderbilt University, and a master's degree in business administration from Columbia University.
Vice President, Technical Services
Ajit Apte is vice president of technical services, leading asset & records management, distribution engineering, distribution planning, electric system reliability planning, investment strategy, project management, Smart Grid initiatives, and vegetation management. Apte reports to the BGE president and chief operating officer.
Apte was previously director of customer strategy and governance at BGE. In that role he developed and led an enhanced customer engagement strategy in support of BGE's customer-centric focus. This included initiatives such as the launch of BGE Marketplace and the MDM upgrade, the cross-OpCo ePay project and Prepaid Power pilot implementation, and a push to increase the number of customers who opt in for e-bills, resulting in improved customer satisfaction and significant cost savings.
For five years prior to his joining BGE, Apte was director of information technology for Exelon Utilities, where he was responsible for metering, billing and customer care platform post-launch. He also held IT leadership positions at Constellation, where he worked for a decade after joining the company in 2002.
Prior to his Exelon roles, Apte was managing principal at Mastech Corporation and IT analyst at Tata Consultancy Services.
Apte is a board member of Creative Alliance, a Baltimore non-profit organization that builds communities by bringing together artists and audiences from diverse backgrounds to experience spectacular arts and education programs and engage in the creative process. He received the Professional Achievement Award from the Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers in 2017 and he completed Howard County Leadership in 2019.
Apte has a bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from SV National Institute of Technology in Surat, India, and a Master's in Electrical Engineering in Microprocessor Systems from the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, India.
Vice President, Electric Operations
Vice President, Gas Distribution
Vice President, Regulatory Policy and Strategy
Vice President, Customer Operations
Chimaobi Chijioke is vice president of customer operations. He is responsible for directing strategy, resources, and activities within customer operations, specifically for customer care, claims, and field and meter services. He reports to the BGE chief customer officer and senior vice president of customer operations.
Chijioke has been with BGE and Exelon since 2010. Prior to his current role, Chijioke was the director for customer care at BGE. His team of more than 200 employees was responsible for all external interaction with BGE's residential and small business customers, and for resolving customer issues and complaints on every interaction. In addition, he managed the customer care team when BGE transitioned from their CIS mainframe system to their current Customer Care and Billing system (CC&B). He has held several other positions at BGE, including manager of customer relations, manager of utility performance assessment, manager of large customer services, and external affairs manager. At Exelon, he served as corporate functional area manager, a role where he was responsible for identifying and adopting best practices among Exelon's utilities as well as creating synergies and strategic programs to advance the customer operations division.
Prior to joining Exelon, Chijioke was associate director for customer care at Verizon Wireless. He previously held other leadership positions in quality assurance and the hospitality industry.
Chijioke serves as treasurer on the board of Camp Attaway, a nonprofit organization that provides summer camp for children with autism. He also serves as a board member for Leadership Howard County and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.
Chijioke earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He is also a graduate of executive programs at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and Columbia Business School.
Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President
Derrick Dickens became BGE's chief operating officer and senior vice president in 2021 and oversees the day-to-day operations of the company, including safety, reliability, and information technology.
Prior to his current role, Dickens was senior vice president of customer operations and chief customer officer of Exelon-owned Pepco Holdings, (PHI), where he had oversight of customer service functions at Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco.
Dickens previously served as BGE's vice president of technical services from April 2016 to December of 2019 where he oversaw investment strategy, vegetation management, project management, and electric distribution engineering. He was also BGE's executive sponsor for innovation projects, which included pioneering unmanned aerial vehicle inspection capabilities and new electric system reliability technologies. He first joined the Exelon family of companies in 2004 at PECO in Philadelphia, serving as program manager of Distribution Reliability and Maintenance.
Dickens is a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington and previously served on the boards of the B&O Railroad Museum and Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore.
Vice President, Transmission and Substations
Carol A. Dodson is vice president of transmission and substations. In this role, she leads many critical areas of the company, including design and engineering of substations and transmission circuits, NERC and regulatory compliance and transmission and substations field operations, maintenance and construction.
Dodson joined BGE in 1988 and has held several executive positions in BGE, as well as Exelon Utilities in electric distribution, business transformation, technical services, utility oversight, customer services and support services. Other key leadership roles included electric distribution system operations, strategic customer engineering, mobile installation project, and substation support services. Prior to her current role, Dodson previously served as vice president of support services where she led training, security, environmental management, performance assessment, fleet services, and real estate and facilities. She also was the company’s chief safety officer with oversight for the company’s safety and wellness initiatives. Dodson is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange Executive Committee of the Engineering and Operations Division. She is the executive sponsor of the Network of Exelon Women-Baltimore, executive sponsor for BGE’s Women in the Field group, and business champion for Exelon’s HeForShe Initiatives.
Dodson currently serves on the board of directors the Board of Visitors for the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. She was appointed by Governor Hogan and serves on the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) Advisory Board. She also serves on the board for Business Volunteers Maryland and “The League” for People with Disabilities. She a member of the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) Women’s Advisory Board and Executive Alliance. She is a graduate of Leadership Baltimore County class of 2009.
Dodson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland with honors and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Baltimore. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.
Vice President, Governmental and External Affairs
Sandy I-ru Grace is vice president of government and external affairs for BGE. She is responsible for shaping, leading, and directing the company’s positions on legislation affecting BGE’s customers. Her organization, which includes state affairs, external affairs, and marketing, primarily supports and builds strategic relationships with legislators, local officials, and communities. Grace reports to the BGE senior vice president of governmental and external affairs.
Grace has served in her current role at BGE since January 2020. She has been with Exelon since 2010. She was most recently vice president of policy development for Exelon Utilities, where she was responsible for the development and alignment of policy positions across the Exelon Utility operating companies. She previously served in roles that focused on transmission and microgrid policy and investment opportunities. She joined Exelon as assistant general counsel, advising the company on complex regulatory, policy, and transactional matters. Prior to joining Exelon, Grace spent nearly a decade in private law practice. She represented and provided advice to some of the nation's largest electric utilities on matters ranging from regional transmission organizations (RTOs), mergers and acquisitions, to the California wholesale electric market crisis of 2000/2001. Grace has also served as a law clerk for several administrative law judges at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. She is a member of the Maryland Bar, District of Columbia Bar, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit, and the Energy Bar Association.
Grace serves on the board of directors of Baltimore Corps, an organization that enlists talent to accelerate social innovation in Baltimore City and advance a citywide agenda for equity and racial justice. Grace serves on the board of directors of Baltimore Corps, an organization that enlists talent to accelerate social innovation in Baltimore City and advance a citywide agenda for equity and racial justice, and the C&O Canal Trust.
Grace received a Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Vice President, Human Resources
Jen Herwig is vice president of human resources for BGE and is responsible for the company's human resources and occupational health services activities. She has served in this role since June 2020. She reports to the CEO of BGE, as well as the chief human resources officer for Exelon Corporation.
Prior to her role at BGE, Herwig was vice president of human resources for Constellation. Since 2016, Herwig directed all human resources efforts supporting Constellation's commercial retail and wholesale business. In this role, she was responsible for driving the Talent Management strategy, evolving culture programs and employee engagement, supporting leadership development, and furthering business objectives. With 25 years of progressive human resources experience across various industries, Herwig has held leadership roles at Under Armour, Wells Fargo and T. Rowe Price. Herwig served as vice president of human resources at Under Armour, as the business partner lead for the Product Organization, a global operation with 1,200 employees across multiple locations. Additionally, she led the organizational design and rollout of the Global Merchandising and Category Management organizations. Previously, Herwig was the executive director for human resources for Constellation’s corporate businesses, including Finance, Risk, Supply Chain, Human Resources, IT, Legal and Regulatory. She also served as one of the human resources co-leads for designing the new company BSC structure during the Exelon/Constellation merger.
Herwig is vice chair of the board of directors of Special Olympics Maryland, aiding the organization in championing their mission of providing personal development through year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. She previously served on the advisory board of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business’s Executive Programs and as the long-range planning chair for the Bet Yeladim Preschool.
Herwig is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Vice President, Communications
Aaron Koos is vice president of communications. He oversees initiatives to improve stakeholder interactions, engage employees, increase organizational transparency, shape public dialogue and build organizational reputation. He is part of the Exelon Communications leadership team coordinating communications functions at Exelon’s six energy delivery companies.
Aaron joined the company in 2006 as part of the Constellation Energy corporate communications team. There he was responsible for managing several communications platforms, including digital and social media outlets, and environmental and sustainability communications. He also managed communications for the company’s retail energy, renewables and energy efficiency businesses. This included serving as spokesperson for retail subsidiaries and business lines, overseeing media outreach initiatives, and developing content and collateral materials. He joined Baltimore Gas and Electric in 2011 and since 2016, has led the Communications team, as well as coordinated communications campaigns for Exelon-wide initiatives. Prior to joining the company, he was a vice president of Wills & Associates, a public relations agency in Baltimore serving a range of regional and national clients.
Aaron is serving as president of the Board of the Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture, leads a Cub Scout pack and is a committee member for a local Boy Scout troop. He is a member and former officer of the Baltimore Public Relations Council and a member of the Public Relations Society of America, Maryland Chapter.
Koos holds a Master of Professional Studies, Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University and Bachelor of Arts, History from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Vice President, Information Technology Applications
Michael Menendez serves as vice president of IT for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE). In this role, he is responsible for leading BGE’s IT operations and transformational programs. Menendez previously served as IT director for Exelon Utilities, responsible for defining the IT strategic direction for the company’s fleet of utilities.
An information technology leader with nearly two decades of progressive experience, Menendez’s expertise includes delivering complex multi-million dollar programs and projects, designing and managing large support organizations, defining strategy, and leading Fortune 500 “M&A” activities.
Menendez currently serves on the Board of Directors for Philadelphia Futures and also regularly volunteers for local food charities and youth sports organizations.
Menendez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Science & Technology from Drexel University in Philadelphia, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and also is a graduate of Leadership Philadelphia. He is formally trained and certified in Project Management, ITIL, and Six Sigma disciplines.
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Regulatory Affairs
Alexander G. Núñez is senior vice president of strategy and regulatory affairs for BGE. Núñez focuses on the company's regulatory agenda with the Public Service Commission and other regulators, and he oversees BGE's expansion of customer offerings including new products and services. The BGE vice president of regulatory policy and strategy reports to Núñez.
Núñez previously served senior vice president of regulatory and external affairs, overseeing strategy and regulatory affairs, governmental and external relations, communications and marketing, economic development, community relationships, and relationships with the company's large customers. Prior to that role he was the company's vice president of governmental and external affairs, where he was responsible for managing the company's relationships with Maryland's state and local elected and appointed officials, as well as with the various state and local government agencies. In his earlier roles at BGE he served as director of state affairs and as senior public affairs representative and Annapolis counsel. Before joining the company in 2001, he worked for the Maryland General Assembly for several years, where he served as Committee Counsel to the Senate Finance Committee of Maryland.
Núñez contributes actively to several community and business organizations. Núñez serves as vice-president of the Walters Art Museum Board of Trustees and as chair of its Engagement Committee. He is the immediate past Chair for the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. He is a member of the board of trustees for the Chesapeake Bay Trust. He also serves as Chair of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Baltimore chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). Núñez serves as an appointee on the Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs and previously served on the Governor's Workforce Development Board. He is a member of the Edison Electric Institutes' Customer Solutions Executive Advisory Committee.
Núñez is a graduate of The LEADERship Class of 2018. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Maryland Class of 2005 and served on its board of directors for several years. He served previously on the boards of directors for the Maryland Government Relations Association, the Utilities State Government Organization, and MD-DC Audubon. Núñez represented the company in the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, including on its Legislative Committee, Environment Committee, and Civil Liability Committee. He was a founding member of the Greater Baltimore Committee's Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is past-president of the Legislative Committee of the Maryland-D.C. Utilities Association.
Núñez received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctorate with honors from Valparaiso University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the state and federal courts of Maryland and in the United States Supreme Court.
Vice President, Support Services
Liz O'Connor is vice president of Support Services and Chief Safety Officer. In this role, she leads many critical areas of the company, including training, security, environmental management, performance assessment, fleet services, and real estate and facilities. She is also the company's Chief Safety Officer, with oversight for the company's safety and wellness initiatives.
Liz, who joined the company in 2004, has held leadership positions in Information Technology and BGE Customer Operations (contact center and customer strategy and governance) organizations.
Liz volunteers her time coaching youth sports for Hero's club lacrosse and Sting basketball, working with the Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation (a non-profit organization committed to finding a cure for childhood brain cancer), and continues to assist Ridge to Reefs with its ongoing restoration efforts in Puerto Rico.
Liz holds a business computer information systems degree from Hofstra University.
Senior Vice President, Governmental and External Affairs
Chief Customer Officer, Senior Vice President Customer Operations
Tamla Olivier is the chief customer officer and senior vice president of customer operations. She is responsible for overseeing the strategies, processes, and systems that support internal and external customer interfaces, including BGE's customer contact center, revenue management, compliance and claims, field and meter services, and energy assistance. She joined BGE in January 2020. The BGE vice president of customer operations reports to Olivier.
Olivier was previously a key member of the Constellation and BGE Home leadership teams for nearly 10 years. As president & CEO, BGE HOME, and senior vice president, Constellation, Olivier was a nationally recognized leader responsible for guiding and growing one of the largest home energy service operations in the nation. Providing consumers in multiple markets with energy related solutions ranging from HVAC to home improvements, her organization was key to Constellation's strategic plan to differentiate its deregulated gas and electricity offerings — deepening customer relationships and driving earnings for the business. She joined Constellation in 2010 as executive director of human resources and was promoted to vice president in 2013 overseeing all human resources efforts for Constellation's commercial retail and wholesale businesses, as well as enterprise risk management for Exelon.
Prior to joining Constellation, Olivier was a vice president at T. Rowe Price where she worked for 11 years supporting the retail, information technology, and global investment operations organizations. There, she introduced a supervisor program that successfully prepared high potential diverse talent for broader people management roles across the organization.
She has also held leadership roles with United Defense, where she led the implementation of the People Capability Maturity Model, facilitating an organizational shift from a manufacturing environment to a system integration and software development powerhouse; and Wells Fargo, where she was the strategic human resources partner to the default servicing and affordable housing divisions, leading a team responsible for developing leadership competencies that drove new behaviors in leaders to act as change agents as the organization embraced and transitioned to a customer-centric strategy.
Olivier is an executive committee member for Ronald McDonald House of Maryland and the vice-chair for Catholic Charities of Maryland, where she also leads the human resources committee. She is co-chair of the women's leadership council for My Sister's Place Women's Center and she serves on the Archdiocese of Baltimore School Board. She is a member of the Center Club board of governors and a member of the Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center Board of Directors.
Olivier is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
General Counsel
David is general counsel for BGE and is responsible for providing legal counsel across all aspects of the company's operation including representing the company in its external legal matters, rate cases, and other administrative and legal proceedings. David also manages the company's Legal department. David joined BGE in 2019 as associated general counsel.
David joined BGE's parent company, Exelon in 2017, and was an assistant general counsel for litigation in Exelon BSC, where he represented the company in a number of important matters, including the litigation over the Maryland Department of the Environment's relicensing of Conowingo Dam. Before joining Exelon, David engaged in civil practice as a member of national corporate law firms where he served as a partner, concentrating in complex commercial litigation and employment law. David also served in the public sector for several years in a number of key capacities, including the chief of litigation for Baltimore City, deputy city solicitor, and finally as the city solicitor of Baltimore City. While he was the city attorney, David was responsible for negotiating the Consent Decree with the United States Department of Justice to reform and restructure the Baltimore Police Department. David has over 25 years of experience in the legal profession.
David serves as an active member of the boards of directors for Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake and the Living Legends Awards for Service to Humanity Foundation. He also serves as a mentor with Kappa League, a leadership development program focused on the educational, occupational, and social guidance of urban male students in grades 6 through 12. David serves as one of the seven members of the Maryland Board of Law Examiners -- the board appointed by the Maryland Court of Appeals to oversee the administration of the Bar Examination and the admission of all attorneys in Maryland. He also serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the Maryland Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
David earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology from Fordham University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is also a graduate of executive programs at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and Columbia Business School
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
