Mark Ruelle - Westar Energy CEO and President and Director

Mr. Mark A. Ruelle is President, Chief Executive Officer, Director of Westar Energy, Inc. Mr. Ruelle brings thirty years of business leadership experience to the board of directors. From 2003 to 2011, Mr. Ruelle was our executive vice president and chief financial officer. In that role, he had responsibility for large construction projects, information technology and human resources in addition to accounting, finance and investor relations. Between 1997 and 2002, Mr. Ruelle served in various executive positions at Sierra Pacific Resources, Inc., the owner of the largest electric utilities in Nevada. While there, Mr. Ruelle served four years as senior vice president and chief financial officer and one year as president of its Nevada Power Company unit. From 1986 to 1997, Mr. Ruelle worked for us in various executive positions. Mr. Ruelle was also a director and member of the audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees of US BioEnergy Corporation from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Ruelle currently serves as a director, chairman of the nominating and governance committee and member of the audit committee of Houston Wire Cable Company, a distributor of electrical wire and cable products and services based in Houston, Texas. Mr. Ruelle also serves as vice chairman of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an information exchange for the electricity sector that was formed in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the Electricity Sector Coordinating Council, as a director the Edison Electric Institute, an association of shareholder owned electric companies, as a board member of GO Topeka Economic Partnership, a local civic organization, as a director for Stormont Vail Healthcare, an integrated health care system located in Topeka, Kansas, and was formerly an advisory board member for a privatelyheld sports apparel concern located in Kansas. since 2011.