HOUSTON, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) today announced that Dana O'Brien has been named senior vice president and general counsel effective May 12. Susan B. Ortenstone joined CenterPoint Energy on Feb. 17 as senior vice president and chief human resources officer.

Most recently, O'Brien served as chief legal officer, chief compliance officer and was a member of the executive board of CEVA Logistics, a Dutch-based logistics company. She has previously been the General Counsel at EGL, Inc. and Quanta Services, Inc., a leading construction and service provider to the utility industry.

Prior to joining CenterPoint Energy, Ortenstone was senior vice president and chief administrative officer at Copano Energy, responsible for Human Resources, Information Technology, Administrative Services and Commercial Risk Management. She also spent 30 years at El Paso Corporation having served as executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

"We are excited to have Sue and Dana join our company. Their broad experience and professional expertise make them great additions to our new executive leadership team," said Scott M. Prochazka, president and CEO of CenterPoint Energy. "We want to ensure a seamless senior leadership transition as we pursue our vision to lead the nation in delivering energy, service and value."

The other executive committee members include:

• Scott M. Prochazka, president and chief executive officer
• Gary L. Whitlock, executive vice president and chief financial officer
• Tracy B. Bridge, named executive vice president and president of the Electric Division in February. Bridge has more than 30 years of utility experience and since joining the company as a regulatory attorney, he has had management positions in regulatory and operations. He is also responsible for Information Technology, Regulatory and Government Affairs, and Business Support Services.
• Joseph B. McGoldrick, named executive vice president and president of the Gas Division in February. McGoldrick has more than 35 years of planning, finance, regulatory and operations experience with the company. Additionally, he is responsible for the company's energy services business, Marketing and Sales, Customer Service as well as Corporate Communications and Community Relations.

Scott E. Rozzell, executive vice president and former General Counsel, and Thomas R. Standish, executive vice president and former operations lead, will be advisors to the executive committee and will remain with the company until they retire later in 2014.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution and energy services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. The company also owns a 58.3 percent limited partner interest in Enable Midstream Partners, a partnership it jointly controls with OGE Energy Corp., which owns, operates and develops natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With more than 8,500 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 135 years. For more information, visit the website at CenterPointEnergy.com.

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SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.