Utilities Board selects Travas Deal to serve as CEO

On Feb. 22 2023, The Colorado Springs Utilities Board voted to extend an offer of employment to Travas Deal as the fourth Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Colorado Springs Utilities.  

“The fact that the two finalists were both existing leaders at Springs Utilities speaks to the solid vision and progress we have made as an organization. Both are exceptional professionals, and the decision was difficult,” said Wayne Williams, Utilities Board Chair. “Travas Deal brings to the job both successful leadership at Springs Utilities as our Chief Operating Officer and the experience and best practices gleaned from Duke Energy. That knowledge and skill set offer great value to Springs Utilities’ customers. This is a pivotal time for the utilities industry, and we are very fortunate to have a strong and forward-thinking leader in place to guide us into the future.”   

Prior to this appointment, Deal served as the utility’s acting CEO. He was named Chief Operations Officer in April 2020 in which he was responsible for the safe and reliable operations of the utility’s four services – electric, natural gas, water and wastewater. Prior to joining Springs Utilities in 2017 as Field Services Manager, he worked at Duke Energy, in the transportation industry and served as a U.S. Marine for a decade.  

“I am honored to be selected by the Colorado Springs Utilities Board as CEO of this organization. Serving on the officer team for the past three years has given me great confidence in the vision and direction we are headed, and I look forward to continuing that important work,” Deal said. “Going forward, I will continue to focus on safety, employee retention and development, and planning for the future of this fast-changing industry, and I could not imagine a more capable and collaborative team to do that with than the one in place at Springs Utilities. I thank the Board for their confidence and look forward to working together in the best interest of our community.”

Learn more about Travas Deal

Deal was appointed acting Chief Executive Officer for Colorado Springs Utilities by the Utilities Board on Dec. 1, 2022. He was named Chief Operations Officer in April 2020. He is responsible for the safe and reliable operations of the utility’s four services – electric, natural gas, water and wastewater.

He joined Colorado Springs Utilities in 2017 as Field Services Manager. In 2018, he transitioned to the Energy Services Division, serving in a district manager role then two general manager positions, leading significant process improvements for the utility.

Deal served as a U.S. Marine for a decade before a successful career in transportation – first in rail-based freight transportation and later at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana.
 
He joined Duke Energy in 2008, working at Gibson Generating Station, the largest coal generating plant in the United States at 3,250 megawatts. During his tenure at Duke, he held various management roles in operations and maintenance, including operations excellence manager.

Deal holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Oakland City University.