Tom Poteet

Tom Poteet has more than 30 years of work experience in various roles and industries. Tom began their career as an Engineer in the Distribution Section at the Empire District Electric Company in 1983. Tom then moved up to the role of Assistant Distribution Engineer, where they supervised a team of engineers and implemented strategies to improve departmental productivity. In 1986, they became a System Supervisor, overseeing maintenance, operations, and construction activities in Transmission & Distribution Operations and supervising a team of 75 employees.

In 1991, Tom joined KAMO Power as the Manager of System Planning and Design Engineer. In this role, they were responsible for supervising transmission facility planning personnel and coordinating contractual and planning relationships with regional utilities.

Tom then transitioned to the 38th Engineering Installation Group at Tinker AFB in 1995. Here, they served as a Distribution Engineer, designing and preparing installation plans for fiber optic and telephone cable systems for the U.S. Air Force. Tom later became the Systems Telecommunications Engineering Manager-Base Level, where they developed a multi-year strategic plan for all telecommunication and computer systems at the Air Force base. In their final role at Tinker AFB, Tom served as the Lead Engineer of the Communications Geospatial Integration Office, leading a government and contractor effort to design and build the Air Force Communication Mission Data Set.

In 2008, Tom joined Oklahoma Gas & Electric as the Supervisor of Distribution Engineering, managing a group of engineers and enhancing the company's engineer development program. Tom was later promoted to the Manager of Distribution Engineering, leading consolidated groups of engineers, designers, and technicians and overseeing the design of electric distribution projects.

Tom then joined Devon Energy in 2013 as the Electrical Program Manager before transitioning to the role of Manager of Power Systems. In this position, they built a new department to manage electric power requirements and issues across the enterprise, managed a team of engineers and conducted financial analysis, and negotiated with utilities and generator vendors.

Currently, Tom is working at Mesa Natural Gas Solutions as the Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Corporate Development, where they are responsible for leading corporate development efforts and implementing innovative technology solutions.

Throughout their career, Tom has demonstrated strong leadership, problem-solving, and strategic planning skills.

Tom Poteet attended Eastern Oklahoma State College from 1978 to 1980, where they obtained an Associate of Science degree in Pre-Engineering. Following this, they enrolled at Oklahoma State University from 1980 to 1982 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.