As part of its on-going refreshment process of its Board of Directors, CenterPoint Energy announced that its shareholders elected two new members to its Board. Manuel ("Manny") Miranda, a 40-year veteran of NextEra and Florida Power & Light and Laurie Fitch, senior advisor at PJT Partners, a global, advisory-focused investment bank, join CenterPoint's Board effective April 16, 2025. A 40-year veteran of the utility industry, Manny played an integral role in driving growth and resiliency at Florida Power & Light.
He led many of the efforts behind changing the company's and industry's approach to hurricane resiliency. He and his teams developed solutions that significantly improved the organization's ability to withstand the impact of hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, including embarking on a 20-year journey to harden the overall Florida grid. During his career, he led planning, preparation and restoration efforts for 47 tropical storms and hurricanes from Hurricane Andrew (1992) to Hurricane Ian (2022).
Manny's expertise and contributions in the field have been recognized industrywide. Manny holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Miami and a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University (NSU). He previously served on the Board of Governors for NSU's H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Additionally, he has previously served as president of both the Southeastern Electric Exchange and the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies boards. Laurie Fitch is a career investor-turned-advisor with a focus on the global power sector. She is a senior advisor at PJT Partners, having previously served as a partner.
Prior to joining PJT Partners, Ms. Fitch worked for Morgan Stanley, most recently as co-head of the Global Industrials Group in Europe. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Ms. Fitch spent most of her career as an analyst and portfolio manager at Artisan Partners and TIAA-CREF, where she was one of the largest investors in the global industrials, utility and infrastructure sectors. Laurie is a Non-Executive Director of Man Group plc and EDPR.
She previously served as Non-Executive Director of EDP. Laurie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies and a Master of Arts from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. She is also a trustee of The American University in Cairo.
