Karen Kirwan

Karen Kirwan is an innovative executive with over 30 years of demonstrated experience in strategic planning, profit & loss management, digital transformation, business analytics, and achieving operational excellence. Karen currently serves as the Chief Information Officer at CPS Energy, one of the nation’s largest municipally-owned utilities with revenues of over $2.5 billion and total assets in excess of $11 billion.

As Chief Information Officer, Karen is responsible for setting the strategic direction for technology adoption along with daily operations for Enterprise Information Technology. In this role, Karen provides leadership for CPS Energy’s innovation efforts including the creation of a digital workforce as well as enabling a Smart City in partnership with the City of San Antonio. She is adept at aligning organizational strategy with field operations and leading business transformations that drive profitable growth while enhancing the customer experience.

Karen brings deep knowledge and broad industry background after working for several Fortune 500 companies to help them attract and retain customers, reduce cycle times to market, deliver relevant business capabilities, and develop innovative products and services. She has designed and implemented sustainable portfolio management programs that measure enterprise-wide value creation and is known for delivering pragmatic business solutions that are easy to understand and designed to differentiate how company’s compete.

Prior to joining CPS Energy, Karen served as a senior executive at Gartner, and has held senior executive positions at brand name companies such as Pillsbury, LensCrafters, US Cellular, and Exelon Corporation. She is the founder of her own management consulting practice and has also held key executive positions across several industries focusing on digital business transformation.

Karen earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems and Accounting from Central Michigan University and attended a Master’s program in International Business at Madonna University. Karen has attended several executive leadership programs and is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership based out of Colorado Springs.

Karen and her husband Tim relocated to San Antonio from Seattle, Washington and are enjoying making San Antonio their new home.