Effective 11 a.m. June 8, the remaining members of JEA’s senior leadership team under fired CEO Aaron Zahn are on paid administrative leave.
Gerri Boyce McKenzie, special assistant to interim CEO Paul McElroy, said McElroy lost trust in the executives, based on their association with the utility’s invitation to negotiate with private companies interested in buying JEA and also an employee bonus plan, both of which were proposed by former CEO Aaron Zahn, who was fired in January by the board of directors.
McKenzie provided a statement from McElroy via email:
“Individually or collectively, real or perceived, you have been complicit or implicitly involved with or simply a direct beneficiary of the ITN or Performance Unit Plan.
“Over the last number of weeks I have reviewed testimony and spoke with many people about the ITN and the Performance Unit Plan, nothing I’ve read or heard clarifies your role, real or perceived, in a positive light.
“I have concluded you as individuals and as a group have lost the confidence of management, employees, City Council, the media and the community.”
He advised them that under the 30-day notice terms of their employment agreements, they will be terminated – with cause or without cause – based upon further review.
Executives placed on leave
• Caren Anders, vice president and general manager of energy systems
• Deryle Calhoun, vice president and general manager of water and wastewater systems
• Shawn Eads, chief information officer
• Jon Kendrick, vice president and chief human resource officer
• John McCarthy, vice president and chief supply chain officer
• Steve McInall, vice president and chief energy and water and wastewater planning officer
• Paul Steinbrecher, vice president and chief environmental officer
• Kerri Stewart, vice president and chief customer officer
Interim appointments
JEA appointed personnel to interim positions. They are:
• Stephen Datz, interim chief information officer
• Bruce Dugan, interim chief communication officer
• Ricky Erixton, interim general manager, electric systems
• Angie Hiers, interim chief human resource officer
• Alan McElroy, interim chief supply chain officer
• Hai Vu, interim general manager, water and wastewater systems
• Wayne Young, chief environmental officer
• Joe Orfano, interim chief financial officer for the past six months, will lead JEA’s treasury team effective June 22 when Brian Roche will take over as JEA’s interim chief financial officer.
The executives placed on leave have been in their positions since before former Zahn was fired with cause by the utility’s board of directors.
McElroy, who was JEA CFO and CEO for 16 years, resigned in April 2018, before Zahn was hired.
McElroy was appointed interim CEO in May after the board terminated interim CEO Melissa Dykes, who was appointed to replace Zahn.
Zahn’s plan to sell the utility to a private company, which was adopted and later squashed by the board of directors, is currently the subject of investigations by City Council and the federal government.