(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Travas Deal will serve Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities) as its next CEO after the utilities board voted to approve an offer of employment on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Springs Utilities said the vote took place on Wednesday at an open session, where the Board approved the new CEO’s salary and terms of employment, which remain unchanged from when Aram Benyamin retired as CEO on Dec. 1, 2022. Deal’s salary is $480,000 per year.  

Deal was a finalist for the position alongside Lisa Barbato, the Chief Systems Planning & Projects Officer of 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. Learn more about Deal.

“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,” said Deal. “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.”

Deal will be sworn in at a ceremony on Friday, Feb. 24 at the Plaza of the Rockies.