Jim Pratt is the new general manager and chief executive officer of Salt River Project.

Pratt will begin his new role on May 5, replacing Mike Hummel, who is retiring after more than 40 years with SRP.

SRP’s board of directors chose Pratt, saying in a release he “is the right person to lead SRP at this pivotal time in our industry.”

Pratt, who will lead SRP’s more than 5,000 employees, said his new role is “steeped in history and has helped make a significant impact on our state and the communities we serve.”

He started at SRP in 1984 as an engineer and was named associate general manager of customer operations and chief customer executive in 2018.

In that role, according to an SRP release, he led teams responsible for serving the utility’s water and power customers through water services, customer services and strategy, customer programs and distribution grid services operations.

“SRP’s continuing leadership and experience to plan for a reliable future remains critically important as the Valley, our state and industry deal with many changing issues, unprecedented growth and the ongoing drought," said SRP President David Rousseau.

"Jim Pratt is the right person to lead SRP at this pivotal time in our industry.” 

The board selected Pratt from a group of internal candidates, according to the release.