Paul J. Evanson was named president of Florida Power & Light Co. to succeed Stephen E. Frank, who resigned in January. Frank led the company through a tough restructuring process. Evanson, 53, previously was v.p., finance, and CFO for both Florida Power & Light and FPL Group Inc. Evanson will be succeeded by Michael W. Yackira, formerly senior v.p., market and regulatory services.
Carole Keeton Rylander, former mayor of Austin, TX, became the first woman elected to the Texas Railroad Commission, which primarily regulates the state's oil and gas industry.
Cody L. Graves was elected chairman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the state's electric and gas utilities, communications, water utilities, and oil and gas production.
Janet Gail Besser was appointed by Gov. William F. Weld as a commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Besser most recently was policy director for the National Independent Energy Producers, and previously served as the primary advisor on electricity issues for the Massachusetts DPU.
Dave Penn and Jeffrey Tarbert were promoted to assistant executive directors of the American Public Power Association. Penn was formerly director of policy analysis, and Tarbert was director of management services.
J.D. Wessling was elected v.p., finance, of Cascade Natural Gas Corp. in Seattle, WA. Wessling joined Cascade in January 1994 as director of finance.