2021 CONTE Virtual Meeting Plenary Session Speaker

Maria L. Lacal

Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer
Palo Verde Generating Station
Arizona Public Service Company

Maria Lacal is Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer for Arizona Public Service Company (APS). Lacal is responsible for all nuclear-related activities associated with the Palo Verde Generating Station, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free energy. She is also responsible for the nuclear assurance division and employee concerns and safety culture programs. Lacal joined APS in 2007 as the director of strategic projects at Palo Verde. She was promoted to vice president of operations support in 2011, and then promoted to senior vice president of regulatory and oversight in 2015. Before joining APS, Lacal served as director of operations support for the nuclear division of Florida Power & Light Co., and held management positions at Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station in Florida. Lacal obtained a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Senior Reactor Operator License in 1996. Lacal also has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Miami and completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.