LUMA Energy, operator of the electric transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico, announced Wednesday the appointment of engineer Janisse Quiñones as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the consortium.

According to LUMA, her appointment will be effective March 30, 2026.

“Returning to Puerto Rico to serve at this critical time is both a professional honor and a deeply personal commitment. Strengthening and modernizing the island’s electrical system is essential to economic growth, public safety and quality of life. Together with LUMA’s dedicated team, we will continue to build a more reliable, resilient and transparent energy system for all Puerto Ricans," Quiñones said in a written statement.

The consortium noted that its current CEO, Juan Saca, who has held the position since 2023, will now serve as an advisor to Quiñones and the LUMA Board of Directors to ensure an orderly transition.

“It has been a privilege to lead LUMA as president and CEO for almost three years, along with an extraordinary team of nearly 4,000 professionals in the electricity sector, committed to Puerto Rico and working tirelessly to stabilize and improve the transmission and distribution system, and thus provide better service to the people of Puerto Rico,” said Saca.

“Although there is still work to be done and we face significant challenges, we have established a solid foundation and made significant progress in transforming the electric system. I am convinced that LUMA’s future is bright under the leadership of an outstanding executive like Janisse,” he added.

Saca became chairman of the company, in June 2023, following the departure of Wayne Stensby, the consortium’s first CEO.

At that time, Stensby reported that he would return to his position as chief operating officer of ATCO, the Canadian company that controls half of LUMA, as part of a consortium with Quanta Services.

Stensby led LUMA’s operations since the contract to privatize the management of the transmission and distribution network was announced in June 2020. LUMA became operational in June of the following year, after a bumpy transition with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).

In August 2022, then-governor Pedro Pierluisi asked LUMA to make changes to its leadership following a spate of massive power outages. Stensby, however, remained in place.

Born in Caguas and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Quiñones is a mechanical engineer and an expert in emergency management.

Most recently, she served as the chief executive officer and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). She was in the midst of the fire emergency in that California city, which resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people, in 2025.

In that position, she led a department of 11,000 employees. Previously, she was senior vice president of Gas Engineering, and senior vice president of Electrical Operations at Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). She has been a reservist for two decades and has been active in the U.S. Coast Guard.

During the Hurricane Maria catastrophe in Puerto Rico in 2017, Quiñones was vice president of operations for Cobra Energy.

Quiñones completed her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

She also holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Advanced Studies in International Relations.

---

This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.