The LCRA Board of Directors met Thursday, March 12, and appointed Jim Travis as acting general manager and chief financial officer, effective today, following the departure of General Manager Phil Wilson.
Wilson, who has led LCRA since February 2014, is stepping down from his role to pursue a new opportunity. His 12-year tenure ranks among the longest in LCRA’s 91-year history and is one of its most transformative periods.
Travis, who joined LCRA in 1992, brings more than three decades of institutional knowledge to the role.
As LCRA’s chief financial officer, he has overseen accounting, capital and financial planning, treasury and supply chain operations, and the financial oversight of energy trading and hedging.
His deep familiarity with LCRA’s operations, finances and mission makes him well positioned to lead the organization through this transition.Since joining LCRA, Jim has served as controller, manager of planning and treasurer, in addition to leading risk management activities.
Prior to joining LCRA, Jim held various positions in finance, audit and accounting with Tenneco Inc., an international energy and manufacturing company.
Search Process
The LCRA Board will conduct a comprehensive internal and external search to identify and select the right leader, one prepared to build on what Wilson leaves behind.LCRA starts this new phase from a position of strength.
Experienced, steady leaders are delivering at every level, and the work of serving Texans will continue without interruption during the transition. All commitments to customers and the community remain firmly in place.
Wilson's Legacy
Wilson, LCRA’s 11th general manager, guided LCRA through significant accomplishments across every dimension of the organization. Under his leadership:LCRA strengthened its financial standing and identified hundreds of millions of dollars in rate relief over a five-year period for LCRA’s wholesale power customers through a combination of reducing costs and improving the way LCRA competes in the wholesale power market. Water supplies across the region grew significantly, including the operational launch of Arbuckle Reservoir, a major addition to the region’s long-term water supply portfolio.
The Timmerman Power Plant, a new natural gas peaker facility in Caldwell County, brought its first unit online in August 2025, with a second unit expected to become operational in 2026.
LCRA’s transmission business, which now serves more than 70 counties in Texas, has completed numerous major infrastructure projects to help meet the demands of one of the country’s fastestgrowing regions.
Working with the Texas Legislature, LCRA secured the authority to expand its mission, building out a broadband and telecommunications network that will support critical emergency communications for years to come.
LCRA provided more than $17 million to the communities it serves through robust community grant programs.
“Phil Wilson has been a defining force for LCRA and for Texas,” said LCRA Board of Directors Chair Stephen F. Cooper. “His tenure speaks for itself.
Equally important is the exceptional team here.
We have outstanding leaders across this organization, and the Board has complete confidence in our path forward.”
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves communities across Texas by managing the lower Colorado River, generating and transmitting wholesale electric power, providing clean water supplies, operating telecommunications infrastructure, and owning parks for outdoor recreation.
LCRA delivers power, water and infrastructure that support the region’s growth and quality of life. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, LCRA receives no state appropriations.
