CenterPoint Energy, Inc. announced that the company's Board of Directors has appointed Earl M. Cummings as its Independent Board Chair. Mr. Cummings has served as an Independent Director of CenterPoint Energy's Board of Directors since 2020. During that time, he has also served as the Chair of the Governance, Environmental and Sustainability Committee, as well as a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees.

Mr. Cummings succeeds Martin H. Nesbitt, who served as Independent Board Chair since July 2021. About Earl M. Cummings: Mr. Cummings is an entrepreneur and has started and operated several businesses in the technology and real estate industries. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Halliburton Company.

Mr. Cummings' entrepreneurial and leadership endeavors include serving as managing partner of MCM Houston Properties, LLC, a real estate fund that invests in properties in Houston. He also serves as Chief Executive Officer of The BTS Team, which began as an information technology and staffing firm providing solutions and services across several regions and evolved into a company that also invested financial resources in various industries to create value for stakeholders. Mr. Cummings previously served as its Chief Information Officer and Chairman of the Board.

He also served as Chief Executive Officer of BestAssets, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Active across communities and in nonprofit board service, Mr. Cummings serves on the Board of Texas Children's Hospital and the University of Houston Energy Advisory Board.