Mr. Howell is responsible for all aspects of financial operations and reporting for the Issuer. Those responsibilities include economic analysis and due diligence related to potential acquisitions; review of and reporting on the financial and operational performance of acquired properties; preparing the annual budget; managing the Issuer’s financing activities; and quarterly and annual preparation of financial statements. He joined the Gas Authority in 2003 as a Manager of Finance and was promoted to Director of Finance in 2004. He has 16 years of business and financial experience and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Georgia. Prior to joining the Gas Authority, Mr. Howell spent 10 years with Deloitte & Touche LLP, where he served as a Senior Manager to a number of audit clients in the utility and energy sector. He also spent two years as a manager in the Accounting Research division of Deloitte’s National Office in Wilton, Connecticut, helping the firm conclude on complex technical accounting questions for clients throughout the U.S. and abroad. He began his career as a Financial Analyst at NCR Corporation in Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Howell has a B.B.A. in Finance and an M.B.A. in Accounting & MIS from the University of Georgia, both degrees with honors.