Steven Benyard is vice president of reliability (operations) for Entergy in Louisiana. In this role, he is responsible for engineering, operation and maintenance of the electric distribution and transmission systems across the company’s service territory in Louisiana, including New Orleans.

Benyard has two decades of experience leading various areas of operations including transmission, substation and distribution, along with engineering functions that included reliability performance. He recently served director of reliability for Entergy New Orleans, helping the city recover following Hurricane Ida.

Formerly, Benyard served in various distribution leadership positions at NextEra Energy for approximately 15 years, which included: General Manager of Major Projects and Construction Services, Area Manager, Operations Leader, Production Lead, Resource Lead, and Sr. Project Manager. As the General Manager of Major Projects and Construction Services, he led the development of revolutionary award-winning technology and self-service portals that drive customer, municipal, and employee satisfaction. One of his proudest, yet humbling accomplishments took place in 2017 and 2018, where he led restoration efforts as Incident Commander in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, restoring power to thousands of families. 

Benyard has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida International University, Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University’s Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship and is a Certified Project Management Professional. He also has a Six Sigma Green Belt.

Updated November 2022