Speakers
Carla Howard is currently an Officer, Senior Vice President, and General Tax Counsel at Energy Future Holdings, parent of the deregulated electricity producer Luminant, the Oncor transmission and distribution company, and TXU Energy retail electric provider, where she oversees all tax functions. In this role, she resolved a $6 billion IRS dispute with no cash cost to the company that could otherwise have jeopardized its financial viability. She was also a key member of the EFH team that negotiated the largest "amend and extend" debt transaction in U.S. history.
Previously Howard held tax leadership roles at KMPG'S National Tax Controversy Group, EDS (acquired by HP) ARCO Oil and Gas (acquired by BP), and Thompson & Knight LLC, a leading Texas law firm. Howard holds a BA, Cum Laude, Business and Journalism from Baylor University and a JD, Order of the Coif, from Texas Tech School of Law. She is a founding member and serves on the Board of Directors of The Board Connection, an organization supporting executive women seeking public company Board of Directors appointments. Howard was recognized as one of the 2012 "Most Powerful and Influential Women in Texas" by the National Diversity Council. She is a long time Tax Executives Institute member and former member of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) working group, a European-headquartered organization that helps governments solve economic problems, including tax treaty terms.