Richard Hawley - Westar Energy Independent Director

Mr. Richard L. Hawley is an Independent Director of Westar Energy, Inc. Mr. Hawley has over fortyone years of business experience, including twelve years as a chief financial officer within the electric and gas utility industries and fourteen years as a partner with an international accounting firm. From December of 2003 until December of 2011, Mr. Hawley was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Nicor, Inc. and its regulated natural gas distribution utility subsidiary, Northern Illinois Gas Company, each located in Naperville, Illinois. From 1998 until 2002, Mr. Hawley was vice president and chief financial officer of Puget Energy, Inc. and its regulated electric and natural gas distribution utility subsidiary, Puget Sound Energy, Inc., each located in Bellevue, Washington. Prior to that, Mr. Hawley was an audit partner with Coopers Lybrand, an international accounting firm, from 1984 to 1998 and he also served in various other positions with that firm from 1973 to 1984. His audit experience included a significant emphasis on utility industry clients. From 2003 to 2013, Mr. Hawley was a director, chairman of the audit committee and member of the nominating and corporate governance committee of Fisher Communications, Inc., a media company located in Seattle, Washington. Mr. Hawleys qualifications to serve as our director include his work experience as a chief financial officer and audit partner, his years of experience within the electric and gas utility industries and his experience as a director of a public company since 2011.