Consumers Energy Announces Legal Department Promotions JACKSON, Mich., July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers Energy announced today promotions for several members of its legal department as a result of the pending retirement of senior vice president and general counsel, David A. Mikelonis. The appointments, which take effect in mid-July, are: * James E. Brunner, vice president and general counsel * Jon R. Robinson, vice president - utility law and regulation * Arunas (Arnie) T. Udrys, assistant general counsel - special projects * Catherine M. Reynolds, assistant general counsel - general practice group As Consumers Energy's chief legal officer, Brunner will be responsible for running the utility's legal department and concentrate on all legal matters not related directly to utility regulation and law. That includes legal work involving practice areas such as contracts, property, the environment, labor and employment, litigation, workers compensation, human resources and benefits, real estate, and corporate law. Brunner, of Jackson, joined Consumers Energy in 1977 after earning an engineering degree and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He most recently was the utility's assistant general counsel in charge of litigation. Robinson will be in charge of all legal issues related to public utility law and regulation before the Michigan Public Service Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the appellate courts. He has been responsible for supervising the Company's legal work in those areas. Robinson, of Jackson, holds a bachelor's degree in business and economics from Western Michigan University and joined Consumers Energy in 1977 after earning a law degree from Notre Dame. He left the utility for private practice in 1983 and returned in 1990. Udrys, who has broad experience and an extensive knowledge of the Company, will be responsible for a legal portfolio that includes spent nuclear fuel litigation at the U.S. Court of Claims, nuclear regulation, trademark, copyright and patent matters, advising the Company's chief compliance officer with respect to the employee code of conduct and other matters, and other special assignments for the new general counsel. Udrys, of Jackson, earned an undergraduate degree from Wayne State University and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1969 before joining Consumers Energy. He earned a master's degree in labor law from the Wayne State University Law School in 1976. He has specialized in labor and environmental law and supervised the utility's general practice group. He will report to Brunner. In her initial position as a legal department manager, Reynolds will have responsibilities that include the day-to-day supervision of attorneys involved in legal matters such as contracts, property, the environment, human resources, insurance, zoning, and property taxes. Reynolds, of Jackson, holds an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University. She joined Consumers Energy in 1979 and joined the utility's legal department in 1983 after earning a law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She has experience as a trial lawyer and in regulatory work and most recently has been concentrating on corporate, marketing, electronic commerce, and also serves as the vice president and general counsel of EnerBank USA, an affiliate of CMS Energy. She will report to Brunner. Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides natural gas and electricity to more than six million of the state's nearly 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at http://www.consumersenergy.com/ DATASOURCE: Consumers Energy CONTACT: Jeff Holyfield, +1-517-788-2394, or Dan Bishop, +1-517-788-2395, both of Consumers Energy Web site: http://www.consumersenergy.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html

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