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In Their Own Words: Thad Hill '86
Editor's Note: Athens Academy alumnus Thad Hill '86 was recently featured in the new "In Their Own Words" section in the spring issue of Accent. Due to space limitations, we were unable to print Mr. Hill's article in its entirety, so we are pleased to make it available here. Special thanks to Mr. Hill for participating in this wonderful spotlight feature!
I am the president and chief executive officer of Calpine Corporation. We are the largest gas fired power generation company in the United States (and maybe the world). We have 87 power plants in 18 states and Canada—we make enough electricity each year for 25 million homes. I made my transition to CEO last spring after serving as the chief operating officer. We are a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
After graduating from Athens Academy, I attended Vanderbilt, then worked for a few years in Chicago, and then returned to school for my MBA at Dartmouth (Tuck). After business school I worked for a firm called The Boston Consulting Group—but after 10 years went to work for a client of the firm and ultimately landed at Calpine.
Although I have been in Texas for 20 years, Athens is still my hometown and I try and get back to visit three or four times every year. Some good friends and my parents are still there. A big part of being from Athens is my experience at Athens Academy. There are many memories, from a lecture by Mrs. Vipperman about applying myself, to working through math problems with Mr. Anderson, or writing about the Odyssey with Mr. Meyers, or winning the first ever sub-region championship in football… Two key themes run through it all: relationships matter and doing something well is never easy – but setting your quality bar high and not settling will bring good things.
At work, I spend my time managing the day-to-day business, working with regulators and elected officials at the state and Federal levels, and spending time with our investors. It is a complicated business that mixes heavy capital (power plants are not cheap!), with economics and public policy—definitely a challenging environment. But my favorite thing is visiting our plants and our customers.
At home in Houston, Margaret and I have three children (two girls and a boy) and they are in fifth grade, third grade, and kindergarten. We like to spend time at our ranch and travel as a family.
Athens Academy
Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. For over 50 years, Athens Academy has pursued its mission of Excellence with Honor through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership.
