Patrick E. Smith Sr. is Senior Vice President of Operations and Technical Services for Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois). Ameren Illinois serves 1.2 million electric and more than 816,000 natural gas customers in a 43,700-square-mile area of Illinois.
In his current role, Mr. Smith is responsible for the oversight and support of all electric and natural gas field operations, including subtransmission and distribution maintenance, engineering design, safety and training, reliability planning, dispatch operations, electrical and natural gas emergency response, and construction services for Ameren Illinois.
Before that, he was vice president of Economic, Community and Business Development for Ameren Missouri. He led a team focused on driving energy solutions, including customer renewable energy and sustainability options, clean electrification, and community and economic development, to create sustainable growth for the 500 communities Ameren Missouri serves.
Smith was previously vice president, Division Operations where he was responsible for overseeing Ameren Missouri's electric distribution system and Fleet Operations, in addition to leading strategy execution for Ameren Missouri's Customer Operations. His career with Ameren spans nearly four decades. He joined Union Electric, now Ameren Illinois, in 1985 as a meter reader, and soon after was promoted to journey lineworker. Since then, Smith has worked in progressively responsible leadership roles. Smith is a native of East St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and organizational psychology and an Executive MBA from Washington University. He is active in the community and passionate about youth sports. He sits on several boards and committees including the Missouri Partnership, the United Way, College Bound STL, the American Cancer Society, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.