Waco Bankston

Charles (Waco) Bankston serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for NiSource. He oversees the strategic direction and management of the company’s enterprise technology platforms. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s overall technology roadmap, including digital transformation solutions.   Waco has more than 20 years of executive and senior leadership experience in the electric utility, technology and telecommunications industries, most recently serving as STP Nuclear Operating Company’s General Manager, Corporate Services. In this role, he was responsible for establishing and executing Information Technology strategy and leading the country’s first US-based nuclear power plant’s cyber security program. While at STP he also served in the role of Director, IT and was responsible for planning and executing the firm’s technology roadmap and integration strategies. Prior to STP, Waco was a senior leader at CenturyLink, Inc. (now Lumen Technologies) overseeing technology integration programs associated with the company’s acquisition growth strategy.  He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Louisiana and his Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. He also attended Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received advanced management education in business transformation and nuclear engineering for utility executives.  Waco currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the United Way and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for abused and neglected children in underserved communities.