Sessions
NCPA Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Committee
3:00 PM - 5:15 PM Wed
Steve graduated from the University of Oregon with a Master’s degree in public administration. He began his professional career at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in the energy conservation division in 1981. He held a number of positions within BPA, the last 12 years as Administrator/CEO. BPA provides roughly one-third the electricity and 70% of the high voltage transmission in the Pacific Northwest. At BPA he was in charge during the west coast energy crisis and the resulting financial recovery, completed a 10-year agreement for salmon restoration in the Columbia River basin, oversaw substantial increases in energy efficiency investments, established new transmission expansion and integration strategies to support wind power development, and new 20-year power sales contract for all of BPA’s power supply. He retired from BPA in 2013.
As General Manager at Chelan Public Utility District from 2013-2021, Steve led the development of two community based Strategic Plans with the most recent plan finalized in October 2019. During his tenure 86%-95% of customers indicated they were very satisfied or satisfied with their Chelan PUD service. He retired at the end of 2021.
Under Steve’s leadership Chelan PUD and PGP developed studies to identify a least cost path for achieving greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the Pacific Northwest electric sector. Also, Chelan PUD and the National Hydropower Association coauthored an agenda for public policy actions to reinvigorate the hydropower industry.
Steve was a member of the Boards of the American Public Power Association and the Alliance to Save Energy, on the Steering Committee for the Large Public Power Council (25 largest public power utilities in the country) and Past Chair of the Public Generating Pool (public power generators in Washington and Oregon). He is co-chair of the APPA Climate Change Task Force. He has been awarded the APPA Alex Radin Award for Distinguished Service (APPA’s highest honor), ASE Charles Percy award for public service (highest honor), Presidential Rank Award (for top 1% of federal government executives), APPA Alan Richardson award for Statesmanship, Washington PUD Association, Oregon PUD Association and Northwest Public Power Association Lifetime Achievement Awards among others.