Michelle Williams will transition early from deputy regional director with the Bureau of Reclamation to senior vice president and regional manager for the Western Area Power Administration's (WAPA’s) Sierra Nevada region on Nov. 6, the bureau said in an Aug. 24 press release.
“I am thrilled to join the WAPA team and continue to work with our partners to protect the sustainability and future of federal hydropower," Williams said in the release. "My experience in the field will allow me to hit the ground running and help advance business practices in the ever-changing climate of hydropower.”
Williams has been the Bureau of Reclamation’s Deputy Regional Director for Business Services for the California-Great Basin region. In that job, she has supervised five divisions, including acquisition services, financial management, human resources and others since 2019. In her new position, she will have managerial authority and strategic leadership over more than two dozen substations and more than 1,300 miles of high-voltage electric lines. More than 260 individuals will be under her oversight, including federal employees and contract staff, the release said.
“Michelle has been a tremendous asset to Reclamation over the last four years and has spearheaded several key initiatives for the region, including helping to secure vital Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for our aging infrastructure,” Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant said in the news release. “Michelle’s move to WAPA will further strengthen the partnership of our agencies. We are looking forward to working with her in this new capacity.”
“Michelle’s extensive knowledge of federal hydropower and experience partnering with industry stakeholders to solve pressing problems will serve WAPA and its Sierra Nevada region’s customers well. Her understanding of water and energy issues in California and the West, as well as her track record of applying innovative thinking to improve business practices, will help WAPA continue to face the challenges of operating in today’s rapidly changing energy landscape," said WAPA Administrator and CEO Tracey A. LeBeau in the news release.
Williams left the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2019. In those agencies, she won various awards, including the 2017 Igniting Innovation Overall Winner Award from the American Council for Technology, under the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security, according to her biography at the Bureau of Reclamation.
The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) dates back to Dec. 21, 1977, when high gas prices and concern about conserving energy moved Congress to create the Department of Energy and the agency known as WAPA. This group markets power, connecting customers and utilities while monitoring regulatory changes and changes to the energy markets around the western area and managing marketing plans and rates, its official history says.
