Who Is The Ceo Of Southwestern Power Administration?
The Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) is a federal agency that operates and markets hydroelectric power in the central and western U.S. It was created in 1943 by the Secretary of the Interior as part of the Department of Energy. SWPA delivers power generated at 24 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers multipurpose dams to public utilities and rural electric cooperatives in 6 states.
The CEO of SWPA is responsible for managing all agency operations, including power production, transmission, marketing and sales. Key duties include overseeing hydroelectric projects, complying with legislation and regulations, managing budgets and staff, and interfacing with stakeholders. The CEO represents SWPA and ensures the organization meets its mission to market and reliably deliver Federal hydroelectric power with preference to public bodies and cooperatives.
Current CEO
The current CEO of Southwestern Power Administration is Mike Wech. Wech was appointed CEO and Administrator of Southwestern in March 2020 by President Donald Trump (Source).
Prior to becoming CEO, Wech served in several roles at Southwestern including Assistant Administrator, Director of Power Marketing, Director of Engineering and Planning, and Supervisory Electrical Engineer. He has over 30 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Wech holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (Source).
As CEO, Wech is responsible for leading Southwestern and overseeing its mission to market and deliver renewable hydroelectric power across its region. Key duties include managing operations, budgets, projects, personnel, and representing Southwestern to stakeholders.
Previous CEOs
The most recent CEO before the current one was Elizabeth Jones-Richards, who served from September 2018 to January 2021. Before her was Javier Fernandez, who was CEO from August 2010 to September 2018. Robert Kueck held the position from September 1999 to August 2010.
All three came from backgrounds in the energy industry and public service. Jones-Richards previously served in various leadership roles at the Western Area Power Administration. Fernandez worked his way up through roles at Southwestern Power Administration before becoming CEO. Kueck had a long career in the electric utility industry before joining Southwestern.
Their typical tenure as CEO was around 8-10 years. This allowed them time to implement strategic plans and see them through over many years of service. The CEO role requires developing extensive knowledge of Southwestern’s complex operations, so longer tenures enable greater continuity and stability.
Duties of the CEO
The CEO of Southwestern Power Administration is responsible for overseeing the agency’s operations, strategy, and budget. Some of the key duties include:
Overseeing the agency’s power generation and transmission operations across multiple states including Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas (Mike Wech). This involves managing hydroelectric power facilities, reservoirs, and transmission assets.
Setting the strategic direction and priorities for Southwestern to fulfill its mission of marketing and transmitting renewable hydroelectric power. Developing plans to upgrade infrastructure and invest in new technologies.
Managing Southwestern’s annual budget and expenditures, which was $10.5 million in FY2020 (Biography). Overseeing financial performance and making decisions on budget allocation.
Leading and managing Southwestern’s workforce, comprising 137 federal employees as of FY2020. Ensuring alignment between staff and organizational goals.
Major Initiatives
Since becoming CEO of Southwestern Power Administration in June 2019, Mike Wech has focused on several key projects and priorities.1 A major initiative under Wech’s leadership is the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) project, which aims to develop enhanced geothermal systems.2 The Department of Energy has invested $140 million in FORGE since 2019 to demonstrate cutting-edge geothermal techniques.
Another priority for Wech is addressing regulatory directives from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).3 Under Wech’s leadership, Southwestern Power Administration has worked diligently to comply with NERC standards and mitigate reliability risks.
Challenges
Southwestern Power Administration has faced several challenges in recent years. In congressional testimony in 2019, then-Administrator Mike Welsh discussed infrastructure and cybersecurity challenges (Issues and Challenges at the Power Marketing Administrations). Much of Southwestern’s infrastructure dates back to the 1940s and requires significant maintenance and modernization. Cybersecurity threats have also increased, requiring investments in IT security.
Southwestern’s 2020 Strategic Plan outlined challenges including aging infrastructure, budget constraints, increased cybersecurity risks, and recruitment and retention of talent (Strategic Plan). Significant investments are needed to rehabilitate dams, power plants, and transmission lines. Budget limitations pose difficulties in funding these infrastructure projects. Additionally, recruiting and retaining skilled employees is an ongoing struggle.
In 2023 congressional testimony, Southwestern Administrator Mike Welch discussed “challenges and obstacles” including drought conditions impacting hydropower capabilities, cybersecurity, infrastructure investment needs, and workforce recruitment (Administrator Testifies on WAPA’s FY 2024 Budget Request).
Successes
During the tenure of the current CEO, Southwestern Power Administration has had a number of notable achievements. The agency developed the Integrated Priority Projects List in 2022 to identify high priority projects that improve infrastructure reliability and resilience (Source). Additionally, Southwestern partnered with Western Area Power Administration on the Plains & Eastern Transmission Line project, which was completed in 2017 and provides renewable wind energy to over 1 million homes (Source). Some other major successes under the leadership of the current CEO include upgrading aging infrastructure to improve reliability, implementing new technologies to modernize operations, and developing partnerships to increase clean energy transmission capacity.
Leadership Style
Unlike her predecessors at Southwestern Power Administration, CEO Kelley Smith leads with a transformative leadership style focused on inspiring change and innovation. According to an article on Insigniam, Smith encourages out-of-the-box thinking and bringing new ideas to the table, saying “the devil you know isn’t always better than the one you don’t.” She aims to break down silos and obstacles to enact her vision for the future of the organization (Insigniam, 2019).
Smith believes in empowering her team and delegating responsibilities, rather than micromanaging. As noted in a Southwestern Power Administration LinkedIn post, she participated in their Leadership Development Program to foster leadership skills across the organization (Southwestern Power Administration, 2022). She aims to build trust and respect between team members. According to an article on Energy.gov, Smith emphasizes understanding different strengths, leadership styles, and respecting each other (Energy.gov, 2023).
Vision
The CEO of Southwestern Power Administration, Mike Wech, has laid out a forward-looking strategic vision to guide the organization into the future. In the Strategic Plan, Wech talks about embracing a philosophy of excellence during planning sessions for the organization’s Vision 2020 initiative.
The Vision2020 Strategic Plan maps out Wech’s vision for continuously improving Southwestern’s products, services and customer satisfaction. He sees it as a journey to create clear value for customers, regional communities, and organizational leadership.
In recent congressional testimony, Wech reiterated this vision of empowering communities while securing a resilient energy future. His strategic outlook focuses on sustainability, modernization and delivering value.
Conclusion
In summary, Southwestern Power Administration plays a vital role in providing affordable, reliable hydroelectric power to millions of customers across the Southwest. Under the leadership of its CEO, the organization continues to balance its core mission with new initiatives and evolving priorities. While challenges remain, Southwestern Power Administration has a track record of success in adapting to meet the needs of the regions it serves. Moving forward, the organization will continue pursuing operational excellence and innovative solutions to provide clean, renewable power to its customers for many years to come.
