(PORTLAND, OR) -- The Bonneville Power Administration has selected Kim Thompson to permanently fill the role as Energy Efficiency vice president. Thompson has been acting in this position since June of 2017.
In making the announcement, BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer expressed excitement about permanently adding Thompson to his executive team. “Kim has the background and leadership experience to take Energy Efficiency in directions that continue to optimize the program’s success,” said Mainzer. “I am proud of everything the Energy Efficiency program has accomplished, and under Thompson, I am confident BPA and its customers will continue to advance employing innovative energy solutions that save power and enrich lives in the Pacific Northwest.”
Thompson joined BPA in 2009 to lead Energy Efficiency’s marketing and customer engagement function. Three years later, she was promoted to director of BPA’s Energy Efficiency Services, overseeing energy efficiency-specific program, marketing, and engineering departments. Since 2015, Thompson has worked in a series of rotational details serving as acting vice president of Requirements Marketing in BPA’s Power division, acting director of Corporate Strategy and most recently, acting vice president of Energy Efficiency.
“With rapid technological advancements, these are exciting and challenging times for the utility industry as we watch it quickly change around us,” said Senior Vice President of Power Services, Joel Cook. “Kim Thompson’s leadership skills and creativity will be extremely important as BPA works to meet regional energy demands with even greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”
Now into its fourth decade, BPA’s Energy Efficiency program is considered world class. With the help of BPA customers, partners and other stakeholders, the EE program continues to outperform its annual goals year after year - more efficiently using clean federal power in our region while saving consumers money.
In her new role, Thompson will manage a diverse portfolio of commercial, industrial, residential, agricultural and federal energy efficiency activities, mostly accomplished through partnerships with BPA customer utilities. She will supervise four branch managers who oversee energy efficiency planning and evaluation, program implementation, contract administration and demand response / distributed energy resources.
Prior to joining BPA, Thompson worked in the technology sector, as a marketing manager and customer relationship manager for Hewlett Packard and as a business analyst for Microsoft.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from the University of California, Davis, a high-school teaching credential from Humboldt State University, and an MBA from Portland State University.
