Biography – Ron Klinefelter

Ron Klinefelter

Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Western Area Power Administration

Ron Klinefelter is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Western Area Power Administration.

As General Counsel, Klinefelter leads more than a dozen attorneys and supporting staff responsible for providing advice on all legal issues and represents WAPA in administrative hearings and federal court.

Klinefelter began at WAPA as a law clerk in 1992 and quickly advanced to general law attorney in 1994, where he focused on controversial land acquisition and condemnation matters. In 1995, he began working with WAPA’s Upper Great Plains region as their regional attorney, focusing on power marketing, transmission, operations and maintenance for the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Program – Eastern Division.

In 2013, Klinefelter became Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. He shared responsibilities with the General Counsel directing all legal activities within WAPA. In 2016, Klinefelter received WAPA’s Exceptional Service Award, the highest award at the organization. Klinefelter has been the legal advisor to WAPA’s Power Marketing Management Council and Power System Operations Council.

Klinefelter started in the legal field, working for a sole practitioner in Pennsylvania in 1988. He graduated from the University of Denver College of Law, is admitted into the U.S. Federal District Court of Colorado and the United States Court of Appeals and is currently a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Energy Bar Association.