DOE and WAPA leaders collaborate on technology, cybersecurity

Leaders from the Department of Energy’s Office of the Chief Information Officer visited WAPA July 10-11 to discuss technology and cybersecurity priorities as well as challenges specific to DOE’s Power Marketing Administrations.

WAPA Senior Vice President and CIO Mike Montoya delivered an overview of WAPA and its IT program. The DOE team discussed its organization, key functions and strategic plan. WAPA also shared information about its cybersecurity program, cloud migration strategy and IT business office, courtesy of VP of IT – Cybersecurity Kevin Schulz, VP of IT – Enterprise Architecture David Tucker and IT Business Office Manager Patti Pollock, respectively.

WAPA Administrator and CEO Tracey LeBeau joined the meeting, thanking the DOE team for its partnership on multiple initiatives and for funding a number of high-priority cybersecurity efforts. The length of the visit allowed for a deeper review of DOE mandates, data calls and reporting requirements.

WAPA OCIO leadership brought the DOE team to the Electric Power Training Center in Golden, Colorado, where they learned about EPTC operations and, with support from Electrical Engineer Joe Liberatore and Power System Dispatcher Trainer Tim Slater, were able to engage with WAPA’s Miniature Power System.

The following day, the team visited WAPA’s Rocky Mountain regional office in Loveland, Colorado, where they learned about regional priorities and notable points of intersection with technology. VP of Power Operations for Colorado River Storage Project, Desert Southwest and RM Jonathan Aust led the visit, taking the group for a tour of the Loveland Operations Center with Supervisory Power System Dispatcher Marc Desmaris and Supervisory Electrical Engineer Zea Flores. Afterward, RM Safety and Occupational Health Manager Tim Duffy led a tour of Ault Substation.