FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 5, 2018
CONTACT: Lisa Meiman, mediarelations@wapa.gov, 720-962-7411
LAKEWOOD, Colorado – Administrator and CEO Mark A. Gabriel has selected Dionne Thompson to serve as Western Area Power Administration’s Senior Vice President and Assistant Administrator for Corporate Liaison. Thompson assumed the position, Feb. 4.
As Assistant Administrator for Corporate Liaison in the Washington, D.C., Liaison Office, Thompson will be responsible for developing and leading WAPA’s national relations and government affairs strategy, including interacting and engaging with members of Congress and their staff; liaising with the Department of Energy, Office of Management and Budget and other Executive Branch agencies regarding WAPA’s activities; and building and maintaining strong working relationships with national trade and energy industry associations.
“Dionne’s significant experience in energy, hydropower and power transmission in Washington, D.C., make her a valuable addition to the WAPA team as we cultivate our role and valuable services in a changing industry,” said Gabriel. “We look forward to her new perspective and experience in building relationships in D.C.”
Previously, Thompson was the Bureau of Reclamation’s Deputy Commissioner for External and Intergovernmental Affairs. In that position, Thompson oversaw Reclamation’s congressional, legislative and public affairs activities and represented the bureau’s relationships with federal, state and local governments. She also served as Reclamation’s Chief of Congressional and Legislative Affairs from 2009 to 2015.
Thompson has been involved in energy and environmental issues in Washington, D.C., since 1993 when she was a staff counsel to Sen. J. Bennett Johnston on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She also worked as an attorney for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission between 2003 and 2009 where she was a legal advisor to the chairman, an advisor on market rates and tariffs, and Senate Liaison in the Office of External Affairs where she covered electric transmission, natural gas and hydroelectric issues.
Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, Thompson has lived in the Washington, D.C., area for more than 20 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia.
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About WAPA: Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 25,000 gigawatt-hours of clean, renewable power from 57 federal hydroelectric power plants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and International Boundary and Water Commission in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy.
Last modified on September 12th, 2023