Closed Circuit

By Administrator and CEO Mark A. Gabriel

It is astonishing to think how much has changed in our work and personal lives in two short months. We have all embarked on unprecedented journeys none of us could have imagined at the start of this promising year. Yet, because you are remarkable, we have adapted and persevered in these challenging times.

I want to thank each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart, for your flexibility, professionalism and dedication to WAPA and its incredible mission to keep the lights on for customers across the West.

I am humbled by your commitment, patience and dogged determination to continue business as normally as possible, all the while taking your own personal journeys.

We all are traveling different paths, from the families with children at home 24/7 to the single employees going it alone, from the teleworkers to the craft employees in the field to the dispatchers still at the office, from the urban areas hit hardest to the rural expanses of our territory where this may seem more like a bizarre nightmare. Yet all of us, from our most-tenured employee to the newest members who joined WAPA in the midst of this pandemic, are traveling these difficult personal journeys together as a single WAPA family.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to navigate extraordinary circumstances with unmatched complexity. Thanks to the foresight of the Office of Security and Emergency Management, WAPA had a pandemic plan. However, to quote famous boxer Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

It is a tribute to the incredible men and women at WAPA that we have been able to stay upright, adjust our stance and keep fighting for the mission and our friends and families. It has certainly not been easy, and I commend all the members of my leadership team, the regional Emergency Operations Centers and the Multiregional Coordination Group for their tireless efforts to protect employees, preserve our critical mission and push toward the crucial deadlines and milestones facing WAPA in the very near future.

They may not know it, but more than 40 million Americans are grateful for your work and for serving like your lights depend on it. The changes to our lives are vast, but we will persist and overcome. This, too, shall pass.

I know we all have the lists of the things we will do once released from quarantine and stay-at-home orders. For me, the most inspiring is the day when I return to the office and am able to see you again.

Thank you for all you too. Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay in touch.

See you soon.​

Headshot photo of WAPA CEO and Administrator Mark A. Gabriel

Last modified on March 6th, 2024