​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2019

CONTACT: Lisa Meiman, mediarelations@wapa.gov, 720-962-7411

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Dawn Roth Lindell, senior vice president and Rocky Mountain regional manager at Western Area Power Administration, has been selected as one of Colorado’s Top Women in Energy for 2019. 

“Receiving this award is exciting and surprising,” said Roth Lindell. “I am in awe of the fellow award winners when I see all that these women have accomplished.” 

The prestigious award, granted by the Denver Business Journal, recognizes 40 risk-taking women changing the energy industry in Colorado each year. The recipients will attend a reception in their honor April 23 in Denver. 

“This award says that women can be successful in the energy industry, and that times have changed enough that, whether you are a man or a woman, it doesn’t matter in your ability to make a difference,” said Roth Lindell. 

Roth Lindell was nominated for the award by her coworkers at WAPA. She began at WAPA in 2013 as the senior VP and chief information officer where she managed more than 200 IT specialists managing traditional and operational technology programs across a 15-state area.

In 2018, she took the helm at the Rocky Mountain regional office where she leads 350 employees in marketing and delivering reliable, cost-based federal hydropower to customers in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming. The office also operates and maintains more than 3,400 miles of high-voltage transmission lines. 

“When people ask me how I planned for my career, I tell them I didn’t. In every role I had, I looked for problems that seemed unsolvable and worked to remove barriers for my employees,” said Roth Lindell. “My advice to any aspiring leader is to be willing to step out and take the hard projects that everyone else is avoiding because they are tough. If you can do those projects, you can demonstrate leadership.”

Roth Lindell came to WAPA after spending 12 years as the general manager of IT services in Colorado Springs Utilities. Throughout her career, she has been active in the utility IT sector, serving as chair of the Large Public Power Council CIO organization and Pikes Peak Regional Communications Network Board. She also co-founded the Western Cyber Exchange, now merged with the National Cybersecurity Center.

“I was lucky to have great mentors. They found opportunities for me to learn, providing feedback along the way on strengths and growth needs and helping me navigate some difficult change opportunities,” said Roth Lindell. “One mentor, in particular, helped me see the value of bringing together diverse perspectives to find new approaches and solutions. As a leader, you don’t have to know all the answers; you need to be able to pull together the right people to find them. This multiples their success and yours.”

Roth Lindell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration with a focus on information systems from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She is a native of Douglas County, Colorado, and graduated from Clay High School in South Bend, Indiana. 

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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 powerplants 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. Follow us on Twitter @WesternAreaPowr or visit the website at www.wapa.gov.   

Last modified on September 12th, 2023