WAPA honors 2024 ESA winner Barb Lynch

The Exceptional Service Award, WAPA’s highest honor, recognizes employees who consistently go above and beyond, contribute to critical projects or committees and advance WAPA’s strategic plan through exceptional performance and external activities. This year’s winners exemplify these qualities, showcasing remarkable dedication, innovation and leadership that have profoundly impacted WAPA and its communities. Their contributions reflect WAPA’s core values and help drive the organization’s mission forward, ensuring reliable, affordable power for millions across the western United States.

Barb Lynch: Shaping WAPA’s future through customer success and mentorship

Public Utilities Specialist Barb Lynch has significantly contributed to WAPA through her exceptional expertise and leadership. Her diverse background provides her with a comprehensive understanding of WAPA’s Power Marketing, rates and repayment functions, allowing her to effectively bridge communication gaps between departments within the organization.

Lynch’s collaboration with the Sierra Nevada rate-setting team has profoundly impacted Central Valley Project power customers. Starting in 2023, the team’s combined efforts substantially reduced CVP power bills by up to $10 million annually. This achievement, a testament to their tireless work and Lynch’s leadership, has lowered interest expenses significantly, allowing for the early repayment of the CVP’s original capital investment and reducing the Power Revenue Requirement for customers.

She has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to WAPA’s strategic initiatives, particularly in modernizing rate and repayment software. Lynch played a crucial role in configuring the software to meet Sierra Nevada’s complex repayment criteria, and her outstanding contributions to this project earned it the prestigious Inclusion, Innovation and Technology award.

Lynch’s analytical skills have yielded invaluable insights, advanced knowledge-sharing and process-improvement projects at WAPA. Her extensive expertise is a significant asset to the organization, and she generously shares her knowledge with colleagues, enhancing their understanding and skills. A dedicated mentor, she guides staff members during training and offers clear explanations of complex issues. Her ability to communicate intricate rate analyses to customers has established her as an outstanding subject matter expert and a respected voice within WAPA, highlighting her invaluable role on the team.