Executive Board elects new chair, officers
Board of Directors selects new director, officers
RICHLAND, Wash. – The Energy Northwest Executive Board elected John Saven as its new chair during their regular public meeting Jan. 25 in Olympia. The Executive Board also elected Curt Knapp, Pend Oreille PUD Commissioner, as vice chair, and Bill Gordon, Franklin PUD Commissioner, as secretary. Jim Moss remains assistant secretary.
Saven was appointed to the Energy Northwest Executive Board by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2016. He is retired from his position as founder and CEO of Northwest Requirements Utilities in Portland, Oregon. NRU represents the interests of the Bonneville Power Administration’s full requirements customers, ensuring access to low cost and reliable power supply. His service to public power spans more than 44 years. His distinguished career in public power began with Seattle City Light where he served as the deputy superintendent for Finance and Administration. He also previously served as the executive director of Northwest Irrigation Utilities where he helped ensure BPA’s customers with large agricultural loads remained competitive.
Knapp was appointed by the Pend Oreille Board of Commissioners to the EN Board of Directors in 2011 and was elected to the EN Executive Board in 2022. During his service with the Pend Oreille PUD Commission, Knapp was appointed the voting member to the Washington Public Utility District Association (WPUDA), and has served on the Budget, Telecom, Legislative and Roundtable Committees. In 2013, he was elected to serve as president of WPUDA. Knapp currently serves as Deputy Coroner in Pend Oreille County.
Gordon became a Franklin PUD commissioner in 2003. He was appointed to the Energy Northwest Board of Directors in 2004 and served on the Executive Board from 2006 to 2010. Gordon brings a rich business background to his work. He holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration from Washington State University and has worked in hotels throughout the United States, as well as in Munich and Johannesburg. He and his father farmed together for five years in St. John, Wash. He was also appointed to the Board of Trustees for Columbia Basin College by Gov. Jay Inslee where he served from 2013 to 2021.
The Executive Board chair, vice chair, secretary and assistant secretary will serve until June 2023.
Energy Northwest’s Executive Board has 11 members: five elected from the agency’s Board of Directors, three appointed by the Board of Directors from outside EN, and the remaining three appointed by the governor of Washington. The Executive Board sets the policies that govern the operations of Energy Northwest.
Board of Directors elect inside director and officers
Energy Northwest’s Board of Directors elected Bill Gordon as inside director to the Executive Board during its regular public meeting Jan. 25 in Olympia. The inside director will serve through June 2026.
The Board of Directors also selected Dave McKenzie, Skamania County PUD, as president; Jerry Asmussen, Okanogan County PUD, as vice president; Shan Rowbotham, Kittitas County PUD, as secretary; and Clint Whitney, City of Richland, as assistant secretary.
Skamania County PUD Board of Commissioners appointed McKenzie to the EN Board of Directors in 2017 and he has served as a Skamania County PUD commissioner since 2016. McKenzie has more than 40 years of experience in the private and public sectors including banking, real estate and appraising complex commercial and industrial properties. He was also the mayor of Stevenson, Washington, for 20 years.
Okanogan County PUD Board of Commissioners appointed Asmussen to the EN Board of Directors in 2017 and he has served as Okanogan County PUD commissioner since 2017. Asmussen is a rancher and auctioneer from Tonasket, Washington, who has lived in Okanogan County for most of his life. He has degrees in agriculture, economics and animal science from Washington State University.
Kittitas County PUD Board of Commissioners appointed Rowbotham to the EN Board of Directors in 2014 and he has served as a Kittitas PUD commissioner since 2011. In his current role as Gas Manager for the City of Ellensburg he manages wholesale energy procurement for both the light and natural gas utilities, and large customer billings. He is also the conservation manager and manages the city’s community solar project. Prior to joining the City of Ellensburg, Rowbotham worked for more than 20 years in the propane field.
Clint Whitney became the City of Richland’s Energy Services Director in April 2018 and was also appointed to the EN Board of Directors at that time. Whitney has worked in public service for 21 years in a variety of electrical engineering, operations and management positions. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, a master’s in business administration degree and is a licensed professional engineer in Washington.
The Board of Directors officers each serve a two-year term.
Energy Northwest's Board of Directors has 28 member representatives; one representative for each of the 23 public utility districts and five municipal utilities that comprise Energy Northwest.
Click here for portraits of Executive Board members and portraits of Board of Directors members.
About Energy Northwest
Energy Northwest owns and operates a diverse mix of 100% clean electricity generating resources: hydro, solar, battery storage and wind projects, and the third-largest provider of electricity in Washington – the Columbia Generating Station nuclear power facility. These projects provide carbon-free electricity at the cost of generation – enough clean, cost-effective, and reliable energy to power more than a million homes each year. As an independent joint operating agency of Washington state, Energy Northwest comprises 28 public power member utilities from across the state serving more than 1.5 million customers. The agency continually explores new generation projects to meet its members’ needs.
