For More Information Contact:
Joe Harwood, 541-685-7471
Eugene Water & Electric Board

Feb. 11, 2010

EWEB commissioners narrow GM finalists to four

On Tuesday night, Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners met in closed session with human resources staff and a recruiting consultant to narrow the field of nine prospective general manager candidates to a handful of finalists. The board chose four finalists. The successful candidate will replace Randy Berggren, general manager of EWEB for the past 20 years. Berggren will retire on May 1 after spending 24 years with the utility. Finalists include:

Bradley Evans. Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska. Evans serves as chief executive officer of the Chugach Electric Association, a cooperative based in Anchorage. Evans has served in various capacities at Chugach since 1988, including stints as a transmission planning engineer and senior vice president of energy supply. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Roger James Gray. Hometown: Alamo, Calif. Gray started a management consulting firm in 2004 after retiring from San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Co. He held several positions at PG&E, including vice president, chief information officer and general manager of a PG&E spin-off company. He holds bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Raymon Sieler. Hometown: Kennewick, Wash. Sieler serves as the group leader of Utilities/Public Works for the city of Richland, Wash. He previously worked as the director of energy services for the city. Before moving to the Tri-Cities, Sieler worked as city manager in Fort Morgan, Colo. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado.

Debra Smith. Hometown: Eugene. Smith serves as director of Employee, Customer & Community Services at EWEB. Smith has held a variety of positions at EWEB, including assistant to the general manager, telecommunications development manager, risk manager and senior staff accountant. Before joining EWEB in 1996, Smith spent nine years as chief financial officer and controller of AlphaHealthCare Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Arizona State University.

Commissioners and a panel of employees will interview finalists on March 1. Commissioners hope to make a hiring decision shortly after concluding the interviews.