LPPC Announces Jackie Flowers and Javier Fernandez as New Chair and Vice Chair

WASHINGTON [July 16, 2024] – The Large Public Power Council (LPPC) is pleased to announce that Jackie Flowers, Director of Utilities at Tacoma Public Utilities, and Javier Fernandez, President and CEO of Omaha Public Power District, have been elected as the organization’s new Chair and Vice Chair, respectively.  

The public power industry is currently experiencing a significant transformation as it strives to decarbonize while serving the growing demand for electricity. Flowers and Fernandez will be a strong voice in Washington, advocating for the needs and interests of public power communities and ensuring policymakers and regulators understand the unique challenges the industry faces during this time. LPPC is thrilled to welcome their leadership and valuable contributions.

Flowers was appointed Tacoma Public Utilities Director in 2018 and has held the LPPC Vice Chair position since November 2023. She has 30 years of professional experience, with 15 of those managing public utilities, including hydropower generation, power supply, power transmission and distribution, energy efficiency, engineering, operations technology, fiber optic networks, and traffic signalization. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County, and GridForward. She is also a member of the American Public Power Association CEO Climate Change Taskforce.

”Public power utilities across the nation provide significant value to customers and communities we serve,” said Flowers. “As the electric sector continues to experience rapid transformation, I am optimistic that the public power mission-driven business model will continue to provide value to our customers and communities into the future. I am honored to serve as Chair of LPPC.”

Fernandez has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of OPPD since 2021. He joined the utility in 2017 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Fernandez came to OPPD from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), U.S. Department of Energy, in Portland, Oregon. He had been with the federal power marketing organization since 2012, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Fixed Income Capital Markets for D.A. Davidson & Company and Vice President of Public Finance for Seattle Northwest Securities Corporation.

"It is an honor to be selected to serve LPPC at such an important time,” said Fernandez. “As loads grow at unprecedented rates, our ability as large public power entities to connect and share learnings is critical for delivering reliable, affordable power."

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LPPC is the voice of large public power in Washington, DC. Our members are 28 of the largest public power systems in the nation. Together, they serve 30.5 million American consumers across 22 states and Puerto Rico, and own and operate 40,000 circuit miles of high voltage transmission lines and over 71,000 MW of generation. As not-for-profit utilities owned by and accountable to the communities they serve, our members offer some of the cleanest, most reliable, and most affordable energy in the U.S.