Administrator Stephen J. Wright

Stephen J. (Steve) Wright Administrator Bonneville Power Administration 905 N.E. 11th Avenue Portland, OR 97232 Steve Wright was appointed Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration on Jan. 24, 2002. At the time of his appointment, Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham lauded Wright for his "outstanding leadership through some of the most turbulent times for the electricity industry" as well as for his effectiveness in bringing together diverse constituencies. Wright's previous 13 months as Acting Administrator spanned some of the region's greatest energy challenges, including a West Coast energy crisis and a severe drought in the Northwest. The Northwest congressional delegation cited Wright's leadership during this volatile period in giving him unanimous and bipartisan support for his appointment as Administrator. During the energy crisis and its aftermath, Wright led a successful regional effort to substantially reduce the size of a projected wholesale power rate increase by negotiating load reductions with regional utilities and large industrial customers. As Administrator, his focus has been on stabilizing BPA's finances to help eliminate or mitigate future rate increases. He is a strong advocate for shoring up the region's aging energy infrastructure to ensure an energy crisis is not repeated. He also is working with the region's federal agencies, states, tribes and interest groups to implement a 10-year recovery plan for endangered salmon. Prior to his appointment as Acting and then permanent Administrator, Wright served as Senior Vice President for Corporate from 1998-2000. He was Manager of BPA's Washington, D.C., office between 1990 and 1998 and Manager of the California office between 1987 and 1990. He started his career at BPA in 1981 in the conservation office. Wright graduated from Central Michigan University in 1979 with a B.A. in journalism and received his masters in public affairs from the University of Oregon in 1981. He and his wife Kathleen have three children and live in Portland.