WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Energy Department has chosen Mark A. Gabriel to be the new Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) in Lakewood, Colorado, one of four Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) the Department oversees. As WAPA’s Administrator, Gabriel will be responsible for managing the non-profit federal agency, which delivers power from 57 power plants operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the International and Water Commission to the western region of the United States. Gabriel has more than two decades of leadership experience in the electric sector and is currently the Chief Executive Officer and President of Power Pundits LLC in Conifer, Colorado, a management consulting firm specializing in the energy industry. 

“The Western Area Power Administration is truly fortunate to have Mark Gabriel as its new Administrator,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. “Mark has an impressive record throughout his long and distinguished career in the energy sector, and I am confident in his ability to provide outstanding leadership and service to WAPA’s customers, stakeholders, and employees.”

“I am grateful for this opportunity to lead the Western Area Power Administration,” said Gabriel.  “In my years working in the energy sector, I’ve witnessed firsthand the importance of reliable and affordable electricity. We have a unique opportunity to help strengthen our infrastructure while increasing the security and reliability of the grid.”

Over the past 24 years, Gabriel has been an executive in the energy industry working to modernize our nation’s critical infrastructure.  In his current role as Chief Executive Officer and President of Power Pundits LLC, he has worked across a broad set of industry issues from advanced metering and intelligent infrastructure to advanced generation, gas and oil technology deployments.

Previously, Gabriel was the Senior Vice President for Black and Veatch Management Consulting, developing industry solutions in the areas of electricity, water, oil and gas, and cyber security. Prior to joining Black and Veatch, Gabriel oversaw the expansion of Halcrow, a 158-year-old British firm, into its North American energy practice. He has also served as Senior Vice President for Energy with R.W. Beck, a national engineering-based consulting firm, the Chief Executive Officer of Positive Energy Directions, and the Electric Power Research Institute’s Acting President for EPRI Traditional as well as Client Relations and Global Marketing Officer, among other industry positions. While at EPRI, Gabriel led a nationwide collaborative effort which became known as the Electricity Sector Framework for the Future (ESFF). He is a well-known speaker and writer and his book, Visions for a Sustainable Energy Future, won the 2009 Indie Excellence Book Award for Environmental Writing.

Gabriel currently holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science from Fordham University in New York, New York.  He completed the coursework for a Masters in Science in Administration and Management from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont.

WAPA has annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion and over 1,400 full-time employees. Gabriel will begin serving as Administrator April 4, 2013.