New General Manager and CEO of City Light will serve as a key partner in Harrell Administration, delivering on critical goals including quality, reliable City services and meaningful climate action.
Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced he has selected Dawn Lindell to serve as the next General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle City Light. Lindell brings more than 25 years of experience in the utilities industry, having served in executive leadership roles in Colorado and California. Now following a national search, Lindell will join the Harrell Administration in February 2024 to serve the City of Seattle through visionary leadership, collaboration, and commitment to quality customer service.
“Our city boasts one of the largest public utilities in the nation and is a national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. Dawn Lindell has the expertise, leadership, and vision to ensure quality, reliable, and affordable services to our residents and to accelerate our clean energy efforts as we build healthy communities now and in the future,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “As the next General Manager and CEO of Seattle City Light, Dawn will guide the organization at a pivotal time in its history as we embark on a journey to power our city in new, efficient, and clean ways through innovative technologies and solutions.”
Lindell comes to Seattle from Burbank, Calif., where she served as the General Manager of Burbank Water and Power. Prior to her executive leadership role at the Burbank utility, Lindell was the Senior Vice President and Rocky Mountain Regional Manager for the Western Area Power Administration in Lakewood, Colorado. There she set strategic direction for more than 400 federal and contract employees of the Rocky Mountain Region for power marketing in 4 states, grid maintenance in 6 states and grid operation in 10 states with a $400 million+ annual budget.
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to work with the fine team of Seattle City Light professionals. City Light has delivered low carbon energy to the Seattle community for decades. It will be challenging and exciting to carve out new generation sources and transmission paths to create Seattle’s energy future together,” said Lindell.
Over her career, Lindell has focused on increasing environmental sustainability in collaboration with community, improved technology strategy and innovation, led disaster management and recovery, developed effective diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and transformed utility teams into high performing organizations. Lindell has been recognized for her leadership and industry expertise, being named as one of Colorado’s Top Women in Energy in 2019 and the 2022 WE3 Water/Energy Nexus Innovator of the Year.
An 11-member selection committee was announced and convened to review top candidates from across the country. Members of the committee represented business, housing, labor, environmental, and energy leaders, many with experience in clean energy and environmental justice. Feedback from current City Light employees and key stakeholders also informed the final selection of Lindell as next General Manager and CEO.
City Light is the nation’s ninth largest publicly owned electric utility in terms of customers served, and owns nearly 2,000 megawatts of very low-cost, environmentally responsible, hydroelectric generation capacity. The utility employs nearly 1,800 full-time staff, with 84% represented by a labor union.
As CEO and General Manager of City Light, Lindell will serve as a key strategist in advancing Seattle’s ongoing transformation into an electrified city and will lead the transition to new and diverse technologies and sources of energy.
Seattle City Light was created by the residents of Seattle in 1902 to provide affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible electric power to the city of Seattle and neighboring suburbs, including Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Burien, Renton, Tukwila, SeaTac, and Normandy Park. Owned by the community it serves, City Light is a nationally recognized leader in energy efficiency, renewable resources, and environmental stewardship. City Light provides electric power to more than 490,000 residential, business, and industrial customers within a 131-square-mile service area.
Dawn Lindell
What People are Saying
Marco Lowe, Chief Operations Officer, Seattle Mayor’s Office
“It is really exciting to get a GM as talented and experienced as Dawn Lindell at Seattle City Light. As renewable energy demands grow with the rise of electrification, her experience will be essential in guiding City Light to the forefront of the region’s decarbonization work.”
Andrew Lee, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, Seattle Public Utilities
“I’m very happy to welcome Dawn Lindell to the City of Seattle. Her experience will bring significant value to Seattle City Light and will serve her well as the new General Manager. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with her, and we are looking forward to continued collaboration on programs that benefit both of our utilities and our customers.”
Rod Brandon, Seattle Housing Authority, Selection Committee Member
“Mayor Harrell was clear in his charge to us to help find a leader who could hit the ground running on day one. I am confident that Mayor Harrell has found the right person for the job in selecting Dawn Lindell to be the next General Manager and CEO of Seattle City Light. The Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) provides rental and housing assistance to more than 37,000 people in Seattle. City Light is a key partner who helps ensure that the people we serve have access to affordable, reliable power. We look forward to Dawn being a champion of affordable power for Seattle residents and providing leadership to our region.”
Ryan Calkins, Commissioner, Port of Seattle, Selection Committee Member
“Dawn Lindell brings exactly the kind of experience needed for leading Seattle City Light. With technical expertise and proven success as the chief executive of a community-owned utility, she is an excellent choice to lead SCL during a period of growing demand for green power. We look forward to working with her as the Port and our partners use more and more of SCL’s clean power for our operations.”