Flathead grad gets top power-agency job

The Bonneville Power Administration last week announced that Flathead High School graduate Dan James will be its new deputy administrator.

BPA is a federal agency that manages 31 hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin and supplies a third of all electricity in the Pacific Northwest.

James will assume his new position next month and will be responsible for leadership, strategic planning, financial management, regulatory affairs and intergovernmental and public affairs oversight.

James said his roots in the Flathead Valley will give him the perspective to understand the everyday needs of the power administration’s customers, which include members of the Flathead and Lincoln electric cooperatives, along with Mission Valley Power.

“When I think about BPA’s customers, I see the faces of my neighbors and friends, those who are living wonderful lives and those who are struggling,” he said. “I think about them a lot and the role that Bonneville plays in the way we live our lives.”

Born in Missoula, James moved with his family to Kalispell when he was in grade school. In 1982, he graduated from Flathead High, where he was captain of the football team. He was also active as a member of the school’s concert choir and a student representative to the District 5 Board of Education.

“One of the most influential teachers I had was Tracy Walsh, a teacher at Flathead High School,” James said. “What we used to call civics, or social studies, translated into a political science major in college.”

After graduating from Pacific University in Oregon, James went to work as a congressional aide in Washington, D.C.

“That was the beginning of my interest in public policy and energy, and natural resources in particular,” he said.

He most recently worked as a vice president of public affairs and marketing with PNGC Power and has held positions with the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association in Vancouver, Washington, and Ball Janik LLP in Portland and Washington.

In a press release, Flathead Electric Cooperative General Manager Mark Johnson lauded James’ addition to the regional power administration.

“The region is very lucky to have Dan named deputy administrator at BPA. His broad knowledge base and vast experience, both in the region and in Washington, D.C., will benefit all customers of BPA,” Johnson said. “As a Montanan, it is always nice to see another Montanan, especially one from the Flathead Valley, achieve such an important and influential position.”