LOS ANGELES (May 14, 2024) –The Los Angeles City Council today confirmed Janisse Quiñones as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Quiñones also took her oath as presided by the City Clerk, officially beginning her tenure as the leader of the nation’s largest municipal utility.
Following a nationwide search, Quiñones was recommended to the position by Mayor Karen Bass on April 19, 2024. Outgoing LADWP General Manager and Chief Engineer Martin L. Adams, who led the organization since 2019, is retiring after a 40-year career with LADWP. Adams delayed retirement originally planned in early 2024 to allow the completion of the search for his replacement and to support the utility’s leadership transition.
“The Department of Water and Power has made important progress toward embracing clean energy, meeting its decarbonization goals, modernizing its infrastructure to be more resilient, getting to a reliant and resilient water future and ensuring vulnerable communities have access to affordable utilities. I thank the Board of Water and Power Commissioners and the Los Angeles City Council for their unanimous confirmation of Ms. Quiñones and look forward to working with Janisse to deliver for the people of Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “This is a transformational period for the Department as we make decisions that will build toward the goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035 and I am confident that Janisse’s experience overseeing large scale organizational operations, improving safety outcomes for workers and restoring and reconstructing electrical systems following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico equip her to lead the department. I want to thank outgoing General Manager Marty Adams for his contributions to these outcomes and decades of leadership to the people of Los Angeles.”
“With this confirmation, I am honored and ready to serve as the next CEO and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and I look forward to continue to get to know the LADWP family and supporting those that work so hard to deliver for the people of Los Angeles,” said Confirmed CEO and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Janisse Quiñones. “I know the vital role LADWP plays for Angelenos, especially in times of crisis which Los Angeles has endured recently with record rains and winds and I look forward to working closely with Mayor Bass, the Board of Water and Power Commissioners and the committed employees of the department as we move towards our commitment of 100% clean energy by 2035. Together, we will achieve our transformational goals and shore up our systems to fight climate change and deliver for the people of Los Angeles.”
Quiñones brings over 25 years of leadership experience as a senior executive in utility and engineering industries, where she focused on accomplishing many initiatives similar to LADWP’s, including delivering reliable service to the Department’s customers, improving infrastructure resiliency, and prioritizing the safety of employees. In her new role, she will play an important part in achieving LADWP’s goals, such as providing 100 percent clean energy by 2035, ensuring a sustainable water future by diversifying and expanding local water resources, and supporting strategies and policies that lead with equity and leave no community behind. She is also the first female Latina to lead LADWP as CEO.
“The Board of Water and Power Commissioners is excited to welcome Janisse to her new role. The wealth of knowledge she brings from her past career endeavors will be invaluable and I, along with the rest of the Board, look forward to collaborating with her on various Department projects and initiatives,” said Board of Water and Power Commissioners President Richard Katz.
Prior to her appointment at LADWP, Quiñones served as Senior Vice President of Electric Operations at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), where she oversaw electrical system operations and the power generation fleet, as well as the management of electrical assets that support the California Independent System Operator. Her experience also includes serving as Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering for PG&E and as the Vice President of Gas Systems Engineering for National Grid, Vice President of Operations for Cobra Acquisitions and Director of Design, Planning, Construction & Vegetation Management as part of her nine years of work at San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) which she started immediately after leaving full time military service. At SDG&E, Quiñones managed most of the company’s gas and electric Distribution Capital Construction.
Quiñones leads LADWP which is the nation’s largest municipal utility, with an 8,058 megawatt (MW) electric capacity and serving an average of 447 million gallons of water per day to the four million residents of the City of Los Angeles, its businesses and visitors. The utility has a workforce comprise of more than 11,000 employees. For more than 120 years, LADWP has provided the city with reliable water and power service in a cost effective and environmentally responsible manner.
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