John Hairston, who has served as administrator and chief executive officer of the Bonneville Power Administration since January 2021, is announcing his retirement from federal service. He’s headed to the Eugene Electric and Water Board as its new general manager.

“From the beginning of my tenure as Administrator, I have thrived only because I could depend upon the professionalism, skill and resilience of the best federal workforce I have ever encountered,” said Hairston. “We are a workforce of serious people capable of solving serious challenges. As we navigated turbulence, that capability proved stronger than ever. I have complete confidence in the Bonneville workforce and in our current leadership to guide BPA to continued success on behalf of our customers and the region.”

EWEB’s elected Board of Commissioners voted in a public meeting on Tuesday, February 3, to select Hairston as its next general manager.

The vote followed a nationwide search that started in September, when EWEB’s current general manager, Frank Lawson, announced his retirement after more than a decade in the top leadership position at the utility.
In the weeks ahead, EWEB will negotiate a salary package with Hairston. Pending a successful negotiation, EWEB’s Board of Commissioners will extend a formal offer of employment.

EWEB Commissioners retained an executive recruiter to lead the search through the fall and winter. Eighteen people applied. After conducting screening interviews, the recruiting firm submitted 12 candidates for the Board’s consideration. The Board chose seven candidates from this pool for initial interviews, then selected two finalists for additional interviews.

“We saw a very clear picture. We saw a very clear vision from both candidates,” EWEB Commissioner Tim Morris said during Tuesday’s Board meeting. “I think the vision lines up with our mission and vision and values as an organization.”

“The utility would be served well by this individual serving as our next general manager,” EWEB Commissioner John Barofsky said. “Excellent qualifications, excellent experience.”

Hairston was named the BPA’s 16th administrator after serving in an acting capacity since September 2020. He has 35 years of service to BPA in numerous positions, including as the agency’s first Chief Administrative Officer.

BPA is a federal agency that sells power from federally owned hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin to community-owned utilities in the Pacific Northwest, including EWEB. BPA also operates the most high-voltage transmission lines in the Pacific Northwest, serving the entire region. EWEB recently signed a new contract for wholesale power from BPA, which provides about 80% of EWEB’s power supply.