Session: Influencing from the top

Tracey A. LeBeau is the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Western Area Power Administration, a position she has held since August 2021. In this role, LeBeau leads one of Department of Energy’s four federal utilities. WAPA markets and delivers low-cost federal hydropower from 57 hydroelectric plants to nearly 700 wholesale customers across its 15-state, 1.4 million-square-mile footprint.

LeBeau has more than 20 years of experience in management, energy development, public-private partnerships, business and organizational start-ups and reorganizations, utility business operations, federal policy and energy finance. She has served in executive capacities for numerous energy businesses, including an interstate pipeline, wind development and investment company, energy trading business and other energy development companies.

Previously, LeBeau was the Senior Vice President and Desert Southwest regional manager, a position she accepted permanently in May 2020 after acting in the role since October 2019. Before that, LeBeau stood up and managed WAPA’s Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. In that position, she was responsible for numerous WAPA enterprise and administrative operations, including Natural Resources and Environment, Acquisition Management, Human Resources, Leadership Development, Records Management, Facilities and Fleet, the Transmission Infrastructure Program and the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. LeBeau started at WAPA in 2014 as the TIP manager where she oversaw the operations and management of WAPA’s $3.25 billion infrastructure loan program to support developing and financing transmission and related infrastructure facilitating the delivery of renewables.

Before joining WAPA, LeBeau was a political appointee at DOE from 2011-2014. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Tracey was a Principal at Dentons, a large international law firm, and co-chair of its Renewable Energy Practice while also owning her own energy consulting company. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa.