Leadership
The CEO/General Manager is directly responsible to the Board of Commissioners. He is supported by the Executive Leadership Team and about 1,000 full- and part-time employees who help carry out Commission policies and conduct PUD business.
John Haarlow
The Board of Commissioners appointed John Haarlow to serve as CEO/General Manager beginning October 8, 2018. He joined the PUD in February 2017 as Assistant General Manager of Distribution & Engineering Services, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in the electric utility industry. In that role, he was responsible for construction, engineering, operations and maintenance of the utility’s transmission, substation and distribution assets. He also oversaw fleet, real estate and environmental functions.
Before joining the PUD, John worked for the Public Service Company of New Mexico, serving as both Director of Safety and Transmission and Distribution Engineering and Operations. He began his career at the Central Illinois Light Company where he was an IBEW journeyman for 10 years. Haarlow also worked as Vice President of Power Delivery for the Indianapolis Power and Light Company. He attended University of Illinois and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting.
Melissa Collins
Melissa Collins
Melissa has worked for the PUD since 2012. She manages and leads various executive programs and activities supporting the Board of Commissioners and the CEO/General Manager, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, PUD Directives, and Board Governance Policies. Melissa serves as a liaison for the Board of Commissioners with the CEO/General Manager, Executive Leadership Team, and other PUD staff and is the Project Manager for the utility’s DEI Initiative. Various duties include identifying and monitoring critical issues, coordinating executive activities, and making recommendations to the CEO/General Manager and Executive Leadership Team.
Melissa reports to the CEO/GM and oversees the day-to-day operations of the CEO/General Manager and Commission offices. Her team is responsible for the oversight and conduct of Commission meetings, agenda planning, packet materials, resolutions, and minutes; compliance with RCW and PUD policies; maintenance of Governance policies and official CEO/GM and Commission records; budget planning and development; department automation; records management; records disposition and retention schedules; public records disclosure; customer inquiries and issues; research; planning and development; staff training and education; and administration of the CEO/GM and Commission websites.
Melissa is a member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) and the Washington Municipal Clerks Association (WMCA). Melissa was appointed to the WMCA Executive Board in March 2017 for a three-year term. Melissa earned her Certified Municipal Clerks Certification from IIMC in June 2010 and completed her Master Municipal Clerk Certification in May 2016.
John Hoffman
John Hoffman
John joined the PUD in March 2024, bringing 18 years of experience as a senior customer service leader to the utility.
Prior to joining the PUD, John was Director of Inside Sales at Renewal by Anderson, where he managed the people, processes, and culture to deliver exceptional service. Before this, he was Customer Service Operations Manager for 12 years at Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU), working to ensure effective operations, accurate billing, and high-quality customer experiences through a variety of channels. At TPU, John also led a Business Solutions Team to establish relationships within the community.
John has a Master of Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science from the American College of Computer & Information Science in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lisa Hunnewell
Lisa Hunnewell
Lisa has worked at the PUD since 2007. She and her team are responsible for customer and employee communications, business readiness, marketing, graphic design, social media, video production, website, mail and printing services, media relations, public relations and education outreach. Lisa has a heart for the customer and believes that to serve the customer best, employees need to be cared for and empowered to take action. Prior to joining the utility, Lisa worked for the Washington PUD Association as their Meetings and Member Services Director. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian with a minor in East Asian Studies from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Kim Johnston
Kim Johnston
Native Washingtonian Kim Johnston joined the PUD in June 2019 as the director of government and external affairs.
Kim has been at the nexus of federal policy and politics for nearly 15 years. She brings an expertise in legislative, advocacy, communications and campaign management.
Most recently, Kim served as chief of staff for Representative Rick Larsen, who represents Snohomish and Island County. In this role, she was the top political and policy advisor to the congressman, who serves as the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee. She has over a decade of experience developing and implementing legislative strategies and communication plans in Congress.
Throughout her career, Kim has focused on serving the people of northwest Washington to ensure continued economic growth and prosperity.
Kim graduated from Western Washington University. She returns to her roots in Washington state with her husband Andrew Lisi.
Scott Jones
Scott Jones
Scott came to the utility as Chief Financial Officer in January 2020, leading the organization’s accounting and finance functions. He spent several years in public power working for the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power), serving as its Chief Administrative Officer. Most recently, Scott was the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), responsible for various functions including finance, information technology, human resources, and stakeholder relations.
His early professional career included roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and a natural gas company before moving into the electric utility industry. After living most of his life in the southeastern part of the country, Scott is excited to move to the Pacific Northwest where he has visited many times. Scott attended the University of Tennessee where he earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Accountancy degrees.
Sara Kurtz
Sara Kurtz
Sara has worked for the PUD since 2005. Prior to joining the utility, she spent ten years working in various HR roles in the private sector. During her tenure at the PUD, Sara has worked in the areas of Recruiting, Compensation, Employee Relations, Deferred Compensation, and other related HR functions. In 2021 Sara was promoted to a manager on the HR team, supervising the Compensation and Recruiting departments. In her current role as Interim HR Director, Sara is responsible for overseeing all aspects of human resources management at the PUD. Sara has a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Chapman University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Washington.
Guy Payne
Guy Payne
Guy joined the PUD in March 2019 as Assistant General Manager of Distribution & Engineering Services. He holds an AB Degree from New Mexico State University and has 25 years of safety, operational, and leadership experience in the electrical utility industry. Most recently he served as Area Manager of Southern New Mexico Operations for Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), overseeing operational and engineering employees in four service centers that distributed power to six separate towns across southern NM.
As Assistant General Manager of Distribution & Engineering Services, Guy oversees more than 500 employees at the PUD’s Operations Center and five local offices in Lynnwood, Snohomish, Monroe, Arlington and Stanwood. Guy is passionate about safety and leadership, and his main job duties include safety of PUD workers and the community, improving the PUD reliability, and managing capital, operations, and maintenance projects.
Kristi Sterling
Kristi Sterling
Kristi joined the PUD in December 2008 and has performed several leadership positions within the ITS Division. As a Senior Project Manager, she led several strategic technology projects. As an Applications Manager, she led a technical team supporting of operations systems.
Kristi became a Senior Manager of the ITS Program Management Office in 2019. In 2021, she became the Senior Manager of ITS Applications, Data & Analytics, and Architecture.
Kristi holds a BA Degree from the University of Colorado and an MBA of Information Technology Management from WGU. Kristi has 20 years of experience in the utility industry beginning at Colorado Springs Utilities as a Customer Service Representative, application analyst, and Lead ITS Analyst. She held management roles at Nordstrom and America West Airlines in her early career. Outside work, Kristi enjoys travel and spending time with family and friends pursuing outdoor activities.
Colin Willenbrock
Colin Willenbrock
Colin joined the PUD as General Counsel in March 2023. Prior to joining the PUD, he spent nearly 10 years leading Pend Oreille Public Utility District in a variety of roles including General Manager, Assistant General Manager—Power Production, and General Counsel. During his tenure, he was responsible for energy contracts, FERC hydro licensing, capital construction, municipal bond refinancing, reliability compliance, government affairs, labor relations, and strategic planning.
Colin began his career as senior judicial law clerk for the Honorable Dennis J. Sweeney at the Washington State Court of Appeals and then practiced commercial litigation at Winston & Cashatt, Lawyers in Spokane, Washington. He earned his Juris Doctor with honors from Gonzaga University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Redlands. He holds leadership certificates from Willamette University and the American Public Power Association.
Brant Wood
Brant Wood
Brant started at the PUD in January 1992 as an Associate Engineer in the Water Utility. Prior to that, he worked several summers and breaks as a Summer Engineering Student for the PUD while still in college. He has designed, permitted, and managed the construction of numerous water main replacement and extension projects, water reservoirs, pump stations, the Water SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, and most recently the PUD’s newest water treatment plant in Lake Stevens. Brant has led the Water Engineering group since 2000 and added the management of the Water Operations and Maintenance group in 2004. In 2014, Brant was asked to take on the overall management of the Water Utility for the PUD.
Brant holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. He is a licensed professional Civil Engineer and holds certification as a Water Distribution Manager 4, Cross Connection Control Specialist, and Water Treatment Plant Operator in the State of Washington. He is currently the chair of the North Snohomish County Water Utility Coordinating Committee and past chair of the Snohomish Health District’s Public Health Advisory Council.
Jason Zyskowski
Jason Zyskowski
Jason started at the PUD in 2004 as an Electrical Engineer in the Distribution and Engineering Services Division. He worked on several renewable generation projects, substation upgrades, numerous automation projects, and was the Project Manager for the PUD’s first Energy Storage System.
Jason became of the Manager of Substation Engineering in 2013 and the Senior Manager of Planning, Engineering and Technical Services in 2017. In 2019, he also became Senior Manager over Transmission and Distribution System Operations.
In March 2020, Jason was selected as the AGM of Facilities, Generation, Power, Rates and Transmission Management. In this role, he is responsible for the PUD’s office facilities, generation (including the Jackson Hydro Project), setting the PUD’s electric rates and purchasing power and transmission service to provide the utility with the resources it needs to keep the lights on.
Jason has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Washington and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Washington. Outside of work, Jason enjoys spending time with his family and the outdoors.