Employee of the Month > June 2023

There are millions of reasons why this month’s Team PUD Employee of the Month deserves recognition, and that’s if you are only counting the money her hard work has saved the PUD and its customers. Please join us in congratulating June’s Employee of the Month: Marie Morrison, Principal Utility Analyst.

Marie began her career with the PUD on Jan. 9, 2012, as a Utility Analyst in Power Supply. On Aug. 1, 2018, she was promoted to Senior Utility Analyst, and in 2021 earned the title of Principal Utility Analyst, the job she continues to hold today.

Marie is responsible for contract management and implementation of the utility’s renewable energy and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) power contracts, renewable energy compliance filings, and development of the annual Power Supply budget. She also provides support to the fish and wildlife team by engaging in issues that impact our power supply, and she leads the PUD’s BPA Post-2028 cross-functional team that is making sure the utility is in a good position leading into the next 20-year BPA power contracts.

“The PUD is committed to providing exceptional value to our customers. One way we achieve this is by keeping our costs low. Effectively managing our BPA contracts is crucial to our ability to deliver reliable power at an affordable price. Marie’s work over the years has had significant positive consequences for our customers,” said Jason Zyskowski, AGM Generation, Power, Rates and Transmission Management.

Throughout her career at the PUD, Marie has had many significant accomplishments. Here are just two highlights from her work in 2022:

• Led the District’s effort to settle the 2024-2025 BPA Rate Case, which resulted in a credit of $26.2 million.
• Established the process for the PUD to comply with the Energy Independence Act’s new methodology. This new methodology is challenging, and some peer utilities were not able to take advantage of it. Through Marie’s leadership, the PUD was able to take advantage of the new methodology and benefit from a total savings relative to the status quo of nearly $5 million.

“Marie has developed strong relationships inside and outside the PUD that have generated great results,” said Garrison Marr, Senior Manager Power Supply. “Customers and the utility have benefitted significantly from Marie’s leadership skills, positive attitude and attention to detail.”

In addition to excelling at her regular work, Marie regularly volunteers for roles that help the Power Supply Department plug in to broader initiatives. Marie has served as her department’s DIG lead, Safety representative and intranet redevelopment lead.

“In recent years Marie has earned more leadership opportunities and has consistently hit them out of the park,” said Garrison. “Marie consistently rises to the challenge, takes a team approach to problem-solving and has gotten results. She is an absolute rock star.”

Marie has also led PUD efforts regarding compliance with the Energy Independence Act. As part of this project, she helped craft an alternate compliance strategy utilizing the “No Load Growth” provision of the Act. Recently, she successfully defended this strategy to the State Auditor, saving the PUD millions of dollars in compliance costs.

It’s one thing to be good at your job, but you’ve achieved another level when your work lifts up those around you. According to her team, Marie is always one of the first people to offer help to her co-workers. Her hard-working attitude shines through and she is consistently looking for ways to better understand problems, improve work processes and assist wherever she can.

“Marie always brings a positive attitude with her to work and is always ready with inquisitive questions and a kind word,” said Ian Hunter, Power Analyst. “Her helpful demeanor makes it a pleasure to work with her every day.”

Thankfully, Marie feels as positively about the team as they feel about her.

“Our industry is so dynamic and it’s a great experience for our utility to be right there where the action is, not just as an observer but an influencer,” said Marie. “I like the challenge and the satisfaction that what we do is in service of our community. It is easy to go to work every day because the people I work with are awesome! Lastly, I appreciate working at the PUD because it has made work-life balance possible.”

Please join us in thanking Marie for her incredible contributions and service to the PUD and our customers!