Kathryn Williams Appointed to Take Over for Imeson in Early April
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NW Natural Holdings (NYSE:NWN) and Northwest Natural Gas Company’s boards of directors have acknowledged Tom Imeson’s intent to retire on April 1, 2019, and appointed Kathryn Williams to take his place as NW Natural’s vice president of Public Affairs.
Imeson has been at NW Natural since March of 2014 overseeing government affairs, environmental policy and community relations. Before coming to NW Natural, he was director of Public Affairs at the Port of Portland, vice president of Public Affairs at PacifiCorp, chief of staff to two Oregon governors, and a longtime aide to U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield. He was recently awarded Willamette University’s Glenn L. Jackson Leadership Award.
Imeson is currently chair of the Oregon Board of Forestry and member of the Portland State University board of trustees. He has also served as a chair or member of The Nature Conservancy in Oregon, Oregon State Board of Higher Education and Special Olympics Oregon. Other board experience includes the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission and Oregon Health and Science University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences from the Johns Hopkins University.
“Tom has had an incredible career and we will greatly miss his tremendous experience in government and community relations,” said David H. Anderson, NW Natural president and CEO. “Tom leaves a legacy of respect from the community for his ability to work toward resolution no matter what the issue or politics.”
Williams joined NW Natural in April from the Port of Portland where she worked since 2007, most recently as State Affairs Manager. Prior, she was an associate at a regional public affairs consulting firm and spent more than a decade working on issues for transportation providers, utilities, infrastructure companies and nonprofit organizations. Williams currently serves on the board of Urban Gleaners and is a past board member of the Oregon Transportation Forum, Oregon Public Ports Association and Innovation Partnership/Partners in Diversity.
“Kathryn has quickly jumped into government affairs at NW Natural and contributed her expertise and skills to our team,” added Anderson. “She’s in an excellent position to lead our public affairs efforts on all fronts.”
A native of Oregon, Williams is a graduate of The Colorado College where she received a bachelor’s degree in History and Latin American Studies. She completed an executive education program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government on Economics and the Environment, and is a graduate of the Portland Business Alliance’s Leadership Portland program and the Willamette University Utility Management Program.
ABOUT NW NATURAL HOLDINGS
Northwest Natural Holding Company, (NYSE:NWN) (NW Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and owns a 159-year-old regulated natural gas local distribution company, NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), NW Natural Water Company (NW Water), and other business interests and activities.
NW Natural currently provides natural gas service to approximately two million people in more than 140 communities through 740,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores.
NW Natural is currently constructing a 2.5 Bcf regulated gas storage expansion of its 16 Bcf facility in Oregon to support renewables. NW Natural Holdings’ subsidiaries own and operate 31 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity.
NW Water currently provides water distribution service to approximately 22,000 people through 7,350 connections. To date, NW Water has acquired four water distribution systems with one additional acquisition pending. Upon closing that transaction, cumulatively, NW Water will serve nearly 42,000 people through 16,750 connections in the Pacific Northwest with total investments of approximately $67 million.
Additional information is available at nwnaturalholdings.com.