Melanie Dressel, president and CEO of Tacoma-based Columbia Bank, has been appointed as a director on the boards of Puget Sound Energy and parent Puget Energy.
Dressel joins Bill Ayer, chairman of both boards and chairman, president and CEO of Alaska Air Group; Herb Simon, University of Washington regent and member of Tacoma investment firm Johnson Simon LLC; and Mary McWilliams, executive director of the Puget Sound Health Alliance, as local representatives to the Puget boards.
“Melanie Dressel understands the needs of local businesses and residents, and has great insights into the Puget Sound area economy,” said Ayer in a PSE release Monday. “Her expertise will further strengthen PSE’s ability to serve our local natural gas and electric customers.”
“Consumers and businesses in our area face many challenges today, and I look forward to bringing my experience in solving those challenges to PSE,” Dressel stated.
Dressel, who was recently named by a national banking publication as one of the most influential women working in banking, is a graduate of the University of Washington. Her community involvement includes ArtsFund, the Council for a Greater Tacoma, Washington Roundtable and Washington State Historical Society.
Dressel is also on the board of American Bankers Association and the Washington Bankers Association. She has been involved with the boards of several nonprofit organizations in the area, including MultiCare.
As the state’s oldest public energy utility, PSE serves more than one million electric customers and 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties.
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