NEWS RELEASE
PLATTE RIVER
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During its board meeting on Thursday, the Platte River Power Authority Board of Directors elected Reuben Bergsten, director of utilities for the Town of Estes Park, to be the organization’s next board chair. The board also selected Julie Pignataro, councilmember for the City of Fort Collins, to become vice chair. Their appointments took effect immediately following yesterday’s board meeting.
“Reuben has been a committed board member for more than a decade and we have benefitted from his extensive utility experience,” said Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO of Platte River. “Julie Pignataro’s engagement on the board over the past year demonstrates her commitment to regional collaboration and I look forward to working with them both in their new leadership roles.”
Bergsten and Pignataro were selected by fellow Platte River board members and replace Board Chair Dave Hornbacher, executive director of electric services for the City of Longmont, and Vice Chair Wendy Koenig, mayor of Estes Park.
“I want to thank Dave and Wendy for their board leadership during the last year,” Frisbie added.
The appointments followed a discussion about the future of Platte River and the owner communities as they work toward achieving the Resource Diversification Policy, which calls for a 100% noncarbon energy mix by 2030. The board agreed that to be successful, more engagement with each other and with leadership in each community is required.
“Platte River is not a separate entity, it’s an organization formed by the owner communities to provide power,” said Frisbie during the conversation. “The industry is changing and it’s going to require a lot of thoughtfulness and cooperation to achieve our goals.”
“I am honored to have been selected to chair the Platte River Board of Directors and want to thank Dave for his leadership over the past year,” said Bergsten. “I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished since passing the Resource Diversification Policy, but I recognize the need for enhanced collaboration with each other and with the public as we move forward to achieve this ambitious goal.”
Bergsten joined Estes Park Power and Communications in 2009 and has more than 30 years of experience in the utility industry. He became a member of Platte River’s Board of Directors in 2012 and served as vice chair in 2016 and 2017. Upon graduating from Northern Arizona University, Bergsten began his career with Bechtel, an international engineering company, at a nuclear power plant. He worked in the oil and gas industry and at other power plants before relocating to Estes Park to serve in the town’s utilities department.
Pignataro was elected to the Fort Collins City Council in 2019 and began serving on Platte River’s Board in May of 2021. She’s also a board member for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Alliance and currently works as a senior manager for CVP (Customer Value Partners), a management consulting company. Pignataro has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Colorado State University, a Master of Science degree in library and information science from Drexel University, and is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Colorado State University.
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