Executive Leadership Board:
Bill Gaines

Retired, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tacoma Public Utilities.

Since 2017 Bill Gaines has served as President and Managing Member of Sound Energy LLC, providing consulting and advisory support in the energy and utilities fields.  Through his consulting firm, he is serving as Executive Director of the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers (AWEC), a Pacific Northwest regional group of industrial power and natural gas users.

He served as Director and Chief Executive Officer at Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) from 2007 through 2017. In this role, he provided leadership and strategic direction to the Power, Water, Rail and Broadband utilities serving Tacoma, Washington and surrounding areas.  

From 2004 through 2006, he served as an executive officer at Seattle City Light, and directed the utility’s power generation, power management, energy conservation and environmental affairs groups.

Previously, he was employed with Puget Sound Energy, Inc., Washington State’s largest investor owned electric and natural gas utility, including seven years as an executive officer of the Company.  From 2003 through 2004, Mr. Gaines served as PSE’s Vice President Engineering and Contracting.  From 1997 through 2003, He served as PSE’s Vice President Power and Gas Supply. 

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with emphasis in Power Systems (Washington State University), and a Master of Business Administration degree with emphasis in Finance (University of Puget Sound).  He also attended the Executive Program in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

He is a former Vice Chairman of the Board of the American Public Power Association (APPA), and a member of its Executive Committee.   He also served a two year term as Chairman of the Large Public Power Council (LPPC), representing the nation’s twenty five largest public power utilities in Federal legislative and regulatory matters. He is a Board member Emeritus of the Pierce County Economic Development Board, and President of the Board of the Historic Grant School.