City of Pasadena Announces General Manager of Water and Power

City Manager Miguel Márquez has appointed Sidney Jackson as general manager of Pasadena Water and Power (PWP). Jackson will join the City’s executive team in early January 2023. Until then, Jeffrey Kightlinger will continue to serve as PWP’s interim general manager.

Jackson has a long tenure in both the water and power industries. He currently serves as the chief operations officer and deputy general manager at Austin Energy, which serves more than 500,000 electric customers. He previously served as the chief operations officer at Rochester Public Utility, where he led operations of both the electric and water utilities.

“After an extensive nationwide search, I am excited to appoint Sidney Jackson as the next general manager of Pasadena Water and Power,” said Márquez. “Sidney has a proven track record of leadership, technical and organizational skills in the water and power industries that will strategically position Pasadena to meet the challenges ahead. We are thrilled to have Sidney join our team.”

Jackson’s experience includes leadership roles in building and operating regional independent system operator (ISO) markets and transmission organizations across large geographic multistate regions, functioning with similar authority and scope as that of the California ISO (CAISO). He has served as an elected member of the board of directors for the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO), a regional entity of North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC); and on NERC committees in support of the nation’s bulk electric system, with a focus upon power system reliability.

“I am honored to join the City of Pasadena and lead one of its most important departments whose work directly impacts our residents each and every day,” said Jackson.
“We will be committed to excellent customer service, to making sound financial and technical decisions, and to contributing to the greater good of our city and its residents.”

Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Missouri. He prioritizes continuous learning and professional growth and development as core organizational values. Jackson and his family enjoy traveling and outdoor activities.