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Avista names Rosentrater first female CEO

Current Avista president and COO Heather Rosentrater will retain the role of president and become the first female CEO in Avista’s history.
Avista names Rosentrater first female CEO
Heather Rosentrater has been appointed Avista's CEO by the company’s board of directors effective Jan. 1, 2025. (Courtesy: Avista Corp.)

Avista Corp. Chief Executive Officer Dennis Vermillion has informed the company’s board of directors that he will retire in the first quarter of 2025. Vermillion will transition his duties as CEO to current Avista President and COO Heather Rosentrater, who has been appointed CEO by the company’s board of directors effective Jan. 1, 2025.

She will be the first female to hold the position in Avista’s history. As CEO, Rosentrater will retain the role of president and has also been appointed to the board of directors, effective the first of the year.

“Succession planning is something that we’ve carefully considered and purposely planned for over the years,” said Vermillion. “Heather has demonstrated a strong commitment to our company, employees, communities, and shareholders. I am confident she will successfully lead Avista into the future. At every turn since joining Avista, Heather has positioned our utility to be at the forefront of innovation. She has demonstrated she possesses the values, strength, acumen, and insights to lead Avista during these unique times. I’m excited for Avista’s future under Heather’s leadership as CEO, the first female CEO in our company’s history.”

Avista Corp. refers to itself as “one of the cleanest utilities when it comes to greenhouse gases,” touting low prices compared to other investor-owned utilities. Per the last available data, Avista’s electricity generation mix is nearly 60% comprised of renewable sources, including 48% from hydro. Avista Utilities provides electric service to residents across 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of Oregon — a part of the country ripe for hydropower generation.

Rosentrater has been president and COO since last October. She has spent her entire professional career at Avista, starting in 1996 as a student engineering technician for Avista Labs. This fuel cell subsidiary business was later sold and became ReliOn. In 1999, Rosentrater joined Avista Corp. as an electrical engineer and was quickly promoted to leadership roles that built her expertise across Avista’s electric and natural gas businesses. She managed departments and projects in electric transmission and distribution, system operations, natural gas supply, and business process improvement before being named vice president of energy delivery in 2015. In 2019, Rosentrater was named senior vice president of energy delivery and shared services. In August 2022, her responsibilities expanded to senior vice president and COO.

“My family’s history in the area extends back to the founding of Avista, what was then called Washington Water Power, and the Spokane Falls has been the backdrop of my career,” said Rosentrater. “Having grown up in the area, including attending Gonzaga University, I am extremely honored to help continue Avista’s long-standing legacy of supporting community vitality through energy. It’s an incredible time to be in the energy industry. We have important work ahead of us to achieve our clean energy goals safely, responsibly, and affordably while remaining focused on our financial results. I’m excited to support Avista’s dedicated and skilled employees and to partner with our communities, customers, and other stakeholders to advance that effort. As Avista celebrates its 135th anniversary this year, I’m confident that our trustworthy, collaborative, and innovative values set Avista up for success for the next 135 years.”

Retiring CEO Vermillion is a Spokane native and a Washington State University graduate. He joined Avista in 1985, gaining extensive utility experience through numerous staff and leadership roles, including serving in senior leadership roles for nearly 24 years. In addition to his role as CEO, Vermillion served as president of Avista Corp, senior vice president of Avista Corp and president of Avista Utilities, and vice president of energy resources. From February 2001 until its sale in June 2007, he served as president and chief operating officer of subsidiary Avista Energy.

Dennis Vermillion will retire as Chief Executive Officer of Avista Corp. in Q1 2025 (Courtesy: Avista Corp; Creator: Dean Davis; Copyright: 2020)

“As I approach my retirement, I am filled with pride in the work we have accomplished together,” Vermillion said. “One of the most rewarding achievements has been our successful succession planning efforts, which have ensured a smooth transition and a bright future for the company.”

Vermillion directed the business through an increasingly complicated regulatory climate, new energy policies, and shifting expectations accompanying the ongoing transition to clean energy. He promoted Avista’s ongoing investment to modernize our grid for resiliency and to meet customers’ needs, including the investment in projects to meet increasing demand and mitigate wildfire risk, the company notes.

“There’s a reason I chose to stay with Avista for nearly 40 years. This is a great company with employees who truly care about the communities we serve. It’s been rewarding to have led Avista over the past five years, and I am confident that the company is well-positioned for continued success and growth,” Vermillion said.