PORTLAND, Ore. – The Bonneville Power Administration presented Tigard, Ore., resident Michael Hansen, a Hoquiam High School graduate, with its highest honor, the BPA Meritorious Service Award, as part of the agency’s 2017 Administrator’s Excellence Awards Program.

The annual program honors employees and members of the public whose innovation, initiative, superior service or courageous acts have made exceptional contributions to BPA’s mission, the electric utility industry or the local community. BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer presented the awards earlier this month at BPA’s Portland, Oregon, headquarters. “These individuals represent excellence in everything they do,” said Mainzer. “No matter their corner of the organization or their specific job, they all do their work in the context of a bigger picture and greater cause, and they’ve made a difference through their tremendous contributions to BPA’s public-service mission.”

Hansen, who is the media relations and policy communication manager with BPA’s Communication team, received the Administrator’s Meritorious Service Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to BPA’s mission through excellence in their chosen field for 10 years or more. Hansen’s career at BPA stretches over three decades. He has become well-known as a steadfast messenger on behalf of Bonneville’s mission and reputation.

Early in his career, he helped design and put into practice innovative strategies and methods of outreach that enabled BPA to work much more effectively with the public and constituencies on an array of critical issues. His public involvement experience led to a role as senior media spokesman, where he has served as the voice of BPA on many complex issues over the years. Hansen is a 1974 graduate of Hoquiam High School. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Portland State University in 1980. He is married to Mary Penttila Hansen from Aberdeen. They have two daughters and one grandson. AEA recipients were nominated by their peers and were evaluated on numerous criteria such as excellence in their chosen field, technical achievement, community outreach and service as an “unsung hero.”