Executive Team

Jeff Droubay
President and Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Droubay, president and CEO, leads WECC in its mission to ensure the reliability and security of the Bulk Power System in the Western Interconnection. With a strategic focus on the greatest risks to the reliability and security of the bulk power system in the West, Jeff drives organizational excellence through a commitment to technological advancement, proactive member engagement, and fostering an empowered and accountable workforce.

Jeff previously served as general counsel and corporate secretary at WECC, where he led crucial strategic, legal, and governance initiatives.

Before WECC, he was the senior vice president for legal and business affairs at Dyno Nobel Americas, where he oversaw legal, compliance, and environmental functions, led a number of strategic initiatives and served as vice chair of the board of governors for the Institute of Makers of Explosives. Jeff’s prior experience includes over a decade as an attorney at Parsons, Behle, and Latimer.

Jeff holds an undergraduate degree in English and a JD from Brigham Young University, where he was senior editor of the BYU Law Review and graduated with honors.

Jillian Lessner

Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Jillian Lessner, vice president and chief financial and administrative officer at WECC, oversees finance and accounting, IT, HR, meetings, administrative services, and the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS).

Jillian’s journey at WECC began as controller from 2008 to 2010, before returning in 2012 as director of finance and accounting. Prior to rejoining WECC, she served as corporate technical accounting manager at Stanley Black and Decker. With over 20 years of experience in accounting and financial management, Jillian has held key positions at Duke Energy Trading and Marketing, and Forrester Research Inc.

Jillian holds a bachelor's in accounting from the University of Vermont and an MBA from the University of Utah.

Additionally, Jillian serves as interim vice president of communications and training.
 

Steven Noess

Vice President, Reliability and Security Oversight

Steven Noess, vice president of reliability and security oversight at WECC, joined the organization in April 2022. Steve leads the implementation of WECC’s risk-informed Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program (CMEP) and manages the oversight department’s diverse teams, including entity monitoring, oversight planning and registration, and enforcement and mitigation.

As a member of WECC’s executive team, Steve drives strategy, collaboration, transformation, and engagement across the organization. Before WECC, Steve was director of regulatory programs at NERC, where he led the alignment and oversight of CMEP activities.

Steve’s career includes serving as an attorney for the Minnesota Legislature and as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Army. He holds a bachelor's in international politics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School.
 

Branden Sudduth

Vice President of Reliability Planning and Performance Analysis

Branden Sudduth, vice president of reliability planning and performance analysis at WECC, leads the organization’s technical and analytical functions, overseeing reliability modeling and assessments, standards development, performance analysis, event analysis, and situation awareness.

As director of reliability risk management, Branden led the strategic direction for WECC's performance analysis and event analysis/situation awareness departments. He actively supported industry stakeholders through the Operating and Market Interface committees, ensuring alignment and collaboration. Additionally, with a strong foundation in engineering and management roles within WECC's reliability planning department, Branden brings deep expertise in bulk power system modeling and analysis, driving impactful results for the organization.

Branden holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Brigham Young University, a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho, and an MBA from Weber State University.

Additionally, Branden serves as interim vice president of strategic engagement.