Our Team

Our Mission

All of our team members pledge to uphold the public trust by providing:
Affordable, reliable water and electric service;
The most responsive customer service;
And active community support.

Our tradition of community responsibility has deep roots: Clark Public Utilities was formed by a vote of the people in 1938, and remains customer-owned. To keep resources accessible for our community, we focus on efficiency in everything we do. And we’re proud to make sure the critical resources of electricity and water are reliable for all the people we serve.

Board of Commissioners

Clark Public Utilities is governed by an elected board of three commissioners. The commission sets utility policy, approves annual budgets, establishes rates, approves major purchases and investments, and selects a general manager to oversee the utility operations and staff. Commissioner District Map

Nancy Barnes

Commissioner Barnes was first elected in 1992 by District 2 in the East County area. She was re-elected in 1998, 2004, 2010, 2016 and 2022. Her current term expires in 2028.

Barnes earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in English and journalism. She has been involved in numerous community activities, including her neighborhood association and local school district.

Barnes is a past president of the Washington Public Utility Districts Association and currently serves as our representative to the Northwest Public Power Association as well as on the boards of the Columbia River Economic Development Council and Columbia Springs.

Jim Malinowski

First elected in 2012, Commissioner Malinowski represents District 1 in the North County area. He is currently serving his second term, which expires in 2024.

Malinowski holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Washington State University, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in management from Stanford University. He spent 31 years working at Pacific Gas & Electric in roles including manager of transmission planning and manager of power control. He served for eight years as the power utilities technology instructor for Clark College.

Currently, Malinowski participates in the Washington Public Utility Districts Association and is the utility’s delegate to Energy Northwest.

Jane Van Dyke

Commissioner Van Dyke was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. Her current term expires in 2026. Van Dyke and represents District 3, which includes much of the City of Vancouver west of Interstate 205. She previously served as a Clark Public Utilities commissioner from 1984-2002.

Van Dyke holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a law degree from the Lewis and Clark School of Law. She has also attended the Evans School of Public Affairs Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute. With 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, she has worked with the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers and Bar Association, Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council.

Van Dyke currently serves as the president of the Washington Public Utility District Association and represents the utility as the American Public Power Association representative.

CEO/General Manager

Lena Wittler

Lena Wittler is a 20-year veteran of the utility industry, having served in a variety of finance, human resources, and communications roles, most recently as the Director of Communications and Employee Resources, overseeing all communications, public affairs, utility-wide research and analytics, human resources and loss control. She was named CEO and General Manager in June of 2019.

She holds a B.A. from Willamette University and an M.B.A. from the University of Portland and prior to her work with the utility she worked in education and judicial support.