Gulf Coast Power Association Honors Alexandra Williams With The Empowering Young Professionals Award

Austin Texas, September 2, 2021

The Gulf Coast Power Association (GCPA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the selection of Alexandra Williams as the 2021 recipient of the GCPA emPOWERing Young Professionals Award.  This award is presented annually to an individual under the age of 40 who has achieved excellence in the electric power industry, making unique contributions to the success of the electric power market and serving as a role model and leader for others.

Alexandra’s extensive career experience in ERCOT includes contracting over 800 MW of renewable power purchases, managing the two largest demand response books and over 15 GW of power generation.   She joined ExxonMobil (XOM) in 2019, tasked with developing and expanding XOM’s participation in the power markets.  She is responsible for renewable power purchases, trading, growing the demand response portfolio and managing key relationships/accounts in ERCOT, CAISO and MISO.  Alexandra began her career at MP2 Energy on the real-time desk and later moved on to EDF Trading North America.  Alexandra is a NERC certified reliability coordinator and a graduate of the University of Houston with a B.A. in History and a B.S. in Political Science. 

According to Michael Lee, Manager of U.S. Energy Markets for XOM, “Alex turned power from a cost center to a revenue center.  She is a natural born leader.  She is extremely good at motivating people and getting everyone to work towards a common goal.  She is a team player who listens to others and asks for input.  She demonstrates leadership by taking on new roles and responsibilities and mentoring others.”

“Alex’s knowledge of specific ERCOT nodal protocols, regulatory policy and market structure was outstanding and instrumental in navigating a complex regulatory environment (post-Uri) to determine a viable design for one of our new projects, said Supria Ranade, Senior Director at Lightsource BP.  Ranade added, “Alex is truly a leader in this industry and is well deserving of this award!”

Katie Coleman, Partner at O’Melveny & Myers and GCPA Board President, observed, “Alex is wonderful and so deserving of this award.  I had the pleasure of working with her at ExxonMobil and was immediately impressed with her diligence, her determination, and her professionalism.  She has a ‘get it done’ attitude that has propelled her career and promises to make her an industry superstar.”    

About the emPOWERing Young Professionals Award:
The EYP award is given to a GCPA individual or corporate member who is less than 40-years-old at the end of the calendar year and has achieved excellence in the power industry.  The nomination criteria include the following:
•                Career progress
•                Industry involvement
•                Leadership development
•                Innovation
•                Reputation within the community
•                Role model for other young professionals
•                Noteworthy professional and personal achievements
•                Commitment to excellence and proven leadership
•                Expertise, passion, and the ability to inspire others
 
About the Gulf Coast Power Association (GCPA)
GCPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and sustaining a healthy competitive power market. GCPA represents a broad spectrum of segments within the electric power industry and provides a forum for its membership of over 100 corporate and 200 individual members to discuss wide-ranging issues pertaining to the evolving electric market in Texas and the Gulf Coast region. For more information, please visit www.gulfcoastpower.org.