Tribal member honored by Bonneville Power Administration

PORTLAND -- The Bonneville Power Administration presented Grand Ronde Tribal member Bryan Mercier with one of its highest honors as part of the agency’s Administrator’s Excellence Awards program.

Mercier, who lives in Portland, manages Bonneville Power’s Environmental Fish and Wildlife business operations and is part of the American Indian/Alaska Native Council. The Native Council’s team members received the Administrator’s Extraordinary Team Accomplishment award for its “Let’s Talk Culture” series.

The annual Excellence Awards Program honors employees and members of the public whose innovation, initiative, superior service and courageous acts have made exceptional contributions to Bonneville Power’s mission, the electric utility industry or the local community.

Bonneville Power Administrator Elliot Mainzer presented the awards in March at the Portland headquarters.

“These individuals represent excellence in everything they do,” Mainzer said. “No matter their corner of the organization or their specific job, they all do their work in the context of a bigger picture and for the greater cause, and they’ve made a difference through their tremendous contributions to BPA’s public service mission.”

During the “Let’s Talk Culture” series, Native Council team members who are all Native American shared their personal experiences and invited dialogue to improve understanding and break down stereotypes. The creative, engaging sessions made a positive and profound effect on fellow employees and enhanced Bonneville Power’s intercultural competence.

Mercier is a 1992 graduate of North Salem High School and a 1997 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Business. He worked for 10 years for the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department.

Award 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.”