OPPD board committee recommends Troy Via to serve as interim CEO

The Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors' Governance Committee has recommended Troy Via, the utility’s COO and Vice President of Utility Operations, as interim President and CEO, effective January 1, 2027.

Via would temporarily assume the role currently held by President and CEO Javier Fernandez, who announced earlier this week that he will step down at the end of this year to pursue a new opportunity.

The committee’s recommendation came after careful consideration of OPPD’s leadership priorities and executive succession needs. The committee will present its recommendation at the board’s Nov. 17 all-committee meeting, with the full board scheduled to vote on the appointment during its Nov. 19 regular meeting.

"OPPD has a strong leadership team, and the Governance Committee has confidence in Troy's experience, operational knowledge, and ability to provide continuity and stability during this interim period," said Mary Spurgeon, chair of the OPPD Governance Committee.

Pending board approval, Fernandez said he will work closely with Via to ensure a smooth transition.

The board also intends to initiate a search and selection process for a permanent president and CEO. The board is committed to a thoughtful and deliberate process to identify the right long-term leader to guide the utility into the future.

As COO, Via oversees a wide-ranging team that manages the electrical grid, restores power during outages, constructs new infrastructure and operates and maintains OPPD’s generation plants.

Via joined OPPD in September 2013 as director of Energy Marketing and Trading. He served in that role before taking over the vice president of Energy Delivery in 2018. In 2021, his role expanded to include generation teams in the newly created Utility Operations business unit, which includes more than 1,000 employees.

Prior to joining OPPD, Via held a variety of roles in merchant asset and regulated power trading at Dominion Resources in Richmond, Virginia, and Aquila Energy in Kansas City, Missouri. He also worked for the Kansas City Board of Trade commodities exchange in a trade auditing and investigations function. Via has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Missouri with a focus in finance.