In this episode, host Dave Whitehead sits down with Wayne Manuel, chief information and security officer at Avista, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the utility industry. From predictive maintenance to customer service enhancements, Wayne shares how Avista is leveraging AI and machine learning to optimize operations across its Pacific Northwest service area.

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Chief Information and Security Officer

As chief information officer and chief security officer at Avista, an investor-owned utility that delivers electricity and natural gas to more than 770,000 customers across the Pacific Northwest, Wayne leads the Enterprise Technology and Security Division, where he is responsible for protecting the company’s physical and digital infrastructure and ensuring strong security practices.

Before joining Avista, he was senior vice president, chief strategy officer and chief information officer at Valley Medical Center in Renton, Washington, the largest nonprofit health care provider between Seattle and Tacoma.

With a career spanning 35 years across multiple industries, Wayne has led numerous digital and process transformation initiatives at the enterprise level. A U.S. Army veteran, he holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in management information systems from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston-Victoria.

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