NW Natural Holdings Elects New Board Chair

Malia H. Wasson is the first woman to chair the company’s board of directors

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NW Natural Holding Company’s (NYSE: NWN) board of directors has elected its new board chair, Malia H. Wasson, effective as of August 9, 2021.

For the past seven years, Wasson has served as a member of the board, most recently as chairperson of the audit committee.

“It’s an exciting moment in our 162-year history to welcome Malia as our board chair,” said David H. Anderson, president and chief executive officer of NW Natural. “Malia brings tremendous experience and insight to the table and we’re very fortunate to have her leadership.”

In addition to her role on the board, Wasson is chief executive officer of Sand Creek Advisors LLC, which provides business consulting to chief executive officers of public and private companies. And prior to that, she was an executive vice president of commercial banking at U.S. Bank, N.A., and served as president of U.S. Bank’s Oregon and Southwest Washington operations from 2005 to 2015.

Wasson also currently serves on the board of directors of Columbia Sportswear Company where she chairs the audit committee, is a director and past chair of the Oregon Business Council and serves as a senior fellow at American Leadership Forum. Her management and leadership roles, as well as her strong community presence help advise the board on a wide range of strategic matters – from financial and regulated industry to public policy and change management.

“It’s clear to me that NW Natural has an important role in our region, and I’m proud and committed to furthering the hard work that’s underway,” said Wasson.

Wasson formerly served on the boards of Oregon Health & Science University Foundation, Inc., OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, Portland Business Alliance, Greater Portland Inc., Portland Mall Management, Inc., SOLVE Founders’ Circle and the American Red Cross-Oregon Trail Chapter and was past chair of the Oregon Business Plan. She holds a bachelor of science and commerce degree in finance from Santa Clara University.

Wasson was also elected as chair to the board of directors of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, starting August 9, 2021.

ABOUT NW NATURAL HOLDINGS

Northwest Natural Holding Company, (NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and through its subsidiaries has been doing business for over 160 years in the Pacific Northwest. It owns NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), NW Natural Water Company (NW Natural Water), and other business interests.

NW Natural is a local distribution company that currently provides natural gas service to approximately 2.5 million people in more than 140 communities through more than 770,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington, with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores. NW Natural owns and operates 20 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity in Oregon.

NW Natural Water provides water distribution and wastewater services to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and Texas. NW Natural Water currently serves approximately 63,000 people through about 26,000 connections. Learn more about our water business at nwnaturalwater.com.

Additional information is available at nwnaturalholdings.com.