OPPD Recommends Troy Via as Interim CEO
Omaha businesses served by the utility should watch for continuity as its operations chief is proposed to lead from January 1.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in People
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The Governance Committee of the Omaha Public Power District board has recommended that Chief Operating Officer Troy Via serve as interim president and CEO, following the announcement that President and CEO Javier Fernandez will leave the utility at year's end. The full board votes November 19, and the appointment would begin January 1 for businesses and customers across OPPD's service area.
Why it matters
The recommendation follows Fernandez's planned departure at the end of the year, leaving the utility to fill its top executive role on an interim basis while it searches for a permanent leader. For businesses that depend on OPPD for electricity, a steady operating team through the transition matters for planning and rate and service continuity.
The board's committee recommendation covers a single executive appointment, with the interim role proposed to start January 1 and the full board vote set for November 19. Via, who joined OPPD in 2013, has served as chief operating officer and vice president of utility operations.
The players
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)
A public power utility serving the Omaha area, providing electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial customers under a publicly governed board.
Troy Via
OPPD's chief operating officer and vice president of utility operations, who joined the utility in 2013 as director of energy marketing and trading.
Javier Fernandez
OPPD's president and chief executive officer, who announced he will leave the utility at the end of the year.
The details
The OPPD Governance Committee, which oversees board-level governance matters for the public power utility, made the recommendation after Fernandez announced his departure. Via currently oversees utility operations as chief operating officer, and the proposed interim role would move him into the top executive position while the board conducts a search for a permanent president and CEO. The recommendation goes first to the committee's all-committee meeting on November 17 before the full board decides.
Timeline
November 17: Committee presents its recommendation at the all-committee meeting.
November 19: The full board votes on the interim appointment at its regular meeting.
January 1: The proposed interim appointment would take effect.
Market Landscape
Public power utilities like OPPD are governed by boards that set executive succession rather than shareholders, so leadership transitions run through committee recommendations and scheduled votes. Choosing an internal operations executive as interim leader is a common way to keep utility operations steady during a CEO search.
Businesses that buy electricity from OPPD should watch for continuity in utility operations and service during the leadership transition. Operators with questions about rates or contract terms should raise them with the utility directly or with qualified advisers.
The takeaway
Track the November 19 board vote, since an approved interim appointment would set OPPD's operating leadership from January 1. Businesses with OPPD service agreements should confirm continuity of their account contacts during the changeover.
What happens next
The full OPPD board votes on the interim appointment at its November 19 regular meeting, and the appointment would take effect January 1 if approved.
Further reading
For more on executive moves at local firms, see the People section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Omaha World-Herald.
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