Meet Our Staff

Burbank Water and Power (BWP) is a community-owned utility that serves the businesses and residents of Burbank with water and power. Burbank has some of the highest reliability and lowest utility rates in Southern California.

Dawn Roth Lindell, General Manager

Ms. Dawn Roth Lindell has had the privilege of leading outstanding people to success for over 30 years. She has 20 years of utility experience in water, wastewater, gas and electric distribution as well as high voltage transmission. She led two federal multi-state regional transmission utilities, served as a transformational Chief Information Officer in both municipal and federal utilities, and led customer service in a large municipal utility to top-quartile JD Powers customer service performance. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Business Administration (technology-focused) from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

Email Dawn at [email protected].

Joseph Lillio, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Joseph Lillio has a long history of achieving financial performance goals through effective strategic leadership and long-term financial planning. He has modernized several processes increasing effectiveness as part of his prudent financial management. He is a collaborative leader with a passion for positivity. He is the right leader to help BWP navigate the rough seas of our adaptive challenge: finding a path to full environmental sustainability while remaining reliable and affordable across all of our services. Joe came to us from El Segundo where he had served as the CFO for seven years. Prior to that, he served the city of Oxnard in the same role and has over 20 years of experience in municipal finance. In his free time, Joe enjoys spending time with his wife of twenty-seven years and four children, engaging in various outdoor activities, visiting national parks, going on cruises, and spending quality time with family and friends on weekends. He also enjoys attending his kids' club and high school soccer games.

Email Joe at [email protected].

Riad Sleiman, Assistant General Manager/Electric Services

Mr. Riad Sleiman, P.E., PMP holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Loyola Marymount University and a Masters of Business Administration from Woodbury University. Riad joined Burbank Water and Power in 2005 as an Electrical Engineering Assistant working on street lighting, major development reviews, project management, system planning, development agreements and contract negotiations, AMI deployment, and advanced grid analytics. Riad has worked on utility-scale battery storage, electric vehicle infrastructure planning, and deployment, implementing small cell policy and agreements, and introducing analytics and applications through the GIS and records group while at Silicon Valley Power. Riad rejoined BWP in 2021 as the Assistant General Manager of Electric Services, he is a licensed Electrical Engineer in the State of California and is a certified Project Management Professional.

Email Riad at [email protected].

Richard H. Wilson, Assistant General Manager/Water

Mr. Richard H. Wilson, P.E., holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has over 30 years of design and construction experience in several industries including shipbuilding, oil, mining and public utilities, including the East Bay Municipal Utility District and the City of Vallejo. He holds licenses in both Civil and Mechanical engineering in the State of California. Mr. Wilson joined Burbank Water and Power on November 26, 2018.

Email Richard at [email protected].

Sean Aquino, Assistant General Manager/Customer Service Operations

Mr. Sean Aquino holds a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University. He has been in the municipal government field and the utility industry since 2000. Sean began his career in BWP’s Water Division in 2000, before moving to the Customer Service Division in 2003, managing call center, collections, billing, and field service sections. From 2016 to 2022, Sean served as BWP’s Administrative Officer leading BWP’s human resources, environmental, health, and safety initiatives including recruitment, training, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Email Sean at [email protected].

Jeannine Edwards, Assistant General Manager/Sustainability, Marketing, and Strategy

Ms. Jeannine Edwards is focused on leveraging Burbank Water and Power’s (BWP) innovation and agility to pave the way for a sustainable future for our community. At BWP she oversees the sustainability programs and their successful adoption. Jeannine has over 20 years of experience driving organizational transformation with 15 of those in the utility industry. She has worked at investor and community-owned utilities, leading initiatives to drive renewable integration, optimize conservation programs and improve customer engagement. Ms. Edwards holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson, a Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley, and a green belt in Lean Six Sigma. Prior to working in utilities, Ms. Edwards worked in public education as a teacher, program manager, and consultant. She lives in Burbank with her husband, two children, and dog, Donut.

Email Jeannine at [email protected].

Mandip Samra, Assistant General Manager/Power Supply

Ms. Mandip Samra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UCLA, a Master's in Public Administration from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a Master's in Urban Planning from USC. Mandip joined Burbank Water in Power in March of 2021. She started her career as a Graduate Management Intern, in the Customer Relations Division of Pasadena Water and Power in 2004. She has worked in various Management positions at Anaheim Public Utilities, Southern California Edison, and Pasadena Water and Power. Her experience is in Power Supply, with a focus on regulatory compliance, managing the Integrated Resources Plan, negotiating power resource contracts, representing the utility on various resource and transmission committees, and leading stakeholder engagement efforts as it related to Power Supply.

Email Mandip at [email protected].

Drew Johnstone, Sustainability Officer

Mr. Drew Johnstone has worked for 14 years with cities, businesses, schools, and residents to advance sustainability practices. Drew has experience balancing innovation and leadership with practicality and bringing multiple voices to the table to implement cutting-edge sustainability programs that succeed. Drew comes to BWP from the City of Santa Monica, where he was a Senior Sustainability Analyst, leading the City’s green building and energy policies and programs. He was responsible for implementing zero-emission building policies, electric vehicle programs, community engagement activities, and greenhouse gas inventories. His professional career started at EcoMotion, a sustainability consulting firm where he performed utility rate analysis, solar feasibility studies, and climate action planning. Drew received his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Studies from Pitzer College.

Email Drew at [email protected].

James Compton, Assistant General Manager/Chief Technology Officer

Mr. James Compton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has been in the Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Communications and Computer field for over 35 years having held significant positions within the Media and Entertainment industries. Mr. Compton’s previous experience included VP of Engineering and CTO of a major media and distribution company in Burbank for over 18 years. Mr. Compton joined Burbank Water and Power on June 1, 2010.

Email James at [email protected].

Contact Burbank Water and Power

Have a question or need some help? Visit our contact page to see a list of ways you can connect with BWP.