Seattle's own Paul Dockery has been the Senior Manager of Energy Resource Strategy & Planning at Seattle City Light since December 2022, with his hands firmly on the city's energy future. As reported by Powerlines Seattle, Dockery is in charge of leading teams that secure long-term energy contracts, keeping the lights on for Seattle residents both now and far down the line. Hailing from Edgerton, Ohio, Dockery brings his Midwest work ethic to the Pacific Northwest, blending mechanical engineering and philosophy from University of Notre Dame into the city's power management squad.
When weekend rolls around, Dockery can be found in his own "shire," tending to a Hobbit hole he crafted with his family—a project inspired by 'The Lord of the Rings' and lacking any formal blueprint. According to an interview with Powerlines Seattle, his pastoral pursuits are rooted in a childhood spent on a farm in Ohio, where a love for animals and wide-open spaces took hold. While nurturing his family's Hobbit-style abode, Dockery also leads a podcast titled "Public Power Underground," where hot energy topics get cooler every discussion with experts and insiders.
Dockery's love for sports shines during football season, rooting for his alma mater, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Yet his memories are most fondly cast back to his youth on a farm where he raised animals from a tender age, a fact that made him appreciate something as simple as the smell of pigs—a scent that brings nostalgia, not repulsion. This sentiment was captured in a statement obtained by Powerlines Seattle as he recounts his younger days with a mix of fondness and appreciation.
At home, Dockery's heart lies with tradition and the quieter moments. Evening times see him and his kids strewn across the floor or cloistered on a bed, immersed in books—a practice more than a tradition, held dear before time and tide usher in the rush of life outside the simplicity of shared stories. Dockery's love for his wife, a full-time caregiver and his claimed "best friend," and their shared parenting of three "dorky and nerdy" kids reflects a wholesome family dynamic central to his life narrative. "I appreciate the moments when I get to enjoy being enough for them by just being myself," he told Powerlines Seattle.
