dp-PRO Authors
David P. Acosta
Professor, PS President, Construction Survey Technologies (CSTi)
David became President of CSTi in 2014 and has been working in the surveying industry for over 20 years. He received his Bachelor of Science in Surveying Engineering in 2007 and has been a licensed Surveyor in New Mexico since 2012. David has dedicated his career to the advancement & recruitment of professional surveying and currently serves as the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) New Mexico representative and is a part time instructor at New Mexico State University with the Geomatics program. David has been heavily involved with Subsurface Utility Engineering and Subsurface Utility Mapping for the last 8 years and has successfully led his team to completing numerous projects in New Mexico and the southwest. David plays a major role in the strategic planning process within CSTi and helps to ensure that the best processes and practices are being utilized on every project.
Ahmed J. Al-Bayati, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor, Lawrence Technological University
Dr. Ahmed Al-Bayati is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). Before joining LTU, Dr. Al-Bayati was an assistant professor in the Kimmel School of Construction Management at Western Carolina University (WCU). He earned his Ph.D. in Construction Engineering from Western Michigan University in 2017. His dissertation focused on managing workforce diversity at construction sites to improve safety, quality, and teamwork. He also received a master’s degree in construction management from East Carolina University (ECU) in 2013, and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Babylon University in 2003. He actively conducts research in the field of construction safety, specializing in safety climate and safety culture, safety training, safety management, and overall process optimization. Dr. Al-Bayati also conducts research on various topics of civil engineering, such as infrastructure damage prevention process and construction material. He used a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection, data analysis, and data mining methods.
Dr. Al-Bayati research findings have been published in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE’s Journal of Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, and National Safety Council’s Journal of Safety Research. Dr. Al-Bayati actively serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Construction Safety Committee and International Damage Incident Group (IDIP). IDIP aim is to share ideas on how to develop an international exchange standard for underground utilities’ damage prevention and reporting.
919-706-6592
aalbayati@ltu.edu
Jim Anspach, PG(r), Dist.M.ASCE
Utility Engineering Subject Matter Expert
James H. Anspach, PG (r), Dist.M.ASCE has 40+ years of experience in developing the practices of subsurface utility engineering, utility coordination, and utility damage prevention. His career started with corrosion engineering and pipeline integrity management with Heath Consultants, then the development of SUE with So-Deep, Inc., then about 10 years as a sole practitioner working on various utility-related research projects and court cases, before joining Cardno becoming their Global Technical Principal for Utility Engineering and Survey. Cardno became T2 Utility Engineers in 2019. He retired from T2UE in January of 2021. Jim is Chair of ASCE 38, a founding governor and 2018 President of the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute of ASCE, and a member of TRB’s Utility Committee. Jim served as an investigator for all the SHRP utility-related research projects, and the UK’s Mapping, Assessing, and Valuing the Underworld’s projects. Currently Jim serves as Chair of ProStar’s Technical Advisory Board, a consultant for select UE firms, and several research projects for Iowa State University. Jim was a founding member of the NTSB/OPS/USDOT Linking Team, which gradually evolved into the Common Ground Alliance.
Lawrence Arcand, P.Eng, P.E.
President, 4Sight Utility Engineers
Lawrence Arcand, P.Eng, P.E. is a registered professional engineer who has focused the majority of his 20+ year career on Utility Engineering. Lawrence has acted as Utility Lead on several multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in both Canada and the US, and is ready to share that experience with the participants.
Lawrence has been leading Subsurface Utility Engineering services (SUE) investigations on a national level since 2003. In 2020 he went out on this own, is now the President at 4Sight Utility Engineers, a niche Utility Engineering firm servicing clients in the Canadian Market. Lawrence has made presentations regarding creating the 3D models in accordance with ASCE 38 at several industry events, based on his experiences.
Lawrence is very active in the SUE industry, and believes strongly in the value of giving back. He is the current Chair of the Transportation Association of Canada’s – Public Utilities Management Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the CSA S250 – Guide for Mapping Utility Infrastructure, and was a co-founder of the Right of Way Management Committee. Lawrence sits on the board of the SUE Association as well as the board of Governors of the Utility Engineering Survey Institute of ASCE, and the board for the UESI – Utility Risk Management Division.
Lawrence has worked on thousands of SUE investigations, and helped to implement the use of 3D Utility modelling for SUE investigations used of PPP infrastructure projects in Ontario. He implemented methods for ensuring that the 3D models accurately conveyed the ASCE Quality Levels to end users. He is a strong believer in the value of 3D models as a tool for infrastructure projects and believes in the value of showing underground utilities as part of those models.
Samuel T. Ariaratnam, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng., F.ASCE, F.ISTT, FCAE, NAC
Professor, Arizona State University Beavers-Ames Chair of Heavy Construction
Dr. Samuel T. Ariaratnam is a Professor and Beavers-Ames Chair of Heavy Construction at Arizona State University (ASU) with over 25 years of experience in trenchless engineering research and education. Prior to joining ASU in 2001, he was a faculty member in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. He received his B.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo and his M.S. & Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Ariaratnam has published over 300 technical papers and reports and is a co-holder of five patents. He was the 2012 Trenchless Technology Person of the Year, served as Chair of the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) from 2010-2013 and Chair of the ASCE Pipelines Division from 2017-2018. Dr. Ariaratnam is a past recipient of the ASCE John O. Bickel Award, Arthur M. Wellington Prize and the Pipeline Division Award of Excellence. He was elected as a Fellow of ASCE in 2015. He received the prestigious ISTT Gold Medal in 2019 and was recently elected as a Fellow of ISTT. Dr. Ariaratnam is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the U.S. National Academy of Construction. He is a registered professional engineer in Arizona and the Province of Ontario.
Laura Arnold
Member Services Manager; MISS DIG 811
With almost a decade of experience at MISS DIG 811, Laura has a comprehensive understanding of the needs of facility owner/operators in the state. As the former Executive Assistant to the C.E.O., Laura worked with facility owners joining the system, educating on the requirements under state law PA 53 of 1974 and the new PA 174 of 2013. She recognizes the funding, staffing, and technological burden of compliance on a portion of the membership. Which is why, as Member Services Manager, Laura continues to educate facility owner/operators joining the System on damage prevention and works to create practical, innovative solutions to maximize System benefits for each member.
(248) 370-6406
Jim Bailey
Managing Director (Americas); Red Wing Shoe Company
Joining Red Wing Shoe Company in 2016, Jim Bailey is managing director of sales and distribution (Americas). With more than 25 years of experience leading strategic global partnerships with major operators, drilling contractors and major service providers, he is instrumental in deepening sales and distribution channels throughout the Americas.
A proven, global executive, Bailey plays an integral role expanding existing relationships with distribution channels, along with facilitating direct relationships with the oil and gas industry throughout North America, Central America and South America. He also provides leadership and sales strategies with the North American team as Red Wing expands its presence and product offerings in the B2B industrial markets.
Prior to Red Wing, Bailey led Ringers Technologies LLC, a high-end protective glove company primarily servicing drilling companies worldwide. As president, he was instrumental in generating revenue growth of more than 800 percent from 2009 through 2014. Under his direction, Bailey expanded international business relationships from seven countries to more than 60 countries.
Areas of Expertise
- Global distribution capabilities
- Strategic account management
- Oil and gas industry management
Safety / PPE product development
Josh Beach
Public Awareness, CenterPoint Energy
Josh Beach is a marketing-minded public awareness employee at CenterPoint Energy. Since joining the company in 2012, Josh has served in various marketing and communications roles in the corporate communications, safety and public awareness departments. In his current role, Josh creates and oversees the direct marketing efforts to educate excavators about safe digging best practices and decrease damages to CenterPoint Energy’s natural gas and electric infrastructure. In 2020, he was elected as the Vice President of the Distribution Public Awareness Council (DPAC).
In addition to his full-time role at CenterPoint Energy, Josh runs a one-man marketing business helping entrepreneurs and small business owners create and launch their brands, and he publishes a weekly marketing blog. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Southern Indiana and two digital marketing certifications from Google and HubSpot.
Connect with Josh on LinkedIn at: LinkedIn.com/in/beachjosh
Trey Benincosa, Ph.D.
Principal Engineer, Gas Technology Institute, Chicago
Dr. Benincosa has quickly established a career of working with industrial partners to develop and implement new technologies into industry. He is currently assisting in the development and implementation of technologies inclusive of live-gas pipeline 3D mapping, hydrogen energy delivery, smart natural gas safety shut-off devices, and vacuum extraction technologies. Prior to GTI he spent 3 years at the U.S. Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education program. He has a Doctorate degree from West Virginia University and Bachelor’s degree from Miami University; both in Chemical Engineering.
Dr. Devin Bennett
Partner, LPS, Inc. (Loss Prevention System)
Dr. Devin Bennett is a Partner with LPS, Inc. (Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.) and has worked as a safety and loss prevention consultant for the last 22 years.
Devin has assisted Fortune 500 companies to privately-owned businesses in loss prevention implementation and sustainability activities in the petroleum, chemical, steel, manufacturing, transportation, environmental, architecture, and financial services industries in North America, Central America, South America, and Europe. Devin received his Ph.D. in Organizational Systems and Leadership Transformation from Saybrook University, MBA from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, MIM (Master of International Management), specializing in risk management, from Thunderbird Graduate School in Glendale, Arizona, and his BA from Denison University.
During his work, Dr. Bennett has conducted over 500+ presentations in various venues and locations designed to help safety professionals and leaders at all levels achieve world-class performance in all aspects of their businesses (i.e., workplace safety, process safety, reliability, environmental and regulatory compliance, equipment and property damage, financial performance, etc.). Most recently, Dr. Bennett presented at 2019 ExxonMobil Pipeline Safety Leaders Conference on Improving Safety and Loss Prevention through Systems Thinking and Leadership Coaching and at the 2019 TIC Council Safety Conference on the topic of Human Performance: Reducing Ethics Issues and Errors.
Contact Information:
Devin Bennett, PhD
614-946-6649
devinbennett@lpscenter.net
Eric Berkowitz
Project Director, GEO.works International, Inc.
Eric Berkowitz joined GEO.works International and Utility Mapping Services in September 2016 after serving over 25 years in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps).
Following graduation from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Eric joined the NOAA Corps where he focused on hydrographic surveying, GIS systems and project management.
Upon joining the GEO.works team Eric has leveraged his surveying, project management, data management and geospatial skills to support GEO.works’ efforts to develop a more data-centric approach to Subsurface Utility Engineering, 3D utility data collection and data management.
Corey Biddle
Western US Business Development Manager T2 Utility Engineers
Corey Biddle is the Western US Business Development Manager for T2 Utility Engineers. Corey has been in the Utility Engineering and Survey practice for nearly 15 years and has managed projects throughout the western United States and Alaska. Currently he works with DOTs and municipalities throughout the west to provide direction and consultation for implementation of Utility Engineering programs within their agencies. He is actively involved with organizations and committees such as UESI, ACEC, APWA and DBIA, to support the bringing of best practices to the Utility Engineering industry.
Daniel Bigman
Founder, LearnGPR.com
Dr. Daniel Bigman received his PhD from the University of Georgia and is an expert in non-invasive subsurface mapping and 3D imaging. His graduate research focused on the applications of near-surface geophysics to archaeological and historical contexts and has since taught at several universities in Georgia. He has collaborated with scholars on innovative research pertaining to ground penetrating radar and damage prevention and has carried out investigations across the United States on archaeological, forensic, and civil engineering projects. The results of these investigations have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals of international reputation and Dr. Bigman was invited by the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers to lecture in Germany about his research. He is currently an associate editor of FastTIMES, the leading trade magazine in near-surface geophysics, and is on the board of directors of the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society.
Phone Number: 706.424.2884
Email: delbigman86@yahoo.com
Website: http://learngpr.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/learngpr
Twitter: http://twitter.com/learngpr
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/company/learngpr
Instagram: http://instagram.com/learngpr
Susan Bohl
Excecutive Director, Oklahoma One-Call/OKIE 811
Ms. Bohl is the Executive Director for Oklahoma One-Call, also known as OKIE811. OKIE811 is a non-profit corporation established as part of Oklahoma’s Underground Damage Prevention Legislation concerning One-Call and Call Before You Dig. She is a member of the Common Ground Alliance, OKC Pipeliners, OGA and serves as an advisor to OKPERI board.
Susan has served in her role as Executive Director for 7 years, has 15 years of Executive Management experience with a total of 21 years managing programs, people, and processes. Before coming to OKIE811, she worked as Chief Operations Officer for Girl Scouts; Information Technology Director for the State of Oklahoma – Department of Human Services; Risk Information Manager for Fleming Companies; and for First National Bank of Midwest City. She has her Green Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma, is a Certified Public Manager, and has completed the ITIL Certification. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & Computer Science from the University of Central Oklahoma and currently resides in Edmond Oklahoma with her husband and has a 22-year-old daughter who recently graduated from the University of North Texas.
Dennis Bott
Administrator, Damage Prevention; Southwest Gas
Dennis started in the Damage Prevention industry in 2000, working as a utility line locator. Later he was promoted into management and worked his way into the Nevada / California State Director position for ELM until 2015. Dennis moved on to work for the City of Mesa in Arizona, overseeing the city’s locating program. A short year later, in 2016, Dennis was selected by Southwest Gas to fill the first Damage Prevention Administrator position within the company. Dennis joined as a Board Member with the Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance in 2016. In 2020 Dennis accepted the Chair nomination for the NRCGA Board of Directors. Dennis is currently enrolled at Ashford University, working on a major in Business Administration.
702-232-8010
Dennis.bott@swgas.com
Tyler Bristow
GIS Professional, Centerline Mapping
Tyler Bristow is a Certified GIS Professional (GISP) with over 10 years of experience providing GIS training and consulting to government and commercial firms.
John Brix
International Keynote Speaker
Before getting into the oil and gas industry I was a police officer for a major metropolitan city for over 13 years. During that time, I gained training and instructor certification from the FBI and various other institutions around North America. Through direct experience and formal training, I created a very innovative and progressive set of instructional philosophies which increases the efficiency of your safety program, reducing the cost of your safety program through the workable hours it takes to educate your workforce, increase the learning potential of workers and cultivates an emotionally intelligent culture that is productive, innovative and adaptive.
Andrew Brooks
Damage Prevention Program Manager, Dominion Energy
Andrew Brooks is the Damage Prevention Program Manager for Dominion Energy, Electric Distribution in Virginia and North Carolina. Prior to joining Dominion he served as a Damage Investigator for Virginia’s State Corporation Commission. He also served as Damage Investigator and Field Locator for UtiliQuest L.L.C. Andrew has served on the NC811 Board and is a chairman for Virginia’s Local Damage Prevention Committees. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University.
Mark H. Bruce
President, Cross Bore Safety Association
Mark Bruce is the Executive Vice President of Hydromax USA as well as the current President of the Cross Bore Safety Association. Graduating with a BS in Civil Engineering, Mark has 45 years of experience in the construction, manufacturing, and services industries, including design patents and ISO 9001 quality system experience.
Active within the industry and a proponent of continuing education, Mark is also involved as Chairman of the ASTM C-12 Committee, a member of ASTM C-04, D-20, F-17, F-36 Standards Committees, and a member of the ASCE 36 Committee. Mark is the Past Chairman of NASTT – North American Society for Trenchless Technology, Past President of National Clay Pipe Institute, and Past President of the Midwest Society of Trenchless Technology.
Mark has authored articles in numerous publications and is a frequent presenter at conferences in the U. S. and internationally.
Tracey Bryant
Public Awareness Program Manager CenterPoint Energy
Tracey has 20 years’ experience in the utility industry and is the Public Awareness Program Manager with CenterPoint Energy.
Her experience in pipeline safety focuses on regulatory compliance, damage prevention and public awareness. She is actively involved with the Common Ground Alliance and is a co-chair of the API task group to rewrite RP 1162, Pipeline Public Awareness Programs.
tracey.bryant@centerpointenergy.com
317-776-5530
Annie Burns
VP Business Development & Strategic Alliances, UTTO
As a teenager Annie traveled with her family and university professor father to visit his European students and establishments. This instilled a sense of curiosity for human psychology and appreciation of motivated learning factors.
After high-school, she attended London University where she studied Education and Psychology — developing an avid interest in Behavioral Psychology in particular. She went on to teach first & Middle School before moving to Canada, and then the United States, in the late 1980’s. After raising four wonderful children, she attended Columbia University for a Master’s in Clinical Psychology.
In 2008 Annie began working with IPEG, and ultimately UTTO — since its inception — as the company looked to introduce a necessary and long-overdue paradigm shift to an industry with a systemic resistance to change. In her role as VP of Business Development & Strategic Alliances, a big part of her focus has been the motivation, management, and support of the workforce.
At the same time, she was assessing the industry to cultivate positive relationships between field workers and their parent organizations. She soon realized that communication — or the lack of — was a key bottleneck and took on the unenviable task of encouraging all involved parties to embrace UTTO’s industry-changing technology rather than see it as an existential threat to their livelihoods.
Annie passionately believes that a workforce that feels valued and appreciated leads to win-win situations with the whole company and industry ultimately benefiting. She is best described as an adaptable people-person, a strong communicator and considerate motivator whose insightful approach keeps efficiency levels high, and everyone firing on all cylinders.
Sheila Caguiat
Executive Director; Danielle Dawn Smalley Foundation
As the Executive Director at the Danielle Dawn Smalley Foundation, Sheila develops, enhances, manages, and promotes the organizations pipeline safety programs by working with stakeholders, industry, and regulatory agencies. She has personally delivered pipeline safety education to school officials in over 40 states across the nation in partnership with numerous pipeline companies. As a non-profit professional, Sheila has 20 years of experience working with tribal, faith-based, public, and private organizations, many which focus on prevention and safety programming. Sheila holds degrees in human development, sociology, a master’s degree in administrative-community practice social work. She is a member of the Common Ground Alliance, has been published in industry journals and has spoken at pipeline safety conferences across the nation.
Bruce Campbell
Chief Executive Officer; MISS DIG 811
Bruce Campbell has a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Michigan State University.
He has testified before the Senate Energy and Technology Committee and in front of the 21st Century Infrastructure Commission on behalf of MISS DIG 811. Previously, declared an expert witness for excavation, construction and safety and testified on the topics.
He is the MISS DIG 811 representative to the Michigan Damage Prevention Board, One Calls of America, CGA Data Gathering and Evaluation Committee, member of the One Call Systems International Data Committee, member of Common Ground Alliance Stakeholder Advocacy Legislative Awareness Committee, and he is the former Chairman of the Board for Norfield Development Partners, LLC, the software company responsible for Newtin the notification system software used by nine states.
Bruce participates in numerous other professional organizations including: Delta County Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners, Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), Michigan Electric and Gas Association, and the Michigan Township Association.
Formerly a member of the excavation community, where he helped establish the Genesee Area Damage Prevention Association, promoted an excavator seat on the MISS DIG 811 Board of Directors, and was the first excavator elected to the MISS DIG 811 Board.
Craig Campbell
President, G3Tech
I started my work career in my families construction company in the commercial and residential structure in the mid 1980’s. Next in 1993 I went on to spend the next 13 years as a Cathodic Protection Technologist achieving a Level III Certification and running close interval surveys, locating underground utilities for the oil and gas industry across western and central Canada. I founded G3TECH SK LTD in 2007 and was the first to bring Ground Penetrating Radar to the Saskatchewan construction industry. I have an extensive knowledge of utilizing GPR to map concrete structures for tension cables, rebar, voids and conduits. Our surveys have been on buildings, homes, foundations, dams, bridges, burial sites, utilities, UST’s, retention ponds, bedrock, landfills, ice and even to find a time capsule.
I am a Level II Thermographer and have almost 30 years as an Advanced Line Locator and Corporate Trainer.
Michael Carter
Manager of Safety Operations for Generation East, Tennessee Valley Authority
Mike Carter is a safety professional with over 20 years experience in the field of Safety and Health. He currently serves TVA as the Safety Manager for Generation East and oversees a team of five TVA Safety Consultants. Mike’s areas of responsibility include:
- 29 hydro generating plants and one pumped-storage facility
- Two coal-fired plants
- One gas-fired combined cycle plant
- One gas-fired combustion turbine plant
- Generation Services
Mike has a diverse safety background to include work in pulp and paper, metal fabrication, automotive component manufacturing and utilities. He has served TVA since March of 2010.
Mike has attained the following certifications:
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP) Certification, Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- Associate Safety Professional (ASP) Certification, Board of Certified Safety Professionals
Mike is actively involved in promoting the health and safety profession by serving as Administrator for the national American Society of Safety Professionals Utilities Practice Specialty. This group addresses Safety, Health and Environmental issues within electrical, solar and wind generation, natural gas transmission and distribution, water/wastewater, telecommunications, public works and other utility areas.
Mike enjoys spending time with his family and playing banjo in a bluegrass band.
Barbara Cederberg
Chief Opperations Officer, Gopher State One Call
Barb Cederberg is Chief Operations Officer at Gopher State One Call (GSOC). GSOC is the Minnesota state-wide one call notification system for underground facilities. Prior to joining GSOC in 2015, Barb held executive positions at several public and private companies. Barb is committed to safety and is passionate about reducing damages to underground facilities.
Theresa Chavez
Director of Business Development; CartoPac International
Theresa has over 20 years of experience in software development where she has held positions in Research & Development, Professional Services, Quality Assurance, Customer Support and Information Technology. Theresa started her career working as an intern at Amoco Production Company where she developed an interest for integrating technology to improve business process efficiency. This interest lead her to Hewlett-Packard where she spent the majority of her career developing, implementing, supporting and managing technical solution implementations as an Engineer, Project Manager, Program Manager and Quality Assurance Manager. With her repeated success in leading the development, implementation and support of software products and projects, she quickly moved into the role of the Research and Development Manager with Harris Govern, where she earned her certification as a Scrum Master implementing Agile principles. Adept in improving quality, productivity and effectiveness in organizations, she decided to make a career change into Sales & Marketing where she could utilize her skills in collaboration with all levels of the organization, customers and suppliers to drive key initiatives to achieve business objectives.
Theresa is currently the Director of Sales & Marketing at CartoPac International where she has managed and implemented solutions for Oil & Gas, Gas Utilities, Electric Utilities, Municipalities and Engineering & Consulting. Theresa has built and manages a dynamic sales and marketing team with the focus of providing customers the most flexible, robust and complete enterprise mobile solution for data collection, asset management, inspection, reporting and more.
She received her Bachelors of Science in Computer Science, with minors in Math and Geography from the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.
Mel Christopher
Executive Director, Gold Shovel Association
Mel Christopher is the Executive Director of the Gold Shovel Association and oversees the Gold Shovel Standard Program. Gold Shovel Association is a nonprofit organization committed to improving safety for workers and the public through protecting the integrity of underground infrastructure.
Mr. Christopher has a record of improving utility operational performance, developing strong teams, reducing public safety incidents associated with natural gas operations, and improving safety performance of large and diverse workforces. Most recently, Mr. Christopher served as Senior Vice President, Gas Operations at Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), one of the largest utilities in the United States serving more than 16 million people in Northern and Central California. Prior to that, Mr. Christopher served as Vice President, Transmission and Distribution Operations at PG&E overseeing all field operations for the gas organization. During his tenure at PG&E he envisioned and built a world class Gas Control Center putting public and employee safety at the forefront of operations.
Prior to joining PG&E, Mr. Christopher was the President of Vista Energy Solutions, an energy consulting and advisory firm that specializes in solving complex problems in the electric and gas utility industry with expertise in business strategy and analysis, management and operations consulting, regulatory strategy and litigation support.
Mr. Christopher served as Vice President with Public Service Company of New Mexico with responsibility for electric and gas field operations, energy marketing and procurement, and state and federal regulatory affairs.
Mr. Christopher has been active with the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), with Common Ground Alliance (CGA), and with the American Gas Association (AGA), serving as Chair of the Field Operations Committee in 2018. In 2019, he was appointed to the Boards of Directors for AGA and INGAA where he served until leaving PG&E in November 2019.
Mr. Christopher has been active with United Way organizations including serving for many years on the Board of Directors for United Way of Central New Mexico. In this capacity, Mr. Christopher has assisted numerous nonprofits in providing important services to those in need. He has also served on the Boards of other nonprofit organizations.
Mr. Christopher can be reached at mel.christopher@goldshovelstandard.org.
David Cist
Vice President of Technology, GSSI
David’s background in medical imaging has served him well in geophysics. The patient is larger, but the image processing is basically the same. After receiving a Bachelor’s (BSEE) degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University, David worked in medical imaging x-ray research for Siemens Medical both in the US and in Germany. Following his Master’s degree at MIT in medical image reconstruction, he fell in love with Geophysics and completed a PhD doing GPR research while working for GSSI. Starting with GSSI in 1996, David was hired to develop GPR equipment that was progressively more intuitive and easier to use. He played key roles in the teams that created the first arrayed utility mapping system with real-time wearable position tracking, the first high-speed deep scanning arrayed GPR for roads; and the first deep penetration Search and Rescue device using UWB technology to detect faint breathing through several meters of rubble. After 19 years doing algorithm development for GSSI, David was asked to become “Chief Geek” — to help the company explore ways to apply GPR to different industries. In 2017 David was asked to continue this process as VP of R&D and has been actively exploring new markets ever since.
AJ Clark
Founder; Omni Damage Prevention
Allan (A.J.) Clark founded Omni Damage Prevention in 2018. Omni specializes in mapping unknown underground infrastructure and competency based technical training. Before founding Omni, A.J. served as U.S. Damage Prevention inspector for a major Liquids Pipelines operator for 6 years. In this role, he helped develop and implement a competency-based training program, served as Damage Prevention SME, and administrated the One Call ticket management program. From 2006 to 2012, A.J held several different roles in the pipeline survey industry on a variety of projects. A.J. firmly believes that the key to any successful Damage Prevention Program is effective communication between stakeholders.
Erica Cole
Product Manager, Pure Safety Group
Erica Cole has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in addition to a Master of Science with a focus on Technology Commercialization from McCombs School of Business. Erica is product manager at Pure Safety Group, the largest independent dedicated fall protection company in the world, providing high-performance and professional fall protection equipment, tool tethering products, and services such as training, engineering and onsite consultation.
Larry Cole, Ph.D.
Founder, TeamMax®
Larry Cole, Ph.D. founded TeamMax consulting company with the mission to help leaders and organization to maximize their potential. He is an author and has conducted research to study the psychological motivators for customer satisfaction and employee engagement. He can be reached at 501-269-1728 or teammax100@gmail.com.
Professor Thomas Collins
Professor
Thomas Collins is a retired full professor in the Telecommunication Technology Program at Gateway Community and Technical College and was the Department Chair for the Voice and Data Technology Program. He has 30 years of experience in Voice and Data / Electrical Technology instruction and forty-two years of experience in industry. In addition, he has created / designed programs for over 30 national / international company /organization(s). He is a 15-year Fiber Optic Association Board of Director’s Member.
Thomas developed and implemented programs for Toyota Motor Corporation and the Fiber Optic Association, as well as the Safety Program for Telecommunication Workers, a 30 hour OSHA program.
He holds the following educational credentials and professional certifications: North Carolina State University Diploma Program, Facilities Engineering Management, Northern Kentucky University – Post Bachelor Degree in Construction Engineering, University of Cincinnati – Bachelor of Science Degree, Fiber Optic Association – Master Trainer, Board of Directors 15 years, State of Kentucky Master Electrician and Fiber Optic Training for Outside Plant/Design.
Mark Congdon
Vice President of Business Development, Gas Solutions, Hydromax USA
Mark is a seasoned technical gas professional with 25 years industry experience. Beginning his career with Trimble Navigation, he spent nearly 20 years in manufacturing engineering, R&D, and general distribution management. His work ranged from supporting the production of high accuracy GPS equipment to leading engineering R&D teams in the design of multiple products, including an innovative handheld GPS receiver still in use today.
Mark joined HUSA in 2017 and served as an Operations Manager and Regional Director of leak survey and cross bore operations in the Seattle area. In 2019, Mark was named Vice President of Business Development, Gas Solutions and he currently works to develop new and expand existing opportunities with gas utilities across the United States. Mark has a bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Arizona State University, an MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is an active member of several professional committees including the WEI Asset Management committee, AGA Field Operations committee, SGA DIMP committee. He currently resides in Idaho Falls area of Idaho.
Glen "Cookie" Cook
Public Safety Specialist, Energy Queensland
Glen Cook (Cookie), is an experienced and enthusiastic Public Safety Specialist. Cookie is extremely passionate about raising powerline safety awareness and received the Health and safety professional for 2020 at the Australian Work Health and Safety awards. Working as an electrician for over 30 years within the construction and utilities industries he has been first responder to serious injury/burns and fatalities due to third party accidental contact with powerlines. He educates to the broader community to the dangers of accidental contact with overhead and underground powerlines. He has worked hard to gain in-depth understanding of numerous “at risk” industries such as the Agricultural, Aviation and Construction and communicates his presentations and safety information in terms easily understood by industry. Cookie was the driving force behind the ‘Look up and Live’ app and award winning lookupandlive.com.au powerline mapping application that is assisting workers plan work near powerlines.
Denis Courchesne
President and CEO, Info-Excavation
Denis Courchesne holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Management from HEC business school of the University of Montreal.
He began his career at Bell in 1976 where he held several senior positions. In 1993, while representing Bell, Mr. Courchesne became a member of the Board of Directors of Info-Excavation, and eventually was elected as the Board’s president, until his retirement from Bell in 2011, after a 35-year career.
In 2012, he was appointed president and CEO of Info-Excavation, where he has implemented many new processes as well as cutting-edge technology, making Info-Excavation a leader in North America.
Rich Cummings
Vice President, Grid Operations; Mosaic Company
Rich Cummings is Vice President, Grid Operations at the Mosaic Company. Rich has spent over 25 years working in Distribution Operations and Control Rooms and is a highly respected expert in ADMS. He provides a unique sets of consulting skills that include complex design, performance improvement, and competency development solutions.
Laura Dale
Director, Preventable - The Community Against Preventable Injuries
Laura Dale joined the BCIRPU in 2020 as the Director of The Community Against Preventable Injuries (Preventable). She is responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies to enhance the Preventable campaign. She sets strategic priorities and manages the campaign operations, including the maintenance of a robust partnership framework.
Laura brings a breadth of academic and professional experience spanning the insurance, healthcare, not-for-profit, and charity sectors. With a Bachelor of Arts in Health Studies from Queen’s University and a Masters of Science in Population and Public Health from the University of British Columbia, Laura is motivated to translate the latest health research into evidence-based decisions for injury prevention programming.
When Laura is not working, she enjoys eating her way through Vancouver’s restaurant scene and jogging along the seawall. She is also a serial collector of incomplete “do-it-yourself” home projects.
Wylie Davidson
Senior Training & Safety Culture Specialist, DiVal Safety
Wylie has been the Keynote or featured presenter at numerous national and regional accounts that include John Deere, Exxon, Kellogg’s, Georgia Pacific, Anheuser-Busch and Toyota as well as numerous national and regional conferences throughout the United States and Canada.
Throughout his 20 years of safety and management experience, he has visited and toured hundreds of manufacturing plants and job sites that include virtually every aspect of industry, construction, municipality and utility.
As a motivational speaker and safety trainer, Wylie has impacted thousands with his high energy and sense of humor that offers a unique ability to effectively deliver his message, so it is relevant and personal for each attendee.
Nancy H. Davis
Principal, Davis Planning & Consulting, LLC
Education
- MS in Leadership, Ken Blanchard College of Business, Grand Canyon University, with honors
- BBA in Management, Magna cum Laude, Georgia State University
- Graduate of Managerial Leadership, Emory University Goizueta Business School
- Graduate of Regional Leadership Institute
- Graduate of Leadership Cobb
- Graduate of Results Based Leadership
- Graduate of Advanced Facilitation Skills
Work History
Nancy is a trainer and facilitator specializing in board development and strategic planning. She enjoyed a 32-year career with facility owner Georgia Power Company, including managing a team with responsibility for compliance with the dig law. She served on the board of Georgia 811 for 11 years, including chair for two years. Her early career included time in training and development. Since taking early retirement from Georgia Power, Nancy has continued to invest in damage prevention and has assisted 811 centers in 16 states with board development and strategic planning.
Personal
Nancy is married and has two daughters and two grandchildren. She lived most of her life in Atlanta but now resides near Clemson, SC. When she’s not providing board training and facilitating strategic planning sessions, she enjoys Clemson football, walking/hiking, water sports, reading, cooking, volunteering in her community, and time with family and friends.
(404) 513-5985
Mark DeSchepper
President, Echo GPR Services
Mark DeSchepper started in the GPR Industry in 2007 and now as an owner/operator has self-performed over 3,500 GPR projects. His experience with GPR ranges from concrete scanning, utility locating, UST locates, gravesite locates, geophysical investigations as well as forensic investigation. Based in the Kansas City metro he has performed scans across the United States ranging from Alaska to Florida. His expertise has taken him from multiple nuclear plants and secure military installations to general commercial construction. He provides custom GPR Processing for several GPR companies across the country using GPR-Slice and have been a user since 2011. Mark was the inaugural GPR Committee Chairman for the Concrete Sawing Drilling Association (CSDA) and has held this position from 2013-2020, stepping down in 2021 to be on the CSDA Executive Team. In doing so he is the first and only GPR contractor to have served on the CSDA Board of Directors and Executive Team. He has served on the CSDA Board of Directors for 3 separate terms and is currently the CSDA Secretary/Treasurer on the Executive Team. While developing the CSDA Committee and Certification program he was also selected to be the lead Training/Certification Instructor by both contractors and manufacturers including GSSI, Sensors and Software, Hilti IDS and Proceq. In doing so over 50 GPR professionals have been certified through the CSDA program. Mark has helped write several industry standards including CSDA BP-007, BP-017 and BP-026, and has spoken at ACPA (American Concrete Paving Association) conferences, and SEA (Structural Engineering Association) meetings discussing the many uses and benefits of GPR. Mark was also instrumental in creating the NULCA/CSDA Reciprocal Membership for combining 2 different association’s use of GPR in related but separate fields. For 4 years he teaches the only GPR class hosted at World of Concrete and is scheduled to teach another Advanced Theory class in 2021 at World of Concrete.
Tom DeWitte
Technical Lead - Natural Gas, District Heating & Cooling, Esri
Tom is the technical lead supporting the natural gas, district heating, and district cooling industries at Esri. Mr DeWitte joined Esri in 1998. He earned his BS in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University.
During his 23 years at Esri, Mr DeWitte has helped pipe centric utilities to understand how to apply geospatial technology to address their business needs. This includes creating and curating industry data models for natural gas, hazardous liquids, steam, district heating, district cooling pipe systems, as well as writing numerous blog articles, white papers and ebooks. You can read his blog articles about the application of geospatial technology and its value to pipe utilities on the Esri Community website https://community.esri.com
Lidia Dilley Jacobson, CLCP, MBA
Director of Safety and Loss Control, MREA
Lidia Dilley Jacobson is the director of safety and loss control for the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, which serves 50 rural electric cooperatives in Minnesota. She is an experienced safety professional with 35 years in the industries of explosives, nuclear and electricity, and her work has involved technical, compliance-based and managerial responsibilities. Jacobson’s last 15 years have been focused on the electrical industry.
Carol S. Dodgen
Owner, Dodgen Security Consulting
A nationally recognized speaker, Carol earned her Master’s in Criminal Justice and has provided training for over 100,000 corporate, bank, law enforcement, and security personnel over the past 26 years. Before forming her company, Carol served as the security training officer for Compass Bank and spent several years as an adjunct criminal justice college instructor. Carol has earned her CPD (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) professional designation, and provides instruction on Crime Prevention, Robbery Prevention and Response, Workplace Violence Prevention and Response, Managing Aggressive Behavior, and Personal Safety. Carol has recently produced several video and e-learning training programs on these subjects.
Carol is a current member and past chapter president of the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS) and a past board member for the Alabama Women in Business. In 2009, Carol was appointed by the governor to serve on the Alabama Security Regulatory Board. Dodgen Security Consulting Company, LLC is a certified woman-owned business through the State of Alabama.
Bob Edwards
Supervisor, Water Operations; Citizens Energy Group
I have been protecting the integrity of the Water system in Indianapolis and its surrounding eight counties since 1978. I have worked in many different positions with the Water Industry during that course of 40 years. Currently I am a Supervisor in the Water Distribution area of Citizens Energy Group. My everyday task involves directing my team of eight System Inspectors who do leak investigations, leak surveys, damage investigations, job planning and scheduling for six maintenance crews, back checking all critical main locations our outside contractor does for us along with oversee of the contractor that locates our Water, gas and Sewer mains and services. I am very active with the Indiana 811 Council.
Phone: 317-502-1063
Email: redwards@citizensenergygroup.com
Website: www.citizensenergygroup.com
Marcus Edwards
Chief Product Officer, PelicanCorp
As a founding director and board member of PelicanCorp, Marcus has been serving the One Call industry across the UK and Australia for over 25 years. As the Head of Product across the range of PelicanCorp technology solutions he with the support of his team of product managers are responsible for the ongoing product management and roadmaps of the software systems globally. Prior to taking on the global product role, Marcus was the Managing Director of PelicanCorp’s UK One Call service LineSearchbeforeUDig.
Innes Fisher
Founder / Specialist; Utility Mapping
Innes is the founder and Specialist – Utility Mapping at Utility Location Services, a New Zealand based professional utility mapping company.
A latecomer to the utility location space, Innes has not only built a successful business in New Zealand, but he is also playing a key role in moving the industry towards one recognised for professionalism and technical competency.
Innes likes to be first. He was the first New Zealander to hold a NULCA Australia Accreditation and the first Kiwi to be elected to the NULCA Australia Committee. He was also the first New Zealander be certified under the Australian Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) Certified Locator programme.
Innes is now the founding President of Nulca New Zealand. He consulted for the establishment of New Zealand’s beforeUDig Certified Locator programme, has published several articles on industry issues and speaks at regional and international damage prevention and utility location conferences.
Innes is passionate about utility location and damage prevention. He continues his dedication to improving the quality of the utility location industry in New Zealand through his involvement at a national level.
Daniel FitzPatrick
Damage Prevention Field Operations Planner, Orange and Rockland Utilities
Dan FitzPatrick is a Damage Prevention Field Operations Planner for Orange and Rockland Utilities. Dan serves on several local and national damage prevention committees, including the Board of Directors for DigSafely NY. He can be reached at fitzpatrickda@oru.com.
Jan Francke, BSc, MSc, PhD
Founder, Groundradar Inc. and Geolitix Inc.
After using GPR for 31 years and surveying in over 100 countries, Jan is still learning where GPR works. He is passionate about pushing the boundaries of the technology through his companies Radar Research Inc (custom GPR designs), Groundradar Inc (global instrumentation deployment) and Geolitix (GPR cloud processing). He has published dozens of papers on novel GPR applications and holds a BSc, MSc and PhD all in GPR Geophysics. He lectures globally on GPR applications for the mining and geotechnical sectors.
Joey Gallegos Sr.
Subsurface Investigator, Construction Survey Technologies (CSTi)
Joey Gallegos Sr. is a Subsurface Investigator that has been working with CSTi full time since 2019 and had previously worked part time with CSTi since 2013. Before working full time with CSTi, Joey Sr. worked with the New Mexico State Police and recently retired after 20 years of service. What Joey likes best about Utility Mapping is that it provides a different challenge everyday both technological and analytical. Joey is NUCLA Certified in GPR and Locator Competency. One of his favorite tools to use is the IDS Radar Stream C. Joey also enjoys using the IDS IQ Maps program for conducting the processing of his GPR data. Joey Sr. finds that subsurface investigation has similarities to the investigating he did as a law enforcement officer, especially when it comes to using tools to analyze and solve problems. His background and training in digital forensics provided him with the skills needed to process his GPR data, not to mention the thrill he gets from performing a thorough investigation.
John Gallegos
CEO, Construction Survey Technologies (CSTi)
With 29 years involvement in the Surveying and Construction industry, John has delivered complex and comprehensive solutions on numerous large scale and complex projects across the southwest. John combines entrepreneurial instinct and in-depth technical skills that have allowed him to be a part of over a billion dollars, worth of construction in his career. John has been heavily involved with Subsurface Utility Engineering, Subsurface Utility Mapping and Ground Penetrating Radar for the last 8 years and has successfully led his team to completing numerous projects in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Before launching his career, he attended the University of New Mexico where he majored in Civil Engineering and Construction Management. John is responsible for leading the company’s technology strategy and operations.
Kemp Garcia
President Elect, NUCA of WA
Kemp Garcia has been locating private utilities for almost 30 years and manages a division of field locators and vac trucks. So he’s not only involved in locating but digging too. The vac trucks are used for safe digging and S.U.E. work and one of the trucks is wrapped with WA811 logo.
Kemp has been performing Dig Safe Training for NUCA of WA since 2013, which revolves around the 811 dig law in Washington State. This training is also available online, and has been since February 2021.
Kemp is presently the President Elect for NUCA of WA and will take over as President in September 2021.
Kemp is also an expert witness and damage investigation representative for the construction industry.
Dr. Kathy Gruver
Speaker, Author, Coach
Kathy Gruver is an award-winning author, professional speaker, and former actor with over 30 years of experience in mind/body medicine and human behavior. An entertainer and educator imbuing all of her programs with practicality and passion. With a West Coast mentality and an East Coast delivery her humorous, down to earth and engaging style has captivated audiences on four continents, three cruise ships and a handful of islands. It’s been her true honor to have delivered two TEDx talks. Kathy has written seven books which have garnered 12 awards, hosted a TV series based on her first book, developed a stress reduction program for the US military, and cohosts the Fire and Earth Podcast. She has penned countless articles and appears regularly as a guest on radio, TV and in in print media. She recently appeared on the Dr. Phil Show. She has earned her PhD in natural health and has studied mind-body medicine at the famed Benson Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard. Kathy currently lives in Santa Barbara, California with her boyfriend, her guinea pig Listo and her cat Aleister. For fun and stress relief Kathy does flying trapeze and plays dungeons and dragons. Her clients have included Raytheon, Merck, Southland Industries, American Heart Association, and the USPS just to name a few.
drkathygruver@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathygruver
http://www.twitter.com/klgruver
CAPT Jason Gunning
Deputy Sector Commander of Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi
CAPT Jason Gunning is currently assigned as the Deputy Sector Commander of Coast Guard Sector / Air Station Corpus Christi serving as the Alternate Captain of the Port, Officer-in-Charge of Marine Inspection, Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, and Federal On-Scene Coordinator for South Texas.
CAPT Gunning’s career background is in marine safety, coastal security and emergency response. Most recently, he completed a staff assignment at Coast Guard Headquarters for the Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy. His prior field assignments include Sector Long Island Sound as the Prevention Department Head, Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles, LA as Executive Officer, and marine inspections tours at Activities Europe in the Netherlands and Marine Safety Office Houston. His first tours after graduating Office Candidate School in 1998 were the Coast Guard Cutters out of Galveston, TX on the PAPAW, working aids to navigation along the Texas Gulf Coast, and DAUNTLESS, conducting law enforcement patrols in the Caribbean.
CAPT Gunning’s personal awards include three Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medals, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, three Coast Guard Achievement Medals, the Commandant’s Letter of Commendation ribbon and several unit and team awards.
CAPT Gunning grew up in Corpus Christi, TX and graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering before joining the Coast Guard in 1997. He also earned a master’s degree in public policy in 2012 from Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government. CAPT Gunning is married to the former Angela Segura from Houston, TX and has three children.
Alan Haddy
Founder and President, IPEG Corp
Alan Haddy founded IPEG Corporation in 1998 and has since continued to serve as the company’s President. Prior to establishing IPEG Corp, Alan studied Electrical Engineering at the University of the West of England and his career path took him to VP of Engineering at Radiodetection Corporation where he oversaw all of the company’s engineering and research efforts across the Americas, managing multimillion-dollar projects to contract negotiations and technology licensing efforts.
In his role as the President and founder of IPEG Corporation, Alan has developed products in a variety of fields, including GNSS mapping, handheld field devices, mobile technologies and advanced digital service applications. He holds multiple patents related to buried asset mapping and damage prevention technologies is currently leading the deployment of the UTTO Digital Services Platform.
Tom Hall
Vice President of Business Development, KorTerra
Tom Hall is the Vice President of Business Development at KorTerra. Tom is responsible for coordinating all aspects of sales, assisting in setting strategic direction and building a sales team with a focus on a stronger national presence. Tom has been a part of the damage prevention industry for many years and attends, presents, and speaks at many damage prevention related events across the country.
(952) 368-1911
Kristin Hamilton
Senior Product Merchandising Manager, Red Wing Shoe Company
As a senior product merchandising manager at Red Wing Shoe Company, Kristin Hamilton leads the Red Wing global work footwear team to design purpose-built work boots and solve challenges facing today’s and tomorrow’s skilled workers.
With 20 years of experience in merchandising and product strategy, Kristin focuses on developing best-in-class work solutions with product quality and wearer experience top-of-mind. Always looking for ways to innovate, Kristin has been instrumental in developing lightweight boots for the next generation of workers, expanding the Red Wing offering of female-specific footwear, and growing the number of products designed and manufactured in Red Wing, MINN.
Kristin attended the University of St. Thomas where she received a Bachelor of Arts in marketing management and a minor in journalism with an emphasis on advertising. Prior to Red Wing, Kristin worked across a range of industries at companies such as Target, Macy’s and Best Buy.
Chapman Hancock
Product Manager, Vacuum Excavators; Ditch Witch
Chapman Hancock has more than 10 years of experience in the construction industry and directional drilling industries. Hancock has served in a variety of roles throughout the Ditch Witch organization, including serving as a downhole tooling engineer and product and market analyst. Currently the Ditch Witch vacuum excavation product manager, he works to identify the challenges and needs of vacuum excavation customers globally and provide industry solutions. He received a degree in medical engineering from Oklahoma State University.
Gen Handley
Marketing and Growth Coordinator for www.safetylineloneworker.com
Gen Handley is a Marketing and Growth Coordinator for www.safetylineloneworker.com, an automated, cloud-based lone worker monitoring service that helps companies protect remote or isolated workers. Gen has more than 10 years of freelance writing and marketing experience.
Monte Harnden
Founder & President, Center Line Resources
Monte Harnden worked for Marathon Pipeline for 39 years. He also founded Center Line Resource Locator Training and has provided formal locator training for the last 15 years. His primary interest is in promoting damage prevention through education. You may reach him at mlharnden@rtconnect.net
Jim Hayes
President, Fiber Optic Association
Jim Hayes has been involved in the fiber optic industry over 40 years. He founded the world’s second fiber optic test equipment company, FOTEC, in 1980 and started training fiber techs in 1982. In the 1990s, he ran the Fiber U training conferences and was a co- founder of the Fiber Optic Association, the international professional society of fiber optics. Jim currently serves as president of the FOA, is the author of six books on fiber optics and cabling and writes for several magazines. Jim and his wife Karen manage the FOA, helping set up schools around the world to train the workers who design, build and operate today’s communications networks.
Kelley Heinz
Damage Prevention/Claims Investigator, ComEd
Kelley has worked with ComEd for 23 years. She started with the company as a Meter Reader and then went into SSG where she trenched and installed underground facilities. She became a New Business Supervisor overseeing the design and installation of new residential and commercial services before moving into Damage Prevention where she has been the last 17 years. She’s currently the Senior Claims Case Manager and Damage Prevention Manager for ComEd and supervises as well as trains all employees new to the Claims Department.
630-333-2231
David Heldenbrand
President; Bison Engineering
Mr. Heldenbrand has been a licensed Professional Engineer since 1982. He is licensed in Texas and several other states. He was district engineer for a natural gas transmission company and has conducted forensic investigations of natural gas and propane related incidents for the past thirty-four years. He has testified in both state and federal courts across the country.
Mr. Heldenbrand is also a Certified Fire Investigator by the International Association of Fire Investigators (IAAI). These qualifications bring particular insight into this subject matter.
Mr. Heldenbrand has given presentations on the subject of soil gas migration as it relates to gas fires and explosions. He has given presentations to the American Gas Association, Louisiana Gas Association, the Western Regional Gas Conference, International Association of Fire Investigators, the Common Ground Alliance and other groups over the past five years.
Mr. Heldenbrand has also presented to the Natural Gas Odorization Conference in 2019. The subject matter being the effects of soil gas migration and odor scrub as it relates to fires and explosions.
Nick Holly
VP Strategic Business Development; PelicanCorp One Call Inc.
Exposure to nearly every market PelicanCorp operates in throughout the past 20 years has provided Nick with a wealth of knowledge and experience. The damage prevention industry is developing at a rate unseen across the globe, particularly in the United States and in Asia. Nick works closely with the growing customer base and with the US and international internal teams to ensure PelicanCorp is at the leading edge and adapting product strategies accordingly.
1 203 230-3060
Jen Holmstadt
Director of Oil/Gas Services, WSB and Associates
Jen has 10 years of experience as an environmental consultant, specializing in geohazard risk assessments, contaminated site remediation, and project management. Jen started her career in contaminated site remediation, specializing in large river projects. She spent 3 years on the Kalamazoo River oil spill cleanup and was responsible for locating submerged oil using geomorphic methods of site characterization. Following that experience, Jen transitioned to designing and implementing geohazard risk assessments for energy companies, utilities, and transportation infrastructure. Jen has a Master of Science degree from Michigan State University in Geomorphology and a PMP certification. She currently sits on the Midwest Energy Association Gas Operations Steering Committee and is the Co-Chair of the Midwest Energy Association Emerging Professionals Committee.
Phone Number
612.619.9215
Email
holmstadt@wsbeng.com
Website
www.wsbeng.com
Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenholmstadt-pmp/
Instagram
Jen Holmstadt
Richard D. Holzheimer, Jr.
Partner, McGuireWoods LLC
Rick concentrates his litigation practice in construction, commercial litigation, government contracting, financial services, and real estate.
He has significant experience in business litigation matters, eminent domain, government contracting, intellectual property, products liability, healthcare, and land use. He has litigated cases throughout the United States with significant experience in the state and federal courts of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Rick has represented clients in all aspects of the construction industry including owners, contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals. He has represented various energy clients on their litigation matters. Rick also completed a secondment as in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 energy company where he handled litigation and real estate matters.
In business, Rick has provided all level of services including advice, strategy, litigation, and settlement negotiations. In the area of business litigation, he has a broad range of experience that includes contract disputes, trade secrets, financial services disputes, employment litigation, government contracting, products liability, easement issues, successor liability, zoning issues, patent litigation, defamation, and licensing matters. Rick was recognized for helping his client obtain one of the largest settlements in Virginia for that year.
Rick is an active member of the community. He is President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia. Rick previously was chair of the Circuit Court Committee of the Fairfax Bar Association. Rick supported the business community as a board member for the Dulles Area Chamber of Commerce and for the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. He was also a board member of the University of Virginia’s Asian and Asian Pacific American Alumni Network. He is also a member of Leadership Fairfax, Inc., an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Fairfax County through public service. Rick further served his community as a member and chairman of the Board of Directors of Second Story (previously Alternative House), an emergency shelter for run-away teens, young mothers, and at-risk youth.
Dr. Tom Iseley
Ph.D., P.E., Dist. M. ASCE, PWAM CETF Professor, Civil Engineering Eminent Scholar Chair in Construction Trenchless Technology Center Assoc. Director, International Operations Louisiana Tech University Chair, BAMI-I Board of Directors Director, UNITRACC International Adjunct Professor, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Dr. Tom Iseley has over 40 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of underground infrastructure systems. From 1982, he served on the faculty of Mississippi State University, Purdue University, and Louisiana Tech University. During the past 29 years, he has maintained an international leadership position in trenchless technology. In 1989, he established the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University. He is a founding director of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT). He also served for three years as the chairman of the National Utility Contractors Association’s (NUCA) Trenchless Technology Committee. Dr. Iseley has been elected to the Class of 2016 of the National Academy of Construction (NAC). In April 2015, he was selected as a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for his eminence in engineering, becoming just one of only 637 Distinguished Members ever selected by the ASCE. He was also selected a 2016 UCTA MVP (Most Valuable Professional) by the Underground Construction Technology Association (UCTA) and Underground Construction magazine. Dr. Iseley was inducted into the 2017 NASTT Hall of Fame. He serves as the chair for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Utility Risk Research and Education Council. Also, he is a member of the ASCE Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI), Risk Management Division ExCOM. Dr. Iseley holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.
Email: dtiseley@latech.edu
CELL: (404) 386-5667
William "Jack" Jackson
Senior Consultant, SafeStart
William “Jack” Jackson attended Lincoln University where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Technology and was a 3 year letterman on the university’s football team. While attending Lincoln he completed Basic Training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Rockbridge Seminary.
Jack’s experience has given him the ability to relate to any audience. His career included working in production, operations and safety at Johnson Controls for 19 years, followed by seeing Avanzar Interior Technologies through the safety phase of new construction. In addition to developing a safety program, he also developed a conditioning program to prepare team members to become industrial athletes.
Coach Jack as he is affectionately known, worked with two semi-professional football teams for 6 years and was named NAFL defensive coordinator of the year 2003. Jack used his experience on the field to develop a safety concept that teaches participants of his courses that “safety is always first.”
Dr. Lindsay Jenkins
Director of Utility Solutions, Urbint
Dr. Lindsay Jenkins is Director of Utility Solutions at Urbint, the market leader in artificial intelligence for Field Risk Mitigation. With over a decade and a half of experience developing innovative tools to enable and improve asset management and decision making, Lindsay is responsible for understanding client needs and translating them into AI-enabled solutions. In her previous roles as an independent consultant and as a manager within PwC’s Utility Operations Practice, Lindsay worked at utilities across the country to design and implement technology solutions to streamline operations, increase productivity, and reduce O&M costs. Her applied research has been shared at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. Lindsay has a PhD in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University and is a licensed Professional Engineer.
Greg Johnston
Market Manager, Academic & Research Sensors & Software
Greg has an honours BSc in geophysics in 1988 from the University of Western Ontario. He joined Sensors & Software in 1992 and his responsibilities have included data acquisition and post-processing software development for GPR systems, customer training, technical support, and technical sales. In more than 25 years with Sensors & Software, Greg has trained customers on GPR in more than 45 countries. He is currently Market Manager for the Academic & Research market, promoting pulseEKKO® PRO, NOGGIN®, SPIDAR® and custom systems as well as the EKKO_Project™ GPR processing software.
Courtney Jordt
Senior Damage Prevention Specialist Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Courtney Jordt is a Senior Damage Prevention Specialist for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, working in San Ramon, California. Courtney has worked in Public Awareness for the past five years and is responsible for ensuring compliance of the company’s Pipeline Public Awareness Plan, the execution of over 20 annual gas safety outreach activities, ongoing reporting for internal and external partners and actively participates in various industry associations. Courtney received her B.S. in Business, with a management concentration, from Sonoma State University.
Jai Kalayil
Supervising Engineer, Chicago Department of Transportation
Over 20 years of combined experience in the Management of the Office of Underground Coordination (OUC), 811 Chicago/DIGGER (Chicago Utility Alert Network), One call law Enforcement and Project Coordination Office (PCO) and Construction Management of public way. Proven ability to coordinate and manage the utility involvement of public and private construction projects and their permitting process.
George Kemp
VP of Safety & Quality Assurance, MetroNet
George Kemp is VP of Safety & Quality Assurance for MetroNet. MetroNet, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, is the nation’s largest, independently owned, 100% Fiber Optic Company. It is a customer-focused company providing cutting-edge fiber optic communication services.
George obtained undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics and a doctoral degree in Human Behavioral Studies.
He is honored to serve as chairman of the board on Indiana 811’s board of directors and chairman of the board for USA 811’s board of directors. George is also the current vice chair for the NTDPC. He has also had the honor of speaking on damage prevention at gas association meetings including the AGA.
When you first meet George, you come to realize he is passionate about Damage Prevention. Better communication among stakeholders and working together as a team are George’s key themes that he continues to emphasize.
Mike Kemper
Executive Vice President, Quanta Services' Mears Group
Mike Kemper is the Executive Vice President with Quanta Services’ Mears Group.
Mr. Kemper has served on multiple industry and charitable boards. He is currently representing ASU’s Del E. Webb School of Construction Advisory Council, Cross Bore Safety Association, Gold Shovel Standard (Treasurer), Pavement Recycling Systems, Sundt Corporation (Audit Chair), Vector Force Development, Youth with a Mission San Diego / Baja (active Emeritas). His industry affiliations have also included American Gas Association (Construction Operations Committee), Canadian Gas Association, Gild of Ancient Suppliers, Southern Gas Association, and Western Energy Institute.
Originally from Chicago, IL, Mr. Kemper has been married to his wife, Franny, since 1981. They stay busy with their three adult children and four grandkids.
Brianna Kirby
Education Coordinator, MISS DIG 811
Brianna started working at MISS DIG 811 as a Notification System Representative in 2018 the same year she graduated from American Public University System Magna Cum Laude with a BA in English. In 2019 she accepted a part-time position as the Education Coordinator for the Education Department while continuing her duties as an NSR. In 2020 she joined the Education Team full-time. In addition to administrative duties, she maintains the MISS DIG 811 social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as well as splits her time to assist the Web Ticket Department.
Sher Kirk
Operations Director, Alberta One-Call Corporation, Chair - Canadian One Call Centres Committee
Sher has been in a leadership role at Alberta One-Call since 2005, and applies the lessons learned through 20 years in Damage Prevention to her current role as Operations Director. She is a champion of the Call or Click Before You Dig damage prevention process and promotes safety success through partnership, communication and cooperation among all stakeholders.
As the Chair of the Canadian One-Call Centres Committee and a Board Member of the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA), Sher provides a voice for One Call services on a national level and was instrumental in the development of the national “ClickBeforeYouDig.com” portal. Sher actively works towards harmonization and standardization of damage prevention practices through her involvement as Vice-Chair of the technical advisory committee for CSA Z247, as a member of the CCGA Best Practices Committee, and in her role as the Project Manager of the Business Rules Alignment Group (Western Canada).
When not at work, Sher can typically be found cheering on a favourite hockey or football team, taking time for a good book or playing with her two giant rescue dogs. She dreams of happy days to come when she can take up traveling again.
Andy Kitson
TCInstCES – Geospatial Consultant (Subsurface), Member of the Board, GPR Consortium
Andy’s passion and expertise are the use of non-intrusive techniques for investigating structures to determine how they are built and what defects may lie hidden beneath the surface. Andy specialises in developing tailored non-destructive techniques to image the subsurface of structures. He has spent a career utilising existing technology to provide solutions to client’s problems and undertake unique surveys to map features, defects, and anaomiles in the subsurface. Currently, Andy is working as a Geospatial Consultant at Murphy Geospatial, providing the perfect solution to clients pain points.
Christopher Koch
President; ZoneOne Locating
Christopher Koch is the owner and President of ZoneOne Locating. With over 20 years’ experience in damage prevention, he is frequently called to provide expert testimony in legal cases. As a member of Nulca’s executive board including terms as Secretary, Vice-President, and President, he helped shape the professional competency standard for locators. He is a regular contributor to Damage Prevention Professional and co-author of the book, Locating Buried Utilities – A Professional Approach. Koch holds a BES from St. Cloud State University and a graduate certificate in Human Resource Management.
Phone: (763) 682-0206
Jason Kostiw
Communications and Marketing Advisor
As Communications and Marketing Advisor for TC Energy’s Public Awareness team, Jason is an innovator bringing awareness to pipeline safety, safe digging and TC Energy’s various outreach programs. Using the latest tools and practices, he aims to bring public awareness messaging and tactics into the modern age to reach both existing and future damage prevention leaders and advocates.
In addition to his current role, he also serves on several committees dedicated to the shared goal of reduced incidents related to underground utilities. Jason brings to the table a Public Relations degree from Mount Royal University, an International Communications certificate and experience from roles in community and media relations, community investment and corporate communications.
Larry Krummert
Director of Quality, Mears
Larry Krummert is the Director of Quality with Mears. With a career spanning over 40 years within the industry, Mr. Krummert has achieved credentials from Langevin Learning Services, Instructional Designer / Developer, IACET Training Certified, and the President’s Award in 2000.
Active within the industry, Mr. Krummert has participated on the following specialized committees: ANSI Accredited Standards Committee Member GPTC Z380 (Gas Piping Technology Committee), Uniform Construction Code Team Leader, Energy Association of Pennsylvania – Mutual Aid / OQ, Leadership Lawrence County, Pandemic Team, and Federal Mediation Conciliation Services.
Ian Lambert
Managing Director: Lambert Locations
Ian is Managing Director of Lambert Locations, Australia’s premier specialist in all areas of underground service locations and damage prevention of underground assets with all works carried out in accordance with AS5488-2019 ‘Classification of Subsurface Utility Information’. He is a licensed Plumber, Drainer and Gasfitter and has been in the construction industry for almost 40 years.
Ian is currently President of The National Utility Locating Contractors Association (NULCA). NULCA’s formation represents a concerted effort by a few dedicated persons determined to establish standards for all areas of Australia’s locating industry. The NULCA committee is working hard to establish networking possibilities and the world’s best practice for every company and individual involved in any area to do with locating underground utilities.
Ian is a current board member of Dial Before You Dig Victoria/Tasmania representing the non-asset owner category, a position he has held for over 5 years. He is also a DBYD Certified Locator Assessor. This process is now a requirement to be Telstra and Optus Accredited nationally. He has since been elected on the DCL Board of Directors in July 2018. He holds a cert iv in training and assessing and delivers locator training.
On June 12, 2013, Standards Australia launched a new Standard (5488) which has – for the first time – outlined a consistent approach towards the classification of information relating to subsurface utilities.
Ian was also an integral part of a second committee and was instrumental during the process for the upgrade of the revised standard released May 6 2019.
Scott Landes
CEO; Rhino Marking & Protection Systems, Infrastructure Resources, LLC
Active in the Damage Prevention industry since 1982, Scott Landes is the CEO of both Rhino Marking & Protection Systems and Infrastructure Resources.
Dedicated to reducing damages globally and recognized as an industry expert; Scott has been published in multiple publications and spoke in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Argentina and Turkey. With 10 patents on damage prevention products, Scott’s passion for excavation safety is instilled in everyone in both companies.
Ed Landgraf
CAMO Chairman and Founder
Ed is the founder of CAMO “Coastal And Marine Operators” Pipeline industry group and serves as Chairman of the Board.
Ed has worked in the oil and gas industry for 30 years. A native of Oklahoma and graduate of Oklahoma State Univ., his first industry assignments started in West Texas. He spent 4 years in various locations throughout Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. The following 26 years have been dedicated to Gulf Coast Region. His assignments included further developing and managing infrastructure protection, risks management, damage prevention, pipeline safety, CSR sustainability, project management, technical assurance and QAQC initiatives. Ed is also an independent professional consultant.
Ed has 17 years of volunteer service to the community as Vice- Chairman of Coastal Zone Management, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, member of the National Estuary Program’s Management Conference, and Coastal Conservation Assn. Board of Directors.
Ed founded CAMO “Coastal And Marine Operators” group in 2009. CAMO now has over 25 participating companies, NGO’s and agencies, all working to enhance pipeline infrastructure integrity, environmental protection, public safety, coastal and marine damage prevention by designing and implementing new innovative solutions.
Darrell Lee
Market Manager, Sensors & Software Inc.
Darrell Lee is Market Manager at Sensors & Software Inc, a leading GPR manufacturer. With his blend of technical background and years of sales experience he brings his unique customer driven market focus into the Customer Experience and Product Management team.
Mitch Liddell
Lead Geophysicist GPR Coordinator, DGT Associates
Mitch Liddell is lead geophysicist and GPR coordinator at DGT Associates, overseeing all data collection and analysis. Throughout his geophysics career, Mitch has gained extensive experience in electromagnetic (EM) and tomographic methods that he’s applied as part of exploration and research projects in Europe and throughout North America. He earned his PhD in geophysics from Imperial College London in 2018 and has worked throughout his career to better incorporate scientific data into industry practices. Mitch is passionate about the full cycle of geophysical mapping—planning and logistics, collection, processing and interpretation, and communication of results and deliverables.
Mark E Limbruner
GIS Manager, Southern Marcellus Shale Division; Range Resources
Mark Limbruner, GISP has spent over three decades in the geospatial industry working for a number of firms in the petroleum exploration, coal exploration, mining, environmental engineering, and GIS consulting fields. Since 2008 Mark has been employed by Range Resources Corporation in their Canonsburg, Pennsylvania office where he manages the Southern Marcellus Shale Division’s GIS department.
Throughout his career, Mark has presented at a number of national and regional GIS conferences and has served on the GITA Oil and Gas Conference (now Pipeline Week) organizing committee. Mark also serves as the co-chair of EnerGIS, an annual GIS conference focused on the energy industry in the northeast. Mark has served as an international delegate representing GITA at conferences hosted by GITA’s sister organizations in Japan and Australia. A member of the GITA board since 2013, Mark previously served as GITA President for 2015-2016. On July 18, 2017, he was reelected by the Board to complete the term of Matt Thomas who needed to step down for personal reasons.
Dan Lorenz
Founder; Joe Knows
Dan is Passionate about Helping Leaders Lead.
Joe Knows provides staffing, consulting and technology services for companies who want to become High Performance, in industries where Front Line Professionalism and Leadership is essential. As founder and managing member of Joe Knows, Dan Lorenz oversees all aspects of the business.
Prior to founding Joe Knows, Dan founded and led contracting, service, training and development businesses. Over 20+ years these businesses grew to operate in 9 locations in a multi-state region.
“Over the years, we have tried to grow our businesses profitably. What I have learned is that-Achieving High Performance, is Hard. We focused on developing our systems and processes. This was good, but we should have focused on our People systems and processes first, with a focus on front line professional and leadership development.”
Throughout his more than 30 years of industry experience and company ownership, Dan has exemplified his commitment to excellence, safety, on-time project completion and team success to ensure client satisfaction.
Dan has also been awarded the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year twice and is a Cornerstone Award winner for leadership in the commercial construction industry.
Other insights
• Millennials Want and Need Leadership.
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• Focus on Front-Line Leadership.
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• Leadership Needs Help, Invest in Tools and Resources
Marti Lucore
Senior Project Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District
Marti Lucore is a Senior Project Manager in the Projects and Restoration Branch at the New Orleans District, Corps of Engineers. Ms. Lucore earned her BS from LSU in 1987 and her MBA from the University of New Orleans in 1990. She joined the New Orleans District in the Project Management Office in 1991and later earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification in 2001 from the International Project Management Institute. In 2012, she earned her Master Project Manager (MPM) certification from the American Academy of Project Managers. She has managed several major flood control projects and currently oversees the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway project. Her team is also managing 3 navigation studies and 3 navigation construction projects, most notably the Mississippi River deepening project. Other activities with the Corps over the years include serving as House Captain for Rebuilding Together, participating on the Corps MS Tour team and running the Corps annual tennis tournament. She is married with 3 quadrapeds running the household.
Coral Lukaniuk, P. Eng.
Principal, coRoc Solutions
Coral is a collaborative leader who brings the positive energy of a blue-sky day to programs. She has served in a variety of roles over her 25-year career, evolving from technical to strategic. One of her recognized strengths is taking initiatives from vision through to implementation in areas of public awareness and engagement, management systems, credibility, sustainability, performance improvement and youth education. Coral’s ability to maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders – from boots on the ground to senior leaders – results in sustainable solutions and strong partnerships. She uniquely combines engagement expertise with engineering experience yielding positive benefits for organizations. A natural at sharing public safety messaging, she is an advocate for effective public awareness.
Coral has a degree in engineering plus several certificates including strategic leadership, project management and public participation. She is also an internationally published author and speaker.
Jeff Lyons
Partner; Builterra
With over 25 years of experience in the municipal and land development sector, Jeff Lyons is dedicated to creating innovative software solutions for the civil and utility engineering industry. As founding partner of AEC Solutions, Inc. (Builterra.com), Jeff and his team have reinvented the traditional construction contract administration process for clients including AECOM, WSP, GHD, Cardno/T2 Utility Engineers, Wood and over 25 public sector clients in Canada.
Builterra is an end-to-end cloud-based platform for construction cost estimating, bid management, mobile field inspection and progress payment reporting. Since it’s adoption in the infrastructure construction sector, Builterra has grown organically throught the civil engineering eco-system and is not used for utility, structural, geotechnical, materials testing and buildings inspection projects, typically touching the civil project.
Before co-founding Builterra.com, Jeff was the resource manager for Land Development and the business unit manager for the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Solutions Team at Cole Engineering Group in Markham, Ontario (2010-2013). Prior to this, he was with Autodesk Canada as the AutoCAD Civil 3D software territory manager, working with the Autodesk channel and clients to increase AutoCAD Civil 3D product adoption across Ontario. Jeff received his diploma in mining engineering technology from the Haileybury School of Mines (Northern College), and his diploma in geological technology (geophysics) from Sir Sandford Fleming College.
Phone Number: 289-928-8676
Email: jlyons@builterra.com
Darrin McGreevy
Transportation Security Specialist, Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Darrin McGreevy is a Transportation Security Specialist for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He works in the Security Operations Division as part of the Surface Operations Section. Since 2015, he has served as the Surface Coordinator for the Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP).
McGreevy also spent four and a half years as a Surface Inspector in the New Orleans, Louisiana Field Office. As a Surface Inspector, he worked closely with local freight rail, mass transit, passenger rail and highway and motor carrier entities.
Prior to New Orleans, Darrin worked for eight years at TSA HQ in the Highway and Motor Carrier Division as a Program Analyst, Transportation Security Specialist and Stakeholder Relations Liaison. He worked closely with industry representatives to draft policy and security planning documents in several modes of transportation as well as helped to conduct over a dozen I-STEP exercises with Highway stakeholders.
Before joining TSA in 2003, Darrin worked for over six years in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate as a Legislative Assistant for a Member of Congress from New Hampshire. He prepared briefs on legislation, attended hearings and was assigned to the Budget Committee. He also worked on issues such as transportation, education, entitlements, and economics.
Darrin grew up not far from Boston, Massachusetts in southern New Hampshire. He graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1995. He enjoys watching Boston sports teams, is an avid golfer, and loves to spend time with his wife and two young children; a thirteen-year-old son and a ten-year-old daughter.
Bruce Magee
Region Product Development Manager, United Rentals Trench Safety
Bruce Magee is a Region Product Development Manager for United Rentals Trench Safety, specializing in training support for key customers across North America. He has held various branch, district and regional positions in his 40 years in the field of industrial equipment distribution. In the last 25 years with United Rentals, he has specialized in trench and excavation work. He has delivered more than 380 OSHA Competent Person Classes to thousands of people in the underground construction industry. He has presented on the safety requirements of both Trench/Excavation and Confined Space at more than 100 engineering conferences and seminars throughout the country and has provided training to OSHA compliance officers in numerous states. He regularly speaks on these topics to trade associations, engineering firms, construction companies, student groups and safety professionals across the US and Canada.
225-938-6228
Arun Mani
Principal, Power and Utilities US Lead; KPMG LLP - Strategy
Arun Mani is the leader of US Power and Utilities strategy and transformation in KPMG’s Strategy practice. Arun operates at the intersection of risk, resilience and regulation in the power and utilities sector. Across two decades of distinguished consulting work for electric, gas, and water utilities, Arun has worked with corporate leaders to help them drive growth, make strategic decisions, navigate major transitions, improve operational performance and build competitive advantage.
Arun has been retained by Boards and Executive Managements to evaluate and design governance frameworks, risk assessment and reporting frameworks, Enterprise Risk Management programs and Crisis Emergency Management programs. Apart from leading growth strategy, restructuring, performance and cost improvement engages for a number of utilities, Arun has also helped utilities and cities become more resilient by helping them better understand extreme event risks and their mitigation strategies.
Diana Manteria
Lead Specialist, Stakeholder Engagement; National Grid Board Member; New York 811
Diana Manteria is the Lead Specialist in the Stakeholder Engagement Team within Pipeline Safety Management at National Grid. With over a decade of experience Diana has successfully created new damage prevention initiatives in Downstate NY. She has presented to several stakeholder groups to spread awareness of damage prevention and safe digging practices. She is on the Board of the New York 811 CGA Regional Partner Committee and leads several sub-committees. Prior to her current position Diana was responsible for natural gas sales to commercial and industrial customers. Diana is on the Board of Directors for Hands Together New York, a Not-for-Profit organization that is dedicated to assisting the local community and focuses on helping those struggling with hunger or homelessness. In her spare time, Diana enjoys playing the piano.
diana.manteria@nationalgrid.com
Drew Markewicz, PE, PMP
Senior Project Manager, NV8
Mr. Markewicz is a licensed professional engineer with 30 years of preliminary and final design experience relating to multi-disciplinary transportation projects. As the Director of Highways and Utilities at NV5, he is responsible for project management and technical oversight of several of the firm’s large NJDOT and NJTA highway and utility projects varying in size from $3 million to $100 million; most recently the Route 35 MP 4 to 9 Emergency Sandy Reconstruction project, NJTA Facilities Improvement Program Parkway South, and the GSP Interchange 41 & 44 Improvements. In Addition, Mr. Markewicz is the Project Manager for PSE&G’s Utility Engineering on-Call Agreement. Mr. Markewicz has outstanding credentials in the field of utility and highway engineering, providing both utility companies and transportation clients with innovative, cost effective and streamlined project solutions – bridging the gap between utilities and the transportation project. He has lectured nationally on utility coordination and engineering and is a founding member and executive committee member of ASCE’s Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI). In addition, he is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and serves as Project Manager on several multi-disciplinary projects.
Kelli Martin
Damage Prevention Liaison Manager - Indiana for Underground Safety Alliance
Kelli Martin is the Damage Prevention Liaison Manager – Indiana for Underground Safety Alliance. She has been with USA for almost 3 years and was promoted from INPAA Program Manager to her new role last March to lead the new Indiana Education and Outreach team. With a wealth of industry knowledge from across the damage prevention industry, including work at the one-call center Miss Utility of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware, and public awareness work with Vectren in Indiana, she has helped to promote safety and prevent damage to underground facilities. She is an Indiana University graduate with degrees in communications and leadership.
Lyn McDonell C. Dir CMC
President, The Accountability Group, Inc.
Lyn McDonell is a governance, strategy and organizational effectiveness consultant. She is Chartered Director (C. Dir) and a Certified Management Consultant (CMC). She is President of The Accountability Group, Inc. based in Toronto, Ontario — a firm that provides consulting services and training in governance and strategy, and customized group facilitation. Lyn and her team work with associations, government-mandated entities such as agencies and regulatory colleges, service-providing organizations, charities, and other not-for-profit organizations.
Lyn’s professional purpose is helping public-serving and not-for-profit boards of directors lead and deliver on mission working with senior management. As a consultant, Lyn is an experienced provider of governance education and facilitator of strategy. Lyn helps leaders to determine organizational accountabilities so as to align goals, roles, authorities, and resources towards shared purpose.
Special Interests: Future-readiness of organizations and directors especially those sub-topics:
- Disruption of what it means for organizations, professions, and wider systems
- Governance leadership in adaptive times
- Inter-organizational relations and issues in change, and
- Stakeholder engagement for insight, alignment, and impact
Background Lyn earned her Masters of Arts (MA) in Sociology focusing on organizational life cycles. She has specialized training in strategy development gained from the Advanced Strategy Executive Program of the Richard Ivey School of Business (Western) and the USA-based Balanced Scorecard Collaborative/The Palladium Group.
In governance, Lyn earned her professional designation (Chartered Director – C.Dir.) from The Directors College, accredited by McMaster University. Lyn frequently presents and writes on governance issues. A chapter written by Lyn, How to Ask Effective Questions as a Director, will appear in the 2nd Edition of The Handbook of Board Governance to be published by Wiley late 2019/early 2020.
Lyn’s senior leadership experience was gained in provincial and national Canadian not-for-profit organizations in the senior positions of Executive Director, COO (Canadian Diabetes Association) and CEO (Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation). For over eight years until November 2016, Lyn was a director on the board of The Scarborough Hospital (now the Scarborough Health Network) serving as Vice Chair and Chair of its Quality Committee. Today, she brings expertise in the oversight of quality improvement to boards.
Lyn served on the Not-for-Profit Organizations Committee of CPA Canada from 2007-2017, and was its Chair for the last four years. The Committee contributes advice to CPA’s publications on not-for-profit organizational governance. Lyn is also Past-President of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario — an organization which fosters excellence and integrity in the management consulting profession. Lyn is a course leader at York University teaching Accountability Issues in the Public Sector as part of its Masters of Financial Accountability program in the School of Administrative Studies.
Christi Mclain
Communications Manager, Texas 811
Christi McLain has been in the One-Call industry for over eleven years holding various positions with Texas811: Damage Prevention Agent, Quality Assurance Specialist, Damage Prevention Supervisor, Member Service Manager, and now Communications Manager. Her passion is raising awareness around 811 through creative digital advertising and social media campaigns. She is on the Board of Directors for Leading Women of Damage Prevention, as well as several committees with Texas811 and the FNCA Marketing Committee.
Fun facts about Christi:
She has been married to the same amazing man for 18 years with two beautiful children and two Mini Aussies. She enjoys spending time with her family and using her creativity to build or create just about anything. Her personal passion is helping others who struggle with depression and anxiety. Her favorite place to be: sitting in the sand on the emerald coast of Florida!
Marty Mead
Director of Damage Prevention, Colorado 811
Marty Mead is the Director of Damage Prevention at Colorado 811. He has been with the organization since 1997 and throughout his tenure, has worn many hats. Starting out as the database analyst, he quickly assumed the director of operations position for 13 years. After a brief tenure as the business process coordinator and overseeing the GIS developments, in January of 2015, he was given the opportunity to head the newly developed damage prevention department.
Cliff Meidl
Motivational Safety Speaker, Spokesperson and 811 Ambassador
Cliff has inspired audiences across North America promoting the importance of safe digging and partnering as spokesperson with several statewide 811 Call centers and industry stakeholders. Spreading the awareness of safety and safe digging practices is a very important message Cliff shares. While working on a construction site at 20 years of age Cliff jackhammered into three live buried power lines and nearly lost his life and legs. He made a miraculous comeback battling through a strenuous rehabilitation process and went on to make two US Olympic Teams ten years after his accident. Cliff received the ultimate honor- he was chosen to be the flag bearer at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Cliff is a spokesperson for One Calls of America and the OSHA training Institute Dominguez Hills University in Southern California. Cliff earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and has an MBA from the University of Southern California.
Clifford Meis, P.E.
Project Engineer, Utility Mapping Services, Inc.
Clifford R. Meis, P.E., Project Engineer has industry experience managing complex subsurface utility engineering and geophysical survey operations in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Colorado and Montana. Cliff joined UMS in 2016 after working for Aera Energy in Bakersfield. Since joining UMS Cliff has been tasked with introducing new geophysical mapping technologies for hydrographic, pipeline, and utility mapping operations, including the multichannel ground penetrating radar, Spar 300 electromagnetic 3D pipe detector, and the NORBIT AS iWBMSc multi-beam sonar which facilitate better designs. Cliff is well versed in ASCE/CI 38-02 and promotes it as an engineering best practice to clearly communicate and proactively manage risk.
Philip Meis
Owner, Utility Mapping Services, Inc.
Philip J. Meis, P.E. is a registered professional engineer with a background in civil design, surveying and mapping, geophysics, and data management. From 1986-90 he served as a NOAA Corps commissioned officer. From 2001-02 he was project manager and engineer-of-record for the SUE effort on the new I-70 Mississippi River Bridge design in St. Louis and the first SUE term contract for the TXDOT San Antonio District.
Phil has been directing subsurface utility engineering services (SUE) on a national level since 1996 and in 2002 co-founded Utility Mapping Services, Inc. (UMS) specifically to address and execute SUE as a rigorous geophysical and engineering discipline. He is active with the Transportation Research Board Utilities Committee (AFB70), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Phil served on an National Research Council Strategic Highway Resarch Program 2 initiative, R-15B, to standardize usage of utilitiy conflict matrices. He currently chairs the committee for the ASCE Standard for Recording and Exchanging Utility Infrastructure Data, and is vice-chair for the Utiltiy Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) Utility Risk Management Division.
Phil was project director for implementing a 3-D digital utility data repository along with data collection standards for the Montana DOT, which received the ACEC Engineering Excellence 2020 National Recognition Award. He co-authored a 3-D Utility Surveying Practices report for the Wisconsin DOT and presented those findings at the IADOT sponsored 3-D Design Workshop. At FHWA’s request he has presented digital 3-D utility management practices to a nationwide audience for the Every Day Counts webinar series. While chair of the ASCE UESI Utility Investigation and SUE Committee, Phil helped lead the development of the Effective Utility Records Research white paper recently presented in a February 2019 ASCE webinar.
Stephanie Menning, ACE, IOM
Executive Director, MUCA
Stephanie Menning is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Utility Contractors Association (MUCA), a position held since January, 2013. Prior to that, she served as Vice President, Gas Services for the Midwest Energy Association (MEA), having started her non-profit management career there in 1995. In 2007, while at MEA, she founded Energetic Women, a national resource group for women in operations and engineering in natural gas and electric utilities. She is an outspoken, passionate advocate for contractors in the underground utility industry, and is committed to member-driven leadership and collaboration in solving common problems. She participates on several industry committees, has published numerous articles, and steadfastly strives to hold utilities accountable for the location of their assets. Since joining MUCA she has been instrumental in increasing member value through on-line training, construction leadership courses, legislative relations, workforce development, and giving back to the community through MUCA’s Day of the Dozers event to benefit Children’s Minnesota, helping families in need.
Aimee Milks
Marketing / PR Manager; Dig Safely New York
Milks joined the not-for-profit organization in 2014, coming from journalism and marketing careers. Aimee has experience in journalism, grant writing, and marketing efforts in her 10-plus years in the job field at newspapers, technology companies, and most recently, at a brand communications firm where she was responsible for creating and managing marketing strategies for all clients. Her diverse experience in varied industries has provided a unique, outside-the-box approach to marketing strategy for Dig Safely New York. Milks manages a team of nine to accomplish all the marketing, public relations, and educational efforts (internal and external) for the organization. She also assists in operational efforts of the organization.
Currently, Aimee is a member of the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), where she serves on the Education Committee. She is also a member of the One Calls of America Mark-it Madness Committee.
Aimee has a bachelor’s degree in Communication Theory and Public Relations from State University of New York at Fredonia, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She resides in Syracuse, New York with her four-year-old daughter, Adelyn.
Ketha Molina
NW Damage PRevention Manager, Texas 811
Ketha Molina, the NW Damage Prevention Manager for Texas811, also serves as the President of Leading Women of Damage Prevention. She is an Environmental, Health & Safety professional with much of her 19+ years career in construction and damage prevention.
Her roles in the industry have helped her develop and commit to:
- Establishing and cultivating strong partnerships at every level of staff and management.
- Interacting purposefully with staff and management to create a culture of awareness, empowerment, and individual workplace responsibility.
- Collaboration to develop and implement successful programs and initiatives, improving work quality and incident reducing metrics in a cost-efficient manner.
- Pursuing and utilizing knowledge and skills to serve with community and industry, helping to advance and develop the profession.
While learning from the past, working in the present, and planning for the future. She holds active membership in professional organizations.
Current:
- Damage Prevention Council of Texas – Board of Director
- Deputy Regional Vice President Region III – American Society of Safety Professionals
- Permian Basin Chapter ASSP ChapterWISE – Chair
- Keep Odessa Beautiful – Board of Director
Facts about Ketha:
A native West Texan – Married to the same man for 100 years – Mother of 4 brilliant children – Grandmother of 7 sweet angel babies – Parent to an evil yet gorgeous fat cat Uma, who plots her death daily.
Her nature:
Big heart – Loves people & cares for the worker – Is not easily bullied – Cusses a little.
Strong likes:
New York Strip – Chips & Gucamole – cold beer – strong cup of coffee
The GOATs (greatest of all time): Roger Staubach – Patrick Mahomes II – The Eagles/Def Leppard – Oreos
Nathalie Moreau
Executive Director Prevention and Public Affairs; Info-Excavation
Ms. Nathalie Moreau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, a Project Management certificate from George Washington University and has completed an Executive degree from HEC Montreal.
For nearly 20 years, Ms. Moreau has held various management positions at Bell, a national telecommunications company. As team leader, she made a difference in several major projects, as well as in the improvement of various business processes. She was also involved, for ten years, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Telecommunications Employee Savings Fund.
In February 2010, she joined the Quebec Common Ground Alliance as Chief & Executive Director. She was able to mobilize partners and build a recognized organization in Quebec. Since January 2014, she holds the position of Executive Director, damage prevention and public affairs for Info-Excavation, the Alliance for damage prevention in Quebec.
She is involved in several provincial and national committees to help the cause of damage prevention. And she also holds the position of Past Chair within the Canadian Common Ground Alliance Board of Directors.
Brian Morehouse
Western Region Education Liaison, NC811
Brian Morehouse graduated from Rappahannock Community College in Virginia. His career in the utility industry spanned over 25 years with Dominion Energy and Energy United as a Residential and Commercial Designer. He shifted gears working in Project Management, Sales and Non-Profit, but realized he missed the utility industry. In February 2018, Brian gained the opportunity to work with NC 811 with his present position as a Liaison in the Western Region of North Carolina sharing the message of damage prevention.
Brian, enjoys being back in the utility industry helping educate the community of the importance of “Calling 811- Before You Dig”.
Paul Mukai
Business Development Catalyst, PVM Associates
Paul focuses on business development issues related to emerging technologies. His recent work has been to examine and evaluate AI (artificial intelligence) applications and their respective business models. His interest in GPR is driven by the many analogs – business analogs as well as technology analogs – between medical (x-ray tomography) imaging and subsurface (radio tomography) imaging.
Jonathan Musgrove
Vice President, CMR
Jonathan brought his extensive background in operations management, risk management and claims investigation to CMR in 2005. He provides oversight for many of the company’s core processes, including first notice of loss, insurance research and filing, quality assurance, adjuster training and claims recovery results.
As vice president of CMR, Jonathan’s communications skills and deep process knowledge provide customers with a resourceful point of contact.
He is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City and is actively involved with local nonprofits including the United Way of Central Oklahoma, Positive Tomorrows and the Oklahoma Women’s Coalition.
He earned a degree in property-land management from Okefenokee Technical College in 1994 and is a licensed property and casualty adjuster.
In his free time, Jonathan, along with his wife and two sons, enjoy travelling and returning to his home state of Georgia.
Eugene Ng
Cyber Security Leader, Eastern Canada; MNP, LLP
Eugene Ng is MNP’s Cyber Security Risk Leader for Eastern Canada. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in the cyber security sector, Eugene identifies practical security solutions, products, and services that give clients a competitive advantage.
Previously, Eugene co-founded a successful Cyber Security firm where he last held the role of Chief Innovation Officer. Eugene is a graduate of the DeGroote School of Business from McMaster University. He holds the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor designations.
Eugene oversees research and development activities and formulates long-term vision and strategies at the executive management level to help the firm better serve clients. He provides a full range of cyber security services and solutions to medium-sized and large enterprises, delivering strong advice to help clients make business decisions relating to technology. Prior to joining MNP, Eugene co-founded a successful cyber security company that won many industry awards. There, he held the position of Chief Innovation Officer and was involved in the design and high-level strategic security vision with some of Canada’s largest corporations. He is also a top-rated speaker at many industry events including most notably a panelist at the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies to discuss cybercrime with some of Canada’s most respected government agencies. More recently, he has delivered Cyber Security presentations to the International Institute of Communications Canadian National Conference in Ottawa, ISACA Halifax, YPO Canada National Conference, the Canadian Society of Association Executives, and at Municipal Information Systems Association (MISA) Security in Toronto. Eugene is a graduate of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University.
Dan Novak
Division Manager for the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
Dan Novak is the Division Manager for the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Prior to joining the commission in 2007, Dan worked for Vectren, a large natural gas distribution company in Indiana, for 23 years beginning as a laborer and ending his tenure there as an Area Manager. He has served on various committees such as Constructions Standards, O&M Procedures, and Operator Qualifications and has his PHMSA TQ Certifications since joining the commission. Dan has his Bachelor of Arts in Marketing.
Ily Nun
Owner/Operator, NU Locating
Ily received her Bachelors Degree in Business Management from the University of Wyoming in 2013, and is certified in Utility Locating as well as ground penetrating radar (GPR) through Staking University. NU Locating began in 2016 as a private utility locating company; however, through the use of GPR NU Locating now provides a variety of services including concrete structure scans, void detection, and gravesite detection.
When I first began NU Locating it was difficult to find GPR training opportunities, so I purchased a few text books and through trial and error I taught myself the basics. Today our team is growing and NU Locating is one of only a few companies in Wyoming that utilizes ground penetrating radar. We are always testing new applications of the technology to better meet the needs of our clients.
Skip Orvis
Vice President, Engineering, Kenzen
Skip Orvis is Vice President of Engineering at Kenzen. Skip has more than 20 years of product development experience for both the consumer and industrial markets. He is also a U.S. Navy veteran who has experience working in extreme conditions through multiple deployments to the Middle East.
Lonny Oswalt
Founder, MobileFrame
Lonny has over 35 years of experience in advanced technological systems and he founded MobileFrame after serving in a variety of executive and product development management roles. Lonny created the code-free mobile app platform space 20 years ago, and he has several patents issued at MobileFrame in code-free mobile computing. He was Vice President of Business Development and Channel Sales at eAssist Global Solutions, which developed a world class CRM platform. Prior to eAssist, Lonny was the Head of Worldwide Business Development at Remedy Corporation, a $300M company, handling operations and management of Remedy’s CRM and ITSM business development units. At Remedy, Lonny helped create the company’s wireless vision and business strategy, leading to first-place market share in help desk wireless-client software.
Lonny also held senior technology management positions with Lockheed Martin’s Satellite Division, whereas General Manager, he managed a $250M line of business with more than 200 employees engaged in building advanced attitude flight control systems for classified satellites. He holds a BS in Engineering from the University of Arizona.
Louis Panzer
Executive Director NC 811
Louis has served as Executive Director at NC 811 since August of 2012. He has been recognized as 2013 CGA Member of the Year and has been an active CGA participant for over 16 years. Louis is active with an alphabet soup of associations and lives sleeps and breathes the concept of shared responsibility.
Sundar Paramasivan
Projects Manager; Infrastructure Resources, LLC
Sundar is a dynamic professional with 2 years of experience in the underground damage prevention industry. He is a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) with a Master’s degree in International Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Sundar joined Infrastructure Resources in 2017, and he’s currently responsible for setting up projects in MS Project, monitoring progress of projects, allocating resources, and optimizing company processes & procedures. He is also actively involved in building the Emerging Damage Prevention Leaders Group – a professional group for young professionals of utility damage prevention industry.
Dora Parks
Manager, Client Relations; One Call Concepts
Dora Parks has been in the damage prevention business for 29 years with One Call Concepts, Inc. Moving from thirteen years of contract locating to the Miss Utility call center servicing Maryland, Delaware and District of Columbia. Dora held the position of General Manager for the Maryland, District of Columbia, New Jersey and Delmarva service territories. Since 2011, Dora has worked in client relations, damage prevention and marketing. In this capacity, Dora serves as a liaison to thousands of contractors and utility owners in the Maryland, Delaware and District of Columbia promoting and supporting them in damage prevention and safety initiatives.
Dora serves on various committees both locally and nationally in the position of chairperson, secretary, administrator and member to include, Damage Prevention & Safety monthly meetings, Maryland and DC law, Miss Utility Awards (locators and excavators), the Greater Chesapeake Damage Prevention Training Committee, NUCA of DC, PWCA, UCA of AA and WSMPA. Dora serves on two Boards; the MD/DC Subscribers and was elected as the first women to be nominated and elected to serve on the AUC’s Board of Directors in 2018. Dora’s passion is training, sharing the 811 message and working with children.
Dora is a Maryland resident, married for 47 years and has two beautiful grandchildren in Burlington, VT.
Alec Pestov
CEO; vGIS
Alec Pestov is an accomplished productivity expert and startup specialist with interests in visualization and GIS technologies. His past experiences include 20 years of global management consulting and several senior management roles in multiple industries. At vGIS, he leads the company’s innovative augmented reality visualization platform for GIS data. vGIS’s product portfolio includes a visual GIS platform and an array of custom mixed reality applications designed for Microsoft HoloLens. Currently, vGIS is an award-winning partner of Esri and Microsoft, and a recipient of the ESRI Partner Award (2019) and Microsoft Partner of the Year Finalist two years running (2019, 2018). vGIS is currently deployed to visualize infrastructure by more than 80 clients globally.
Phone Number: 416.939.5449
Email: alec.pestov@vgis.io
Michelle Petrusevich
Public Safety Manager, Fortis BC
During her fourteen-year tenure with the Company, Michelle’s held a number of roles. In her current position of Public Safety Awareness Manager, she is responsible for managing public safety awareness portfolio which includes a number of programs and initiatives for both natural gas and electric divisions. Michelle chairs the Education Committee for BC Common Ground Alliance and an active member of the Canadian Common Ground Alliance Education Committee as well as the Public Awareness Sub Work Group at the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association. Michelle is an avid traveler (when that’s a thing) and a foodie. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s Degree in Communications from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and recently graduated from the Justice Institute of BC with the Certificate in Advance Facilitation and Consultation. She is currently pursuing her Certificate in Project Management at UBC.
Ron Peterson
President; Ron Peterson Consulting, LLC
In addition to providing utility locating training services, damage prevention and investigation services as owner of Ron Peterson Consulting, LLC, Ron has held the position of Executive Director of Nulca since 2009.
Ron’s background includes over 25 years of experience in the underground utility industry and he is certified as a fiber optics technician and a fiber optics specialist.
Ron is dedicated to damage prevention and improving safety within the industry. He is a founding member of the Missouri Common Ground Alliance, and sits on the PHMSA Damage Prevention Roundtable. He has served on several committees and regional partners for the CGA. He has won numerous awards for his efforts, including NUCA Associate of the Year and Most Valuable Member of the CGA.
ron@ronpetersonconsulting.com/
http://www.ronpetersonconsulting.com/
Whitney Price
Special Projects Coordinator; Infrastructure Resources, LLC
Whitney Price is the Special Projects Coordinator with Infrastructure Resources. Dedicated to reducing damage globally, IR was founded on the core values of innovation, integrity, customer focus, and giving back. IR is a trusted source for damage prevention and public awareness expertise and solutions for the utility and excavation industry. In her role, Whitney seeks to fulfill the company mission: Saving Lives Through Education at live events in the US, Canada, and Australia and through publications including dp-PRO and Excavation Safety Guide and Resource Directory and industry programs.
Whitney works specifically with the Pipeline Ag Safety Alliance (PASA) program. This program focuses on educating agricultural professionals on safe digging. Through this program, Whitney produces a custom Farm and Ranch issue of the Excavation Safety Guide and Resource Directory.
Helping IR expand their global reach, she manages agreements with endorsing organizations across the United States, Australia, and Canada. Whitney is also a member of the Minnesota Common Ground Alliance.
Whitney has written numerous articles for dp-PRO and presented at the CGA 811 Excavation Safety Conference & Expo, the National Association County Agricultural Agents (NACAA), and the International Trails Symposium by American Trails.
Nominated for a Damage Prevention Hero award in 2013, Whitney has assisted in the coordination of the inaugural 811 Run held in West Palm Beach, Florida continuing her efforts for multiple years in Minnesota.
Whitney can be reached at whitney@emailir.com or 952.428.7990.
Dominic Puiu
Manager, Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT
Dominic Puiu joined Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT in April 1999. Dial Before You Dig at that time serviced only the Sydney area and had nine participating member organisations. In an average working day, excavators lodged between 100 and 130 inquiries by phone and fax.
Today Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT has over 120 participating member organisations and services all of NSW and the ACT. In an average month excavators lodge over 55,000 inquiries by internet, iPhone application and phone.
Dominic has been Chair of the Streets Opening Coordination Council since 2014. In 2009 NSW became the first Australian jurisdiction to pass a law mandating use of the Dial Before You Dig service.
Dominic has a BA in industrial relations from the University of NSW, a Masters in Business (Employment Relations) from UTS and a Diploma in Public Relations from Sydney Institute of Technology.
Phone Number: 02 9648-1100
Email: dpuiu@bigpond.com
Website: www.beforeyoudignswact.com.au
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/showcase/dbyd-nsw-act/
Instagram: beforeyoudignswact
Cesar Quiroga, Ph.D., P.E.
Senior Research Engineer, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Cesar is a Senior Research Engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). His professional and research interests include optimization of the project delivery process; utility engineering; right-of-way acquisition; impact of oil and gas energy developments on transportation infrastructure; and applications of spatial data technologies to transportation.
Transportation Research Board (TRB) – Until April 2020:
- Chair, Utilities Committee
- Member, Design Section and the CIM Subcommittee
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE):
- Member, Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data Standards Subcommittee
- Member, Collection, Administration, and Exchange of Utility Infrastructure Data Committee
- Member, Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI)
Contact: c-quiroga@tti.tamu.edu Phone: (210) 321-1229
Nathalie Ramos
Project Specialist, Cross Commodity Work Coordination Consolidated Edison Company of New York
Nathalie Ramos is currently the Westchester Regional Leader for Cross Commodity Work Coordination at Con Edison. She is responsible for coordinating gas and electric work ahead of municipal paving schedules.
Prior to this, Nathalie was a Supervisor in Gas Distribution Engineering where she planned gas distribution projects in Manhattan to support the company’s accelerated main replacement program. In this role she worked with various construction organizations to enhance the design process. Her improvements resulted in a higher quality end-product that that greatly enhanced the customer experience. Nathalie next moved to Westchester Public Improvement and Interference. There she was responsible for engineering and planning the relocation of Con Edison’s gas facilities driven by state, county, or municipal agency projects. She played an instrumental role on several corporate initiatives including the filing of Con Edison’s Gas Rate case.
Nathalie has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in Engineering Management from Stevens Institute of Technology, concentrating in Data Exploration and Visualization for Risk and Decision Making. Nathalie can be reached at ramosn@coned.com.
Dave Rau
Communications Manager, Columbia Gas of Ohio
Dave Rau is a Communications Manager for Columbia Gas of Ohio, working with the news media, local governments and community stakeholders throughout the company’s service territory in Eastern and Southern Ohio. Dave also supervises content for the company’s newsletters, email updates, website and more.
He joined the NiSource, parent company of Columbia Gas of Ohio, in 2001 after more than a decade as a television news producer in Columbus, Ohio. Dave supported NiSource’s information technology team through project communications and user experience improvements, including leading a process automation initiative. Since moving to Columbia Gas of Ohio, Dave has played an essential role in the company’s crisis communications efforts. Recognizing that growing numbers of customers had opted out of paper bills, he initiated email newsletters to provide essential news and information to ebill customers. Dave also led significant improvements in the company’s safety information programs, which resulted in a reduction in facility damages, and has participated in projects ranging from pipeline construction to digital signage for employee news.
Lee Richards
Ohio 811
Lee Richards has been in the one-call industry for 40 years. She started her career with Ohio Utilities Protection Service as an operator in 1972. She held several management positions within the organization and has been with the Public Education and Outreach Department since 1997 and managed the department since 2005.
She served 3 years as the Chair of the Mark-It Madness committee of One Calls of America and is past Co-chair of the CGA Educational Programs Committee.
Cheryl Ritter
National Marketing Director, Construction Angels
Cheryl Ritter is a damage prevention and safety professional with more than 30 years’ experience in the construction and 811 industries. Cheryl held the position of Damage Prevention Manager for 21 years for Sunshine 811 with statewide responsibilities for public relations, marketing and strategy development for the Call 811 Before You Dig safety message until retiring in May 2019. Prior to working for Sunshine 811, she held the position of Executive Director for the Underground Contractors Association of South Florida for 12 years. She has served as chairperson for local, state and national committees for the Underground Utility Contractors Association of Florida, NUCA, Florida Utilities Coordinating Committee, and One Calls of America’s Mark-it! Madness Committee. Cheryl has been the catalyst behind many industry partnerships.
John Robinson
CEO and Chief Surveyor, John Robinson Associates
I have been involved in Utility Mapping and Topographical Surveys for over 36 years. I have specified, surveyed, managed & directed utility mapping survey projects all over the world.
My specialties are Utility Mapping in congested inner city areas, PAS 128 and PAS 256, the management of large multi-location survey projects, and client liaison, contract management and providing cost effective solutions to fit the client’s needs.
I am one of the experts and authors of the British Standards Institute (BSI) PAS128:2014 Specification for Underground Utility Detection, Verification and Location. This important document is the UK’s first dedicated specification for Utility Detection & Mapping Surveys. I also served (as a co-opted member) on this BSI PAS Steering Group and promote best practice within the utility survey industry.
Robert Rocha
Fire Chief for the City of Corpus Christi
Robert Rocha currently serves as Fire Chief for the City of Corpus Christi, Texas and Chairperson of the Local Emergency Planning Committee. Chief Rocha previously served as Senior Deputy Fire Chief with the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department and retired in 2011 after 28 years of service. Robert was born and raised in Kansas City and graduated from JC Harmon High School in 1975. He started his career in the fire service as a Firefighter in 1982 and progressed through the ranks serving as a Fire Apparatus Operator, Fire Captain, Battalion Chief, Fire Marshal, Assistant Fire Chief and Deputy Chief.
Over the past seven years as Fire Chief for the City of Corpus Christi, Chief Rocha has reorganized the department to improve efficiency and work performance. The department added two medic units going from nine (9) to eleven (11) with no additional personnel. He continues to move the Fire Department forward in the usage of new technology and has added a Drone team to assist with provided valuable information to Incident Commanders during fires and natural catastrophes. Chief Rocha was part of the leadership team along with the Mayor, City Manager, Police Chief and Emergency Manager in leading the response and recovery effort after Hurricane Harvey.
Chief Rocha was recently elected to the International National Fire Chiefs Association – Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Executive Board where he currently serves as Secretary.
Chief Rocha has an Associates of Applied Science Degree from Kansas City Kansas Community College where he majored in Fire Science. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from MidAmerica Nazarene University where he majored in Management. Chief Rocha has completed his Executive Masters Degree in Business Administration from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland and is certified by the state of Kansas as a Project Manager.
Ricky Rollins
Professional Speaker, President of Ricky Rollins Safety Speeches
Graduated from Clemson University 1980 with a B.S. in Administrative Management. Stared career in the steel industry with Nucor Steel in 1980. Held various hourly and salary job with Nucor and two refractory companies his first 14 years. The last 22 years in the steel industry were with Steel Dynamics Butler Flat Roll Division. The last 19 of those years were as the Melting Department Manager. Retired from the steel industry in January of 2017 and started his own company, Ricky Rollins Safety Speeches. Was awarded the Don B. Daily Safety Award in 2018 for the best safety presentation at an Association for Iron & Steel event.
Josef Rosenberg
Contact Centre Manager; Alberta One-Call
Josef Rosenberg is Alberta One-Call’s Contact Centre Manager, and has been working at AOC for over a decade. He has been deeply involved in many shifts in both the petroleum industry and the customer service sector and has created many custom-tailored solutions for the challenges faced in damage prevention. Josef formerly chaired the ABCGA’s Data Reporting and Evaluation Committee, and currently sits on the DREC with Canadian Common Ground Alliance.
Daniel Saavedra
Forensic Civil Engineer, Bison Engineering Inc.
Mr. Saavedra has a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Ohio University. He obtained his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniera in Colombia (South America). In the past seven years, Mr. Saavedra has participated in numerous construction defect cases, including natural gas and propane related fires and explosions. He helped develop testing procedures to establish pressure and flow of gas through soils. He has conducted soil gas migration research and testing in relation to the issues involved in this presentation. After explosions and fires, Mr. Saavedra had conducted soil gas migrations surveys to identify post-incident fuel gas presence.
Brent Saltzman
Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, Louisiana 811
Mr. Saltzman has been employed at Louisiana 811 since 2013 and currently serves as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. Reporting to the Board of Directors, he has overall strategic and operational responsibility for Louisiana 811’s staff, programs and execution of its mission. Brent previously held the position of Manager-Damage Prevention and was responsible for providing presentations regarding the program’s operations, the Louisiana Underground Utilities & Facilities Damage Prevention Law (Dig Law) and digging safely.
Mr. Saltzman’s background includes work as Business Manager at EATEL Construction Company, Outside Plant Engineering Supervisor at EATEL and as Construction Manager/Public Relations at Allen Construction Company. He has served on various boards and committees including Louisiana 811, Ascension Parish Utility Council, Livingston Parish Utility Council, Association of Louisiana Utility Councils and the Capital Area Utility Risk Partnership. He is a Leadership Ascension graduate and has earned a BS Degree from Louisiana State University.
Roger Sampson
Executive Director; New York 811
Roger Sampson is the Executive Director of New York 811 for the past 10 years. He is a past Board Member and President of New York 811 and has been involved with the damage prevention industry for past 20 years. He comes from the utility background having spent 24 years with Verizon. His experience and knowledge have transformed damage prevention at New York 811 to be recognized with innovative and groundbreaking ideas to utilize emerging and developing technologies to the betterment of underground utility protection. He is always looking for new and improved out of the box thinking to continue to drive positive damage prevention initiatives in the New York City and Long Island region of New York 811.
Lindsay Sander
Founder and Principal, Sander Resources, LLC
Lindsay Sander is the founder of Sander Resources, L.L.C., a consulting firm focused on oil, gas and utility issue management and regulatory compliance. Ms. Sander is considered a subject matter expert on damage prevention and public awareness as well as natural gas gathering and is responsible for the National Excavator Initiative.
Ms. Sander has developed and implemented compliance programs, industry positions, and comprehensive communication and media plans. She has served as the chairman of key committees for major industry associations and serves on the board of the Association of Women in Energy. Ms. Sander is also the recipient of the 2018 Pink Petro Grit Award.
Mark Santayana
Manager; Public Safety PPL Electric Utilities
Mark C. Santayana is currently PPL Electric Utilities Manager Public Safety. Prior to leading the company’s Public Safety Group, Mark served 3 years as PPL’s Lead Damage Prevention Inspector, 3 years as Damage Prevention and Underground Facilities Program Manager and 1 year as Supervisor Public Safety. PPL is an energy company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It currently delivers electricity to 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania.
Before joining PPL, Mark worked for Pennsylvania One Call System, Inc. as Northeast Liaison for nearly 10 years. As a PA One Call Liaison he provided extensive Excavator, Contractor and First Responder Damage Prevention and Safety Training Programs throughout the State. Additionally, Mark is a 17-year veteran of the Telecommunications Industry holding Managerial and Supervisory positions in Regulatory Relations, Industry Affairs and New Market Development.
Mark holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore. He is an active Board Member of Pennsylvania One Call System. Inc. and Chairman of their Board Development Committee. In 2018 Mark was selected as an inaugural member and Secretary of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissions Damage Prevention Committee, holding a 3-year term. Mark is also a Member of the Accident Prevention Committee of the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, a member of the Common Ground Alliance Best Practices Committee and a committee member of One Call Systems International.
Santosh Saride
Vice President Strategy & Business Development, PRISUM Technologies (A Condux International Company)
PRISUM solutions allow you to accurately map your underground assets using 3D gyroscopic technology while securely managing your data, helping you avoid power cable damages, downtime, and added expenses. Contact me to request a demo on how we can increases safety, efficiency, and profitability on your job site.
Mechanical engineer and business leader with a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and 16 years of experience developing technology solutions. With proficiency in product development, validation testing, and large-scale implementation, past track record includes experience with various Fortune 500 companies, including Caterpillar, General Motors, and Cummins.
Brett Schimming
CEO, Construction Skills Queensland
As the CEO of Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) Brett initiates and leads partnerships with industry, government, employers, unions, educators, trainers and associations to develop initiatives and programs to grow the skills base and capacity of Queensland’s building and construction industry workforce. Brett is passionate about ensuring the workforce meets the demand of employers, and he is active in national and state policy discussions and initiatives to predict and grow the skills base.
Brett brought to CSQ extensive experience in the leadership and management of training and education organisations, earned working in a range of industry sectors including RTOs, professional services firms, and other industry bodies.
Brett has qualifications in Education, Business and Public Policy and many years of experience managing training and education organisations. He has served on multiple State and National Committees, and Company Boards and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Brett is Queensland’s representative to the Australian Industry Skills Committee. Brett is currently a Board Director on the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (the Queensland building regulator) and was recently appointed to the Board of Jobs Queensland.
Thomas W. Schmidt
Vice President Business Development, Barbco, Inc.
Thomas W. Schmidt is the Vice President, Business Development for Barbco, Inc. Mr. Schmidt is Manufacturing veteran with many years of leadership in numerous local plants including Harrison Paint, Heinemann Saw Company, and Georgia Pacific. While reporting directly to the Owners, he will lead the charge to world domination of the capital equipment market for the trenchless excavation and underground manufacturing industries. In 2021, the first year under his leadership, Barbco had an all-time record setting Sales year, surpassing the previous year’s total by 27%. Thus far, calendar 2022 is tracking to be another 15% increase!
Mr. Schmidt is a long time Canton, Ohio resident with a B.A. from Kent State University (Summa Cum Laude), a M.B.A. from the University of Akron (Cum Laude), holds APICS certification, and is a Leadership Stark County graduate. He is also a passionate local business advocate and dedicated community volunteer. Currently, he is a Past President for the National Sales and Marketing Executives Akron Canton Board of Directors. He has recently been elected as Vice President of the newly formed Stark County Manufacturer’s Workforce Development Partnership. In addition, he serves on the Governor’s blue ribbon Manufacturing Extension Partnership Progressive Roundtable in the state of Ohio. Moreover, in early 2021, he was selected to join an elite group of 20 Manufacturing Leaders to form the Manufacturing Innovation Council which has the stated mission of driving innovation, growth and competitiveness in Ohio Manufacturing! Lastly, Mr. Schmidt was awarded the prestigious Sales & Marketing Executives International Award in 2013 recognizing his years of leadership and performance in sales and marketing in NE Ohio.
In 2019, Mr. Schmidt was ‘knighted’ as a Squire of Hope by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation recognizing his long history in raising both awareness and money in the Fight Against Childhood Cancer! Finally, by Mayoral Proclamation, May 10th is officially “Tom Schmidt Day” in Massillon, Ohio in recognition of his decades of community service and charitable activities to make his community a great place to live, work, and play. He resides in Canton, Ohio and is married with two sons and two granddaughters.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaswschmidt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barbco-incorporated/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
YouTube Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIlS7yp1lkk
Brandon Schroeder
Motivational Safety Speaker, Believe in Safety
Believe In Safety is quickly becoming a top ranked motivational safety presentation that is changing the landscape of safety presentations nationwide. Brandon Schroeder takes his audience on a journey from his quintessential life the day of the accident through his agonizing recovery, unavoidable depression, and ultimately accepting his situation and persevering.
Brandon’s raw emotion and relatable nature commands resonance of his message, Believe In Safety. One of the most valued aspects of Brandon’s story is the full disclosure of his pre-accident mindset; he discusses the realities of the safety culture on the job and how this led him to that fateful day. He vividly describes how this accident changed not only his life, but the lives of those that love him.
Through his 20 years of electrical and safety experience, Brandon has worked on and toured hundreds of job sites through every aspect of industry, construction, and municipality and utility. We look forward to working with you to compel your company to live by Brandon’s mission that we all must Believe In Safety.
319-533-4163
Eric Sharpe
Editor; Energy Ink Magazine
Eric Sharpe is the editor of Energy Ink Magazine which covers energy industry related topics. Eric also serves as a contract strategic advisor and marketing consultant to energy and technology companies throughout the country.
Forrest Sim
Head Dude, Enhanced Scanning Founder: GPR Consortium
Forrest Sim is the founder of the GPR Consortium, an international trade association for GPR professionals. Forrest is passionate about collaboration, relationships, and ground penetrating radar. After spending time in the GPR industry as an employee, Forrest started his own company, Enhanced Scanning. Soon afterward, he recognized the need for an organization to bring together GPR practitioners from all over the world in a spirit of collaboration. Slowly, slowly, the GPR Consortium took shape and is now mere days away from launching.
Forrest loves his wife, wrestles his four children, and waters lots of house plants in Southern California, USA.
Craig Simmonds, FCInstCES
Managing Director, Macleod Simmonds Geospatial Surveys
Craig was first introduced to ground probing radar technology in 1993 working for a system manufacturer. He’d previously worked as a topographic land and measured building surveyor and also as a site engineer at the Olympic Village project in Barcelona.
Craig’s fascination with expanding technology saw him start to design ways to blend the complicated radar technology output with standard topographical practises for the construction industry. Constantly innovating with the methodology and technology, Craig has performed training and conducted utility surveys in Vietnam, Japan, India, New Zealand and right across the United States.
As the Managing Director of Macleod Simmonds Limited, Craig is still pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved and is extremely proud of the team who are helping the company grow year on year to achieve their vision of geospatial excellence.
Sam Smagala
Manager, Cyber Security; MNP
Sam Smagala is currently a Manager for MNP’s Cyber Security consulting team. Sam has a deep understanding of information security, networking, risk & compliance, offensive security, and incident response. This knowledge allows Sam to quickly and knowledgeably inspect system architectures, identify vulnerabilities, assess risks and recommend safeguards to reduce and mitigate risk to assets. His understanding of security and privacy policies, processes, procedures, and other controls allows him to assess and make recommendations on the non-technical aspects of security within an organization.
Sam has developed and currently leads MNP’s Cyber Incident Response client-facing service nationally; leading investigations, advising on containment and monitoring, and providing next-step recommendations to defend against and better prepare for incidents in the future. Sam also develops cyber incident response plans and playbooks for organizations in both corporate and operational technology environments, in addition to developing and leading tabletop incident scenarios for executive management and technical audiences alike.
Sam has a major passion for the secure state of critical infrastructure in Canada, America, and the rest of the world. Sam holds the following accreditations
- Bachelor of Applied Information Sciences – Information Systems Security from Sheridan College.
- OpenFAIR Security & Risk certification.
- US-CERT CSIH (Computer Security Incident Handler) certification.
- SANs GIAC GRID (Response and Industrial Defence) certification.
Sam, by invite only, additionally sits on GIAC’s Advisory Board.
Contact:
905-607-9777 ext. 269
John Sparks
Director of Damage Prevention
A Texas811 employee for over 23 years, John Sparks has held several roles within the organization including Contact Center Manager, Damage Prevention Manager, and now Director of Damage Prevention. John serves as President for the Damage Prevention Council of Texas. With help from DPC industry stakeholders and the board of directors, he assists in providing a unified statewide damage prevention message and effort while helping to cultivate a safer excavation environment through partnerships, education, and awareness.
Casey Stempien
Integrity & PHMSA Compliance Analyst, Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline
Joining Southern Star in April 2018, Casey Stempien is an Analyst for the Integrity and PHMSA Compliance Department. This is her first career in the Pipeline Industry, previous experience as a Law Enforcement Officer in Owensboro, KY. She has a Bachelors in Science and a Master’s in Business from Campbellsville University. In her current role, she works on Structure Gathering, High Consequence Areas, Moderate Consequence Areas, and is the Lead on Public Awareness Outreach for Southern Star. She has carried on her passion of safety and helping others from her previous career as a Law Enforcement Officer to her current role at Southern Star by sharing the importance of Pipeline Safety with Southern Star’s stakeholders.
Connect with Casey on LinkedIn at: Casey Stempien – Analyst I, Integrity & PHMSA Compliamce – Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline | LinkedIn
Office: 270-852-4430
Email: casey.stempien@southernstar.com
Bill Stephens
Manager, Codes & Standards Black Hills Energy
Bill Stephens is currently the Compliance, Manager of Codes & Standards at Black Hills Energy and has been in the natural gas industry for over 32 years. Prior to the acquisition of SourceGas in Feb of 2016 Bill has held a variety of positions with Rockwell Gas Products Division, Equimeter, KN Energy, Kinder Morgan and SourceGas.
Bills experiences and management include many areas and disciplines. Some of these are Measurement, Integrity Management (TIMP, DIMP and SIMP), OQ, PHMSA Compliance, Public Awareness, Damage Prevention, Emergency Response, Welding, PE Fusion, Control Room Management, Engineering Construction and O&M Manuals, Share Point administration, LNG, Underground Storage and Project Management.
Bill currently serves as the Chair of the Black Hills Gas Engineering Standards Committee (GESC) and is the manager/administrator of the Public Awareness program. Bill was the co-lead of the start of the PA program at Kinder Morgan and managed the PA program for SourceGas.
Bill has an Education BS degree from the University of Rochester and has an Associate Degree in Computer Programing from ICM School of Business.
Bill was on the AGA rewrite committee for the revised Odorant Manual released in April 2017 and serves on these committees currently; AGA Gas Quality, AGA Peer Process, AGA PSMS Workgroup, API RP1162 Rewrite, MEA Codes & Standards, SGA Codes & Standards, DPAC, PAPA, POAS, DTSC, serves on the board of Colorado811, CGA Education and Marketing Committee and is a member of ASME.
Bill has presented papers, hands on training and roundtable discussions on a variety of compliance/engineering subjects at CGA, MEA, SGA, ISHM, AMST, AGA and various state pipeline safety seminars.
Chris Stovall
Executive Vice President/COO, Texas 811
President & CEO of Texas811. Serves on the boards of directors for the Damage Prevention Councils of Texas and Progressive Partnering, Inc. Prior to this role, served Texas811 in a career of continual advancement distinguished by consistent achievements in strategy, execution, business development, and financial return. During tenure as an executive, the company has seen continuous revenue growth and received numerous awards such as the President’s Award from the Common Ground Alliance, and receiving the honor of the #1 place to work by the Dallas Morning News.
Served in The United States Air Force from 1998 to 2003 and has a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and a Master of Business Administration.
214.732.7261
chrisstovall@texas811.or
Mike Sullivan
President – Alberta One-Call Corporation Executive Director – Canadian Common Ground Alliance
Mike Sullivan is the President of Alberta One-Call Corporation and Executive Director of the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA). Mike’s damage prevention experience stems from a 25 year career with the National Energy Board, Canada’s federal regulatory agency governing interprovincial and international transmission pipelines, Alliance Pipeline Ltd., and Vice-President and General Manager with HMA Land Services, one of Canada’s leading transmission pipeline project management and land services. With his dedicated and best-in-class Team at Alberta One-Call, Mike championed and Trademarked ‘ClickBeforeYouDig’ and successfully transitioned the Corporation’s services towards web-based locate requests. Mike and his Team are now working with western Canada’s One-Call leaders to implement new technology that will improve the integrity, efficiency and effectiveness of the damage prevention process.
As Executive Director of the CCGA, and a member of the Common Ground Alliance’s Board of Directors in the United States, Mike represents the collective damage prevention voice of Canada’s Regional CGA Partners with a mandate to simplify access to the damage prevention process in Canada, realize a One-Call Notification System serving every province and territory, enable effective damage prevention legislation and harmonize damage prevention best practices across Canada.
Bill S229, the Underground Infrastructure Safety Enhancement Act
In May 2018, under Mike’s leadership, the CCGA reached a significant milestone when Bill S229, the Underground Infrastructure Safety Enhancement Act, was adopted in the Canadian Senate following third reading. While the bill has not yet been tabled in the House of Commons for debate, it was the focus of a strategic awareness campaign targeting Members of Parliament. The damage prevention governance articulated in Bill S229 is now the centre of a federal pilot project exploring procedural and operational gaps among Canada’s Ministries governing underground infrastructure.
About the CCGA
The Canadian Common Ground Alliance is the voice of Canada’s Regional Partner CGAs dedicated to working toward damage prevention solutions that will benefit all Canadians. Through shared responsibility among all stakeholders, the CCGA works to reduce damages to underground infrastructure – ensuring public safety, environmental protection, and the integrity of services by promoting effective damage prevention practices. Through its Board of Directors, the CCGA reaches an estimated 1.5 million Canadians.
Andrew Sylvest
Director of Utilities, Lamb-Star Engineering
Andrew Sylvest has 15 years of experience in the utility construction, design, and investigation practices. He is currently the Director of Utilities for Lamb-Star Engineering and is based out of Golden, Colorado. He provides continuing education and legislative advisement regarding ASCE 38 and Subsurface Utility Engineering standards, including Colorado Senate Bill 18-167. Andrew serves as the President-Elect for the Subsurface Utility Engineering Association and serves on the Utility Investigation Committee and the Utility Asset Management for Campuses committee for the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) of ASCE. Andrew has also served as one of the instructors for ASCE’s Utility Investigation School.
Joe Tantarelli
Senior Safety Consultant, SafeStart
Joe’s commitment to family comes through during his presentations, with a deep rooted and sincere concern for the safety of session attendees, families and friends.
His down-to-earth training style is a direct result of his over 30 years of experience in every aspect of Heavy Equipment Construction, from laborer to operator, and then to manager. For more than a decade Joe has been a Training Specialist, training safety and production combined with hands on field work. Joe has assisted company Safety Directors with management and employee training in preparation for receiving Star Approval in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program.
Joe will share his compelling story of surviving a near fatal trench collapse accident. He shares how in hindsight, what he could have done to help him to prevent this life threatening accident. Joe has been a popular speaker at The Ohio B.W.C Safety Expo, Eastern Kentucky University, Army Corps of Engineers Construction Roundtable, Kentucky’s Governor’s Safety and Health Conference, Kentucky League of Cities Insurance Services Safety Day, CGA, NSC, ASSP Conferences, numerous Safety Council Safety Expos and many Safety Day events for companies throughout Ohio and Kentucky.
Robert Terjesen
Damage Prevention Manager, National Grid
Robert Terjesen, Damage Prevention Manager for National Grid, brings more than 30 years of field operations experience and more than a decade managing the company’s Damage Prevention group in New York City and Long Island. His responsibilities include continuously promoting excavation safety awareness among municipalities, business allies, excavators, and other stakeholders in Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Robert serves as the Board of Directors VP for New York 811 and the chairperson of the CGA Regional Partner committees in New York City and Long Island. In addition, Robert has served numerous terms as co-chair of CGA’s Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee, which publishes the annual DIRT Report.
Mish Thadani
Director of Market Development and Policy, Urbint
Mishal Thadani is the Director of Market Development and Policy at Urbint, an international enterprise software company that enables utilities and infrastructure operators to manage risk and increase resiliency through AI-powered solutions.
Mish has deep expertise in the energy sector, drawing from experiences in the wind, solar, and cleantech industries to navigate complex regulatory frameworks to advance technology adoption and environmental stewardship for a cleaner, smarter future. Prior to joining Urbint, Mish founded a residential and commercial solar development company serving the District of Columbia and continues to play a substantial role in driving forward the District’s visionary energy policy goals.
Chris Thome
Damage Prevention Consultant; Rhino Marking and Protection Systems
Chris Thome is a Damage Prevention Consultant for Rhino Marking and Protection Systems. Chris is an active member of the Common Ground Alliance where he serves as the co-chair of the Education Committee.
In his role at Rhino, Chris has worked countless hours in the field developing new technologies and applications to prevent damage to buried facilities. For Infrastructure Resources, Chris leads the Agricultural Outreach program and steers an Advisory Board of over 30 industry experts in developing better ways for the pipeline industry to communicate with stakeholders. He is an active member of the American Petroleum Institute’s Task Group 1162, rewriting the pipeline industry’s recommended practice for Public Awareness.
Chris is the founder of the Pipeline-Ag Safety Alliance, an industry group of over 20 pipeline operators with a mission to transform communications with the agricultural community. He has spoken at numerous state, regional, and national conferences, written articles for industry publications, and has been involved with dozens of Damage Prevention Councils.
Phone: 952.428.7968
Email: cthome@RhinoMarkers.com
Brian Thomsen
President and CEO, Accu-Scan GPR Corp
Brian Thomsen is President and CEO of Accu-Scan GPR Corp., a ground penetrating radar company that specializes in non destructive subsurface investigating that was established in 2011. Brian began at the College of Aeronautics where he earned a Bachelor of Technology and attained his Airframe and Powerplant certifications to be able to service and maintain airplanes.
Brian was soon accepted into the IBEW Local Union #3 Electricians apprenticeship program. He quickly climbed the ranks from apprentice to Journeyman to General Foreman and went on to practice electrical engineering.
He continues to be a proud member and active participate of the Union. Brian, along with Accu-Scan GPR has also been a proud member of NULCA since 2014 and CGA since 2014 as well.
Brian strives to keep Accu Scan GPR and his technicians up to date with the latest technology and courses available to keep the team strong. We are currently certified as a Minority Business Enterprise for multiple organizations like New York State, New York City, NY School Construction Authority, Port Authority of NY and NJ.
Brian’s future endeavors include educating his subsurface technicians and strive to help standardize a licensing or certification program that would be recognized within the construction world to better serve the industry with the most skilled technicians in hopes to show the benefits of GPR and other subsurface technology for future projects and the endless possibilities of the uses that can be offered.
Chris Thompson
Senior Product Manager, Subsite Electronics
Chris Thompson is a Senior Product Manager at Subsite Electronics with responsibility over the Utility Locating and Data Solutions product lines. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University. After 14 years in the financial services industry, he joined the underground construction industry by accepting a position at Ditch Witch. He held various positions in Sales and Management at Ditch Witch for six years before joining the Subsite Electronics business in 2019. Chris is focused on providing the Subsite Electronics customers with innovative, customer-driven products and solutions with the goal of damage prevention and increased data solutions.
Tony Thornton
Executive Director, American Fence Association
Tony Thornton is the Executive Director of the American Fence Association. Tony is a fence industry professional with 40+ years of experience with all types of fence and all aspects of gate operator/access control system installations. Tony has served as AFA Executive Director since 2014 and with the Board of Director’s support, AFA is focusing on more tangible benefits for AFA’s members. Primary focus is industry education and certification, including a new Company Accreditation program for 2021. With Tony’s extensive knowledge and experience in the fence industry, the AFA is sure to see even more positive changes in future.
Munyaradzi Tichaona
Storm/Ground Water Recharge Expert, Rosewood Contractors, Inc.
I was born on 13 July 1975 in Zimbabwe. I completed my University degree in Civil Engineering in 1999, the same year I got married. Through hard work, I became an entrepreneur in 2000. I have a daughter 19 years old and a son 15 years old together with their mother staying in Zimbabwe.
I became a consultant and grocery stores owner til 2005 when I had to close due to hyperinflation. I relocated to South Africa in 2007 and started working in Cape Town at Green Point Stadium for the 2010 World Cup. I moved to Johannesburg in 2010 because it was near home and completed the projects in 2012. In 2013, I started working for Environmental Engineering focusing on Climate Change and mitigation at the same time relocating back to Zimbabwe.
In 2016, I started doing projects for the Government in road construction and environmental impact assessment. I became a Hunyani Rotary member in 2018 soon after recovery from road traffic accident. I had been travelling the world attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) and other related conferences before finally becoming a resident of the United States in January 2019 because of political reasons beyond my control.
Kerstin Tomlinson
Education and Outreach Officer; Dig Safe Board
I specialize in education and outreach for the Dig Safe Board and am responsible for developing and implementing statewide excavation safety education sessions, materials, and marketing campaigns. I have been in the industry for over a year. Prior to working for the Board, I was an Emmy-award winning news producer for local news stations in Sacrament, Portland, Eugene, and Missoula.
916-568-2988
A. Kevin Troutman
Partner, Fisher Phillips
Keeping his client’s business objectives foremost in mind, Kevin Troutman focuses his practice on litigation and providing day-to-day advice concerning a variety of employment and people management issues. In doing so, he calls upon both his experience as an attorney and his years of experience as a human resources executive, including a period when he was responsible for 22 hospitals in five states.
Kevin concentrates on finding practical business solutions that minimize employers’ legal exposure. When litigation ensues, he has handled cases in a variety of settings and jurisdictions. He has successfully handled lawsuits and administrative proceedings involving a wide range of workplace issues. The matters he handles for clients involve various claims of discrimination, sexual and other types of harassment, retaliation, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations, wage and hour matters, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations, whistleblower and False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation, defamation and related torts. Kevin has also helped his clients deal with union-related issues, including unfair labor practice charges and organizing efforts.
Kevin co-chairs the firm’s national Healthcare Industry Group. He has also been a speaker at many industry and human resources events and he is a frequent contributor to publications that report on employment issues. Community-conscious, Kevin has served on various Boards of Directors, including a community hospital, private schools and a Chamber of Commerce. He is “AV” Peer Review rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Michael Twohig
Director of Subsurface Utility Mapping/Subsurface Utility Modeling DGT Associates – Boston, Massachusetts
Michael A. Twohig is a Subject Matter Expert in the field of Subsurface Utility Mapping (SUM). Michael has more than 36 years of industry experience across the US, Australia, India, and Europe with a focus on the integration of traditional utility locating procedures with land survey best practices. As head of SUM at DGT, Michael spearheads the firm’s subsurface utility locating, 3D utility mapping and subsurface utility damage prevention programs. Michael is currently developing Multi-Sensor Mobile Mapping platforms using the next generation of multi-channel, multi-frequency Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems for the SUM and void detection industry. In the span of his career, Michael has authored more than 40 articles relating to utility mapping, underground damage prevention, and utility industry best practices, and he is a frequent speaker at international conferences such as the Common Ground Alliance CGA, SPAR, Hexagon and the international Lidar conference ILMF and most recently GEOBIM in Amsterdam. Michael has also presented SUM best practices at military, transportation, commercial and GITA conferences. One of Michael’s greatest achievements is the advancement and development and implementation of new 3D deliverables for geospatial projects, integrating LiDAR, utility locating systems, GPR, infrared, land surveying, and multi-sensor platforms to provide high quality, reliable and accurate data for CAD, GIS and BIM delivery format.
Phone: 617-275-0541
Email: mtwohig@dgtassociates.com
Alejandra L. Vera
Manager of Infrastructure Auscultation, Rocher Ingenieria
Alejandra Vera is a Mexican civil engineer graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM. Her work has mainly focused on Geotechnical Engineering, roads and high-tech equipment.
As Manager of Infrastructure Auscultation of the company Rocher Ingeniería, she has been involved in the development of road management platforms, as well as in the equipment of high-performance vehicles for the inspection and evaluation of roads. She has five years directing national GPR projects: mobile mapping, location of public services, pavement structure survey, edifications, bridges, taxiway and runway inspections. In 2017, she collaborated directly with the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) groups to search and rescue victims of the earthquake that struck Mexico City.
Within the School of High Studies (FES) Aragón, Alejandra is considered a successful graduate who promotes institutional value and identity in the university community. In October 2020, she was a member of the organizing committee of the 1st International Road Conservation Seminar of the Mexican Association of Land Roads Engineering (AMIVTAC), which was held in Cancun, Quintana Roo.
Dave Warkentin, BSC
Owner, Terraprobe Geoscience Corp.
Dave Warkentin is the owner of Terraprobe Geoscience Corp. located in Vancouver British Columbia. Mr. Warkentin holds a BSc. From the University of Toronto and has 40 years of experience in sales, marketing and senior management in various technology segments.
Terraprobe is a Ground Penetrating Radar services company in operation since 2001. The company has completed thousands of projects in concrete scanning, buried utility location and mapping as well as archeological and geological applications.
Over the past 3 years, Mr. Warkentin led the development of the Decifer GPR concrete scanning simulation software designed specifically for training.
Lori Warner
Public Safety Coordinator, Xcel Energy
Lori Warner is a Public Safety Coordinator for Xcel Energy. With over 30 years in the utility industry, her background and experience are diverse. She is a native of Colorado and received her BSBA and Master of Communications from the University of Denver. Lori also serves as the president of Distribution Public Awareness Council (DPAC) organization and serves on the board of directors representing distribution operators for Pipeline Association for Public Awareness (PAPA). Lori is also serving as a commissioner representing pipeline operators on the Colorado Underground Safety Commission.
Lee Westerlind
Manager – Pipeline Safety Management / Stakeholder Engagement National Grid
Lee Westerlind, Manager of Stakeholder Engagement Pipeline Safety Management at National Grid, brings more than 20 years of direct field experience working with major accounts, community leaders, municipal leaders, business associations and other industry stakeholders in Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Lee assumed leadership responsibility for National Grid’s enterprise-wide Pipeline Public Awareness initiatives in 2017. Previously, Lee provided natural gas public safety awareness, business development, and economic development expertise to the National Grid’s customers and business partners in New York City and Long Island. Lee is a Registered Commercial Gas Consultant, is an Advisory Member for the Nassau County Police Department Foundation and works with the United Way of Long Island Project Warmth Committee.
516-238-1655
Lee.westerlind@nationalgrid.com
John D. Wilburn
Partner, McGuireWoods LLC
John Wilburn is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in construction, land use and eminent domain litigation around the country.
John represents all major constituencies in building-related projects, and private owners, engineering and design firms, construction managers, prime contractors and subcontractors, material and equipment suppliers, design professionals and sureties and financiers. He litigates a variety of construction matters before all tiers of the state and federal court system, including bid protests, design defects, and acceleration and delay claims. John also regularly advises clients on a variety of complex and challenging projects involving energy plants, hospitals, prisons, industrial infrastructure, shopping centers, and residential developments. Representative projects include industrial facilities such as the Maersk APM Terminal in Portsmouth, VA; the Richmond Conference Center; Home Depot Facilities; and the Alexandria Sanitation Authority Water and Wastewater Treatment Facility.
In addition, John regularly litigates complex and challenging land use and development issues for a variety of clients, including private developers, lenders, and several municipalities and government entities. He has litigated hundreds of eminent domain matters for utility companies, municipalities, and landowners in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
John also has substantial experience in a wide range of complex business litigation matters. He has served as lead counsel to defend several high-stakes commercial claims for business and financial services clients.
John is a frequent speaker and author on various topics in the areas of construction and land use litigation.
Pamela Williams
Partner, Fisher Phillips
Pamela Williams is a partner in the firm’s Houston office. She is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She has more than twenty years of experience handling labor and employment litigation matters in arbitration, as well as state and federal courts.
Pamela has litigated individual, class, and collective actions, including claims involving allegations of discrimination, retaliation, medical leave violations, failure to provide accommodations for religion and disability, wage and hour violations, and workplace torts. She has also assisted clients in dealing with administrative charges before the Department of Labor (DOL), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and state agencies such as the Texas Workforce Commission.
In addition to her litigation experience, Pamela also assists clients with compliance, training, and workplace investigations. She also has drafted employment handbooks, policies and procedures, separation agreements, employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, and covenants not to compete.
Jim Willis, M.Sc, CMAS, CHS-I
President; InDev Specialists, Inc.
Mr. Jim Willis is President of InDev Specialists, Inc. (InDev) and its security divisions InDev Tactical and IMMC. Jim is an engineer, development specialist, and security expert. He has 40 years technical and professional experience in electric power, international development, and security. Prior to forming InDev, he was director of a major international foundation for 10 years. Jim is a Certified Master Anti-terrorism Specialist with expertise in homeland security, counterterrorism, planning, training, security operations, and violence prevention.
Conflict & Post Conflict Assessments, Crisis & Disaster Response:
Mr. Willis has extensive experience in power systems development and security, conflict/post-conflict field operations, disaster damage assessments and response, and recovery, and restoration operations. He has worked in more than 37 countries for corporate and government clients including the DOD, USAID, WB, UNDP, and ADB. He has participated in conflict and post-conflict operations in Cambodia, Ethiopia and South Sudan, and disaster recovery and reconstruction in El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, the Philippines, and the United States.
Security Operations:
Since 2006, Mr. Willis has led InDev’s security operations in Afghanistan as Theater Operations Manager. His is responsible for static and dynamic security guard operations, PSD teams, route/convoy security, intelligence monitoring, situational analysis, site assessments, planning and implementation. His work has carried him throughout Afghanistan including Kabul, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Logar, and Sar-I-Pul.
Mr. Willis has more than 40 years of experience in electric power systems and engineering. Starting as an Electricians Mate (EM) in the Navy, he has experience as a electric power system lineman, engineer, and operations manager. He spent 10 years with NRECA’s International Programs helping establish electric systems in developing countries around the world.
Mr. Willis is an expert in church security and crisis management. He provides training and advisory services that help clients identify and deal with violent situations and manage crisis. Mr. Willis developed the ASSIST training series to provide an effective non-intrusive security program that can fit into any organizational framework.
Education:
Masters of Science (MSc) in International Development (Security emphasis),
Bachelors in Electrical Engineering (BS) (Electric power focus),
Associates Degrees (AA & AAT) in Pre-engineering and Electrical Power
U.S. Navy veteran – Electricians Mate
Certifications:
Mr. Willis is a Certified Master Anti-terrorism Specialist (CMAS) and a Certified Homeland Security Expert with accreditations from the Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board and the American Board of Certification in Homeland Security. He is certified as a METT Expert by the Ekman Institute.
He has over 30 security and anti-terrorism training certificates from the Dep of Defense (DOD), Dep of Homeland Security (DHS), Defense Security Service (DSS), and the UN.
Membership:
Mr. Willis is a member of a number of professional organizations including:
- Society for International Development (SID-Washington)
- The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- International Executive Security Association (IESA)
- International NGO Safety and Security Association (INSSA)
- International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals (IACSP)
He is a registered associate/affilate member of:
- Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
- The Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA)
Joe Wise
Regional Customer Training Manager; United Rentals® Trench Safety Specialty Business
Joe Wise is a Regional Customer Training Manager for United Rentals® Trench Safety Specialty Business. In his role, he provides strategic oversight to competent person training programs in confined space and excavation safety. With a team of safety training professionals who deliver scheduled training across North America, he oversees design and development to existing programs to enhance classroom and online learning experiences that support worker safety education.
Monica Wofford
CEO; Contagious Companies, Inc.
Monica Wofford has been a celebrated trainer and speaker since her first keynote speech in 1989. Since that time, she’s been interviewed on CNN and FOX News, been named one of Meetings and Conventions Magazine’s favorite business speakers, and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Speaker’s Association, as well as the Business Advisory Board for the Rollins College Center for Leadership Development. Monica is the CEO of the leadership training and consulting firm Contagious Companies, Inc. She serves as an executive coach, senior strategic consultant and leadership advisor, and is one of less than 400 women in the world to hold the Certified Speaking Professional designation. In her community, Monica serves as a board member for The United Way and Habitat for Humanity, and on the Development Committee for the Community Foundation.
