Marketta Franklin
Director Transmission Learning & Development Programs, American Electric Power
Marketta Franklin is the Director of Learning and Employee Development. With the support of her dynamic team, her organization provides technical skills, environmental, safety, professional, and leadership learning needs for AEP Transmission. She has successfully implemented and led multiple workforce development initiatives during her career with AEP. Her passion for human performance and employee growth and engagement has led her to her recent charge of building “Transmission University” which is a comprehensive learning ecosystem that seeks to revolutionize learning within the organization, equipping employees and contractors with the knowledge and skills to be successful today and to power tomorrow. Marketta has 24 years of service with AEP; the majority of her career has been in customer operations, training, and business process improvement.
Brent Stegner
Distribution Technical Skills Manager, American Electric Power
Brent Stegner is manager of Distribution Training and Human Performance with American Electric Power (AEP) based in Columbus, Ohio. In his current role, Stegner is responsible for directing the distribution training efforts including line and meter electrician training as well as championing of Human Performance Improvement (HPI) initiative within the AEP Utilities group. Stegner has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and master’s degree in business administration from Ohio University. He also is a registered professional engineer in Ohio and West Virginia.
Dan Coleman
P.E. UG Network Engineering Supervisor, American Electric Power
Dan Coleman has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Capital University in Columbus, OH. He started his career at Duke Energy in Cincinnati, OH and worked in increasing roles as an Underground Network Distribution Engineer and a Distribution Planning Engineer. Dan came to AEP in 2015 to take a lead engineering role on the Underground Network Monitoring Project that AEP was designing to install in all 24 of the company’s AC electrical networks. He is currently the Network Engineering Supervisor over the central network engineering group in Columbus, which plans and designs all network work for Columbus, OH and Canton, OH and provides standards and technical support to the network systems in all other AEP Operating Companies.
Reynold Cornell
Engineer, Transmission System & Asset Monitoring Group, American Electric Power
Reynold Cornell is an engineer at American Electric Power in the Transmission System & Asset Monitoring Group located at the Transmission Headquarters in New Albany, OH. He received his BSEE from THE Ohio State University, graduating magna cum laude in December of 2014. He is currently a member of the CIGRE USNC, CIGRE Next Generation Network and is an Advisor for AEP to EPRI’s Transformer Life Management research project and CEATI’s Substation Equipment Asset Management group. At AEP, he oversees the deployment of real time health monitoring equipment in the AEP OHIO service footprint as well as the analysis of the collected online and offline data for substation assets. He also helps sponsor new technology deployments for AEP Transmission including DTS, cable partial discharge monitoring and substation thermography. He enjoys hiking, playing guitar and playing street hockey with his family and friends. He currently lives in Columbus, OH with his wife Taylor and two cats.
Rob Grawe
P.E. Transmission Line Engineering Manager, American Electric Power
Rob Grawe is a Transmission Line Engineering manager at American Electric Power (AEP). He is responsible for providing engineering design and construction support for AEP’s Ohio region, including managing and developing the teams that prepare transmission line projects. Grawe is a registered professional engineer in Ohio and Virginia. Grawe has worked within Distribution Underground Network Engineering and AEP Ohio operations prior to Transmission Line Engineering. Prior to joining AEP, Grawe worked for nine years in civil engineering consulting firms as a project engineer in the areas of site development and municipal work. Grawe graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, and holds a Master of Business Administration from Otterbein College. He also earned a certificate in Power and Electrical Engineering Systems from Michigan Tech University along with a teaching certificate from eCollege, eTeaching Institute. Grawe spent nine years as an adjunct professor with Bismarck State College, where he helped working adults earn an associate’s degree to position them for a career in the electric power industry.
Ken Jenkins
Engineer III, Indianapolis Power & Light Co.
Ken Jenkins is currently an engineer on the major underground projects team at Indianapolis Power & Light Co. His primary focus is designing and maintaining the downtown secondary network in Indianapolis, Indiana, and other large projects within the greater Indianapolis metropolitan area. Prior to joining the major underground projects team in 2010, he was part of the IPL standards and code compliance team for two years. Ken was a finalist for the 2018 EEI’s Edison Award and has contributed to CIGRE as well as T&D magazine.
David Kummer
Engineer/Scientist III, Underground Transmission Power, Delivery, and Utilization, EPRI
David Kummer is an Engineer/Scientist at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). His current activities focus on the advancement and understanding of underground transmission systems and accessories.
Prior to joining EPRI in 2013, Kummer worked for 8 years with Southern Company as an Electrical Design Engineer for Southern’s generation facilities. In this role, he was the subject matter expert for cables within his department. Kummer graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Risk Management & Insurance from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business.
Mark A. Gabriel
Administrator and CEO, Western Area Power Administration
Mark A. Gabriel is Administrator and CEO of the Western Area Power Administration. In this role, Gabriel manages the nonprofit federal organization, which markets and delivers low-cost federal hydropower from 57 hydroelectric plants to nearly 700 wholesale customers across 15 states. WAPA’s footprint spans 1.4 million square miles as one of four power marketing administrations in the Department of Energy.
Gabriel brings a wealth of electric utility industry experience. Career highlights include executive roles at Black and Veatch Management Consulting, which develops energy solutions in the areas of electricity, water, oil and gas, and cybersecurity; and the Electric Power Research Institute where he served as acting president for EPRI Traditional and Client Relations, and as the Global Marketing Officer. While at EPRI, he led the nationwide collaborative effort known as the Electricity Sector Framework for the Future.
Gabriel is a popular speaker and award-winning author. His book, Visions for a Sustainable Energy Future, won the 2009 Indie Excellence Book Award for environmental writing. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Fordham University in New York and completed the coursework for a Master of Science in administration and management from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont.
Wayne Bishop Jr.
Head of Marketing for North America, OMICRON
Wayne Bishop Jr. currently works for OMICRON where he is the Head of Marketing for North America. Prior to OMICRON, Wayne was employed at Doble Engineering for more than 16 years in several senior management positions. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society, where he serves on the IEEE PES Long Range Planning Committee, the Finance Committee, and the IEEE PES Governing Board. Wayne is currently Vice President of Meetings and Conferences for IEEE PES where he is responsible for oversight of all IEEE PES Meetings and Conferences worldwide.
Wayne is a graduate of Merrimack College, Harvard University, and the Executive MBA Program at Suffolk University in Boston, graduating with honors.
He is also a recipient of the Suffolk Executive MBA Great Leaders Executive Excellence Award. He has also been inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma—the National Honor Society of Business Schools. Wayne is an Eagle Scout.
Wayne lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts with his wife Cherie and their daughter Hathaway
Kerry Cheung
DOE
Kerry currently serves as the Program Manager for the Transformer Resilience and Advanced Components (TRAC) R&D Program for the Office of Electricity (OE) within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). He also serves as the Portfolio Manager for OE’s SBIR/STTR activities and is heavily involved in various strategic initiatives across the DOE enterprise, including serving as the DOE representative on the Interagency Advanced Power Group Steering Committee. Kerry has been with OE for 9 years and holds a B.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Jeff Fleeman
AEP/Grid Assurance
Jeff Fleeman (jafleeman@aep.com) has served with American Electric Power (AEP) since 1981. As Managing Director of Transmission Business Development, Jeff currently is on a special assignment as Chief Operating Officer of Grid Assurance LLC (GA), a start-up company formed by six electric utilities including AEP for emergency restoration of major transmission assets following catastrophic events. His team is developing GA’s strategic equipment inventory, secure warehouses and delivery logistics to provide subscribers with more certain and speedy system restoration following catastrophic events. Jeff previously served as VP Technology of BOLD™ Transmission LLC, an AEP affiliate that develops and licenses high capacity high efficiency transmission line design technology. Jeff served as Director of Advanced Transmission Studies and Technologies at AEP with system-wide responsibility for: AEP transmission technology strategy; HVDC/FACTs systems; system dynamic analysis, asset renewal planning, grid resiliency analysis, spare transformer strategy and implementation of AEP’s Asset Health Center. Jeff earlier held system-wide leadership roles in Transmission Asset Engineering, Substation Engineering, and Major Transmission Equipment. He began his AEP career as a transformer engineer. Jeff has BSEE and MSEE degrees from The Ohio State University. He served as Chair of EPRI’s Transmission & Substation Advisory Council from 2011-2017, Chaired EEI’s Transmission Committee from 2005-2007 and is the immediate Past Chair of the Power System Electric Research Center (PSERC) Industry Advisory Board. He is a senior member of IEEE, and also is the immediate past Chair of the IEEE/PES Region 2 Scholarship Plus Committee. Jeff was recognized in 2017 by Public Utility Fortnightly as one among the electric utility industry’s 40 Top Innovators. Jeff is a member of CIGRE and is a registered PE in Ohio.
John Parks
VP Mobile Solutions, Smart Wires
As Vice President of Mobile Solutions, John leads the development of Smart Wires leading edge Mobile solution technology and is responsible for working with customers to develop implementation strategies that meet with their transmission grid needs.
Prior to working for Smart Wires, John worked for Pacific Gas and Electric where he led the Transmission and Distribution Maintenance and Construction organizations. John was responsible for the 24/7 operation of PG&E T&D system, ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of electricity across the vast service territory, serving millions of California customers, as well as, ensuring the transmission grid which interconnected across the western United States.
As the Sr. Director for PG&E, John gained extensive leadership skills and experience as he was responsible for leading in excess of 2,000 employees responsible for constructing and maintaining the system. Additionally, John’s responsibilities included executing the large T&D portfolio of transmission, distribution and substation projects, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. This required working with local and federal agencies, contractors, internal and external procurement departments and vendors across the utility industry.
Prior to John’s Sr. leadership positions, John’s 40 years of experience, included working in craft positions as a journeyman lineman, trouble shooter, frontline supervision, T&D technical specialist, leading PG&E’s technical training departments.
John’s innovative character and significant focus on safety spearheaded many safety advancements at PG&E and across the utility industry; these included the advancement of helicopter work procedures, barehand transmission work methods, protective grounding, wood pole and tower climbing safety and more.
Thomas Propts
Dominion
Education: Graduated from VCU School of Engineering with BS in Electrical Engineering 2008
Experience:
- Three years in the System Protection Engineering Department responsible for Transmission Line Impedance Calculations and generating Settings for Transmission Line, Substation Equipment and Distribution Circuit protective relays.
- Seven years in the Electric Transmission Substation Engineering Physical Design Department responsible for the design of new and modifications to existing substations at all voltage levels within the Dominion Energy System. During that period, assumed responsibility for the execution for all substation grounding system designs/studies.
- 1.5 years in Electric Transmission Substation Engineering Standards Department responsible for the management and enforcement of the Dominion Energy Substation Engineering Specification for Security Fences in ongoing EPC Security Fence installation projects as well as the development of physical standards documentation (typical drawings and diagrams, policy papers and engineering & design manuals).
Tim Stelljes
Principal Engineer, American Electric Power
Tim is currently a Principal Engineer with American Electric Power, supporting special project efforts in the Transmission Station Engineering department. This includes support of AEP’s program of physical security projects in substations for the last 3 years. Tim has been with AEP for 18 years and holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology (then the University of Missouri – Rolla). Tim is a registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Alabama, and has been a member of IEEE since 1987.
Carl L. Segneri, Jr.
Vice President, Business Development
MJ Electric, LLC
Carl L. Segneri, Jr., Vice President of Business Development is responsible for ensuring that service offerings are identified and developed to meet key customer’s needs, advance the client relationship, and grow revenue. His extensive utility experience positions him to work closely with the leadership of investor owned utilities and others in the electric power industry to deliver construction services that best meet the growing infrastructure improvement and maintenance needs of the US electric power grid. He works with multiple Quanta Operating Companies to provide the best solutions.
M. J. Electric, LLC (M. J. Electric) is an electrical contractor service provider, based in the US. It operates through its segments Industrial, Power and Controls division, Utility division, and Program Management Organization (PMO). It provides electrical and instrumentation construction and maintenance services. The company provides construction and maintenance services for a wide variety of electric utility, industrial, pulp and paper, mining and commercial customers in Industrial, Power and Controls division. M. J. Electric is a subsidiary of Quanta Services, Inc. and is headquartered in Iron Mountain, Michigan, the US.
Brady Hansen
Manager of Safety and Product Development at Safeguard Equipment
I was born and raised in South Dakota. I worked my way west doing telecom work, eventually moving to Seattle where I joined the IBEW in Local 89. After a short while I joined the Northwest JATC Outside Electrical Apprenticeship.
I achieved Journeyman Lineman status in 2006. As a Journeyman Lineman, I have worked for Potelco, Wilson Construction and Bonneville Power Administration before accepting a position as a Journeyman Lineman with Avista Utilities. I taught in the lineman training program and working in various lineman roles. After 8 years, I left Avista and started a training business called Written In Red Inc. and started working for Safeguard Equipment. I have lead multiple international safety and training trips. My efforts helped lead to the founding of Electrical Workers Without Borders International. Last year I was honored to receive the 2018 IBEW Journeymen mentor of the year. When not at work or instructing, I enjoy spending time with my sons and my brilliant and gorgeous fiancé.
Matthew Hutchison
CTC Global, Inc., VP Business Development
Matthew has more than 40 years in the utility market starting in Vancouver Canada, then transferred to The USA in 1992 and is now a US citizen. His family has made Portland Oregon their home.
He currently is the VP of Business Development for over 10 years at CTC Global with the responsibility for getting the advanced conductor ACCC approved and specified in the North American Utility market. Matthew started his career putting transmission tower kits together for BC Hydro. Then worked as a Regional Manager for AB Chance supporting hotline tool sales and training. Followed by 14 years as VP of Oregon Electric Construction Company, before moving on to CTC Global.
Jack McCall
Chairman, WATT Coalition Chair and EVP Lindsey Manufacturing
Jack is Executive Vice President with Lindsey Manufacturing and is the current Chairman of the WATT Coalition. Jack has more than 30-years’ experience in T&D focusing on transmission, automation and advanced grid technologies. He holds both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Electric Power Engineering and has authored or co-authored dozens of papers on advanced transmission and control technologies and is co-inventor on two U.S. patents.
Larry Anderson
Planning & Engineering Supervisor – System Performance Analysis, American Electric Power
Larry received the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and the Master of Science in Control Systems Engineering from West Virginia University Institute of Technology. Larry has 26 years of total experience – 3 years as a consultant and 23 years with AEP. In his time at AEP, Larry has worked eight years as a Distribution Engineer and fifteen years as a Transmission Engineer. His time as a Transmission Engineer has been spent both in a planning and special studies capacity.