Director, Transmission and Substation Engineering, CPS Energy, September 2005 – November 2012

My core responsibilities as Director include the oversight of the Transmission and Substation Capital Budget, and ensuring these projects are built on time and within scope.  The Transmission and Substation Department provides yearly budgets and staffing requirements for Capital Projects, performs required engineering for these Projects, writes/procures construction and service contracts, and oversees/supports internal construction crews. I oversee 80 employees and have a yearly combined Capital Transmission and Substation Budget that ranges from $80 million to $100 million per year.  Areas in this department include: Transmission Engineering, Transmission Maintenance Crews, Substation Engineering, Civil Engineering, System Protection Engineering, System Protection Technical Services Crews, Utility Coordination, and Project Management.  Leading and coordinating these sections empowers me to control the majority of the Capital and O&M dollars spent for CPS Energy’s Transmission infrastructure and TCOS (Transmission Cost of Service PUC reimbursement) spending.  I am the Owner of the CPS Energy “Routing and Siting” public process for new Transmission line, Substation, and Switchyard projects.  This involves hosting public project input sessions, updating local and state elected officials face to face, and meeting one on one with impacted landowners.  In addition, I work with AEP and LCRA on ERCOT mandated joint transmission line projects where we do an end to end "Routing and Siting" process. I have provided direct testimony to the Texas PUC for CPS Energy's effort to build a portion of the CREZ Project.  I implemented Bentley's Projectwise DMS software for my Engineering Sections, Bentley's Substation 3D software for my Substation Section, and EnoServ relay software for my System Protection office and field Sections. My NERC responsibilities include - System Protection (regulatory compliance – settings, maintenance), Transmission Design & Maintenance (vegetation management), Substation(physical and cyber security), and develop, implement, and complete the NERC transmission facility rating project.

 

Section Supervisor, Transmission Design Section, CPS Energy, October 2003 – September 2005

The focus of my responsibilities as Transmission Engineering Supervisor was to align the dollars budgeted on Capital Transmission Projects with the Energy Delivery Services (EDS) goals and business requirements.  This included utilizing all the resources available in the most productive, cost effective manner.  Immediately upon starting this assignment, I implemented PLS-CADD design and LiDAR surveying for all capital transmission line projects. My other duties involved supporting the CPS Energy “Routing and Siting” process for new Transmission line projects, Transmission Maintenance support, Transmission Civic Improvement and Right-of-way support, and Transmission material management, as well as participated as a Transmission root cause team member.  Also, I provided expert witness testimony for easement an/or land in fee condemnation cases ranging from temporary restraining orders, Commissioners Court hearings, to actual trial.

 

Project Manager, Project Management and Performance Improvement Section, CPS Energy, May 2002 – October 2003

As the lead project manager for EDS, I implemented and initiated the Process Improvement Initiative for Transmission and Substation Capital Projects.  This included forming the TRANCO Process Improvement Committee (PIC), which developed a set of procedures to manage TRANCO Capital Project Work. 

 

 

SAP BIS/WMS Core Team Member, CPS Energy, August 2000 – May 2002

The Business Information Systems (BIS) project was an $80 million computer upgrade to implement an enterprise resource planning system, an SAP solution, for CPS Energy. As a core team member my responsibilities were to assist in the configuration and implementation of the software purchased to manage construction projects.  In the Customer Installation Design phase of the project I mapped the transactional flow of my business unit's capital construction process from initiation to accounting close.  For the Implementation phase, I created project structures for transmission and substation projects.  I also oversaw the creation of the Configurable Standard Networks (CSNs), a planning tool used to estimate labor, material and equipment required to construct the projects.  For “Go Live”, I provided Tier 1 (frontline) customer support.

 

SAP Training Courses: SAP20 – SAP R/3 Overview, CA800 – Structures in Project Management, CA080 – Project Management, CA820 – SAP PS Scheduling, CA840 – SAP PS Reporting

 

Project Engineer, Civil Engineering Section, CPS Energy, January 1992 – August 2000

As a project engineer in civil engineering, I provided services related to structural, geotechnical, water resources, environmental and transportation engineering.  I produced the plans and specifications to construct the civil-related works associated with high voltage transmission line projects, transmission switchyard projects, and electric distribution substation projects.  Also, I provided the support required to CPS crews or outside resources on project construction in a cost effective and timely manner.

 

Project Engineer, Butler Manufacturing Co., December 1985 – January 1992

While at Butler Manufacturing, I performed structural design and coordination of the detailing to adapt pre-engineered building components to custom applications.  Custom designs included special building codes, special loads and non-standard geometrics.  I worked directly with the “Butler Builders” external end use customers and internal customers (i.e. manufacturing, estimating, and scheduling) to provide the Butler building on time, on cost, and within scope.

 

Education:

• University of Idaho Utility Executive Course, June 2007

• Master of Business Administration, December 1988, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas

• Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, December 1985, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 

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Civic Affiliations:

• Board Member – Optimist International – San Antonio Chapter until 2021

• President – Optimist International – San Antonio Chapter 2012-2013 and 2020-2021

• Board Member – Boysville (A non-profit residential home, emergency shelter and foster care facility for boys and girls.) until 2021

• Staff Pasture Parish Relationship Committee Chair – Oak Meadow United Methodist Church 2019-2021