Future Utility Executive Leadership (FUEL)
Dates
Oct. 7-11 and Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2024
Location
NWPPA office
9817 N.E. 54th St., Vancouver, WA 98662
Suggested Hotel
Heathman Lodge
Ask for the NWPPA rate for 15% off advertised prices.
Program Fee
$5,800
Program Schedule
Oct. 7-11 and Oct. 28-Nov. 1 | Vancouver, Washington
WEEK ONE
Sunday, Oct. 6 | 4 p.m.-8 p.m. (Introduction)
- Welcome and introductions.
- A conversation on regional and emerging trends with guest speaker.
- Program overview.
- Networking dinner.
Monday, Oct 7. | 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. (Position Your Utility for Success)
Topics: Utility structure and governance. Utility strategy. Introduction to the final project (a five-year strategic plan) and meeting your final project team.
Final project work (4-6 p.m.): Review the landscape provided and develop a SWOT analysis.
Tuesday, Oct. 8 | 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. (Utility Financial Drivers)
Topics: Capital and O&M budgets. How investment decisions are made. Customer rate implications.
Final project work (4-6 p.m.): Look at the goals, objectives, landscape, and SWOT to draft four to eight desired outcomes.
Wednesday, Oct. 9 | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (Utility Field Operations)
Topics: Overview of field operations with subject matter expert guests. Safety demonstration. Field operations employee engagement.
Final project work (4-6 p.m. as needed): Begin brainstorming four strategies for the final project.
Thursday, Oct. 10 | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Load Forecasting, Distribution System Planning, and Supply Planning)
Topics: Load forecasting and distribution system planning. Energy supply planning and transmission system planning.
Final project work (4-6 p.m.): Continue working on strategies.
Friday, Oct. 11 | 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Serving Community and Customers)
Topics: What it means to be a community-owned utility. Meeting expectations of community leaders, external stakeholders, and customers. Focusing on the customer experience.
Final project work (optional working lunch, and/or work from 3-5 p.m.): Define the customer value proposition for each strategy, articulating how the strategies will help customers.
WEEK TWO
Monday, Oct. 28 | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Cost of Service and Rate Design)
Topics: The rate approval process. Cost of service, cost allocation, and rate design. Review of current design issues and trends.
Final project work (4-6 p.m.): Estimate the capital and O&M needs of your four strategies. Calculate estimated rate impact on customers, focusing on affordability and delivering value for customers.
Tuesday, Oct. 29 | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Workforce Planning)
Topics: Attracting, retaining, and developing employees. Leading through change. Understanding one’s leadership style.
Final project work (4-6 p.m.): Determine the operations and personal impacts of your strategies and what is needed to execute your strategies well.
Wednesday, Oct. 30 | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Presenting to Your Board)
Topics: Introduction to Roberts Rules and board scenarios. Improve your public speaking in formal board settings.
Final project work (4-6 p.m.): Determine metrics for measuring success during strategy implementation. Determine potential risks and develop a mitigation plan.
Thursday, Oct. 31 | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Government Affairs, Negotiations, and Stakeholder Relations)
Government Affairs topics: Federal policy and legislation that impacts all utilities. Ways the utility sector advocates with elected and appointed officials on key issues. Current hot topics in D.C.
Negotiations and Stakeholder Relations topics: Working through challenging negotiations. Understand your stakeholders and build long-term relationships with them.
Final project work (4-6 p.m.): Practice presenting the final project as a team.
Friday, Nov. 1 | 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Final Project Presentation)
- Present final projects to a panel of utility judges.
Instructors
Julie Ryan
FUEL Program Director and Instructor
Class: Position Your Utility for Success
Julie Ryan has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry and is currently managing partner of Aether Advisors LLC, providing management consulting services, industry training classes, and facilitation services in the utility sector.
Ryan has been an instructor with NWPPPA since 2014, teaching utility strategy, risk management, business fundamentals, negotiations, and workforce planning. Additionally, she provides customized in-house training programs in these topics, as well as in utility finance, energy risk management and hedging, and state regulation. Prior to leading the FUEL program, she served as the director of Willamette University Atkinson School of Graduate Studies’ Utility Management Certificate program from 2013-2023.
Ryan started consulting in 2006. Prior to that, she held executive roles in regulated and non-regulated energy companies. At Puget Sound Energy, she served as vice president, risk management and strategic planning and, prior to that, vice president, energy portfolio management. Before PSE, she was managing director at Merchant Energy Group of the Americas, responsible for North American origination and marketing. She also held positions as senior vice president at Duke/Louis Dreyfus and as vice president at Louis Dreyfus Energy Corp., where she launched the firm’s natural gas trading business and led marketing alliances and joint ventures.
Ryan currently serves on the NWPPA Board of Trustees, representing NWPPA associate members. She is also an advisory board member for Entrion Wind. From 2010-2017, she was an appointed member of the Seattle City Light Review Panel. From 2002-2006, she served on the board of directors of the Northwest Gas Association. Ryan graduated cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, from Smith College in Massachusetts.
Terilyn (Teri) Wallis
Class: Utility Financial Drivers
Terilyn Wallis has over 26 years of experience in the energy industry, including five years as a regional vice president financing electric infrastructure. She has served as a chief financial officer for more than 15 years, predominately in the electric sector, but also managing the operations and finances of natural gas, fiber, propane, and security service operations. In 2018 she launched her consulting firm, Terilyn Wallis Consulting LLC, which provides educational and training programs and consulting services to associations and utilities, as well as independently.
As the founder and owner of the firm, Wallis aligns the financial direction and goals of utilities into business plan development and reporting. Utilizing her deep background of inside utility operations, she works to maximize process efficiency and effectiveness, specializing in the capitalization of utility assets. Her passion to help others in utilities has transitioned her core efforts to the development and delivery of educational programs and webinars. She has instructed courses for NWPPA, National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association, National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, and numerous other associations. She is an adjunct instructor for the Willamette University Atkinson School of Graduate Studies Utility Management Certificate program.
Wallis prioritizes the participants’ experience in her program development and delivery. She is down-to-earth, engaging, and steadfast in connecting concepts to real-world examples.
Wallis holds a doctorate in adult education and curriculum development from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; a Master of Business Administration in finance from St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota; and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Wisconsin in Superior, Wisconsin.
Terilyn Wallis is an instructor for the FUEL Program, leading the class in Utility Financial Drivers. Terilyn has over 26 years of experience in the energy industry, including five years as a regional vice president financing electric infrastructure. She has served as a Chief Financial Officer for more than fifteen years, predominately in the electric sector, but also managing operations and the finances of natural gas, fiber, propane, and security service operations. In 2018 she launched her consulting firm, providing educational and training programs and consulting services to associations, utilities, and independently.
Terilyn is the founder and owner of Terilyn Wallis Consulting LLC, which provides strategy development and execution services. In addition, she aligns the financial direction and goals of utilities into business plan development and reporting. Utilizing her deep background of inside utility operations, she works to maximize process efficiency and effectiveness, specializing in the capitalization of utility assets. Her passion to help others in utilities has transitioned her core efforts to the development and delivery of educational programs and webinars. She has been an instructor for Northwest Public Power Association, National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association, National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, and numerous associations. She is an adjunct instructor for the Willamette University Atkinson School of Graduate Studies “Utility Management Certificate” program.
Terilyn prioritizes the participants’ experience in her program development and delivery. She is down to earth, engaging, and steadfast in connecting the concepts to real world examples.
Terilyn holds a Doctorate in Adult Education and Curriculum Development from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a Master of Business Administration in Finance from St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin in Superior, Wisconsin.
Brady Hansen
Class: Utility Field Operations
Brady Hansen is the founder and owner of Written in Red, a training organization offering classes in field operations. He specializes in the knowledge of electrical systems, safety training, and personal protective equipment throughout the line industry.
Hansen was born and raised in South Dakota. He now lives and works near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, with his wife, Teri. Together, they have five children in their blended family. One of his proudest achievements has been his work internationally with lineworkers in developing nations, because he feels strongly that he is a lineman in an international community during a time in history when electrical workers from around the world can connect and unite in order to be safer and more effective.
While he loves being a lineman, he describes his most important titles as “dad” and “husband,” as well as a new title, “grandpa,” which he earned just before Christmas last year when his first grandchild was born.
Hansen is a certified utility safety professional and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, International Electrotechnical Commission, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Russ Schneider
Class: Planning for Growth—Load Forecasting, Distribution, and Supply
Russ Schneider is a senior project manager with expertise in financial planning, power supply, transmission, strategic planning, resource development, forecasting, risk analysis, smart grid, meter data management, and rate design. He has seven years of consulting experience with EES Consulting, a GDS Associates Company, helping many utilities across the West. Schneider also spent 10 years on the utility side with Flathead Electric Cooperative as a regulatory and senior data analyst. He has expert witness, power supply planning, and regulatory experience in both the Bonneville Power Administration rate case proceedings and supporting rate filings with the British Columbia Utilities Commission. Schneider has provided training for NWPPA, Western Public Agencies Group, Energy Efficiency Exchange, Smart Grid Live, and other organizations over the years. Schneider holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and a Master of Engineering and Technology Management from Washington State University. He is also an accomplished outdoor writer and editor with several hiking guides to his name.
Gomathi Sadhasivan
Class: Serving Community and Customers
Gomathi Sadhasivan is vice president – energy systems at DNV. In this role, she builds and strengthens trusted partner relationships and helps clients navigate the energy transition. She has worked at the intersection of customer behavior, market research, and analytics for 30 years. She brings to bear a sophisticated toolkit honed on projects for clients in highly competitive sectors like automotive, finance, and retail to a rapidly evolving energy industry seeking insights on topics such as customer engagement, price sensitivity, and product optimization. Her recent work has focused on topics such as customer adoption of distributed energy resources; smart grid-enabled technologies and services; and transportation electrification. She led several studies that focused on underserved communities and customer segments such as low-income, seniors, and rural customers.
Sadhasivan was the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative research committee chair from 2015 to 2019 and led several pioneering national consumer studies in that role. She is the vice chair of SECC’s board of directors. She has been a guest lecturer for the customer engagement module at Willamette University’s Utility Management Certificate course for the last three years.
Sadhasivan has an MBA in sustainable management from Presidio Graduate School and graduate degrees in mathematics and statistics from Michigan Technological University and the University of Mumbai.
Angie Sanchez Virnoche
Class: Cost of Service and Rate Design
Angie Sanchez Virnoche is an FCS GROUP principal and shareholder with 31 years of experience providing financial and rate development services in a variety of capacities for electric, water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste utilities.
Her project work includes policy development, multi-year financial plans and rate strategies, cost-of-service equity studies, rate design restructuring and modernization, capital funding prioritization, renewal and replacement funding evaluations, cost-benefit analyses, reserve analysis, and community education and involvement.
Virnoche has been actively involved in the rate-setting industry through various board and committee roles throughout her career. She served on the NWPPA Board of Trustees between 2013 and 2019, and currently serves on the NWPPA Education and Workforce Development Committee. She was also lead rate-setting presenter for the Washington State Department of Commerce Infrastructure Academies and one-day Rate Setting Workshops; technical rate and financial expert within the Washington Public Utility District Association; and member of the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Finance Advisory Board.
During her free time, Virnoche enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and biking. She starts her mornings with a workout of kickboxing, weight training, and/or running. Her favorite relaxation activity is completing 1,000-piece puzzles.
Sergey Tarasov
Class: Cost of Service and Rate Design
Sergey Tarasov is an FCS GROUP principal and shareholder with 18 years of experience in rate design and financial feasibility analysis for water, sewer, stormwater, electric, and solid waste utilities. His areas of expertise include revenue requirement development, cost-of-service analysis, rate design analysis, and unit cost determination.
Tarasov specializes in guiding utilities through cost-based, transparent rate-setting studies. He focuses on engaging decision-makers and stakeholders throughout the process by presenting and educating from the start. This helps infuse the study with utility- and client-specific goals and objectives addressing issues such as fiscal policies, affordability, rate understandability, and transparency. He has extensive modeling experience, which allows for tailoring each financial model to meet individual client needs and facilitates the generation of sensitivity analysis to ensure the optimum rate strategy is selected.
In addition to his technical and project management work, Tarasov frequently presents results to diverse audiences such as citizen rate advisory groups, advisory boards, commissions, and councils to engage and educate participants in decision-making processes. He also actively participates in numerous associations throughout the industry by presenting on topics ranging from broad rate-making principals to industry-specific topics.
In his free time, Tarasov enjoys spending time with his family, including two dogs and two cats. He likes to stay active by playing soccer and exercising.
Jo Smith
Class: Workforce Planning and Leading Through Change
Jo Smith is a certified management consultant, executive coach, and speaker. She helps leaders improve employee engagement, client satisfaction, and business profitability. Smith helps organizations develop leadership talent and coaches professionals to achieve their potential, make their greatest contributions, and live their best lives. She coaches and consults for one reason—she loves to help people succeed.
Smith served as managing consultant of the Los Angeles office of Drake Beam Morin, leading a team of professional consultants and staff to become one of the global human resource firm’s top performing offices worldwide, as measured by employee satisfaction, client satisfaction, and profit margins. She served as a global project director with DBM, directing the service delivery of multimillion-dollar projects to clients with multiple sites within the United States. DBM designated her one of six consultants responsible for the training of all new consultants hired throughout the United States.
Smith served on the board of directors of the National University of Natural Medicine. She also served on the national board of directors of the Institute of Management Consultants USA and chaired its national marketing committee. She is a past president of the Portland State University Alumni Association and of the Oregon chapter of the American Marketing Association.
Smith earned a Bachelor of Science with high honors from Portland State University. She was an early inductee into Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honor society for business students. She earned a certificate in human resources and completed a 77-hour course in coaching.
Dr. Elizabeth Tierney
Class: Presenting to Your Board
During her career, Elizabeth Tierney has been a writer, trainer, coach, speaker, and school administrator. At University College Dublin in Ireland and at CESUGA in Spain, she lectured on communications and on management. Tierney has worked with individuals and groups in the U.S. and in Europe. Her diverse students have included American salespeople, French undergrads, U.S. Marines, and Irish hoteliers. She currently offers seminars on business writing and business speaking at Willamette University on the Executive Development Program.
Tierney has written 15 books. Her most recent is “Word Time! A Guide to Effective Writing.” Other titles include “Show Time! A Guide to Making Effective Presentations”; “Dignifying Dementia, A Caregiver’s Struggle”; “Quick Win Business Communications”; “Business Ethics”; and “Movies for Managers.”
Tierney earned a bachelor’s degree in literature, a master’s degree in teaching English and a Ph.D. in educational administration.
Nicole Case
Class: Government Affairs
Nicole Case has worked in public power since her first job as a lawyer working on environmental and power sales issues for the Bonneville Power Administration in the early 1990s. Her time at BPA became a spring board for working on Capitol Hill on Pacific Northwest energy issues; lobbying for consumer-owned utilities in Washington, D.C.; and for the last 15 years, representing the Public Power Council, NWPPA, and the Northern California Power Agency as a government relations consultant.
Dr. Sukhsimran Singh
Class: Challenging Negotiations and Stakeholder Relations
Dr. Sukhsimran Singh’s career is built on the foundation of using peaceful methods to resolve difficult conflicts. His negotiation style is based on respect and empathy. He has represented clients in various countries and successfully consulted with state governments, courts, businesses, churches, and schools.
Singh has successfully resolved hundreds of domestic and cross-border mediations. He practices in many areas and currently focuses on business/commercial disputes, government and public agency disputes, faith-based and educational institution conflicts, cross-border/international conflicts, civil rights, cross-cultural conflicts, employment conflicts, personal injury/torts disputes, and real property disputes. He has successfully resolved large, complex cases, including one valued at over $100 million.
Singh is known for his expertise in international mediation, collaborative problem-solving, crafting mediation agreements, and many other mediation areas. He regularly serves as a mediator for educational institutions, businesses, and government entities, including for the City of Beverly Hills, where he was nominated for the city’s Annual Peace Award. He is also sought after to create conflict resolution plans for churches, schools, and law enforcement organizations. The City of Los Angeles honored him for his work for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Singh has trained over 3,000 business professionals and graduate law and business students in negotiation theory and practice. He is assistant dean of graduate law programs and Judge Danny Weinstein managing director of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law, where he also serves as professor of law and practice. He previously taught at USC School of Law, Willamette University, and Hamline University, as well as in India at the National Law University. In 2017, the government of India recognized Singh as a Global Initiative of Academic Networks scholar. Singh’s work can be found in several journals and books on dispute resolution.
To apply for the FUEL program, click button above.
For utilities that send four or more employees, you will receive a $500 discount per person on the cost of registration.
The fee includes all instruction, course materials, meals, refreshments, and the welcome reception.
For more information, please contact Julie Ryan at jryan@aetheradvisors.com.
NWPPA’s Future Utility Executive Leadership (FUEL) program is designed to prepare the utility leaders of tomorrow. FUEL delivers a comprehensive approach that increases participants’ understanding of the industry and their utilities. The goal of the program is for every participant to leave with broad industry knowledge and the ability to step into new leadership roles at their organization.
Strategically crafted curriculum
FUEL is designed for professionals interested in assuming leadership positions at their organizations. Participants may be assistant general managers, directors, managers, supervisors, and other rising leaders. FUEL focuses on leadership through a public power lens, though content is applicable to all utilities. The program hones participants’ critical thinking skills; guides them to consider the opportunities and challenges facing the utility sector; helps them plan how to deliver value to their customers; and gives them tools to lead more effectively.
Upon registering, applicants will be asked several questions to ensure the program is a good fit for them at this time in their career. Applicants have the option to share their career aspirations—what they enjoy in their work and what they want to achieve in the future, which enables NWPPA to tailor FUEL content for participants.
FUEL is an interactive program that incorporates experiential learning through pre-readings, in-class instruction, discussion, activities, and a final project. The program includes relevant and timely content for the energy industry.
Industry Fundamentals and Trends
- Utility strategy
- Utility finance
- Rate design and cost of service
- Field operations
- Western regional grid resources and transmission
- Load forecasting, system planning, and supply planning
- Customer service and customer engagement
- Workforce planning
- Public policy
Professional Development
- Executive presentation skills
- Utility governance
- Working with a board
- Strategic thinking
- Stakeholder relations
- Effective leadership
- Retaining and developing employees
- Advocacy
An optional one-day segment covering issues unique to investor-owned utilities will be held for those interested.
In addition to learning from multiple subject matter experts during the program, participants will network with other students and develop a final project (a five-year strategic plan) within a small team. At the conclusion of the program, each team will present their five-year strategic plan to a panel of utility judges.
To participate in FUEL, prospective students must apply for and be accepted into the program.
Dates:
Oct. 7-11 and Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2024
Location:
NWPPA office
9817 NE 54th St, Vancouver, WA 98662
(360) 254-0109
Suggested hotel:
Heathman Lodge
7801 NE Greenwood Dr, Vancouver, WA 98662
(360) 254-3100
Ask for the NWPPA rate for 15% off advertised prices.
Program fee:
$5,800