Sep

11-13

Project Management + Utilities (Sep 11-13)

WEI’s Project Management + Utilities Conference brings together gas and electric utility industry professionals to discuss the latest industry trends and best practices in PMO Leadership, Construction, and IT + Analytics. The diverse mix of presentations, Q&A panels, roundtable discussions and networking allow attendees to share their experiences and develop contacts in the similar roles throughout the utility industry. Expect to gain applicable insights on methodologies, techniques, tools, and best practices related to project management. This program is an excellent professional development and organizational team-building opportunity.

Register Now

General Details

  • Program Chair(s)
  • Cody Jura, Project Manager, Portland General Electric

    • Program Location
    • Embassy Suites Portland - Downtown
    • 319 SW Pine Street, Portland, OR 97204
    • Who Should Attend
      • Project Management Office/Enterprise Project Office Leadership
      • Portfolio Directors and Managers
      • Project and Program Managers
      • Project Coordinators, Schedulers, Analysts, Planners and Controllers
      • Service Company Project Management Leaders and Consultants
  • Registration Options
  • Member: $599 USD
    Non-Member: $899 USD

    Registration prices go up $100 after August 14, 2023. Registration includes full conference access and materials. Guest tickets are available for $125 and allow for a personal guest (a spouse or partner who does not work in the energy industry) to accompany a registered attendee at the event. Guest registration includes all meals and receptions.

  • General Cancellation Policy
  • Due to contractual obligations, cancellations received 15 business days prior to the program will receive a full refund. Cancellations received 6 to 14 business days prior to the event will receive a refund, less a $100 administrative fee. No shows and last minute cancellations, 5 business days prior to the event or less, will be responsible for the full registration fee. Substitutions from your organization for the same event are always welcome.
  • Participation Policy
  • Western Energy Institute programs and events are open to energy companies (including gas production and electric generation, gas and electric transmission and gas and electric distribution utilities). Select programs and events are open to energy industry product and service suppliers. Programs and events are closed to all media representatives and to the general public. Recording is not permitted for any portion of the event.
  • For more information contact Kris Taylor, Director of Programs + Service Company Membership at (971) 930-2033.

Agenda

Monday, September 11, 2023

12:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Optional Tours

Please see the Networking tab for details about the available tours.

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Registration

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Welcome Reception

Join us in downtown Portland to catch-up with colleagues and meet fellow conference attendees.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

Registration and Breakfast

Registration will be in the Colonel Lindbergh foyer, along with coffee refills and light pastries. Hot breakfast will be provided at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Portland's main buffet as part of attendee's hotel room reservation.

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM

Conference Welcome
Speaker(s): Cody Jura, Project Manager, Portland General Electric

Portland General Electric welcomes the group to Portland and the 2023 Project Management + Utilities Conference.

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM

2023 Outlook: The Future of the Energy & Utilities Industry
Speaker(s): Sam Uyeno, Partner, West Monroe

Changing the power grid is no simple task—and utilities must face these digital transformation challenges while still keeping the lights on. West Monroe presents their 2023 Outlook: The Future of the Energy & Utilities Industry report and discusses their findings, the leading trends of the year, and how they are showing up and impacting utility projects and project management.

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Break

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

Breakout Sessions

Construction TrackBoardman to Hemingway:  A Clean-Energy Superhighway
Speaker(s): Steve Giltner, Director of Operation Western Region, Quanta Infrastructure Solutions Group, LLC; Lindsay Barretto, PE Senior Manager, 500KV and Joint Projects, Idaho Power Company
Boardman to Hemingway, or “B2H,” is a proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line that will run approximately 290 miles across eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho. B2H will connect two regions — the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West — that produce an abundance of clean energy but whose peak production and peak customer demand are mismatched. With B2H, customers in both regions will enjoy reliable, affordable, clean energy and rely less on expensive, carbon-emitting power plants.
QISG and Idaho Power Company are excited to participate in the WEI’s Project Management + Utilities Conference.  Steve Giltner, Director of Operation Western Region QISG, and Lindsay Barretto, PE Senior Manager, 500KV and Joint Projects with Idaho Power Company, look forward to engaging with members of the industry in an interactive session about the CMAR contracting model and its application in the modern major projects segments. Some topics that will be covered include how QISG and IPC are using the CMAR model on the B2H project, lessons learned, team expectations and future application of the CMAR model. 

PMO Leadership Track: How Do You Implement Change Management so your PMO Improvements Take Hold?
Moderator (s): Ryan McLaughlin, Power PMO Manager, Tacoma Power
Panelist(s): Behzad Hosseini, President & CEO, Toba Consulting; Kat Damiano, Business Change Management Team Lead, Southern California Gas Company; Joy Love, Business Transformation Specialist, Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Kristina Pham, Manager of Enterprise Organizational Change and Business Process, Seattle City Light
A panel of OCM professionals will discuss their experiences establishing change management in utility organizations of varying size and stages of implementation.
Sponsored by Toba Consulting

10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

Break

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Breakout Sessions

Construction Track: Contracting Strategies in the Changing Construction Landscape
Speaker(s): Clay Gilge, Principal – Major Projects Advisory, KPMG; Ken Weigand, Director, Infrastructure & Projects Advisory, KPMG
How do we choose the best contracting strategy and plan for construction projects in turbulent times? Learn about the state of the industry including performance trend highlights, key challenges facing energy owners, and how to choose optimal project delivery and contracting strategy. Learn how to adapt to increasing regulatory scrutiny and risk in the changing landscape in the construction industry.
 
IT + AnalyticsTrackSnoPUD's Journey into AWS
Speaker(s): John Norberg, Data & Analytics Consultant, Snohomish County PUD #1; Matt Zyskowski, Sr. Application Analyst, Snohomish County PUD #1
Join the Snohomish County PUD AWS leads for an hour of building momentum in the cloud! Re-energize your IT Staff with emerging skillsets and modern cloud architecture best practices.  Learn how to securely and cost-effectively get more workloads in the cloud through low barrier patterns.  Now is the time to welcome all your business analysts, data and analytics, and reporting staff to become cloud contributors.

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Lunch

A lunch buffet will be provided.

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Breakout Sessions
Facilitator(s): Krystal DeBruine, Manager, Transmission Project Management Office, Great River Energy

PMO Leadership Track: How Do You Communicate the Value of PMO Related Metrics and Tools to Your Leadership?
Speaker(s): Ezra Richards, Manager of Strategic Project Management, Portland General Electric; Phil Andrew, Senior Director of Utilities, Jacobs; Tony Pagano, Manager of Major Projects, Puget Sound Energy
This session will cover PMO related metrics and tools, specifically discussing how to communicate value to your leadership, and how to assess how well your metrics align to your strategic goals and initiatives. 
sponsored by Toba Consulting

IT + Analytics Track: What Data are Utilities Currently Using to Make Decisions in Their Wildfire Management Programs?
Speaker(s): Brett Phillips, Manager, Wildfire Operations Program Management, Portland General Electric; John Norberg, Data Strategy and Analytics Consultant, Snohomish County PUD #1
Many PNW utilities did not have to worry about wildfire mitigation plans a decade ago but now everyone is at risk and utilities are trying to catch up. Come listen to Portland General Electric and Snohomish County PUD#1 discuss what data they are using, compiling and making readily accessible through dashboards as they develop more robust wildfire management programs. Portland General Electric will kick off the session by discussing their compliance needs, the dashboards that help them track required data, and what other data they follow or are discussing whether to follow to build a more complete picture for themselves. Snohomish County PUD#1 will then speak to the weather dashboard they created to aggregate and streamline weather analysis for the wildfire management program. Once examples have been shown, the rest of the session will be open to discussion amongst the room. The speakers can dive deeper into a particular dashboard, or discuss the larger more strategic questions. It is up to the audience to steer the conversation. Let’s learn from each other and share our insights and challenges. This session is appropriate for those who want to learn more, those who have been tasked with the impossible and are overwhelmed, and those who have a few pieces in place but see how many more there are to implement.

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Break

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM

Breakout Sessions

IT + Analytics Track: Hot Topics Roundtable Discussion
Facilitator(s): Andru Miller, Senior Security Program Manager – Project Management Office, Avista Utilities
Join us for a lively discussion of some of the Hot Topics facing electric and natural gas utility IT departments. Included on our list are: Security, Carbon Neutrality, Electrification, and How AI is Impacting Your Job.

Construction Track: The Future of Zero Emissions: EV Charging Projects
Facilitator(s): Derrick Draper, Project Director, Black & Veatch
Speaker(s): Anthony Aguirre, Project Manager for Schools, Parks, and Fleet, San Diego Gas & Electric Company; Rick Mihelic, Director of Emerging Technologies, North American Council for Freight Efficiency
SDGE Project Manager Anthony Aquirre will cover lessons learned and project highlights.  He will provide a summary of the current EV programs, and cover lessons learned on permits/regulations, supply chain issues, site selection, and placement. NACFE’s Director of Emerging Technologies will present on how the trucking industry is transitioning to a zero emission future for trucking, including electric and hydrogen fueled trucks that are already being deployed across North America.

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM

Break

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Electric Transportation Program - Arizona Public Services Updates
Speaker(s): Elizabeth Lawrence, Manager, Product Development and Strategy, Arizona Public Service Company

Following 2022's much regaled session on the Overview of Arizona Public Safety's Electric Transportation program, this year has Izzy Lawrence sharing how APS partnered with the City of Flagstaff to begin the process to electrify their municipal fleet and how APS designed their proposed managed charging program for residential customers.

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Hosted Networking Reception

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

Breakfast

    Coffee refills and light pastries will be provided at the conference while a full hot breakfast will be provided at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Portland's main buffet as part of attendee's hotel room reservation.

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

The Evolving World of Utility Fire Mitigation Strategy
Speaker(s): Dan Nunez, Civil Engineer, Portland General Electric

Each fire season utilities learn more about how to best manage their resources to apply data analysis to assist with predicative modelling and management practices. Come hear utilities describe what data is used, how it is analyzed, and how it impacts decision making during a wildfire season. These are not the same dashboards they were a decade ago.  

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Break + Hotel Checkout

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

Breakout Session
Facilitator(s): Scott Roberts, Project Management Improvement Program Lead, Seattle City Light

PMO Leadership Track: Project and Portfolio Prioritization: How Organizations Build a Prioritization Model
Facilitator(s): Scott Roberts, Manager, Project Management Improvement Program, Seattle City Light; Speaker(s): Michelle Kirby, Manager of Enterprise Prioritization, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
How do you tackle creating an enterprise-level prioritization model that includes a diverse portfolio of work? Join SMUD’s Manager of Enterprise Prioritization in this session to review the process, model, and lessons learned from their recent implementation.
sponsored by Toba Consulting

10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

Wrap Up Meeting and Planning for 2024 Project Management + Utilities Conference

Open to all attendees, especially those interested in helping to plan topics for next year's conference.

Hotel + Travel

  • Reservation Instructions
  • Please contact the hotel directly at (503) 279-9000 to reserve your room. Identify yourself as being with Western Energy Institute (WEI) to receive a special rate of $189 USD/night. This rate is guaranteed until August 28, 2023 or until the WEI room block is full.

Program Sponsors

Thank you to our program sponsors!

Meet The Speakers

Krystal DeBruine

Great River Energy

Manager, Transmission Project Management Office

Scott Roberts

Seattle City Light

Project Management Improvement Program Lead

Matt Zyskowski

Snohomish County PUD

Sr. Application Analyst

John Norberg

Snohomish County PUD

Data Strategy and Analytics Consultant

Andru Miller

Avista Utilities

Senior Program Manager

Kat Damiano

Southern California Gas Company

Business Change Management Team Lead
Learn More

Kat Damiano is a seasoned Change Management professional with over 10 years of experience in leading successful organizational transformations in the utilities and health industries. Throughout her career, Kat has demonstrated a strong aptitude for managing large-scale transformations, including merger-acquisition initiatives, building construction projects, engineering deployments, and technology implementations. Her ability to navigate complex organizational structures and diverse stakeholder landscapes has been instrumental in driving positive change and achieving transformational goals. Highly skilled in thought leadership, and human-centered design thinking, she thrives on client interaction and excels in building relationships that foster collaboration and innovation. She has a unique ability to address ambiguity with curiosity and user-centered methodologies to translate insights into actionable strategies that solve problems, create solutions and drive overall performance improvement ensuring sustainable change.

Joy Love

Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Business Transformation Specialist
Learn More

Joy Love is a results-oriented professional with a proven track record of enabling the successful implementation of enterprise-wide initiatives. In addition to being a highly sought after certified Project Management Professional (PMP), she is dedicated to facilitating positive change in both individuals and organizations. As a Certified Change Practitioner with Prosci and Change Guides, her passion is guiding leaders and employees through transformative journeys, fostering resilience and adaptability to embrace change and thrive in dynamic environments. Her collaborative focus and inclusive approach has brought balance and given voice to those impacted by change. Joy specializes in creating a safe environment where team members can ask the tough questions, be creative, and excel.

Kristina Pham

Seattle City Light

Manager, Enterprise Change & Business Process

Behzad Hosseini

Toba Consulting

President & CEO
Learn More

Behzad Hosseini, founder and president of Toba Consulting, brings over 25 years of utility industry experience, with a specialization in driving transformational changes applying Organizational Change Management (OCM) principles. Behzad capped off a 20-year career at Portland General Electric (PGE) directing the office of the Chief Information Officer. Before starting Toba Consulting, he joined IBM as an Associate Partner, consulting C-suite executives on digital strategy and delivering transformational change across a wide range of initiatives in the utility industry.

Phillip Andrew

Jacobs

Division Vice President - Utilities
Learn More

Phil has more than 40 years’ experience in program management, quality, natural gas pipeline design, maintenance, installation and operation. Phil’s experience has focused on pipeline operations, management excellence, regulatory strategy and testimony, program management, metrics, project management, administration, emergency response and continuous improvement.

Phillip currently serves as the Division Vice President – Utilities for Jacobs’ Western Region. Jacobs is providing various services and acting as Program Management Office (PMO) in support of several western utilities.

Sam Uyeno

West Monroe

Partner
Learn More

Sam Uyeno has been in the electric utility industry for 18 years. He was a Navy submarine officer before working for Southern California Edison and now West Monroe. Sam’s unique blend of engineering, military operations, and business experience provides a well-rounded platform for approaching diverse projects and enables him to examine complex issues from various perspectives. When not working Sam is an avid runner.

Tyler Lamb

Quanta Services

Director, Operations - Quanta Infrastructure Solutions Group

Clay Gilge

KPMG LLP

Principal - Major Projects Advisory

Ken Wiegand

KPMG LLP

Director

Anthony Aguirre

San Diego Gas & Electric Company

Project Manager of Schools, Parks and Fleet

Sarah Noll

Arizona Public Service Company

Product Development & Strategy Leader

Dan Nunez

Portland General Electric

Civil Engineer

Brett Phillips

Portland General Electric

Manager, Wildfire Operations Program Management

Elizabeth Lawrence

Arizona Public Service Company

Manager, Product Development and Strategy
Learn More

Izzy (Elizabeth) Lawrence joined the Customer to Grid Solutions team at APS as the Product Development and Strategy manager in February of this year. In her current role, Izzy is responsible for strategic oversight of APS’s customer programs including Demand Side Management (DSM), electric vehicles, solar, and technology consulting, along with overseeing federal funding program management and the Customer to Grid Analytics group. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona in 2014 and began working at APS that year as a new engineer in Operations (NEO). As a NEO, Izzy spent several years learning about power plant operations at the West Phoenix Power Plant before taking an Operations Shift supervisor position. After nearly five years at West Phoenix, Izzy transitioned to the State Regulatory organization, where she held positions as a Regulatory analyst, supervisor of State Regulatory Affairs and manager of State Regulatory Strategy and Compliance. In these positions, Izzy supported several business areas including Customer to Grid Solutions, Customer Experience and Communications, Resource Management, and Line Siting – as well as supporting APS rate cases and overseeing the company’s preparation for meetings in front of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).

Michelle Kirby

Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Manager, Enterprise Prioritization

Rick Mihelic

North American Council for Freight Efficiency

Director of Emerging Technologies
Learn More

Rick Mihelic is NACFE’s Director Emerging Technologies. He has authored NACFE Guidance Reports on electric, hydrogen fuel cell and other alternative fuel medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Other reports include technology Confidence Reports and insights on efficiency, aerodynamics, platooning, regional haul and production. President of Mihelic Vehicle Consulting LLC he has 42 years’ experience in the trucking and aerospace industries including 20 years in commercial vehicle development for PACCAR and Peterbilt. He received the 2016 SAE L. Ray Buckendale Award and 2020 SAE Crawford award. An associate editor for the SAE Journal of Commercial Vehicles and active member of multiple SAE and TMC groups.

Ryan McLaughlin

Tacoma Power

Power PMO Manager

Steve Giltner

Quanta Infrastructure Solutions Group, LLC

Director of Operations

Lindsay Barretto

Idaho Power Company

Senior Manager, 500kV and Joint Projects

Cody Jura

Portland General Electric

Project Manager

Ezra Richards

Portland General Electric

Manager of Strategic Project Management
Learn More

Ezra Richards has a degree in Mathematics and an MBA. After work in the supply chains at IBM and Honeywell, he joined Southern California Edison. After a few years of heavy traffic and missing the outdoors, he moved to the Pacific Northwest and PacifiCorp where he worked in Estimating and Major Equipment. He then joined Portland General Electric as a T&D Project Manager which led to Manager of the Complex Project team and later to the Manager of PGE’s Generation, Transmission, and Distribution PM’s. He is currently developing PGE’s stable of large transmission projects as Senior Manager, Transmission Delivery.