Utility Management Certificate Instructors

Michael (Mike) Pittman is the overall Director for the Utility Management Certificate Program.  Mike holds a BS and a MSPH in Environmental Health from the University of Washington and began his career in the utility business in 1979 as an industrial hygienist for Pacific Power.  Over his 26 year career in this industry, his past positions included Sr. Vice President of PacifiCorp and Group Director of Human Resources of ScottishPower, the most senior HR position in the UK based company.  In addition to his duties at Willamette University, he provides human resource and general business consulting services to both small and large organizations.

LINDA CRAFTS
Linda Crafts has over 25 years experience in consulting, business management, and training. This includes hands-on experience in business and operations strategy, reengineering and all aspects of transition management with extensive experience in supporting IT systems integration efforts. As a partner in Cumulus Resources LLC, a Portland-based consulting firm, Dr. Crafts focuses on transitional issues resulting from organizational change. Prior to working at SAIF Corporation, she served as a leader and facilitator in WorkOut, the GE business work redesign initiative, spending eleven years at GE Industrial and Power Systems in Schenectady, NY. Dr. Crafts teaches courses in organizational development in both online and face-to-face formats for the Oregon Graduate Institute. She received her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia, and MBA from the College of St. Rose, and a PhD degree from the Fielding Graduate University.

JOHN M. HYNES, MSEE, MBA
John began his career in the energy industry in 1983. He developed and facilitated technical training programs for nuclear operators, telecommunications technicians, relay protection technicians and high voltage equipment maintenance technicians before moving on to senior positions in sales, marketing, and strategic planning. John used his financial skills to design production optimization models for heavy manufacturing clients, analyze the profitability of business and marketing plans, perform due diligence on targeted acquisitions and determine the valuation of businesses selected for investment. John develops and facilitates Business Finance and Energy Industry Knowledge programs for Excidian, a training company.

PAMELA LESH MORGAN
As Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Planning, Pamela Lesh was responsible for shepherding PGE’s strategic planning process and for all federal and state regulatory matters related to PGE. Lesh joined PGE in 1986 as assistant general counsel. She served as vice president of Rates and Regulatory Affairs from 1996-1997, when she took a position at ConneXt, Inc., as Vice President of Strategic Relationships. She returned as vice president at PGE in January 1999, managing PGE’s relationships with the Oregon Public Utility Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. After earning a juris doctorate degree in 1981 from the University of Washington School of Law, Lesh worked at several Seattle law firms, which included experience in regulatory and administrative law with a focus on natural gas and electric energy. In 1978, Lesh earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Washington State University.

FRED HORVATH
Fred joined the city of Henderson in June 2005 as the Employee Relations Manager and was named Acting Director of Human Resources in September 2008. Fred is responsible for the city’s Human Resources Administration, Employee Relations, Recruitment and Compensation, Risk Management, and Training and Organizational Development. Prior to joining the city of Henderson, Fred was the Managing Director of Strategic Employee Relationships for PacifiCorp/ScottishPower, working out of Portland, Oregon and Glasgow, Scotland. While at PacifiCorp he guided Utah Power’s employee responsibilities associated with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Additionally, he worked at Nevada Power Company as the Human Resources Director and spent 15 years with General Motors Corporation in operational and Human Resources assignments. Fred is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and has been a Southern Nevada resident since 1991.

A member of numerous labor/management coalitions and human resources organizations, Fred maintains relationships with labor unions in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

JIM KENSOK
Jim. Kensok is the Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Avista Corporation. Mr. Kensok’s primary responsibility is strategic and executive leadership for Avista Corporation’s Enterprise Information Technology. Prior to joining Avista, he was Director of Information Technology in one of Spokane’s largest CPA firms, where he managed the firm’s Information Technology professional services practice, and he was the Manager of Technology Support Services at a large international financial services software and computer hardware development company.Mr. Kensok has more than 25 years of national and international experience in developing and leading Information Systems, Network Communications, Information Technology Strategy, and Advanced Technology Environments.  He has been named one of the top 5 CIO’s in the Utility Industry by Utility

JULIE RYAN
As of August, 2010, Julia M. (Julie) Ryan has been leading west power trading, marketing and business development for EDF Trading North America. In 2006, Ms. Ryan established Aether Advisors LLC, providing advisory services to energy industry executives in the areas of strategic planning, business development, market analysis, and M&A due diligence.   Her clients included utility, private equity, merchant power, and competitive retail marketing companies. 

Prior to starting Aether Advisors in 2006, she served as Vice-President, Risk Management and Strategic Planning at Puget Sound Energy (“PSE”), from 2005-2006. She was a member of the Executive Energy Resources Committee that reviewed the Company’s energy resources plan and approved long-term contracts and generation acquisitions. Prior to that, she was PSE’s Vice-President of Energy Portfolio Management, responsible for the utility’s wholesale power and natural gas supply procurement, hedging, risk management and portfolio optimization activities from 2001-2005. 
Before joining PSE, Ms. Ryan was one of four principals who developed a North American marketing, trading and merchant power business in 1997 (Merchant Energy Group of the Americas or “MEGA”) for parent company, Gener S.A. and later, TransAlta Corp.  In her last position, she led North American energy marketing as Managing Director, Origination. Ms. Ryan started her commodities career at Louis Dreyfus Corporation.  In 1996, she was Sr. Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives in the energy joint-venture, Duke-Louis Dreyfus, where she managed regional natural gas marketing joint-ventures as well as the industrial and national accounts marketing activity.  In the early to mid 1990s, she pioneered natural gas trading, building one of the largest natural gas futures and basis trading entities.

Utility Management Certificate

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