UTILLIGENT - Key Persons
Amin's profound insight on energy and power business and technology was acquired through managing projects for Entergy, PG&E, SDG&E, as well as technology development and system integration at Varentec. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of California, a senior member of IEEE (SMIEEE), and holds a PhD in power systems from Florida State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President, Customer Engagement
ary Kate has an extensive financial and operations leadership background and works closely with business partners to provide analysis, reporting, and recommendations for operational and strategic decisions. Areas of focus include forecasting, budgeting, and cash flow and profitability analysis. She holds MBA, MHA, and BA degrees from University of Pittsburgh.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- EVP, Data & Innovation
en has over 30 years of business and technology experience gained in a wide variety of engineering, consulting, and senior management roles. With significant operational and management experience and a unique talent for identifying future strategic opportunities and risks, Ben's primary passion is building customer-focused businesses with an engaged staff, strong balance sheets, and privileged assets.
Ben has a particular affinity with the telecom and utilities sectors and has worked across these businesses, especially the customer and strategy elements. This includes three years as head of strategy for Vector:NZX, New Zealand's number one electricity provider, and over a decade working for IBM internationally. He's established successful technology companies, taking them public, and growing from $30M to $130M through strategic acquisition.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- SVP, Asia Pacific / Business Administration
- VP of Utilligent 's Asia Pacific
- VP, Asia Pacific
en Wortley is VP of Utilligent's Asia Pacific offices. Passionate about solving problems through innovation, Ben brings over 20 years of business and technology experience gained in a variety of software development, consulting, executive and board roles. He is recognized by his peers for his ability to quickly iterate business strategy whilst building disciplines around monitoring financial performance to create value. Ben is currently working with Energy industry participants to develop strategies for managing the energy transition to distributed energy resources with much of the innovation occurring in the community-owned sector.
Bill is a valuable team member always driving for success with a customer-first mentality. He is passionate about aligning critical business strategies with technology and process solutions to eliminate waste, and help save businesses valuable time and money.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- VP, Strategy & Transformation
illy Love is a utility industry architect with the ability to understand complex business problems, and then apply his expertise to create valuable client solutions. He has worked in both the electric and gas regulated and retail environments in multiple countries, transitioning easily from strategic planning to front-line employee tactical discussions.
Familiar with providing thought leadership, direction, and gaining consensus and buy-in, Love is knowledgeable of industry trends, emerging practices, and technologies, and participates in setting future direction. This experience has been invaluable in developing credentials and trust with clients over his 15 years with Utilligent, leading to expanded account opportunities to help utilities with their digital transformation.
ob Cooke is an executive consultant and a recognized industry leader across all aspects of customer interaction and Meter-to-Cash functions. His passion is for a true utility/customer partnership where it is easy to do business and the interaction experience is tailored to each customer.
Bob's 25 years of utility experience spans electric, gas, and water in regulated and retail environments across investor-owned utilities, co-ops, and municipalities across North America. He has produced innovative and sustaining solutions through operational assessments, process engineering/optimization, organizational design, cultural conversion, employee edification, technical enhancements, and performance management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- VP, Client Engagement
rent Kassing is VP, Client Engagement at Utilligent. An experienced transformation executive, he has sold and delivered business solutions across North America. These projects have included large system implementations, strategic initiatives, technology assessments and complex Customer Information Systems (CIS) procurements.
Brent joins Utilligent with experience at both global and boutique firms driving transformation for some of the largest utilities in the country. He is passionate about delivering quality and innovation to his clients and supporting the career development of those around him.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Program Execution
He has completed seven successful go-lives implementing Oracle CC&B by integrating MWM, WAM, and OUA to enable billing for different services, including electric, gas, water, and wastewater. He has directed teams of onshore and offshore resources to implement Oracle CIS to drive technological advancements, executing the project on time and within budget, and cultivating cost savings, resulting in earning the 2020 CIS Project of the Year Award. Carlos has successfully delivered programs across the globe, managing complex vendor relationships spanning multiple languages and legal frameworks.
assionate about working with organizations to drive the adoption of sustainable, long-term change, Catherine Hart brings a decade of consulting experience implementing Organizational Change Management (OCM) and business readiness initiatives at utilities across the U.S. She is recognized by her peers for her strong analytical and communication skills, as well as her innate ability to engage others and bring excitement around change.
raig Bialy has 40 years of experience working for and with electric, gas, and water investor-owned and municipal utilities. His expertise includes electric and gas metering and AMI deployments, customer field operations, enterprise asset management, and process/work procedures re-engineering.
Craig continuously leverages his utility experience to apply an enterprise-wide lens to each project in which he participates. He is passionate about helping utilities to develop and implement the changes necessary to transition from the "way it's always been done" to the technology-driven future.
Accustomed to working in complex, fast-paced project-based environments, Darla is versed in full software development lifecycle and methodologies. She understands end users' needs and the critical need for clear communication with stakeholders. Darla has recently improved the processes and tools for one of the largest CC&B municipal deployments, and another major investor-owned utility.
Daryoush pursued a role in utilities is because he sees many opportunities to make a real difference in how utilities operate and serve their customers. With an eye on innovation, he enjoys supporting client transformation journeys and is recognized by his peers for his leadership and team mentality.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Program Execution
on is a seasoned leader with more than 35 years of experience overseeing and delivering business solutions in the energy and utility industries. Recognized by his peers for his ability to blend strategy, operations, and technology to modernize utility grids for clients, Don has led the pursuit and implementation of large-scale smart grid deployments working with program leaders, information technology, and regulators.
He is passionate about developing teams that deliver high-value solutions, leaving a legacy of innovation that spans Utilligent, our clients, and their customers. Don's experience spans customer engagement, operational efficiencies, and information technology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- EVP, Customer Engagement
elecia Etheridge is an accomplished C-suite executive with extensive experience in ‘seeing around the corner' to define executable strategies that enables companies to be successful, high performing, and positioned for the future. She brings a balance of technical expertise and emotional intelligence that enhances customer satisfaction; business results; and employee and stakeholder engagement.
As Chief Customer Engagement Officer and Chief Business Excellence Officer at CPS Energy, her strategic leadership drove exponential results, lower costs, industry-leading customer satisfaction, and national brand recognition. Felecia has a passion for people and has executed employee engagement strategies for large and small teams through times of rapid change, transformation, integration, and chaos.
Domestically, and abroad, Felecia's leadership positions at Eastern Energy, PG&E and TXU provided a wide spectrum of experience including retail electric market development, IT, corporate communications, products and services development, sales, marketing, HR, electric distribution and engineering, regulatory and federal affairs, as well as mergers and acquisition activities.
ringing experience, knowledge, and pertinent skills from various fields, Geoffrey is an associate consultant in our Strategy & Transformation practice. He has a background in entrepreneurship, business analysis consulting, operations improvement, and project management. Geoffrey ran customer relations for multiple companies (including B2B) and finds fulfillment when improving customer satisfaction and performance. Deep interest in legislative & regulatory processes led to a J.D. from University of Arizona College of Law, & master's degree in philosophy.
Geoffrey is a problem solver who enjoys responsibilities associated with team leadership and cross-functional collaboration. He is recognized by his peers as reliable, hard-working, detail-oriented - always up for a challenge and the opportunity to grow.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- EVP, Smart Infrastructure & Technology
erard (Gerry) Metzler brings deep, extensive skills and insights in smart meter data and analytics, successful system deployment, and integration. He is recognized by his peers for his pragmatic leadership and counsel while taking on the utility industry's toughest challenges. His 35-year background includes prior positions as Partner and Founder of Quantitative Business Analytics (QBA) and Vice President of IBM's Global Business Services.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Member of the Leadership Team
eather Krause is a finance and business operations professional with experience in government, industrial manufacturing, beauty, and accounting advisory. A former senior accountant for the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, Heather has a business degree from Ohio State University, and an accounting degree from Capital University. Her personal interests include health, wellness, fitness, and fashion.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- VP, Utility Operations
ane Trivett-Presley is an innovative, solutions-oriented project management leader with experience based in a deep understanding of electric and gas utilities for over 30 years. Managing large projects and programs within the utilities sector, she is known for the successful implementation and deployment of software integration projects in work and asset management, field mobility and GIS, as well as the business lead for process improvement and re-engineering programs.
Most recently, Jane led a team to create and deliver a strategic roadmap that will enable a major utility to achieve its long-term goals. The roadmap provides direction for years to come, fulfilling the company's vision and enabling a customer-first mentality.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- VP, Data & Analytics
ay Reseigh is a 20-year industry expert and serves as Utilligent's VP, Data & Analytics. Passionate about solving key business issues, Jay pursued a role in utilities as the sector is poised for a technology-driven transformation. He is recognized by his peers for his ability to turn data into insight, and insight into action, while serving as a leader and setting strategic direction.
Jay also brings critical acumen into how to drive business growth at scale. He has held senior executive roles at major management consulting firms and technology organizations, bringing experience in software development, product management, and complex program transformation initiatives across the utility value chain.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- EVP, Utility Operations
eff Provine is Utilligent's EVP, Utility Operations and has been serving the utilities industry for nearly 30 years. With a background in Engineering & Construction for the electric utilities, Jeff has been implementing technology and leading process change since the early 90s. A former executive with Computer Science Corp. (CSC), Bass & Company, Cambridge Technology Partners, and Logica, Jeff continues to lead client engagements, provide executive council, and perform as a solution architect for key accounts. Jeff has led projects, teams, and organizations to deliver some of the most complex Asset Management programs globally. He is recognized industry leader in the areas of Work & Asset Management, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), and Pipeline Integrity Management.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Member of the Leadership Team
im Nichols is a CPA with 30 years of financial operations experience in the professional service, legal, tech, and telecom industries. He was a consultant for 15 years and began his career as an auditor for a Big Six accounting firm, working for the federal practice out of Washington D.C.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Sales
recognized Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) technical and functional expert, John is a certified project manager and thought leader with over 10 years of EAM and ERP knowledge and expertise in the Oil and Gas, Transportation, Utilities, Power Generation, and Transmission & Distribution sectors. He is passionate about helping clients to leverage technology to improve operational excellence and reduce overall operating costs.
He recently led the upgrade of Maximo T&D and SOA Middleware to ensure the supply chain integrations between Maximo and Oracle EBS were congruent. In addition, John led efforts to integrate PI operational intelligence with Maximo T&D which helped reduce operating costs, leveraged generation units' downtime and real-time data for better predictive power, and improved Maximo maintenance programs.
Jorge recently led the testing management team for a major utility that upgraded their legacy AMI software resulting in lowered operating costs and modernizing their system for the future. He has functioned as a project manager, business analyst, testing coordinator, and data analytics lead for major projects across globe.
uliet brings over 20 years of utility experience spanning across multiple areas: Change and Stakeholder Management, Scheduling and Dispatch, Project Management, Training, and Customer Experience Management. Juliet is a certified change practitioner and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Passionate about people and the ability to drive growth and development in people to achieve greatness, Juliet helps organizations focus on utilizing a diversified team of individuals to holistically analyze solution needs and drive change. She's highly-skilled to assist utilities with transformation, and to build internal acumen, knowledge, and competences to successfully respond to market changes.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- VP, Smart Grid
- VP, Smart Infrastructure
evin Cornish has a passion for helping utilities improve operational and organizational performance, focused particularly on leveraging enabling technologies to support transformational initiatives. As the industry has undergone rapid and profound changes driven by internal and external sources, Kevin has focused on how to best utilize the investments in these technology solutions to improve operational efficiency and facilitate a more sustainable, distributed and multi-party distribution grid.
Kevin has been involved with numerous AMI implementations, providing strategic advisory services by extracting value from AMI initiatives for utilities across the U.S. and Canada. He provides a balanced perspective based on his utility career, a decade with AMI solution providers, and numerous client engagements to support utilities' drive for improved efficiencies while delivering superior value and service to customers.
ringing knowledge of major asset management, procurement streamlining, and supply chain optimization within the utility industry, Lindsay Fetterman is an associate consultant in our Smart Infrastructure practice. She has served in senior programmer, business analyst, and data scientist roles and has experience with business processes, functional designs, creating conceptual and logical data models, and developing predictive models using bagging/random forest and logistic regression.
Recently, Lindsay served as the technical lead for multiple implementations and provided project requirements definition and support for an 811 Ticketing/One Call service's next-gen mobile application.
UtilliTeam Award Nominee: Lindsay was recognized at our Annual Meeting for her commitment, care, and approach to teamwork that align with Utilligent's values/behaviors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Operations
isa Tran McKee brings a 28-year background in operations and communications management for executive teams, creating collaborative environments that plays to people's strengths. She was deputy director for the Governor of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development with oversight of $1 billion of infrastructure funds. Lisa has held management positions in professional sports, entertainment, travel, tourism, luxury automotive, and consulted for clients in technology, non-profit and manufacturing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Smart Infrastructure
ynette is a results oriented, Lean Six Sigma professional with 15 years of experience combining cross-functional competencies in continuous improvement, supply chain, planning, and quality control. She is recognized by her peers as having a great work ethic, a leader, hard worker, determined, committed, and team oriented. Lynette pursued a career in utilities because of the industry opportunities in which she can create change, drive value, and empower people.
arit is a Senior Consultant with 15 years of experience in the utilities industry. A certified PMP, Release Train Engineer, and SAFe Product Owner, she offers a successful performance history in project and program management execution across diverse methodologies, functional areas, and systems. She is results-oriented with a strong commitment to building relationships and a proven track record in delivering on customer results. Marit's roles as a technology leader include companies like PG&E, Capital One Finance, and SBC Communications.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Partner & EVP, Strategy & Transformation
- Partner & EVP, Transformation
eir Shargal brings more than 28 years of experience delivering Strategic Business Transformation focused on the energy and utility industry. He led the Strategy and Utility practices for major management consulting and technology organizations, delivering projects focused on Operational Excellence, Smart Metering/Grid, Security, and Customer Excellence. A strong, multifaceted business and technology leader, Meir combines innovation with pragmatism, vision, and implementation with a sense of urgency. Meir has worked globally (China, Australia, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America) across the entire utility value chain.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Program Execution
elwyn brings 20 years of experience in management consulting and system integration project delivery for electric, gas, and water clients across North American and the U.K. Passionate about delivering value to clients, Melwyn has successfully executed projects for major utilities addressing Digital Transformation, Customer Service, Work and Asset Management, Smart Metering, Transmission and Distribution, GIS Enhancements, Customer Data Analytics, Supply Chain and Energy Trading.
His expertise includes: Program/Project Management, Test & Deployment Management, establishing Testing Center of Excellence and KPIs, PMO maturity assessments, ERP Automation Testing capability, and Digital Transformation. Melwyn has also worked globally with extensive experience in delivering work using onshore/offshore models.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Senior Consultant
business-focused project manager, Michael's career has focused on consulting, products, and services for the utilities industry. His roots in software development provide deep technical and analytical skills, combined with a strong business acumen. Michael has developed functional expertise in Customer Care, Billing, Gas Transportation and Pipeline Management, Demand Management, and Work & Asset Management.
He greatly enjoys the challenges of system implementation and change integration, and is passionate about improving his clients' efficiency and effectiveness while benefiting the public with greater safety and sustainability. Michael recently led and successfully deployed EAM, pipeline compliance, and Risk analysis systems for the integrity management department of a major utility, mostly utilizing agile processes for development and delivery.
As a board member and supporter of local sustainability organizations, Michael promotes awareness and develops ideas to influence simple behaviors that can collectively make a difference, such as ‘5 Easy Things You Can Do to Benefit Earth, While You Benefit Too!‘
Michael has consulted with electric, gas, water, and waste water utility clients as they transformed many aspects of their commercial cycle from construction and new service, customer service, metering and meter reading, billing, credit and collections through to write-off processing. He is intimately knowledgeable about many of the challenges that can be faced by utilities and how to overcome them.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Member of the Leadership Team
ike Bassignani is the founder and CEO of Utilligent. A recognized leader in the utilities industry, his expertise encompasses Customer Operations & Distribution Operations. Mike has functioned as the Chief Business Architect for major projects across the globe including the largest AMI implementation in the U.S. His 36-year background includes prior positions as: Founder and Managing Partner of Bass & Company, Global Utility Practice Lead of Computer Sciences Corporation, Partner at 21 Century Communications, and Senior Director Customer Service of Commonwealth Energy (now part of Eversource Energy). Mike has guided digital transformation projects for major clients worldwide in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Spain, France, England, Australia, and New Zealand.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Utility Operations
yles Myles Wallace brings over 30 years of consulting and operations experience spanning various industries, business areas, and technologies. He has a proven track record delivering solutions for clients on mission critical initiatives and projects, directing quality and project management programs, and achieving revenue and profit objectives. His areas of expertise include program/project delivery, risk/quality assurance programs, technology solutions and offerings, services practice and operations team leadership, ERP/supply chain solution expertise (Oracle, Ariba), and vendor relationship/alliance management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Talent Acquisition Manager
ancy is a highly effective recruiting operations and talent acquisition leader with over 30 years of experience. Recognized by her peers for her tenacity, relationship building, influencing, and negotiation skills, she has demonstrated success with both strategic initiatives and tactical execution. Nancy is passionate about technology, ATS systems, and building strong, sustainable relationships.
Her personal interests include advocating for animal welfare as the founder of a 501(c)(3) animal rescue, often taking on the toughest medical cases for those who require special assistance and care.
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer
- EVP
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Technical Executive
eil Belford is a technical executive with decades of experience in technology, software, digital innovation, and complex-systems design. Specializing in industrial digital transformation, Neil's current focus is on strategy and architecture for the digital utility, primarily as it applies to the global energy transition. A strong, multifaceted thought leader, he has designed industry specifications for both the Australian energy market operator, and for National telecommunications broadband networks in Australia and New Zealand. With an academic background in Embedded Systems Engineering, with a Masters in Cognitive Science centered on Machine Intelligence Research, Neil has overseen the design and delivery of complex integrated systems across energy and water, telco, transportation infrastructure, and healthcare.
avithra (Pavi) Raj is a consultant with a passion for helping clients translate high-level vision and strategy into actionable plans to successfully achieve goals. Her vast skillset has allowed her to mold into various roles and projects that have included regulatory compliance, data and product analysis, business intelligence reporting, requirements gathering, and process improvement.
Recently Pavi has taken on product owner/product analyst roles around digital solutions for operational gaps for a large southeast gas utility. With a legal and business background, she ensures that supporting data is at the start and end of any projects she works on.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Program Execution
recognized expert in her field, Penny Tootle brings over 30 years of experience in call center management, service quality, and organizational change management for utilities. She is passionate about service because of its alignment with an other-focused leadership style, ideal for increasing employee engagement, facilitating change, and optimizing resources in utility, municipal, and government organizations.
Penny recently assumed leadership of a post-CIS recovery effort for one of the largest municipalities in the U.S. where she has balanced the role of project management and process consulting to bring the business to a steady state of operations. Her expertise spans project support and development-involved operational assessment and reporting, system performance monitoring and reconciliation, business intelligence analytics, process design and workflow management development, and instruction.
Penny holds dual master's degrees in both leadership and human service counseling. She is a PhD candidate in industrial and organizational psychology.
Rafael was part of the first team in Texas to install AMS smart meters in the Houston area.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Program Execution
Rolland is an Executive Consultant with over 35 years of experience leveraging technology to provide business solutions for utility, telecom, and energy clients. He pursued a lifelong career in utilities because the industry embraces his three key interests; engineering practices, spatial representation and data analytics.
Rolland recently led the field deployment of the most comprehensive Natural Gas EAM/ Compliance project in the Americas. He has delivered major projects around the world including a global Project Management Office for the largest oilfield services company and led an AMR managed services team covering the western U.S. controlling over 12 million meters. Worldwide clients encompass the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UK, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Japan, and Australia.
n experienced utility professional, Sagren brings over 25 years of experience across multiple, full life cycle implementations for municipal and investor-owned utilities. He has held intersecting roles as business and technical architect leading, participating, and overseeing full life cycle activities from planning through to deployment at regulated and deregulated gas, electric, and multiple-service commodity utilities. Sagren's expertise spans large scale billing transformation projects, technical discovery, as well as over 16 years of experience working in various roles on AMI implementations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director of People & Culture
- Human Resources
hannon Hall is Utilligent's Director of People & Culture responsible for senior-level technical recruiting, benefits programs, performance management, training, and employee engagement. An agent of continuous transformation, Shannon shapes processes and culture that together improve organizations' capacity for growth. She is recognized by her peers as an energetic and proactive communicator who builds strong relationships. Shannon brings an HR background in municipal government, financial services, engineering, and consulting for companies including Charles Schwab.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Strategy & Transformation
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- EVP, Program Execution