Region 7 Meeting

Lee Ayers received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University in 1982. From 1982 until 1986, he worked for Central Electric Power Cooperative in Columbia, South Carolina. Since 1986, he has been employed with Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative in Lexington, South Carolina, where he currently serves as VP of Engineering, managing system planning, power supply, substations, metering, system control, and dispatch, and outside plant fiber optic communications and technology. He has worked extensively with electric service rate design and implementation. Presently he is managing MCEC’s FttM (Fiber to the Meter) project that will enable internet service to the MCEC’s entire membership along with system-wide electric distribution automation and data collection, as well as real-time electric service usage data to consumers.

Gary Borgeson has spent the last 29 years at Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) designing and building networks and data centers for the Electric Cooperative of Arkansas. He has held numerous information technology positions including Director of IT Infrastructure. Two years ago Gary was reassigned to Director of Fiber Opera0ons and now leads a 2000-mile statewide fiber transport construction project to create the next-genera0on network for Arkansas coopera0ves and AECC’s generating stations. A network designed to be utilized for opera0onal purposes and to support broadband deployments across Arkansas.

Dewey is a Principal Operational Technology Architect at Pacific Gas and Electric company. He has 28 years of experience designing fiber optic, microwave, and radio communications systems supporting utility needs through the 79,000 square mile PG&E service territory. He served for 15 years on the WECC telecommunications workgroup before joining UTCs leadership team. He served UTC for 4 years as chair of the Public Policy Division prior to being elected to the executive committee. Dewey has a Bachelor’s Degree in electrical engineering from  California State University Fresno.

Emmanuel Duvelson is currently the Product Manager for the RFL Communications Product Line at Hubbell Power Systems. Emmanuel is a graduate of Boston University where he earned his BSEE degree. Emmanuel has authored numerous white papers and has had several articles published in the UTC Journal.

Manny is a current member of IEEE and a MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP).

Kyle Guillory is serving as the Manager of Technology Services (Network and Telecommunications) for Cleco Corporate Holdings in Louisiana. Kyle’s primary areas of expertise are advanced network and communications infrastructure and design, Scada and field networks, fiber optic infrastructure, data center technology and infrastructure, and Cloud networking. Kyle’s background is mostly in the network engineering and design space with experience in the field as a telecommunications technician as well. Prior to the Utility industry Kyle served 7 years in the U.S. Military where he attained a BA in IT-Advanced Networking, later followed up by completing his MBA in 2021. Kyle has recently been selected to serve as the Region 7 UTC Secretary-Treasurer for 2022.

Collaborative critical thinking engineer uses effective communication to break down complex topics to influence client understanding and decision making.

Manage complex project deliverables across multiple disciplines to meet customer expectations and commitments. Answer to senior-level executives and C-Level clients to provide a trusted partner relationship.

David Hattey is a seasoned strategic leader with thirty-plus years of successful executive assignments across IT, telecom, wireless, cloud services, and networking companies serving the Utility, Public Service, and Enterprise spaces. He is currently a consultant providing technology and strategy support through Lockard & White. David has held contributing and leadership positions in every area of business while working for companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100. He was awarded BS Electrical Engineering and BS Computer Engineering degrees from the University of Michigan, both Magna Cum Laude, as well as an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business where he was named a Fuqua Scholar. David is a named inventor on 11 US patents.

Randal Neck is Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Lockard & White. His career spans several decades in a variety of networking and telecommunications roles serving the energy industry, including senior and executive positions in engineering, sales, and marketing. His experience includes time with businesses of all shapes and sizes, from equipment manufacturers to service providers to energy companies, and from Fortune 50 & 100 multinationals to a single-member LLC. Randal graduated with honors from the University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

In June 2020, Sheryl Osiene-Riggs was named President and CEO of the Utilities Technology Council (UTC). UTC is a Washington, D.C.-based global trade association that represents electric, gas, and water utilities on their mission-critical information and communications technologies. Sheryl joined UTC in 2017 and rose through its senior management ranks, serving previously as interim president and CEO, senior vice president of finance and operations, and director of accounting and administration.

Sheryl’s professional journey spans more than 20 years and began with an interest in financial sciences that expanded into a passion for the broad spectrum of operations. Prior to joining UTC, Sheryl held roles of progressive responsibility in the areas of finance, accounting, human resources, compliance, and overall operations. She served in organizations in the banking/finance, education, and health and social services industries, as well as federal and state government entities and nonprofits. Among her previous positions is an auditor for the University of Texas System; senior accountant for a public accounting firm; controller for the Salvation Army and CFO for the largest mental health provider in Maryland.

Demonstrating not only acumen with numbers but more importantly, connecting with people, Sheryl prioritizes service to others. She is certified as a registered IRS tax professional and partners with colleagues to provide volunteer tax preparation services and financial literacy education. Sheryl developed her community commitment at Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in International Business with a Minor in Accounting. In addition, she obtained two post-graduate degrees — a Master of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management.

The Brooklyn, New York native has cultural roots that spread to Alabama and Nigeria. She is married and enjoys spending time with her husband, Mike, three daughters and her bonus children, and precocious canine members of the family, Hershey and Honey.

Ivan Schonwald started his career as a technical specialist in 1985 at Ungermann-Bass; a technology startup pioneering the 1st multi-vendor computer networks utilizing Ethernet protocols and experiencing the fast-paced evolution of networking technologies and standards. Through many acquisitions, he has continued staying diverse with IP and other technologies through, Tandem, Newbridge, Alcatel, Alcatel-Lucent, and now Nokia. Through his tenure, he played a major role with wireless service providers in developing a backhaul strategy that evolved with their technology direction, later he directed business development in the Americas for new innovative technology startups within Bell Lab Ventures, and later took an active role in consulting and architecting smart grid solutions for utilities and developing mission-critical communication solutions for the Oil & Gas industry enabling next-generation automation and applications leading to increased production, lower costs, and overall safety improvements. Ivan most recently shifted his time and focus to working directly with energy companies developing plans to transition to 4th generation industrial solutions for now and the future.