Region 5 Meeting

Philip Brady has 26 years of power utility engineering experience, with the last nine years focusing on substation communications, including SCADA/RTU design and configuration, substation LANs, teleprotection applications, and designing a vast area network for transmission OT communications.  Prior to working in substation communications, he spent nine years in protective relaying, where I was responsible for the design and analysis of substation system protection schemes, system modeling and simulation, and substation automation.  He started his career with NV Energy in Las Vegas, NV, in 1998 after graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with a BS in Computer Engineering, joined Xcel Energy in Minneapolis, MN, in 2015, and just recently joined Ulteig Engineers in April of this year.  He has PE license in MN and NV.

Hansen Chan is a seasoned network professional in IP Enterprise Solution Marketing. With a focus on developing and marketing mission-critical network solutions, he creates blueprints for digital industries and governments embracing automation, virtualization, cloudification, and Industrial Revolution 4.0. He holds both a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, providing a strong technical foundation for his work.

Over three decades of network experience has provided him with ample opportunities to collaborate with critical infrastructure and telecom network operators worldwide. His expertise spans network architecture, protocol conformance and product management. His innovative contributions to the networking field are evidenced by his patents in communications protocols and network security.

Beyond networks, he delves into books on history, religion and philosophy, drawing parallels between these disciplines and the evolving world of technology. His appreciation of music extends from German Baroque and 20^th century Russian classical compositions. His high school hero is Richard Feynman, the pre-eminent theoretical physicist known for his ability to explain complex concepts simply. This influence is reflected in his approach to simplifying intricate network solutions for clients around the world.

Pedro Choconta is an Senior Applications Engineer for the Communications product lines at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL). Before joining SEL, he worked for the ABB Utility Communications product group where he was the General Manager for North America based in the US since 2007, and Latin America Sales Manager based in Switzerland since 1998. Earlier in his career he held positions in project management, and control and relay engineering for substations and power plants at Schneider Electric and ABB. Pedro holds a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering and postgraduate studies in Business Administration.

Mr. Jergensen is a senior project engineer and licensed civil/structural engineer with over 8 years of experience in the Transmission and Distribution industry. His work has primarily focused on renewable energy generation and interconnection projects alongside turnkey engineer/procurement/construction of utility scale private network infrastructure.

Rob Jodrie is the Director of Technical Support at Syncworks. He started working in the Telecommunications Industry with the Bell System in 1982. He had responsibility for Tier II Network Synchronization and Transport Technical Support at Verizon for fourteen years and has been working at Syncworks since 2015.

Jim Jones joined Great River Energy in 2003 and oversees the information technology division with primary responsibility to provide services and technology for corporate business operations, utility operations, wholesale supply and delivery functions, and support member-owner distribution cooperatives.

Jim has a leadership role in grid modernization to increase inter-operability and optimization of electric services. He is the executive leader of the enterprise-wide security program which ensures the security of Great River Energy’s physical assets, cyber assets, information, and personnel.

Jim serves on the Member Executive Committee to assist the North American Electric Reliability Corporation in strengthening the cyber security posture of the electric industry, and the Research Advisory Committee of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Jim is on the board of directors for M-RETS and as treasurer he chairs their finance committee.

Mr. Nesseth is an engineering, procurement, and construction project manager specializing in multi-site/multi-discipline program delivery related to large scale private networks, wireless and fiber infrastructure, commercial/industrial power systems and transportation electrification. Working on these projects has given him a broad understanding of what it takes to execute complex projects with aggressive schedules.

30+ year veteran of the technology industry developing and delivering sophisticated solutions to network operators and service providers in North America and around the world. Extensive experience with multiple technology platforms and a variety of service delivery applications. Based in Atlanta, GA, USA.

Michael Tate is a principal telecommunications engineer with over 15 years of industry experience. He specializes in the design, deployment, and optimization of fiber optic networks. Michael has played a pivotal role in leading the transition from SONET to Ethernet systems and has been instrumental in the successful build-out of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) on high-voltage transmission lines, enhancing network resilience and capacity.