2011 Speaker Biographies
Randall (Randy) Allen is an Associate Staff Consultant with UTSI International Corporation in Friendswood, Texas. He is a graduate of Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas (now part of the Texas A&M system), and has worked in the pipeline industry for over thirty years. His experience includes the design of non-destructive pipe testing equipment for use in steel mills and in the field for a well-known pipeline inspection company. In the previous twenty years he has assumed leadership roles in developing leak detection system requirements and authoring specifications, developed pipeline integrity programs and leak detection strategies for high consequence areas (HCAs), and performed project management duties on various projects. Technologies involved in his consulting activities include a wide range of meter-based solutions, fiber optic systems and various methods of detecting fugitive emissions.
Kimberly Archie is the Founder of the National Cheer Safety Foundation and USA Sport Safety, as well as the chairman of the board of the Gas Pipe Safety Foundation. Ms. Archie lead the safety crusade in youth sports with a media blitz of injury stories in 2008 from People magazine to the Washington Post that resulted in a Government Accountability Office investigation called by Congressional leaders into the youth sport safety crisis in America. She is an official research partner with the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina, has testified numerous times at all levels of government on safety issues, organized numerous national safety events, pushed for stronger sport safety legislation on the national and state level, is a highly sought public speaker and independent source of sport safety information for news media, local government and sport parents. After the San Bruno gas pipe exploded in her best friend Kathy Ruigomez’ front yard last September she has turned her passion to help do for infrastructure safety what has been done in sports. She has a degree in Political Science and Sociology from California State University, San Bernardino and is a legal consultant.
Andy Black became President and CEO of AOPL in September 2009. He leads outreach to Congress, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), other government agencies, trade associations, and key stakeholder groups. Andy testified before Congressional committees on behalf of AOPL and its members in 2010 and 2011. Andy participates in industry discussions about performance improvement and discusses pipeline issues regularly with members of the media. He also manages the talented AOPL staff and reports to the AOPL Board of Directors. Andy previously served as Director of Federal Government Relations for a natural gas pipeline and producer. Prior to that, he was FERC’s Director of the Office of External Affairs, where he managed relations with Congress. He spent a combined thirteen years on Capitol Hill as a staff member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and for Congressman Joe Barton. He also spent time directing an association of government relations firms in state and national capitols. Mr. Black has a B.S. in Economics from Texas Christian University and an M.B.A.from the University of Maryland. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife and elementary school age daughter and son.
Terry Boss is a mechanical engineer by training. He joined Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America in 1974, where he held positions in field operations, construction, plant and pipeline safety, development engineering, computer engineering and pipeline safety. He joined the Gas Research Institute in 1993 as a principal technology manager in Transmission. His responsibilities there included the Non – Destructive Evaluation program and Pipeline O&M Program. In September 1995, Mr. Boss joined the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) as director of Environment, Safety and Operations. In 1996, Mr. Boss was promoted to Vice President, Environment, Safety and Operations and in 2001 to Senior Vice President.
Robin Carbaugh is the President of Carbaugh Associates, a sustainable urban planning, community and economic development firm. Her practice focuses on growing healthy, enterprising, dynamic and resilient communities through inclusive and integrative planning, design and policymaking approaches. Ms. Carbaugh’s work on a wide range of projects often involves addressing challenging and complex issues by means of network power decision-making, which helps distill clarity, and advance options and solutions. In June of 2010, Salt Lake City’s Mayor Ralph Becker appointed her as the Ombuds for the Red Butte Creek Oil Spill, where she continues to serve as an independent, informal, and confidential resource for people and groups who have concerns and interests related to the oil spills of June 2010 and December 2010. Her project work includes: Community Food Assessment for Salt Lake City, Weber State University Master Plan, Utah Governor’s Office, Utah Building and Energy Efficiency Strategies, High Performance Building Roundtable, and Financing Residential Energy Retrofit’s, the Historic American Landscape Survey of the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Robin serves on the Board of Directors for the US Green Building Council-Utah, the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning Alumni Alliance, and the Utah Vest Pocket Business Coalition.
Rebecca Craven joined the staff of the Pipeline Safety Trust in January 2011 as Program Director. She previously served for 3 years as a policy analyst for the Whatcom County Council (WA) , working on a variety of growth and land use issues. She is an attorney, and practiced for many years in the northwest, representing Alaska Native villages and Indian tribes in matters ranging from water rights, federal land management, and cultural resource protection to taxation and child welfare. She graduated from Carleton College with a degree in geology, and obtained a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law with a certification of completion in the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Program. She is currently licensed to practice in Oregon and Idaho.
Linda Daugherty is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs for the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Office of Pipeline Safety. Linda joined PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Program in 1991 and has served in various operational and policy development functions. As Director of the Southern Region from 2003 – 2010, Linda worked with the engineering, technical and administrative professionals in her office and the state pipeline safety offices to achieve agency goals through inspections, investigations, special permit and construction evaluation, enforcement and technical studies. From 1994 – 2003, Linda managed the agency’s Compliance and Enforcement program, served as the Department’s pipeline security expert and coordinated the agency’s response to pipeline accidents and national emergencies. Prior to joining PHMSA, Linda worked for a hazardous liquid pipeline company. She was responsible for oversight of the pipeline company’s environmental compliance. Additionally, Linda served as the pipeline company’s right-of-way agent and coordinated the company’s damage prevention efforts throughout a seven state area. Linda is a Chemical Engineer from the University of Missouri – Rolla (School of Mines).
James Davenport has been with the National Association of Counties since 1998 where he serves as the Program Director for the Infrastructure and Sustainability Team. He provides education and technical assistance on Transportation and Sustainability issues to county government officials and staff. James also conducts extensive outreach and represents NACo at national and regional meetings. Before coming to NACo, James was with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (Environmental Planner) from1991-1997 and the Newport News Department of Public Utilities (Research Assistant) from 1988-1990. He received a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1990, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in1984, and a Historic Preservation Certificate from Goucher College in 1997.
Larry Davied is the Senior Vice President, Operations and Technical Services, for Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. Magellan, with its headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, owns and operates 11,000 miles of pipelines and 80 terminals that transport, store, and distribute petroleum refined products, crude oil, and anhydrous ammonia. Larry serves on PHMSA’s Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, as well as on various API and AOPL committees. Larry has 30+ years of petroleum industry experience, and holds a B.S. Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Tulsa.
J. Andrew Drake – Andy Drake is vice president of asset integrity for Spectra Energy Transmission. He is responsible for operational compliance, operational business systems and strategic projects. Prior to being named to his current position in June 2011, Drake served as vice president of transmission services. Drake joined predecessor company Texas Eastern in 1982 as an engineer. He has held positions of increasing responsibility throughout his career, including manager of construction, general manager of technical services, and vice president of engineering and construction. Drake earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and systems engineering from Ohio State University. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas. Drake has held leadership positions on numerous technical committees and regulatory initiatives within the natural gas industry, including chairing the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Gas Piping Standards Committee and representing the U.S. natural gas infrastructure industry on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Technical Advisory Committee on Pipeline Safety. He currently chairs the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America’s Integrity Management Initiative.
Tim Felt is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Pipeline. On a day-to-day basis, Felt ensures Colonial meets its commitment to serve customers with safe, reliable and efficient fuel deliveries and to safeguard the public and the environment. Felt is past chairman and current Executive Committee member of the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL). He is past chairman of the American’s Petroleum Institute’s Pipeline Committee and currently serves as chairman of the Common Ground Alliance. Prior to joining Colonial Felt was president and CEO of Tulsa-based Explorer Pipeline for nine years. Before Explorer Felt was Vice President of Mobil Pipeline Company from 1995-2000. During that time he served as a board member of five joint venture companies, including Colonial Pipeline. His career includes serving as president of Wolverine Pipeline, Collins Pipeline and T&M Terminal Company. His Mobil career began in 1983 and covered various positions and responsibilities, including the company’s Quality Coordinator from 1991-1995. Felt earned an engineering degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He served seven years in the Army, reaching the rank of Captain. He and his wife, Patricia, have three children.
Susan Fleck is Vice President of Standards, Policies and Codes for National Grid, an international energy company based out of London, UK. In her current role, she manages the development and implementation of engineering standards and work methods for the US Gas and Electric organizations. She is also responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key external stakeholders. On November 2010, Ms. Fleck was appointed to serve on the US Department of Transportation’s Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee as an industry representative. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and an MBA (Finance) from Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Ms. Fleck is a long time member of the American Gas Association, where she is on the Operations Managing Committee. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Julie Halliday is Senior Program Manager for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and is located in Washington, DC. She works with pipeline safety stakeholders to promote recommended practices for land-use planning and development near transmission pipeline which were developed by the Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance (PIPA). As PHMSA contractor, Julie facilitated PIPA’s Protecting Transmission Pipelines team. Julie has many years of experience in the natural gas industry in engineering, operations & maintenance, and construction. She has a B.S in Civil Engineering from University of Illinois and an A.A.S. in Information Systems Technology from Northern Community College.
Christopher A. Hart was sworn in as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board on August 12, 2009 and designated by the President for a two-year term as Vice Chairman of the Board on August 18. Member Hart joined the Board after a long career in transportation safety, including a previous term as a Member of the NTSB from 1990 to 1993. Immediately before returning to the Board, he was Deputy Director for Air Traffic Safety Oversight at the Federal Aviation Administration. He was previously the FAA Assistant Administrator for the Office of System Safety. After leaving the NTSB in 1993, he served as Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, before moving to the FAA in 1995. From 1973 until joining the NTSB Board in 1990, Member Hart held a series of legal positions, mostly in the private sector. He holds a law degree from Harvard University and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. Member Hart is a licensed pilot with commercial, multi-engine and instrument ratings. His term on the Board expires December 31, 2012.
Connie Jackson was appointed City Manager of the City of San Bruno, California in 2003. She previously served as City Manager in the California north coast community of Fort Bragg and as Assistant City Manager in Hercules, California. As San Bruno’s Director of Emergency Services, Connie coordinated the massive multi-agency response to the tragic September 9, 2010 PG&E gas transmission pipeline explosion and fire in one of San Bruno’s residential neighborhoods. Under Connie’s leadership in the months since the disaster, the City has successfully initiated and implemented a comprehensive response and recovery effort focused on meeting the complex and diverse needs of the victims and the community as a whole. Connie represented the City as a party to the intensive year-long National Transportation Safety Board investigation and she continues to actively represent the City’s interests with legislators and other agencies at the state and national levels. She has presented before numerous local and regional organizations on issues related to pipeline safety and the San Bruno experience. As a result of her work, Connie was recently recognized by her peers in local government throughout California with the 2011 Women’s Leadership Summit Lifetime Achievement Award.
Randy Knepper is the Director of the Safety Division for the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. He also serves as the National Vice-Chair of the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives.
Emily Krafjack is the County, Municipal and Environmental Liaison of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. She serves on the Advisory Board of The Institute for Energy & Environmental Research for Northeastern Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission, “Stronger Economies Together” Land Use Work Group. Emily strives to be a centrist about natural gas development recognizing both the challenges and the benefits for Marcellus Shale communities, promoting balance between the environment, public health and safety, community and the needs of industry, while maintaining rural and agricultural integrity. Emily has been very active on a variety of Marcellus Shale issues including advocating for improved regulations pertaining to Class 1 Area Gathering Lines/Pipeline Safety in Pennsylvania. Emily has lived in Wyoming County for most of her life and presently has three Marcellus Shale Natural Gas wells within a few hundred feet of her home, along with many others within a three mile radius. Marcellus Shale pipeline infrastructure is just beginning permitting and placement in Wyoming County. Emily has B.S. degree from Misericordia University and has attended Wilkes University in pursuit of an MBA. She serves as the Mehoopany Township Secretary of the Board of Auditors.
Joe Mataich is a member of PHMSA’s Southern Region Community Assistance and Technical Services Team (CATS). As a CATS Manager, Joe is responsible for supporting PHMSA damage prevention and public awareness initiatives and routinely gives presentations to various pipeline safety stakeholder groups. He is responsible for responding to public inquiries and complaints and is recognized as one of PHMSA’s subject matter experts in the field of corrosion control. Joe has a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University and has been a member of NACE International for over 30 years He is a NACE Certified Cathodic Protection Specialist and a Registered Professional Corrosion Engineer (PE) in the state of California.
Mark McDonald is the President of the New England Gas Workers Association (NEGWA) and “NatGas Consulting”. These positions have him at the forefront of natural gas industry issues, where he has over twenty years experience. Mark develops and directs legislative agendas affecting labor and gas industry regulations, including testifying before legislative committees and serving as the media point person with regards to accidents and existing hazardous conditions that warrant changes in regulatory structure and improving existing practices. Mark also serves as an expert witness in legal proceedings relative to his industry expertise and as a consultant to municipalities and elected officials regarding natural gas safety. Prior to his employment in the natural gas distribution industry Mark worked in the aviation field. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, leaving with an honorable discharge and joining the Department of Defense to work on classified matters relating to the U.S. aviation industry. Mark has served as a moderator for renowned gas industry workshops and has discussion experience on numerous panels at the national level, where he provides various perspectives on natural gas operations such as leak grading and investigations, underground repairs, gas infrastructure installations and emergency responses.
Alan Mayberry is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and is located in Washington, DC. In his role, Alan oversees PHMSA’s inspection program through five regional offices and its emergency response functions. Prior to his current role, Alan was PHMSA’s Director of the Office of Engineering and Emergency Support, where he supported PHMSA’s program and regional offices on hazardous liquid and natural gas pipeline issues. Alan’s 29 years of natural gas industry experience is split evenly between transmission/distribution engineering and operations roles. Alan attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering. He is also a registered professional engineer.
Deb Miller is a wife, mom, grandma, self-employed event planner and cancer patient. Together with her husband Ken, they own a carpet store in Ceresco, Michigan. With over 800ft. of combined river frontage on the Kalamazoo River, her residence is located 400 ft. downstream of the Ceresco Dam while the business property is located immediately above the dam. In 2010, after a Enbridge pipeline broke spilling more than 840,000 gallons of tar sand oil into a field, creek and eventually the Kalamazoo River, Mrs. Miller testified in Washington, DC before a Congressional Hearing on the impact of the Enbridge oil spill and its effects on the river, environment, wildlife, economy, current health effects and long term health concerns. She remains focused on bringing awareness to the need for stronger pipeline safety regulations that are reflective of the specific products running through it, effective oversight as well as the need to study and understand the long term health effects of these products when a disaster occurs.
Dr. Oliver C. Moghissi is director of the Materials & Corrosion Technology Center at DNV Columbus, Inc. He currently serves as president of NACE International for the 2011-2012 term. Oliver’s experience includes optimizing corrosion control programs, developing corrosion evaluation methods, and implementing corrosion technologies for life extension and regulatory compliance. An area of focus has been integrity management of petroleum production and transportation facilities. Oliver was previously employed by CC Technologies (a subsidiary of DNV), the Southwest Research Institute Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses and ARCO Oil and Gas Company. Oliver has chaired a range of NACE technical and administrative committees, and he received the NACE International Presidential Achievement Award in 2003. He received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida (with research on marine corrosion), and he received M.S. and B.A. degrees from the University of Virginia.
Rene Morales is a mom, a safety advocate and executive director of the Gas Pipe Safety Foundation. Rene lead the other San Bruno families along with family friend and national safety advocate, Kimberly Archie to found the Gas Pipe Safety Foundation in the wake of the September 9, 2010 catastrophe that took her oldest daughter Jessica’s life. Ms. Morales testified in Sacramento before the California State Senate Energy Committee and the California Public Utilities Commission in 2010 just days after the tragedy on the impact of the San Bruno gas pipe explosion and its effects on the community and implications of lax safety standards, as well as dozens of media interviews. She remains focused on bringing awareness to the need for stronger pipeline safety regulations that are reflective of the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations to the San Bruno tragedy.
Alex Oehler is the Director of Government and Community Relations for NiSource Inc.
Vidisha Parasram is the Acting Director of the Office of Incident Screening and Selection, within the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
Ed Pawlowski is Mayor of Allentown Pennsylvania. A center-city Allentown resident for over a decade, Ed knows first-hand both the struggle and the potential Allentown faces. In 2005, Ed was encouraged to run for mayor by business and community leaders. Voters in Allentown elected Ed and then showed renewed confidence by re-electing him by a nearly 3-1 margin in November 2009, winning every single voting district in the city for a second term. The tenure of the Pawlowski administration has been characterized by action, purpose, a strong sense of urgency, and endless energy. No less than a half a billion dollars in new development projects have sprung up in every section of our city. Ed Pawlowski promised that he would “build a better Allentown” by making City Hall a catalyst for change. He has worked hard to fulfill that promise. Ed received his master’s degree in urban planning and public policy from the University of Illinois and his bachelor’s degree from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where he met his wife, Lisa. They have two adorable children, Mercy and Alex who both attend Allentown public schools.
Cynthia L. Quarterman is Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. She was nominated by President Barack H. Obama on August 14, 2009, and was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 5, 2009. Ms. Quarterman was most recently a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where she litigated and advised clients on matters associated with pipeline safety, royalty valuation, federal land minerals management, pipeline acquisitions, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil, gas, and liquefied natural gas facilities, the jurisdictional status of pipeline assets, as well as surface transportation, alternative energy and telecommunications. She is a former director of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) in the US Department of the Interior (DOI) March 1995-August 1999. As Director, she was responsible for ensuring compliance with many environmental laws. From 1992-1995, Ms. Quarterman served in various capacities at DOI. Ms. Quarterman previously practiced at a law firm in Kansas City, Missouri. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Columbia University School of Law. Prior to law school, she received an Industrial Engineering degree from Northwestern University and worked as an engineer for IBM.
Jim Ruane is Mayor of the City of San Bruno, California. Jim is a San Francisco native and resident of San Bruno since 1976. Jim was first elected to the San Bruno City Council in 1995 and elected as Mayor in 2009. He previously served as Chairman of the San Bruno Planning Commission. Jim was one of the first people on scene when a 30″ PG&E transmission pipeline exploded and set one of San Bruno’s residential neighborhoods on fire. Beginning that evening, Jim has tirelessly devoted himself to assuring the community’s full recovery from the tragic consequences of the pipeline disaster. His calm and decisive leadership has earned him distinction both locally and nationally. Over the past year Jim has testified before State and Federal legislative committees, represented the City before the National Transportation Safety Board and presented to numerous regional and local organizations on issues related to pipeline safety and the San Bruno community experience. Jim is a plaster and drywall contractor and is President, Board Member and Trustee for a number of trade organizations. Jim is a US Navy Vietnam era veteran. He has been married to Noreen for 38 years and has two grown children and three grandchildren.
Jim Rutherford has been in the field of Public Health for the past 22 years. Starting out in his profession, he worked for five years as an Environmental Health Specialist for rural health county health departments in Central Michigan. Administratively, he served as a Program Manager with the Barry-Eaton District Health Department for five years, then as the Environmental Health Director and subsequently, the Deputy Health Officer with the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department. Currently he is the Health Officer of the Calhoun County Public Health Department. Jim has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology from Olivet College. Jim has served as the President of the Michigan Association of Local Environmental Health Administrators, (MALPH) from 2005-2006 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from MALPH in 2008. In response to the Enbridge Oil Spill as the Public Health Officer, Jim and his department were responsible for the closure of the river, the evacuation of potentially unsafe areas, the ban on use of water from the river for irrigation and farming as well as responding to both short-term and long-term health complaints from the community.
Christina Sames is the Vice President of Operations and Engineering for the American Gas Association (AGA). In this role, she works closely with AGA’s members and stakeholders to improve safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness through promotion of sound regulation and legislation, coordination of best practices programs, forums to exchange information, and the development of a wide range of materials on corrosion, measurement, gas operations, environmental issues and other topics related to delivery of natural gas. Prior to joining AGA, Christina worked for Pipeline Research Council International, Inc. and spent 12 years with the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. She holds a B.S. in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.
Nick Stavropoulos is Executive Vice President, Gas Operations, for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He is responsible for the maintenance, construction and restoration of PG&E’s natural gas transmission and distribution system. Stavropoulos has more than 30 years of experience in the gas industry. He most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for National Grid where he was responsible for all aspects of its gas distribution business. Prior to this role, Stavropoulos was President of KeySpan Energy Delivery where he led the company’s gas distribution group, field operations, and sales and marketing teams. He has also held several titles at Colonial Gas Company and Boston Gas. A New England native, Stavropoulos holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Bentley College and received his MBA from Babson College.
Cheryl Trench is widely recognized for her work on understanding the safety performance of pipelines. For pipeline industry trade associations and for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, she has written reports reviewing the record of oil pipelines, gas transmission pipelines and gas distribution systems. Under contract to the American Petroleum Institute, she also analyzes the data for the oil pipeline industry’s incident reporting initiative, the API’s Pipeline Performance Tracking System (PPTS), and has done so since the system’s inception in 1999. She works closely with industry groups to understand and communicate the findings drawn from the information submitted to PPTS. She also works for individual companies to help them understand their accident and spill performance. Ms. Trench also frequently takes a look at the bigger picture, analyzing the role of infrastructure on the way the oil market functions. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, PHMSA and trade groups have particularly relied on her expertise in this area.
Jaxon Van Derbeken has been the San Francisco police and courts reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1997. He previously reported on law enforcement for newspapers in Los Angeles and Denver. He has reported on the OJ Simpson case, the Rodney King beating and the Los Angeles riots as well as numerous local stories, including a nationally recognized expose on the San Francisco police department’s investigators bureau. He helped former Washington Post reporter Lou Cannon on Official Negligence, a book about the LAPD, the King case and the riots. Most recently, he has reported extensively on the September 2010 rupture in San Bruno, California, of a gas pipeline operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. He was recently awarded Journalist of the Year for his San Bruno pipeline reporting and an investigative reporting prize by the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Michael and Nina Vought both work at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2006 they hand-built their dream home on Red Butte Creek less than a mile from the college where they work. In one of life’s great ironies the “green” home they designed and built was free of all off-gassing and chemical odors and was ventilated and cooled solely by the naturally occurring breezes that arise off the creek. On June 11, 2010, 35,000 gallons of oil were released into the picturesque creek behind their home, changing their lives forever. After vacating their home for over two months the Vought family returned only to experience recurring illness and a torrent of mixed signals and advice from the medical and governmental authorities to which they turned for assistance. Well over a year after the original spill, the area directly behind the Vought property has yet to be cleaned and the family is forced to consider their backyard off limits.
Susan Waller is vice president of stakeholder outreach for Spectra Energy Corp. In that role she directs public and community outreach related to the company’s U.S. natural gas projects. Prior to joining Spectra Energy in 2008, Waller served as vice president for AMEC, Earth Environmental, managing the company’s oil and gas sector. Before that, she served as vice president for the Shaw Group, Inc., and for Regulatory Compliance Partners, Inc. She also served in numerous leadership positions at El Paso Corporation, including director for government and project affairs. Waller earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston. She is a member of Women in Energy, the Society of Gas Lighters, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America Foundation, the Southern Gas Association and the Northeast Gas Association.
Carl Weimer is the Executive Director of the national Pipeline Safety Trust. He also serves on the Governor appointed Washington State Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety, as a member of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, and the steering committee for the Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance. Mr. Weimer has testified numerous times to both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate on pipeline safety issues, organized six national pipeline safety conferences, pushed for stronger pipeline safety legislation on the national and state level, runs the national Safe Pipelines and LNG Safety listserves that include over 800 people from around the country, and regularly serves as an independent source of pipeline safety information for news media, local government, and citizens around the country. Mr. Weimer was elected in 2005 and again in 2009 to the Whatcom County Council. He has a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Education from the University of Michigan, as well a degree in Industrial Electronics Technology from Peninsula College.
Jeff Wiese is PHMSA’s Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety, a position he also held on an acting basis between July and January 2007. He also served as Acting Deputy Associate Administrator from August to December 2006. During that time he lead implementation of the newly enacted Pipeline, Inspection, Protection, Safety and Enforcement Act of 2006, including creation and rollout of the agency’s enforcement transparency website. Jeff served the agency as its Director for Program Development within the Office of Pipeline Safety for nearly ten years, during a period of rapid growth and transformation in the pipeline safety program. In that role he directed major new policy initiatives, including design, development, and deployment of Integrity Management oversight and improved pipeline public awareness programs. Prior to joining DOT, Jeff worked for fifteen years for the Minerals Management Service (MMS) within the U.S. Department of Interior. At MMS Jeff directed several programs, including the offshore safety management program, and served for five years as Chief of Staff for Offshore Operations. Mr. Wiese has an M.A. from the University of Rhode Island with interdisciplinary focus on science, policy, and economics and a B.S. in General Science from Grinnell College. He has a son and daughter and lives in Reston, VA.
Harold Winnie is currently a Community Assistance and Technical Services Regional Project Manager in the Central Region Office located in Kansas City, MO for the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) within the US Department of Transportation. Harold has been with PHMSA for 8 years. His work experience covers a broad range of activities, from gas and electric operations, to construction, to the development and operation of a materials testing laboratory which provided new product approval and failure analysis investigations. Harold’s current duties involve providing pipeline safety information at public meetings, participating in CGA national committee, participating in CGA regional partners, involvement in state damage prevention activities, communicating pipeline safety information to a variety of stakeholders and as an ombudsman working with landowners and operators to increase understanding and assist in the resolution of issues/concerns. Harold has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla and a MBA in Business from Webster University.
Dr. Roberta Winters has served as Vice President for Issues and Action on the State Board of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania (LWVPA) since June 2011. During her prior two years on the LWVPA Board, she coordinated the Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Extraction Study Guides for LWVPA and chaired the study group that recently completed the addenda to these guides on Pipelines and Pooling. In her voluntary role with the League, Roberta has worked to help educate the citizens of Pennsylvania and LWV members in neighboring states regarding the evolving opportunities and challenges of natural gas extraction. In 2006, Roberta retired from her elementary school teaching position in the Radnor Township School District. Her educational background includes a B.S. in Biology from Bucknell University, an M.A.T. in Science Education from Harvard University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Roberta is a native Rhode Islander who resides in Bryn Mawr, PA with her husband Tom, a professor in the Music History Department at West Chester University. They are the parents of two daughters, both of whom hold advanced degrees in environmental science.