Board members serve as stewards of all utility functions, including power supply, distribution operations, budgets, rates, capital improvements, finances, customer services, cyber security, physical security, and regulatory compliance. The Board also preserves the benefits delivered by public power here in Nebraska.
Education
Bachelor's Degree U.N.O.
Current Public Office, dates held
Omaha Public Power District (1995-present)
Volunteer experience
Rotary and Eagles clubs. City of Omaha committees dealing with housing code enforcement and employment for underprivileged youth
The Board has committed to zero emissions by 2050. It will be a huge challenge to get there, while facing unprecedented industrial, commercial and residential growth demand. We can't sacrifice cost, grid reliability and customer (as well as potential customer) confidence in the process.
As I indicated above, this is a huge challenge for OPPD. Since making this commitment, our forecasted load growth has increased significantly. We are also facing resistance from various county officials who don't want solar farms in their counties. As we move forward, advances in technology, including battery storage and nuclear modules would certainly help reach our goals. I will not sacrifice grid security, dependability, nor burden our customers with unnecessary cost.
Continue to maintain a strong, stable, dependable, diverse power production portfolio. Also, continue to maintain regional energy partnerships.
Education
BA - History, University of Nebraska at Omaha | MA - Critical & Creative Thinking, University of Nebraska at Omaha (Summer 2024)
Current Public Office, dates held
NA
Past Public Office, dates held
NA
Military experience
NA
Volunteer experience
I volunteer with many local organizations focused on making Omaha a clean and beautiful place to live. I enjoy working with groups like Keep Omaha Beautiful on storm drain labeling, and Grasslands Unlimited on planting pocket prairies in public green
Omaha is growing rapidly, which is increasing demand for reliable electricity. I intend to join the board as a voice for our community, and push for sustainable growth that can meet demand while keeping rates low.
I believe OPPD's decarbonization goal is both necessary and possible. Establishing milestone goals would be a valuable strategy for the board to ensure progress while also keeping the public informed.
A diverse energy grid is a strong grid. The pursuit of additional renewable energy projects will ensure reliability and cost-effectiveness for our publicly owned power.
Education
BS Civil Engineering University of Nebraska-Lincoln, MS Architectual Engineering University of Nebraska-Lincoln, MBA University of Nebraska-Lincoln
One of the most important challenges facing our public utilities is our aging infrastructure. As a professional civil engineer I know firsthand about the importance of maintaining our infrastructure, and how regular maintenance can lead to long term OPPD customer savings. I would address this issue by advocating for solving infrastructure problems as they occur and not deferring maintenance until the problem becomes more costly and unmanageable.
I believe that it is important to be a good steward of the environment. However, I want to make sure that OPPD maintains reliable and affordable power for all citizens. It is important to recognize that many of the technologies required to hit a zero emissions goal by 2050 or earlier are still in development, but as energy technologies continue to develop it will be important that the OPPD board has an engineer, like me, on the board to assess the viability of these technologies and create a plan for responsible implementation.
One of the most effective ways to mitigate the need for rolling blackouts is to make sure that we have enough excess power generation capacity to handle both the base loads and the peak loads required of our energy grid. Making sure that we have the ability to generate the power that we need is critical for making sure that our community can continue to expand and grow, while not putting too much stress on our energy grid.
