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Age: 68 Profession: Retired Town of Residence: Newport 1. What experience do you have that makes you qualified to serve as Pend Oreille PUD commissioner?
My career has prepared me to understand both the technical and financial responsibilities of serving as a Pend Oreille PUD Commissioner.
I began with 10 years in the U.S. Navy as an Electronics Technician (Communi- cation) and later as a Cryptologic Technician (Maintenance), where I gained a strong foundation in electrical and electronic systems, leadership, and accountability.
After leaving the Navy, I spent more than 35 years in the technology industry, beginning as a field engineer supporting complex equipment, including systems used at nuclear power plants. I later held leadership positions with Intergraph Computer Systems, Compaq Computer Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard, managing product development, large budgets, complex contracts, long-range strategic planning, and leading cross-functional teams.
While working full time, I completed a bachelor’s degree in Management and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).
I also served in senior leadership roles with companies in solar energy (Unirac), electronics manufacturing (Keytronic), and aerospace engineering (Jetseal).
A PUD commissioner’s job is to provide sound governance, oversee budgets, ask informed questions, and make responsible decisions on behalf of ratepayers.
My technical background, business leadership, and commitment to fiscal responsibility have prepared me to protect reliable service, affordable rates, and the long-term interests of our community.
2. What has the current board of commissioners done right? What have they done wrong?
I give credit to the current board for maintaining a reliable electric system during some very challenging years.
They’ve navigated significant pressures – including the closure of Ponderay Newsprint, increasing wildfire risks, rising infrastructure costs, and changing state energy policies – while ensuring our power remains among the most affordable in Washington. Keeping the lights on in a rural county with 1,400 miles of wires and almost 10,000 meters is no small feat, and they deserve recognition for those core successes. In addition, internet broadband expansion to almost 3,000 users provides connectivity to families, businesses, and industries that are key to continued growth in the county.
At the same time, I believe the PUD is entering a new chapter that requires an even stronger focus on long-term planning, fiscal discipline, and public engagement. As infrastructure ages and financial pressures increase, every major decision should be evaluated carefully, communicated clearly, and made with the ratepayer in mind. I would like to see more proactive communication about long-term priorities and greater transparency in how major spending decisions are made.
My goal is to build on the board’s successes through responsible stewardship so our PUD remains reliable, accountable, and transparent for future generations. 3. What do you see as the single biggest issue facing Pend Oreille County residents as it pertains to the PUD?
I believe the single biggest challenge is the balancing act between maintaining rock-solid reliability and resilience, while keeping electricity affordable for the families and seniors in our community.
We are facing a future of aging infrastructure, rising operational costs, data center proliferation, and complex state mandates like the Clean Energy Transformation Act. These pressures are real, and they threaten to push electric rates upward if we aren’t careful.
My approach is guided by a simple question: Since this is also my family’s money, would I make this decision? I believe every major investment should meet that standard. To protect our rates, we need to be aggressive in pursuing efficiencies, cautious about unnecessary spending, and steadfast in our commitment to independent oversight.
Our PUD benefits from outstanding hydroelectric resources and a history of reliable service. We should build on those strengths by planning wisely, controlling costs, asking tough questions, and making decisions that are in the best interest of our ratepayers.
With thoughtful leadership and responsible stewardship, I believe we can continue providing dependable, affordable electricity while preparing our PUD to meet the challenges of the future without placing unnecessary burdens on the people we serve.
4. Where would you like to see the PUD in the next five, 10, and 20 years?
In five years, I want to see the PUD executing a disciplined infrastructure plan that modernizes our aging system, strengthens grid reliability and resilience, reduces wildfire risks, and keeps electric rates as affordable as possible.
I also want us to successfully meet the CETA 2030 carbon-neutral requirements and renew our Boundary power assignment with Seattle City Light while minimizing impacts on our ratepayers. Just as importantly, I want ratepayers to feel informed and engaged in the decisions affecting their utility.
In 10 years, I want Pend Oreille PUD to be recognized as one of Washington’s best-run public utilities – financially strong, technologically sound, and well prepared for changing energy markets, BPA contract renewals, and state energy requirements, while protecting our low-income and vulnerable residents.
In 20 years, I want our children and grandchildren to inherit a PUD that remains locally controlled, financially healthy, and community-focused. If future generations can say we left the utility stronger than we found it—it will honor the hard work of the people who built this county and those that had the foresight that created the PUD, I will consider that a success.
