Alaska Power Association 2019 Annual Meeting
Check back after this year’s conference!
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. Gold Creek Power Plant Tour Meet at Centennial Hall
3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Allen Marine Cruise Depart from Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Alaska Electric Light & Power, Inside Passage Electric Cooperative, and Alaska Power Association
Wednesday, August 21, 2019 – Centennial Hall
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Kotzebue Electric Association
7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Registration desk open Centennial Hall
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. ARECA Educational Foundation Meeting Centennial Hall
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. NRECA Director Training Centennial Hall
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. AK 220 Shareholders Meeting Centennial Hall
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Alaska Systems Coordinating Council Centennial Hall
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Companion Tour Centennial Hall
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Break Centennial Hall
Sponsored by BDO USA, LLP & National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. APA Managers Forum Centennial Hall
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Avista Corporation
Keynote speakers: Robert Hughes, ComRent, Load Bank Solutions
John Andrew Leman, Counsel, Kemppel, Huffman & Ellis
“Electric Utility Legal and Regulatory Update”
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ARECA Training Council Meeting Centennial Hall
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Break Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Copper Valley Electric Association & Golden Valley Electric Association
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ARECA Insurance Exchange Meeting Centennial Hall
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ARECA Insurance Exchange Reception Alaska State Museum
Sponsored by Zurich North America and Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange
*Agenda subject to change without notice
Thursday, August 22, 2019 – Centennial Hall
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Pacific Power Group
7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Registration desk open Centennial Hall
8:00 am – 10:00 am APA General Session I Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Professional Computer Solutions
8:00 am Introductory Remarks from APA President Ben Frantz,
General Manager of Barrow Utilities & Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Welcome remarks from Connie Hulbert, President and General Manager, Alaska Electric Light & Power and Jodi Mitchell, CEO and General Manager, Inside Passage Electric Cooperative
8:15 am – 9:00 a.m. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (invited)
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Michael Couick, President and CEO
The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina
10:00 am – 10:30 am Break Centennial Hall
Sponsored by McDowell Rackner & Gibson & Inside Passage Electric Cooperative
10:30 am – 12:00 pm APA General Session II Centennial Hall Hall
Sponsored by City of King Cove
10:30 am NRECA Director Election
10:50 am Trade Association Reports
APA President Report: Ben Frantz, General Manager, Barrow Utilities
APA Treasurer Report: Jodi Mitchell, CEO, Inside Passage Electric Cooperative
AK CARE Report: Henry Strub, Director, Nushagak Cooperative
NRECA Director Report: Meera Kohler, CEO, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative
APA Executive Director Report: Crystal Enkvist, Executive Director, APA
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Barrow Utilities & Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Speaker: Sheldon Petersen, CEO and Governor
National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm APA Board of Directors meeting Centennial Hall
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm APA Awards Banquet Centennial Hall
Keynote speaker: Tom Binet, Senior Economist, Power, Energy and Water, CoBank
8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. ARECA Educational Foundation Auction Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Alaska Electric Light & Power
*Agenda subject to change without notice
Friday, August 23, 2019 – Centennial Hall
7:00 am – 9:00 am Breakfast Centennial Hall
Sponsored by NC Power Systems
8:30 am – 10:30 am APA General Session III Centennial Hall
Sponsored by Kemppel Huffman & Ellis, PC
8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Steve Herrin, Director & CRISP Manager,
Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, North American Reliability Corporation
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Hydropower Panel:
Jodi Mitchell, General Manager, Inside Passage Electric Cooperative (IPEC)
Connie Hulbert, President and General Manager, Alaska Electric Light & Power
Trey Acteson, CEO, Southeast Alaska Power Agency
Jeff Leahey, Deputy Executive Director, National Hydropower Association
10:15am – 10:30 am Break Centennial Hall
Sponsored by INN Electric Cooperative and Holmes Weddle & Barcott
10:30 am – 11:30 am APA General Session IV Centennial Hall
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Alaska Municipal League and Southeast Conference update
Nils Andreassen, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal League
Robert Venables, Executive Director, Southeast Conference
11:30 am – 1:00 pm Membership Networking Lunch (grab and go or stay!) Centennial Hall
Sponsored by ARECA Insurance Exchange
*Agenda subject to change without notice
Michael Rovito – Deputy Director –
- Office 907-771-5711
- Cell 907-775-4387
- E-mail – mrovito@alaskapower.org
Toni Mancini – Executive Coordinator –
- Office 907-771-5712
- Cell 907-240-2625
- E-mail – tmancini@alaskapower.org
Four Points by Sheraton (until October, reservations can only be made by phone at 1-800-716-8133)
Group Name: Alaska Power Association
Room Rate: $229 per night
Book online by clicking here.
Group Name: Alaska Power Association 2019
Group Code: ALAS081919
Room Rate: $189 – standard room/$209 – premium king/$229 – king suite
APA will not be providing general transportation to and from the hotels and meeting venue. There are many car rental businesses in Juneau and a robust taxi service and local bus system. Transportation may be provided to special events, if they are located away from the downtown area.
Below are the speakers for the 2019 APA & AIE Annual Meeting. These talented folks will bring a wealth of information to the meeting, exploring topics and issues of great importance to the electric utility industry.
Brianne Miller, Senior Professional Staff and Energy Policy Advisory, Chairman Lisa Murkowski, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Brianne Miller is Senior Professional Staff and Energy Policy Advisor to Chairman Lisa Murkowski on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Her portfolio includes the Department of Energy with a particular focus on energy innovation, computing, and climate change. Brianne previously worked for Senator James E. Risch (R-ID) when he was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy at ENR. She also handled a variety of energy related issues for Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA), and Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX). She started her time on Capitol Hill working for Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL) in his capacity as Chair of the House Republican Conference. Brianne is a graduate of Florida State University.
Steve Herrin, Director of Operations and the Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program (CRISP) Manager, Electricity Information Sharing Analysis Center (E-ISAC)
Steve Herrin has been in the Electricity Information Sharing Analysis Center (E-ISAC) since August 2015. He is the Director of Operations and the Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program (CRISP) Manager. His responsibilities include oversight of Watch Operations, Physical Security Analysis, and the Cyber Analysis and Context teams. In the prior eight years with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Infrastructure Protection, he served as the Branch Chief of the Infrastructure Analysis Branch evaluating the potential consequences of disruption from physical or cyber threats and incidents. After graduating from Georgia State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration in Risk Management and Insurance, he joined the insurance brokerage firm McGriff, Seibels and Williams, Inc. as a Marketing Account Executive managing portfolios for many large electric utility clients. Steve received his Executive MBA from Georgetown University in 2015 and also served in the US Navy Submarine Service for over twelve years.
Mike Couick, President and CEO, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina
Mike Couick is president and CEO of The Electric Cooperatives of S.C., Inc., the state association of consumer-owned electric utilities that provide power to more than 1.3 million South Carolinians in all of the state’s 46 counties.
Mr. Couick has served as chairman the state’s Teach For America board, a board member for Home Works of America, and a member of the board of Sustaining Our Seniors, a not-for-profit aimed at matching senior’s needs with corporate sponsors. He is a University of South Carolina adjunct faculty member, teaching public policy to doctoral candidates in chemistry and chemical engineering.
Mr. Couick has encouraged the state’s electric cooperatives to pioneer energy efficiency programs and promote consensus-based public policy development. Each year they co-sponsor an energy forum with the Coastal Conservation League seeking solutions to today’s energy challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. The program is modeled on the respected Aspen Institute. Mr. Couick is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Clean Energy Forum.
In keeping with the cooperatives’ community-based ownership and service, he has been an advocate of Honor Flights in which the co-ops have sponsored more than 200 veterans on visits to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The cooperatives also published a 75-year history of co-ops as a social movement in collaboration with noted historian Dr. Lacy Ford.
A native of Clover, S.C., Mr. Couick holds degrees in English and Law from the University of South Carolina. He and his wife Mary have four children: Marchant, 27; Coleman, 17; Alex, 15; and Campbell, deceased.
Robert Hughes, Western Account Manager, ComRent International Inc.
Robert has been in the power generation arena for over 30 years. He has designed electrical power systems for Utilities, Hospitals, Mines, 911 Systems, Health Care facilities, Data Centre’s as well as numerous other applications.
Robert possesses extensive, hands on knowledge of the power generation industry and is well versed in the commissioning and testing of electrical systems.
Over the past 6 years with ComRent International, Robert has designed, planned and implemented a great deal of electrical testing procedures for Utilities, Universities, Data Centre’s, Oil & Gas facilities as well as Marine applications in the Alaska, Western Canada and Washington areas.
Tom Binet, Senior Economist, Knowledge Exchange Division, CoBank
Tom Binet is a senior economist in CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division, where he focuses on the energy industry, including the electric distribution, generation and transmission sectors, as well as the rural water industry.
Mr. Binet has more than ten years of experience in economic and business analysis, most recently as a consultant in the Global Energy & Utilities Practice at PA Consulting Group. While at PA, he led economic impact analyses and advised investor owned utilities, generation and transmission companies, and electric distribution companies across the U.S. He also previously held roles in the cabinets of former Colorado governors Ritter and Hickenlooper, including as business development manager in charge of advancing the business climate for Colorado’s power, energy and water industries.
Mr. Binet earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in International Relations and Chinese Language from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is completing a master’s degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Trey Acteson, Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Alaska Power Agency
Mr. Acteson has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) since 2012. His electric utility career has spanned 35 years, encompassing a broad spectrum of power infrastructure across the state of Alaska.
Mr. Acteson is a strong advocate for affordable energy initiatives and works closely with Federal, Regional, and State leadership to cultivate change across the industry. He’s on the Board of Directors of the Alaska Power Association, serving as co-chair of the State-wide Manager’s Forum and Vice-Chair of the Hydropower Working Group. He’s President of the Northwest Hydroelectric Association and is also an active member of the National Hydropower Association.
SEAPA is a regional Joint Action Agency of the State of Alaska that owns the Swan Lake and Tyee Lake hydroelectric facilities, 4 submarine cable crossings, and 175 miles of overhead transmission lines. They serve the wholesale power needs of the municipalities of Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell, and are currently evaluating options for the next increment of power generation.
Connie Hulbert, President and General Manager, Alaska Electric Light & Power
Connie Hulbert, President and General Manager of Alaska Electric Light and Power Company (AEL&P), is 58 years old. Ms. Hulbert graduated from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. Connie joined AEL&P as Controller in 1996. She was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 2002 and held that office until 2017, when she became President and General Manager.
Jodi Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer/General Manger, Inside Passage Electric Cooperative
Jodi Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon in 1988, and earned the Certified Management Accountant designation in 1996. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Inside Passage Electric Cooperative, and has been with the utility since 1993. Jodi is a 2007 graduate of the Management Intern Program of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Jodi also serves on the Sealaska board of directors as vice chair, and as chair of the audit committee. She is the vice-president of Kwaan Electric Intertie Cooperative, a member of the Southeast Conference energy committee, the Alaska Power Association board of directors, and the Governor’s Renewable Energy Fund Advisory Committee.
Jodi was born and raised in Juneau, and raised her three daughters there. She is Tlingit, a member of the Deisheetaan (“Raven-Beaver”) clan of Angoon, Alaska.
Jeff Leahey, Executive Vice President, National Hydropower Association
Jeff Leahey joined NHA in June 2002 and was promoted to his current position in November 2013. Jeff monitors legislative, regulatory and legal issues affecting the hydro industry and represents the association before Congress, FERC and the federal resource agencies. Jeff also provides staff support to NHA’s various committees and councils.
Jeff is an attorney, licensed to practice in Massachusetts. He graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 1999. He is also a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., where he received his BA in biology and political science.
Robert Venables, Executive Director, Southeast Conference
Nils Andreassen, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal League
Nils has a degree in Peace and Development from the University of Bradford in England and his background in rural and international development, Alaska and Arctic policy issues fit well within AML’s mission to support and strengthen local governments. Nils is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous Areas through the University of Saskatchewan and University of Tromso. Nils lives in Juneau with his family.
