Ballots for the PECG Golden Gate Section officers are out. Please be sure to vote and turn them in by 5:00 PM, August 31, 2011, even if there is only one nominee per category. We need all the votes we can get in order to establish a quorum. Let us know if you have any problems with or questions about the voting process.

The nominees for office and their statements are below:

Director:

Ravi Kumra
I am a Senior Utilities Engineer in the Division of Water and Audits at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). At the CPUC, I have been involved with regulation of Water and Telecommunications utilities for almost twenty seven years. Prior to that, I worked in the private sector for over thirteen years. Work involved design of power plants (hydroelectric and nuclear), dams, transmission lines and bridges. I hold three Master’s degrees – two in engineering and one in business (MBA). I am a Registered Professional Engineer in California.

My goal is to improve communication between the PECG leadership and its members. I believe that my diverse professional experiences will help me to accomplish that goal especially during the negotiations process. I hope I can count on your vote to represent you as your Director.

Paul Penney
My name is Paul Penney and I have worked as a Utilities Engineer with the Public Utilities Commission for over 11 years. I’ve been a member of PECG and for the entire time, and believe strongly in supporting PECG and its members in whatever way that I can.

I’ve had the privilege of serving as your Director for the last two years, and prior to that, I served as VP for Rank and File for six. In that time, I have fielded many questions from the Golden Gate Section membership, and learned a great deal in the process. If elected Executive Director, I will continue to work diligently to represent the interests of not only the Golden Gate Section membership, but the PECG organization as a whole.

President:

Sunil Shori
My name is Sunil Shori and I have worked as a Utilities Engineer with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for over 19 years. The entire time I have been a member of PECG and for the last seven years I have served as President of the Golden Gate Section (Section).

As Section President, it has always been my main priority to keep section members as informed as possible. Whether through meetings, on the phone, or in person, I have always tried to make myself available for questions from members. I attempt to provide honest answers or, if I don’t know the answer, connect the member to someone at PECG who does. If re-elected as President, I will continue to work to keep myself informed on the MOU and other issues important to Section membership. The conveyance of information has been, and will continue to be my top priority as Section President.

Currently, the Section faces tough challenges: Section members at many agencies are furloughed, and supervisors have yet to see the salary increases they deserve. I will continue to work with PECG Corporate to support, in whatever way I can, PECG’s efforts challenging the state’s right to implement illegal furloughs which also violate the Unit 9 MOU. Eliminating furloughs, and restoring back pay, will be a hard fight, but one PECG will fight hard to win. Likewise, lack of increases in supervisor salaries is an injustice that PECG will also continue working hard to achieve.

With your support, I would be honored to continue serving as President of the Golden Gate Section for the 2009-10 Term.

VP Rank & File:

Wendy al-Mukdad
My name is Wendy al-Mukdad and I have worked as a Utilities Engineer in the Energy Division of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for over 10 years. I have been a member of PECG for the entire time and am currently working in the area of ‘electric grid modernization (i.e. Smart Grid)’ under our division’s Grid Planning & Reliability section. In the past 10 years, I have also worked in the areas of natural gas reliability and safety along with environmental reviews pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). I am a registered professional Electrical Engineer in California since 2009.

Prior to the CPUC, I worked for eight years for the U.S. General Services Administration in San Francisco, and worked as a project manager for federal building renovation projects including energy efficiency and security. Previous to the U.S. GSA, I worked for three years for the U.S. Naval Electronics Systems Engineering Command in Vallejo.

In addition to my regular duties as section Vice President (Rank & File), my desire is to work with Golden Gate Section members and PECG to explore and, hopefully, find ways that PECG can be an advocate for members to address issues important to Californians, like public health & safety, infrastructure reliability and costs.

With your support, I would be honored to serve as Vice President – Rank & File of the Golden Gate Section for the 2011-12 term.

Secretary:

Colleen Sullivan
My name is Colleen Sullivan. I have worked as a Utilities Engineer with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for 21 years. I have worked in the areas of rail transit safety and electric and gas reliability and safety. I previously worked for 7 years with the Department of Defense in Florida and Sacramento working in the areas of failure analysis and corrosion control. l have a BS in Metallurgical Engineering.

I look forward to working with an organization that has worked diligently on our behalf. I would be honored to serve as Secretary in the Golden Gate Section of PECG.

Treasurer

Larry Hirsch
I have 31 years of experience with the California Public Utilities Commission. I am a currently senior utilities engineer in the Communications Division. I have been a member of PECG for over 20 years.

PECG has achieved a lot over the years but there is a yet more to do. With participation from the members, PECG will continue to represent engineers effectively and achieve even more in the future. I ask for your support to continue as Golden Gate Section Treasurer.