News

The Utilities Service Alliance (USA) Board of Directors approved organizational changes to the alliance’s professional staff in support of the governance and oversight model announced in October.

Through Dec. 31, Jeff Helsel, Director of Performance Sustainability, and Tim Donovan, Director of Fleet Improvement and Support, will lead the transition of the organization, its duties and processes. Rick Adams, Corporate Functional Area Manager, will provide support for that effort.

Also through the end of the calendar year, USA Core Peer Teams, currently led by a USA Corporate Functional Area Manager (CFAM), will transition to Networking Teams. Networking Teams will all be facilitated by Mark Mjaatvedt, who was previously USA’s CFAM for Engineering and Susquehanna Site Representative.

In November, CFAMs will lead their Core Peer Team calls. Mjaatvedt will lead calls starting in December. The majority of the monthly calls will remain on their current schedule unless conflicts exist, in which case Mjaatvedt will coordinate changes.

Beginning Jan. 1, Donovan will oversee USA’s new Gap Focus Areas, its Sustaining Training Excellence initiative and Networking Teams. He will report to John Christensen, USA Vice President of Operational Performance.

In addition to Christensen, Donovan and Mjaatvedt, USA’s operational staff will include: Doug Davis, Human Performance and Industrial Safety Gap Focus Owner; Alec McGalliard, Reactivity Management Gap Focus Owner; Dick Ehr, Schedule and Scope Stability Gap Focus Owner; and Jim Davis, Sustaining Training Excellence.  These individuals will continue in their USA Site Rep role for their respective stations.

USA’s Supply Chain staff will continue to be comprised of Jim Kitchens, Director of Economic Strategies; Margaret Vinsant, Manager of Supplier Relations; and Tim Scoggins, Manager of Valve Programs.

In keeping with the focused approach of USA’s new governance model, all other staff will return to their stations, including Director of Performance Sustainability Jeff Helsel. Helsel, of Talen Energy, came to USA following an assignment at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations where he was a Performance Monitoring Leader. He has led USA’s CFAMs since Jan. 1.

“Jeff was instrumental in the development of our current GOSP and, through his leadership, played a key role in every performance improvement our fleet experienced this year,” Christensen said. “We are grateful for Jeff’s commitment to high standards of performance and for his service to the fleet. I would also like to thank the station members who served as USA CFAMs this year.  Their dedication and passion have been evident all through our journey.”

USA is an alliance consisting of six Full-member utilities operating seven nuclear power stations including Columbia, Comanche Peak, Fermi, Monticello, Prairie Island, Susquehanna and South Texas, and two Efficiency-member utilities operating Cooper Nuclear Station and Cook station. Combined, our Full-member stations generate more than 12,000 megawatts of energy. In addition to administering a network of more than 60 nuclear suppliers, USA helps its members leverage their combined resources, talent and expertise to serve their customers with clean, safe, reliable and cost-efficient energy. It is on the web at www.usainc.org.