July-August Flash

Read about the flood of ’52at oppd.com

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Senior ManagementW. Gary Gates ........................................PresidentDave Bannister ................................Vice PresidentTimothy J. Burke ..............................Vice PresidentMohamad Doghman .......................Vice PresidentEdward Easterlin ..............................Vice PresidentJon Hansen ......................................Vice PresidentSherrye Hutcherson .........................Vice President

Board of DirectorsJohn K. Green ....................Chairman of the BoardN.P. Dodge Jr ............. Vice Chairman of the BoardJohn R. Thompson. ................................. TreasurerMichael J. Cavanaugh .............................SecretaryAnne L. McGuire ...........................Board MemberLloyd Scheve .................................Board MemberFred J. Ulrich ..................................Board MemberDel D. Weber .................................Board Member

ReportersRandy Alsman Tim AshKim BarnesSara BiodrowskiKarma BooneJoanne BrownCec ChristensenJeannie CoreySharon DickmanNeal FaltysRebecca FinnKelly FlemingAnne ForslundNatalie GingNancy GoddardBarbara GullieJill Hanover

Ed Howell Traci HugSharon JeffersonDebbie JensenTerri KellyShelley KendrickMelinda KentonSuzanne KrajicekBecky KrugerSharon MelodyDoug MickellsJamie MooreShawn MooreShelly MruzBeth Nagel Karen Nelson Rick Perrigo

Trudy PratherPam PriceLana PulverentiHeather RawlingsKathy RoyalTerri SaladoPeter SchiltzKaren SchuttJim ShipmanJammie SnyderJennifer St. Clair Kathy StolinskiClint SweetVince TimmermanDennis VanekDawn Varner

Contributing StaffChris Cobbs Django Greenblatt-SeayJeff Hanson Sharon JeffersonMike Jones Lisa OlsonAlthea Pietsch Laurie Zagurski Terry Zank

Published bimonthly by the Corporate Commu-nications Division, Flash magazine provides OPPD employees and retirees with strategic industry- and job-related news, and human-interest articles about associates and their families. Flash is one of several tools that comprise our communication strategy. Employees and retirees can access timely OPPD news weekdays via OPPD News online.

Flash Editor ............................... Paula Lukowski Associate Editor .............................Vicker Sykes Creative Director..........................Joe Comstock

To contact the Flash editor:

phone .............. 402-636-3759

email .............. [email protected]

address ............ OPPD, Flash, 3E/EP1 444 S. 16th St. Omaha, NE 68102-2247

Vol. 91, No. 4, July/August 2011

ContentsOn the cover:

From the left, Dan Staben, Brian Krejci and Ernie Beckwith stack sandbags around

equipment in the FCS switchyard.

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10

2 Fighting BackEmployees have flexed their muscles and used ingenuity to combat rising floodwaters that are encroaching upon power plants, rail lines, T&D equipment and other utility property. The grit and determina-tion of everyone involved have been impressive.

7 Adrian Minks Retires Adrian Minks retired from OPPD July 1, leaving behind a large legacy of accomplishment.

10 OPS Receives Harding AwardFor Omaha Public Schools’ long-standing commitment to students and its innovative and wise use of energy, OPPD awarded the 2011 J.M. Harding Award of Excellence to OPS.

12 A Salute to the Class of 2011 The special graduate section features 166 students with ties to OPPD.

19 Hutcherson Named Vice PresidentSherrye Hutcherson was named vice president of Essential Services, effective July 1.

19 PeopleAnniversaries, retirements, deaths, sympathies and club notes.

Back cover Award of Excellence WinnerDJ Jacobberger-Clarke received the 2011 OPPD Award of Excellence. Employees nominate co-workers for the award.See how OPPD is using water against water to fight the flood.

July/August 2011 Flash 1

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Line Items

Six Engineers Obtain PE CertificationThe following employees obtained their Professional

Engineer (PE) certificate: Travis Dendinger, nuclear design engineer – Nuclear

Engineering; Neal Faltys, distribution planning engineer – System Planning & Cost Management; Luke Jensen, shift technical advisor – Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations; Adam Luchsinger, senior production operations engineer – Production Opera-tions; Josh Verzal, supervisor maintenance FCS – Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations; Korey Wells, nuclear design engineer – Nuclear Engineering.

The professional engineering certification is de-signed for engineers who have gained at least four years post-college work experience in their chosen engineering discipline and requires passing an eight-hour exam. There are over 6,000 professional engineers registered in the state of Nebraska.

Publication Work RecognizedOPPD was among the winners of the Omaha Press

Club’s annual Excellence in Journalism awards com-petition in June. Entries were judged by the Atlanta, Ga., Press Club. Corporate Communications received the following:

• Graphic or Illustration, first place, “Flashtoons,” Joe Comstock

• Print Newsletter, first place: Outlets, Paula Lukowski

• Annual Report, second place, “Your Energy Part-ner,” Paula Lukowski, Joe Comstock, Corporate Accounting, Corporate Auditing, Corporate Communications

• Feature Story, third place: “To Africa with Love,” Chris Cobbs

OPPD Wins APPA Energy Innovator Award OPPD has been named a recipient of the 2011 Energy Innovator

Award by the American Public Power Association (APPA), according to Judy Sunde, project manager – Market Strategies in Customer Sales & Service.

The award, presented in June at the APPA’s national conference in Washington, D.C., recognizes the OPPD Digi-Optimizer pilot project.

The Digi-Optimizer is an electrical device that holds promise for improving the energy-efficiency of air conditioners and heat pumps used by commercial and industrial customers.

OPPD is interested in the device because it could help reduce peak electrical demand and emissions. Reducing peak demand enables OPPD to postpone the building of new power plants, which helps keep rates down.

Corporate Cycling Challenge Scheduled for August 21

The Corporate Cycling Challenge will be held Sunday, Aug. 21, at Heartland of America Park, 8th & Farnam streets in Omaha. There will be 10-mile, 25-mile and 42-mile routes.

The event is free, but to participate on OPPD's team, you must be an employee or an employee’s spouse or child under the age of 23.

Registration/waiver forms must be completed for each rider. The form will be available on the Wellness Counts intranet site, accessible on the right side of the intranet home page. On the form, riders can order T-shirts for $12.

For details on the event, visit www.corporatecycling.com.

Ever get the feeling that you're just being used?

2 Flash July/August 2011

This isn’t your father’s T&D systemFighting Back


Fighting BackOPPD employees are in the

midst of fighting unprecedented flooding of the Missouri River.

According to the Corps of Engineers, the nation’s longest river has never coped with more water in more than 100 years of record-keeping. Historically large late-May rainfalls up north added millions of acre-feet of water into the basin’s reservoirs, taking space the corps had allo-cated for melting snow.

As a result, the corps increased releases from Gavins Point Dam from the level of 85,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) per day in early June, upping the releases until reaching 160,000 cfs in late June. The plan is to remain at that level through July and per-haps into August.

With three power plants along the Missouri River, and with transmission & distribu-tion and substation equipment nearby, OPPD employees have worked incredibly hard on flood-protection efforts. These efforts are meant not only to protect these facilities, but to keep elec-tricity flowing for the more than 346,000 customers, as well as others on the power grid.

“Work has continued around the clock to protect our facilities and equipment,” said President Gary Gates. “The senior team and others are meeting regularly to ensure we all stay on top of what’s occurring. We appreciate everyone’s continued effort.”

The following pages give a glimpse of some of the flood-mitigation efforts. A future issue of Flash will include more com-prehensive coverage.

This June 15 aerial shows effective flood-protection at Fort Calhoun Station.


Above, Nebraska City Station is shown in the back-ground, upper right, of this photo of the 345-kV line to Brownville. Top right, Nuclear Regulatory Commis-sion Chairman Gregory Jaczko toured FCS June 25.

Above, Nuclear Engineer Brett Torczon was one of several Fort Calhoun Station employees tem-porarily relocated due to flooding.

Center photo, OPPD has been working to ensure its customers remain operational. Pictured is an earthen berm around Offutt Air Force Base Substation 994.

At right, By June 24, workers at Nebraska City Station had used more than 33,000 tons of ballast (rock) to raise rail lines nearly 50 inches to allow continued shipment of coal.


OPPD has made many flood preparations at OPPD facilities. The aerial photos taken on June 15, at left, show the efforts are working. North Omaha Station, top, sits higher than the farmland on the Iowa side of the river. The middle photo shows Nebraska City Station.

Below, employees at Fort Calhoun Station use temporary raised walkways to get around the site. Bottom, this crew of hard-working employees helped sandbag the North Omaha Station access road on June 4. Many employees have pitched in.


Using Water against WaterAquaDams® have proven to be an effective line of defense against rising floodwaters.

When increasing releases from Gavins Point Dam were forecast to cause Missouri River flooding at Fort Calhoun Station (FCS), OPPD ordered and installed AquaDams at the plant.

The reactor has been in cold shutdown since April 9, when FCS started a planned refueling outage. Most outage-related work was suspended on June 3 due to the imminent flooding.

AquaDam installation started at FCS on June 4. The dams are currently protecting much of the buildings and equipment in the Protected Area of the plant, as well as the Admin Building, Training Center and a building containing the reverse osmosis water supply.

After rolling them out on the ground, workers join the sections of dam and pump these large thermoplastic tubes full of water to serve as protective berms. If required, the dams can be filled with floodwater.

At FCS, the individual dam sections are as long as 400 feet, and range in height from three to eight feet, based on the elevation for which they were installed. Fully assembled dams are as long as 2,000 feet at FCS.

For the most critical components – the reactor and spent-fuel pool – the AquaDams are serving as an additional line of defense against the rising river. As part of the nuclear industry’s defense-in-depth practices, the reactor, for example, was already well pro-tected in the watertight containment building, under 30 feet of cooling water.

The AquaDams are basically a backup to a backup for FCS flood-protection measures. When one section of the dam surrounding the Protected Area was ruptured and deflated during work being done next to it on June 26, the resulting water flow was problematic, but not catastrophic, by any means. At press time, work was under way to replace this section of dam, as well as a leaking section of dam protecting the Admin Building.

At Nebraska City Station (NCS), workers have staged AquaDams to serve as a third-level or tertiary protection against floodwaters, if necessary. These dams would be rolled out and filled in the event that the primary level of protection (the existing levee) failed and there was height-ened concern that the secondary protection (new earthen berms) could be breached.

“We were successful at running trials on setting and fill-ing the AquaDams at NCS to ensure a timely response to potential changing conditions,” said Gary Ruhl, manager of Technical Services in Production Engineering & Techni-cal Support.

According to the supplier, in addition to flood-control, AquaDams have been used for such diverse purposes as storing salt water during cleaning and renovation of Shamu the killer whale’s tank at Sea World Ohio (which closed in 2002).

Built at a higher elevation, North Omaha Station has been much less impacted by the rising river.

The AquaDam around the administration building, pho-tographed on June 12, was keeping floodwaters away.

The AquaDams range in height from three to eight feet, based on the el-evation for which they were installed.

The Flood of 1952The Missouri River flood of 2011

conjures up comparisons from an eerily similar flood 59 years ago.

Retiree Lillian Hughes, who is 97, remembers that devastating flood. She said her late-husband, Dick, an electrician, kept busy shutting off the electricity for people whose homes and businesses were in harm’s way.

The Missouri River flood of 1952 was chronicled back then in a special issue of Flash magazine that has been posted at oppd.com and under the Flood Update section on the OPPD intranet.

Like this summer’s flood battle, the flood of 1952 met its match in thou-sands of ordinary men and women who were hell-bent on protecting electric service to customers, and on protecting the power plants and other equipment.

“Their efforts paid off,” according to a May 1952 Flash article titled Your Finest Hour. “Brains, work, cooperation and self-sacrifice won out. The river was out-generaled, out-maneuvered and out-fought.”

By Terry Zank


Adrian Minks retired from OPPD July 1, leaving behind a very large legacy. The Iowa farm girl cred-its her father for instilling high expectations and preparing her to stand on her own two feet.

“His words still ring in my ears,” said Adrian, who is credited with improving customer service, introducing products & services, bringing a fresh perspective to the senior management team, and mentoring and developing many employees along the way. In the community, she provided leadership for many organizations while serving as an ambassador of OPPD.

Co-workers and retirees filled the Energy Plaza atrium June 22 to bid farewell to Adrian at a reception. If customers knew what Adrian had quietly done for their benefit over the past 23 years, thousands more may have shown up.

n her final weeks before retiring from OPPD, Vice President Adrian Minks had little time to dwell on what lies ahead. As part of the

senior management team, she and countless others at the utility had shifted into crisis response mode to face one of OPPD’s most challenging emergency responses ever – sustained flooding of the Missouri River.

As vice president of the Essential Services business unit, Adrian’s responsibilities included Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities Management, Material Management, Sustainable Energy & Environmental Steward-ship, and Environmental & Regulatory Affairs. The flooding impacted all of these areas, with efforts such as:

• workingcloselywiththeArmyCorpsofEngineers on its schedule for releases from Gavins Point Dam, then keeping OPPD per-sonnel apprised of the plans for assessment of potential impact on facilities and equip-ment

Great Expectations

• securingmaterials,suchasheavymachin-ery to build earthen berms and hundreds of thousands of sandbags to fight floodwaters, and construction materials to build tem-porary raised walkways at FCS to transport workers above the flooded grounds

• relocatingemployeesfromfloodedfacilitiesand managing overtime hours

“Everybody jumped right in, and they are doing a great job,” said Adrian. “We have qual-ity people in place, and I am confident they will continue to do well.”

Adrian contrasted the current flood situation with the snowstorm of October 1997.

“We are so much better organized and so much more ready now,” said Adrian, who dur-ing that storm was division manager of Cus-tomer Service Operations. During that destruc-tive storm, which hit in the middle of the night without any warning, many customers went days without power.

“We are a much stronger utility because of what we learned from that storm, and the

Adrian Minks received the President’s Award from OPPD President Gary Gates at the June board meeting.

The award was created to recognize extraordinary accomplishments that significantly impact fulfillment of OPPD’s goals, values and mission.

Max Smelser was the award’s first recipient in 2008. While on his lunch break, Max noticed a man choking. When the man fell face-first onto the sidewalk, Max dialed 911, handed the phone off to another employee on the scene (Roger Martz) and administered first aide.

Other President’s Award recipients include Dale Widoe and Charlie Moriarty.

I


actions we took to resolve our short comings,” Adrian said. “Our Business Continuity Plan is working the way it should, our systems are much more robust, and people understand how critical their roles are.

“I am proud of how we have reacted and improved,” said Adrian.

“My dreams have gone way beyond what I expected,” said Adrian, who grew up in Iowa between Little Sioux and Pisgah, the middle of Johnny and Jewel Johnson’s three girls.

“Adrian’s candid leadership, her incredible support of so many, her wisdom and guidance, and most importantly, her friendship, have been so valuable,” said OPPD President Gary Gates. “Adrian was a role model here, and her legacy will live on for a very long time.”

Fresh PerspectiveAdrian, who was the first female vice pres-

ent at OPPD, brought a unique perspective and strong leadership skills to the executive office.

“Adrian has excellent management skills, out-standing leadership skills, and she gave extreme-ly good input on management discussions,” said former OPPD President Fred Petersen. “Adrian brought fresh perspective, she was articulate in delivering her perspective, she had great instincts and she was firm in her beliefs.

“Once a decision was made, she was very good on implementation and support. You don’t have to spend much time with Adrian to figure out she’s a solid person,” Fred added.

“I was blessed with the ability to know what makes sense, and I trust my gut,” said Adrian. “The older I get, the more reliable it is.”

That instinct guided Adrian through her roles at InterNorth, Northern Natural Gas, and Enron before coming to OPPD in 1988 to work in Information Technology. In 1990, she was named executive assistant to the CEO, where she performed a wide variety of research and analysis projects.

“I saw firsthand how things worked, but it wasn’t my favorite job,” said Adrian. “The best years of my career were the years I spent as division manager. I loved working directly with employees and seeing them flourish.”

Adrian spent 10 years as division manager in Customer Service Operations and Customer

Sales & Service, before her appointment to vice president in 2002.

Enhanced Customer ServiceIn 1992, Adrian was instrumental in creat-

ing account executive positions to better serve commercial and industrial customers. While this customer group made up only 12 percent of the customer’s base in 1992, they consumed 63 percent of the total energy used. That ratio is similar today.

“Before that, we worked in a more reactive mode, responding to service requirements and problems as they arose,” said Bill Lenagh, division manager of Customer Sales & Service, who worked with Adrian to create the posi-tions. “Our account executives take a more proactive approach and use our resources and expertise to help customers use electricity effi-ciently, improve operations in their facilities and prevent potential problems.”

In 2000, OPPD created the Energy Informa-tion Center to mass-market power quality solutions and to better educate customers and to help shape load.

“We hit profitability after just one year,” said Sherrye Hutcherson, who takes over the vice president position, but who served as divi-sion manager of Market Research & Product Management at the time.

“It was Adrian and her astute ability to pick great teams and lead them effectively that cre-ated such a positive momentum for the area at that time,” said Sherrye.

“The introduction of products and services was very rewarding,” Adrian said. “We went a little under the radar at first, but it’s gone well and been good for customers, and that’s what really trips my trigger.”

Stretched Comfort ZoneAdrian admits that she was forced out of

her comfort zone many times throughout her career.

“I was nervous and spent a lot of sleepless nights every new job that I went into,” Adrian said. “I always had that fear that I wasn’t ready, and had to battle that talk in my head. But there were usually two or three people who were there to get positive things going and help build my confidence.

Career Highlights1973-1986InterNorth Inc./Northern Natural Gas

1986-1987Enron Corporation

1988Joins OPPD as Manager – Corporate Computer Planning

1989Manager – Corporate Data Asset Administration

February 1990Executive Assistant to the CEO

April 1992Division Manager – Customer Service Operations and Customer Sales & Service

February 2002Vice President – Marketing and Support Services

July 2011Retires with 23 years of service


“It took courage to take on the chal-lenges. I didn’t expect to be treated any differently than anybody else,” said Adri-an. “I carried my share of the load.”

Adrian learned to embrace the chal-lenges.

“Every day was a challenge – and I liked that about my job. It made each day different and diverse,” Adrian said.

In addition to making improvements in emergency preparedness and customer service, Adrian said there had been a lot of changes in senior management.

“The senior team is more open and approachable. We focus more on coach-ing employees to be ready for the next step. We do a better job of succession planning.”

Last year, Adrian had to replace four of eight division managers in the Essential Services Business Unit.

“It was challenging to replace them all at one time, but I had the luxury of choosing from several terrific individu-als within the company. I am very happy with the performance of the leaders I put in place,” Adrian said.

Development OpportunitiesAdrian credited Fred Petersen and many

other people who mentored and encour-aged her along the way.

“Some people will never know that they had an influence on me,” said Adrian, who herself has made a practice out of developing others.

“Over the years, Adrian has helped spark my development by talking straight to me and giving me honest feedback and guidance,” said Sherrye.

“Adrian has not only been a trusted mentor, she has also put a great amount of trust in me. She gave me additional responsibilities to lead the Commercial, Industrial and Energy Services group when the division manager retired. That trust and confidence helped me to be the professional I am today,” Sherrye said.

Alison Rider, who retired in 2010 as division manager of Facilities Manage-

ment, shares those senti-ments.

“You knew Adrian had high expectations and standards, and you didn’t want to disappoint her or yourself. She was quick to tell you if she thought things weren’t headed in the right direction, and even quicker to let you know when you’d per-formed well. And when she thought she’d made a mistake or been hasty to criticize, she was quick to take responsibility or apologize,” Alison said.

“Adrian gave employees opportunities to take on responsibilities that might have felt like quite a reach, but with her encouragement and support, they found they could carry the load. She didn’t ever set us up to fail. If she put something in our hands, she provided the resources and the guidance to help us be successful without interfering or micro-managing how we got the job done.

“Adrian modeled courage under pres-sure, and you knew she was working harder and longer hours than most at any level of the company, including yourself. You could trust her to stand behind you, to tell you the truth, and to carry through on her promises. She was never in the game for the glory, but for what was best for OPPD, for customers and for employ-ees,” said Alison.

Adrian’s leadership was valued in the community as well, as she worked with groups such as YWCA Omaha, University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Associa-tion, Institute for Career Advancement Needs (ICAN), Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Family Housing Advisory Services, American Red Cross, Wayne State College and the Greater Omaha Alli-ance for Business Ethics.

“Adrian is a clear thinker and com-

municator and a supportive partner for ICAN,” said Mary Prefontaine, Executive Director of ICAN.

“Adrian is someone who could hold the vision with you and not lose sight. She helped me make some tough decisions in the early days for the good of the work of ICAN.”

Bye Bye BlackberryAdrian’s retirement plans include travel-

ing to Europe with her husband Jon, who retired from First Data earlier this year; doing more reading; converting 5,000 slides to a digital format; and volunteering with the Ethics Alliance, ICAN and UNO.

“My first action, though, is going to be throwing my Blackberry in the sewer,” joked Adrian.

“I don’t think about leaving behind the work so much, I think about leaving behind the people. The people bring the smile and make me feel really good about OPPD’s future.”

Adrian and Jon Minks have been married 36 years. Now that both of them are retired, they plan to do some traveling.

By Paula Lukowski


With more than 150 years of education to its credit, Omaha Public School District is a shin-ing example of applying what is learned in the classroom to the “real” world. The largest school district in Nebraska, OPS serves more than 49,000 students and employs more than 4,100 teachers and 2,900 administrative and support staff in 86 schools.

True to its mission of providing educational opportunities that enable all students to achieve his or her highest potential, OPS understands the importance of providing conducive learning envi-ronments.

Not only do OPS facilities create comfortable learning environments that stimulate students and staff, but district personnel take extra measures when it comes to the energy efficiency of OPS buildings. In fact, Omaha Public Schools’ Green Schools Initiative is designed to make OPS one of the most energy- and resource-efficient school districts in the country.

For Omaha Public Schools’ long-standing com-mitment to Omaha students and its innovative and wise use of energy, Omaha Public Power District proudly awards the 2011 J.M. Harding Award of Excellence to OPS.

Magnet AttractsAt Omaha’s North High Magnet School, an

engineering, science and technology addition provides a learning environment that students of any age would envy. Completed in 2010, the addition was designed to give the 88-year-old inner city school a new image.

Four-stories high, the sleek glass and metal addition is tucked between two wings of the brick school, built in 1922. Biology, media tech-nology and engineering students use the build-ing, which actually serves as a teaching tool. Architect RDG left all of the building’s systems exposed so students could see the equipment first-hand. The facility also features a two-story greenhouse that opens to a green roof, which helps keep the roof cooler and minimizes energy bills.

While keeping the needs of the students, teachers and parents in mind, OPS and its proj-ect team achieved LEED silver certification for the North High project, making it the first LEED-certified school in Nebraska.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design, is an internationally recognized green-building certification system. LEED veri-fies a facility was designed and built to improve energy and water efficiency, reduce carbon diox-ide emissions, improve indoor environmental quality, and demonstrate good stewardship of resources. Points are awarded for meeting the cri-teria set forth in each subcategory. Projects with between 40 and 49 points are considered certi-fied. Silver-certified projects receive between 50 and 59 points. Gold and platinum certifications require even more points.

Practicing What They Teach

Omaha Public Schools receives the 2011

J.M. Harding Award of Excellence.


A Class Act“Omaha Public Schools has always been

a good steward of its energy resources,” said OPPD Account Executive Wyndle Young. “How-ever, the district has made a concerted effort in recent years to really elevate their commit-ment.”

“Omaha Public Schools is extremely pleased to have been selected for the J.M. Harding Award of Excellence,” said Dr. Jerry Bartee, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services. “This great accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and efforts of students, teach-ers, administrators and staff from across the district. We are committed to an environmen-tally friendly atmosphere for all of our students and will continue working towards providing a clean, healthy and green learning environ-ment.”

Named for the first president of OPPD, J.M. Harding, the award has been given since 1984 to a commercial or industrial customer for demonstrating efficient and innovative use of energy.

The North High project is just one of several examples of how OPS is managing it energy resources wisely. Another example is Saddle-brook Elementary, which is a partnership between OPS, the Omaha Public Library and Omaha Parks and Recreation.

Green features at Saddlebrook include: • A green roof, where they measure and track

outdoor temperatures, wind speed, etc., in comparison to a traditional roof

• Native landscaping • Bioswales, landscape elements designed to

remove silt and pollution from surface run-off water, and staff is measuring rainwater collection volume in comparison to a tradi-tional sewer

Interesting architecture and large-scale inspi-rational words – “explore,” “discover” and believe” – greet students and staff each day.

“Saddlebrook is one of three finalists for the James D. MacConnell Award,” said Jeremy Madson, construction manager for OPS.

Dr. MacConnell, considered the father of educational facility planning, was instrumental in nurturing this profession from its infancy to its significant stature in education today.

Dr. MacConnell is best remembered as the director of Stanford University's School Plan-ning Laboratory, which he founded in 1951. The laboratory was the first center of applied and fundamental research on integrating school construction with child development, curricu-lum and instructional methods. The MacCon-nell Award is considered to be the most presti-gious educational facility planning award.

Stars are BornMadson also said that each OPS building has

been benchmarked using the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program. The program has developed energy-performance rating systems for commercial and institutional building types and manufacturing facilities. The ratings provide a means for benchmark-ing the energy efficiency of specific buildings and industrial plants against the energy perfor-mance of similar facilities.

“In 2009, 89 OPS buildings were bench-marked, and 85 were eligible for an ENERGY STAR rating,” Madson said.

Schools with a rating of 75 or higher on a 100-point scale are eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR award. OPS had four schools that qualified and earned the award in 2009, five in 2010, and it appears that as many as 12 schools may be eligible for an ENERGY STAR award in 2011. In addition, OPS was the first school dis-trict in Nebraska to become an ENERGY STAR partner.

In 2010, Verdis Group and DLR Group con-ducted site visits of the 15 OPS buildings that scored the lowest in the benchmarking exercise. “Energy action plans were completed to pin-point several opportunities for increased energy and resource efficiency, and we already have made progress,” Madson said.

“The district’s average ENERGY STAR ranking and average utility costs are both key measures of OPS’s efforts to be more efficient,” said Mad-son. “The initial benchmarking in August 2009 found an average district-wide score of 52.

“Our energy management team is hard at work identifying ways that our buildings can be more energy-efficient,” Madson said.

Jeremy Madson, OPS construction manager, left, and Wyndle Young, OPPD account executive, stand in the entryway to Educare Indian Hills.

At Saddlebrook Elementary – a partnership between OPS, the Omaha Public Library and Omaha Parks and Recreation – a com-fortable setting incorporates reading and study areas. Photo courtesy Tom Kessler.

Opposite page, the North High addition was completed in 2010. Photo courtesy Tom Kessler.

By Paula Lukowski


Jake AllenTreynor HighTreynor, Iowa

Son ofEric Allen

Substation Operations

Carlos AlvarezNorth High

Son ofLuis Alvarez

Nuclear Operations

Anthony ArenasSouth High

Son ofLeonard Arenas III

Facilities Management

Marie ArmstrongMillard South HighGranddaughter of

Bill ArmstrongRetired

Aimee BakerMillard South High

Daughter ofRuss Baker

Environmental & Regulatory Affairs

Tayler BensonLogan-Magnolia High

Logan, IowaDaughter ofPhil Benson

Nuclear Operations

Sarah BergeronGross HighDaughter ofBill Bergeron

T&D Operations

Tony BlessieCreighton Prep

Son ofBill Blessie

Nuclear Operations

Jacob BlumMillard North High

Son ofPhil Blum

T&D Operations

Jake BoroBellevue West High

Son of Tom Boro

T&D Operations

Brandon BroschatRalston High

Son ofRobin BroschatT&D Operations

Madeline BuellBlue Valley

Southwest HighOverland Park, Kan.

Daughter ofDavid Buell

Nuclear Engineering

Art CaiCreighton Prep

Son ofJialin Cai

Information Technology

Lindsay CarrSummit Christian

AcademyTulsa, Okla.

Granddaughter ofRichard Lindsay

Retired

Allison ClarkGross HighDaughter of

Al ClarkNuclear Performance

Improvement & Support

Brianna CollettWestside HighDaughter ofGary Collett

T&D Operations

Price Comstock earns Perfect ACT Score

Price Comstock is among the 16 Nebraska students from the Class of 2011 who earned a perfect ACT score.

The ACT is a national college admissions exam that consists of subject area tests in English, math, reading and science. Less than one tenth of one percent of the nearly 1.6 million high school graduates who take the ACT get a perfect composite score of 36. The average composite score for Nebraska students is 22.1.

Price is the son of Juli and John Comstock. Juli is division manager of Customer Service Operations. Price attended Roncalli Catholic High School, and he is headed to the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Scott and Regents scholarships. He plans to major in computer engineering.

Price is among the 102 high school and 64 college graduates featured in this special graduation issue.

Students who received perfect scores were honored at a ceremony in Lincoln this spring. Pictured from the left are State Education Commissioner Roger Breed, Price Comstock and Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman.

2011 High School


Price ComstockRoncalli High

Son ofJuli Comstock

Customer Service Operations

Lauren CornicPapillion-LaVista High

Granddaughter ofGary Cornic

Information TechnologyConnie Cornic


Xavier CummingsNorth High

Son ofJohnny Cummings

Nuclear PerformanceImprovement & Support

Ellie DawsGrand Island

Northwest HighGranddaughter of

Betty BarnardRetired

Jessie DawsGrand Island

Northwest HighGranddaughter of

Betty BarnardRetired

Sara DoghmanCentral HighDaughter of

Mohamad DoghmanExecutive

James DoyleHayden HighTopeka, Kan.Grandson ofFred Franco

Retired

Paxton FarrisNebraska City High

Son ofLarry Farris

Production Operations

Chance Leishman FranksLewis Central HighCouncil Bluffs, Iowa

Son ofJean Franks


Alexis FudgeWaverly HighWaverly, Neb.Daughter of Chris Lacey

Nuclear Operations

Skyler GebersNorth High

Son of Steven Gebers


Samuel GiebelhausenBennington High

Son ofTom Giebelhausen


Tyler GilmanGretna High

Son of Rick Gilman

Nuclear Operations

Sarah GodfreyWestside HighDaughter of

Cindy GodfreyCustomer Service

Operations

Balicia GouldNorthwest High

Daughter ofYolanda Mitchell-GastonInformation Technology

Dana GrayLouisville High

Daughter ofRuss Gray

Customer Sales & Service

Thomas GuniaSouth High

Son ofDennis Gunia

T&D Operations

Katherine GurtisBrownell-Talbot

Daughter ofTimothy Gurtis


Amy GurtisT&D Operations

Alex HaddadCreighton Prep

Son ofBassem Haddad

Nuclear Engineering

Ryan HansenMillard South High

Grandson ofBob DeMeulmeester Sr.

Retired

Billy HarderPapillion-LaVista High

Son ofSusan Harder


Grant HarrillBoys Town

Son of Jacque Harrill

Energy Marketing & Trading

Cooper HaugNorth High

Son ofRichard Haug


Mitchell GodfreyTreynor HighTreynor, Iowa

Son ofMike Godfrey



Haley InsingerMercy HighDaughter of

Dave InsingerSubstation Operations

Emily JaniakWestside HighDaughter ofRay Janiak


Chris JonesUnderwood HighUnderwood, Iowa

Grandson ofDean Jensen, Retired

Debbie JensenCustomer Sales &

Service

Paige JorgensenDC West High, Valley

Daughter ofKurt Jorgensen, T&D Operations

Granddaughter of Richard Miller, Retired

Niece of Rick Miller, T&D Ops.

Courtney KasunPapillion-LaVista

South HighDaughter ofTom Kasun

T&D Operations

Joel KentonWestside High

Son ofMelinda KentonT&D Operations

Abbi KenyonMillard North High

Daughter ofFred Kenyon

Retired

Rebecca KreisMillard North High

Daughter ofRandall Kreis


Karl KrieserMillard North High

Son of Greg Krieser


Olivia LarsenGretna HighDaughter ofTom Larsen

T&D Operations

Alyssa LockhartRoncalli HighDaughter of

Sheldon LockhartSystem Planning &Cost Management

Jason LynnNebraska City High

Son ofRay Lynn


Karissa MadlerPapillion-LaVista High

Daughter ofMark Madler

T&D Operations

Jordan McDonnellMillard West High

Son ofDeb McDonnell


Jamie MetzerNorth HighDaughter ofJane Metzer

Nuclear OperationsGranddaughter of

Mel ChampionRetired

Freddy MitchellRegis Jesuit High

Denver, Colo.Grandson ofFred Petersen

Retired

Daniel MoellerLogan View Jr.-Sr. High

Hooper, Neb.Son of

Chris MoellerNuclear Performance


Jordan HeidenreichMillard South High

Stepson ofJudy Ptacek

T&D Operations

Logan HeppMillard West High

Son ofSue Hepp


Cody HoffmanMillard North High

Son ofJeni Hoffman


Tyler HowellBlair High

Son ofLisa Warren


John HugPapillion-LaVista High

Son of Dave Hug

T&D Operations

Riley HaugGretna High

Granddaughter ofRichard Miller, Retired

Niece ofRick Miller & Kurt Jorgensen

(both T&D Operations)

Molly MisekMarian HighDaughter ofJulie Misek

Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support


Taylor MohlerLouisville High

Daughter ofJohn Mohler

T&D Operations

Dalton MorganEast Mills HighMalvern, Iowa

Son ofDavid Morgan

Business Planning &Analysis

Joe MuffCreighton Prep

Son ofTom Muff

Nuclear Operations

Jessica NagelNorth HighDaughter of

Mary (Beth) NagelNuclear Performance


Sahra NejadSkutt High

Daughter ofJohn Nejad

Nuclear Engineering

Kendall NicholsMillard South High

Daughter ofDawn Varner, Fuels

Stepdaughter ofDick Varner, Safety &

Technical Training

Kyle NissElkhorn High

Son ofJim Niss

T&D Operations

Ally NissenMillard North High

Daughter ofTim Nissen


Ian NorrisMillard South High

Son of Mike Norris

T&D Operations

Samantha NovakMillard North HighGranddaughter of

Edward TibkeRetired

Blake ObermeyerTekamah-Herman High

Tekamah, Neb.Son of

Brian ObermeyerNuclear Performance


Amanda PetersonLincoln East HighGranddaughter of

Glen PetersonRetired

Elizabeth PhillipsMarian HighDaughter ofBill Phillips

Nuclear Engineering

Joel PixleyLogan-Magnolia High

Logan, IowaSon of

John PixleySystem Planning &Cost Management

Eric RawnsleyWestside High

Stepson ofBrad Blome

Nuclear Operations

Courtney RietzMillard West High

Daughter ofBrandon Rietz

Nuclear Operations

Michael RomairePapillion-LaVista

South HighSon of

Chris RomaireProduction Operations

Casarah SchuttNorth Bend

Central HighDaughter ofEd Schutt

T&D Operations

Shelby ShuckQueen Creek HighQueen Creek, Ariz.

Daughter ofJerry Shuck


Dempsey SmithMillard West High

Son ofRonald Smith


Melissa Smith Central HighDaughter of

Kevin L. SmithNuclear Operations

Christopher SteinLeesville Road High

Raleigh, N.C.Grandson ofJoseph Stein

Retired

Devyn SteinLeesville Road High

Raleigh, N.C.Granddaughter of

Joseph SteinRetired

Shelby StrongPlattsmouth High

Daughter of Don Strong

T&D Operations


James WagnerMillard West High

Son ofGale Wagner

System Planning &Cost Management

Elizabeth (Beth) WaldeMillard West High

Daughter ofAnthony Walde


Justin WardSkutt High

Son ofSharyl McGuireT&D Operations

Nephew ofJohn DeBoer, Retired

Joseph WeaverCreighton Prep

Grandson ofFred Franco

Retired

Alex WetroskyNebraska City High

Son ofDavid Wetrosky


Carly WilsonElkhorn HighDaughter ofRich Wilson


Joshua TuckerMillard North High

Son ofJohn Tucker


Bailey VancePapillion-LaVista

South HighGranddaughter of

Kenneth VanceRetired

Aaron VandryBlair High

Grandson ofChris Sarnowski

RetiredNephew of David Conn

Nuclear Operations

Brittney VanecekSilverado HighLas Vegas, Nev.

Granddaughter ofCharlie Vanecek, Retired

Niece of Glenda YostSubstation Operations

Kylee WismontBurke High

Granddaughter ofJerry Leahy

T&D OperationsNiece of

Jamie MooreSafety & Technical Training

Jessica ZagataFort Calhoun High

Daughter ofJoe Zagata

Nuclear Engineering

Austin AndersonEmporia State University

Emporia, Kan.Son of

Sheri AndersonHuman Resources

Christine BaileyConcordia University

Seward, Neb.Daughter of John Bailey


Nick BakerUniversity of Nebraska

LincolnSon of

Russ BakerEnvironmental & Regulatory Affairs

Kathy BaileyUniversity of Nebraska

OmahaDaughter ofJohn Bailey


Corey ThieleCreighton Prep

Son ofDave Thiele

Corporate Accounting

Alex ThackerBennington High

Son ofJeff Thacker

Substation OperationsGrandson of

Jim Clark, Retired

25 Employees Receive College Degrees

Among the 64 college graduates featured in this special section, 25 are OPPD employ-ees.

Congratulations to all the graduates.

2011 College


Sarah BeasleyDoane College

Crete, Neb.Daughter ofJerry Beasley

Nuclear Assessments

Jessica BockBellevue University

EmployeeNuclear Operations

Alexander BostwickPeru State College

Son ofKathleen Schmahl, IT

Stepson ofWilliam SchmahlT&D Operations

Chris BottumMaster’s

Univ. of Northern ColoradoSon of Thomas Bottum

Nuclear EngineeringNephew of

Steve Bottum, Retired

Justin BottumMaster’s

Bellevue UniversitySon of Thomas Bottum

Nuclear EngineeringNephew of

Steve Bottum, Retired

Helen BreuerUniversity of Nebraska

Kearney, Neb.Daughter ofMark Breuer

Nuclear Operations

Christopher BurtonUniversity of Nebraska

LincolnSon of

Thomas BurtonProduction Engineering &

Technical Support

Bryce ButtOhio University

Athens, OhioSon of

Mike ButtSafety & Technical

Training

Cody ButtMaster’s

Harvard Business SchoolBoston, Mass.

Son ofMike Butt

Safety & Technical Training

Chelsie DawsUniversity of Central

OklahomaEdmond, Okla.

Granddaughter ofBetty Barnard

Retired

Christopher EdwardsMorningside College

Sioux City, IowaSon of

Michael EdwardsNuclear Performance


Douglas FlegleUniversity of Nebraska

LincolnSon of

Don FlegleRetired

Jacob GardnerMaster’s

Bellevue UniversityEmployee

Nuclear Operations

Kelsie HaugPeru State CollegeGranddaughter of

Richard Miller, RetiredNiece of

Rick MillerKurt Jorgensen

(both T&D Operations)

Karissa JohnsonOral Roberts University

EmployeeHuman Resources

John L. JonesBellevue University

Son ofJohn H. Jones


Audra JusticeMissouri Western

State Univ.College of Nursing

St. Joseph, Mo.Daughter ofAdam Justice

Nuclear Operations

Kaila KrieserIowa State University

Ames, IowaDaughter ofGreg Krieser


Matthew KroonYale University

New Haven, Conn.Son of

Verlyn KroonOperations Analysis

Abby LeeperUniversity of Kansas

Lawrence, Kan.Daughter ofTad Leeper

Human Resources

Justin LengemannDrake UniversityDes Moines, Iowa

Grandson ofMarv Lengemann

Retired

Spencer LimbachUniversity of Nebraska

LincolnSon of

Cheryl LimbachT&D Operations

Jose Maes Jr.Bellevue University

EmployeeT&D Operations

Melissa MahoneyUniversity of Nebraska

OmahaDaughter of

Gene MahoneyRetired


Sharyl McGuireMaster’s

University of NebraskaOmaha


Athena RobersonBellevue University

Employee Human Resources

Kira SwintonPeru State College

Daughter of Larry Farris


Jeffrey NelsonDoctorate

Capella UniversityMinneapolis, Minn.

EmployeeNuclear Performance


David SojkaUniversity of Nebraska

OmahaSon of

James SojkaInformation Technology

Melissa TschidaUniversity of Minnesota

Ann Arbor, Mich.Daughter of

Ric Prather, RetiredTrudy Prather

T&D Operations

Rachel OdomUniversity of Nebraska

LincolnEmployee

Nuclear Engineering

Monica StoneyUniversity of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Mich.Daughter ofDan Stoney

Retired

Ian McShaneUniversity of Nebraska

OmahaSon of

Tom McShaneNuclear Performance


Eli SchiesslerMaster’s


Nuclear Operations

Clarence Tooles IIPepperdine University

Malibu, Calif.Son of

Patricia ToolesBusiness Strategy &

Analysis

Mark O’ConnorBellevue University

EmployeeCustomer Sales & Service

Matthew SticeNorthwest Missouri

State Univ.Maryville, Mo.

Son ofDonna Lippy


Kate VeikUniversity of Nebraska

LincolnDaughter ofRandy Veik


Elizabeth PotterMaster’s

Rockhurst UniversityKansas City, Mo.

Daughter ofMike Potter


Jamila StovallCreighton University

Daughter ofAva Stovall


NOT PICTUREDRosetta Butler



Michael CavanaughBellevue University

EmployeeSafety & Technical

Training

Julianna ChomosMaster’s

University of NevadaReno, Nev.Daughter of

Sandor ChomosRetired

Lindley ErhartNebraska Methodist

CollegeOmaha

Daughter ofJim Erhart

Gayle Erhartboth T&D Operations

Kevin FerroneSoutheast Community

CollegeMilford, Neb.

Son ofPhilip Ferrone


Stacey GassonMaster’s



Sharon HansenCreighton University

School of LawWife of

Bruce HansenRetired

James HatcherBellevue University

EmployeeNuclear Performance


Jourdan HayMaster’s

Hamline UniversityMinneapolis, Minn.

Daughter ofJim Erhart, Gayle Erhartboth T&D Operations

Deanna HuffKaplan University

EmployeeCustomer Service

Operations

Renee JacobsenMaster’s



Tevi LawsonUniversity of Nebraska

OmahaEmployee

T&D Operations

Scott MarshallMetropolitan Community

CollegeEmployee


Jerry McCawBellevue University

EmployeeSafety & Technical

Training

David MorganMaster’s


Business Planning & Analysis

Jason PattersonBismarck State College


Carmen SchickerBellevue University

Employee Customer Service Operations

Aaron SmithMaster’s

Kansas State UniversityEmployee


Nathan StaroscikUniversity of Nebraska

LincolnEmployee

Production Engineering &Technical Support

Eric WilliamsMaster’s

Bellevue UniversityEmployee Finance


The SPARCS luncheon at Johnny’s Café in April was great, and President Gary Gates spoke to our group about topics that were very relevant, including the problems in Japan with the nuclear plant. Our May picnic at Chalco Hills was a rather cool day, but the food was great. We attended a play at the Community Playhouse on June 23 to see Guys and Dolls. On July 28, the group will attend a Storm Chasers baseball game. On Aug. 17, a one-day mystery tour is planned with Mostach Joe. The Sept. 11 outing will be wine tasting at Two Far North. On Oct. 23, we will attend a show at the Loft, eating at the Main Street Café. A bus tour to the Mississippi River is also planned. All of our outings have many old and new faces of OPPD, so come and have fun… We have had some new members joining the group, and we thank everyone that has attended our outings. Remember, you can be retired from OPPD or have 25 years of service to join the SPARCS group. Hope to see you at our outing and continue our mission: Special People Active and Retired Caring and Sharing.

- Dennis Vanek

SPARCS One More Has Worked all FCS OutagesThe special nuclear issue of Flash (May-June 2011) included a story about

three workers who have worked all 26 Fort Calhoun Station outages.Make that four workers – retiree Robert Schreurs was

inadvertently left off that list.Robert joined OPPD in 1971 as an

auxiliary operator at FCS, two years before the plant came online. He retired in 2001 as senior production planner in Nuclear Operations, but

has continued to work outages as a contractor.Refueling outages are completed every 18 months

to reload about one-third of the fuel and perform other necessary maintenance tasks throughout the plant.

People

the processes, and led a highly technical team of engineering, marketing and sales people to profitability after one year.

In 2007, Sherrye was named division manager – Human Resources and developed a strategic and customer-focused business model with a motto of “It’s All About People.” She devised the plan for creating a Succession Planning Model for executive and critical posi-tion replacements; executed a strategic and competitive philosophy around critical jobs and executive compensation; improved the hiring timeline by 50 percent using the Lean principles; and developed a Strategic Recruit-ing Plan by engaging executives and college alumni from OPPD.

An active community member, Sherrye serves on the boards of directors of the Oma-ha Children’s Museum and the Urban League of Nebraska. She is a member of the Human Resources Association of the Midlands. She has co-chaired the American Heart Association’s

Sherrye Hutcherson was named vice presi-dent of Essential Services, effective July 1. Sher-rye replaced Adrian Minks, who retired from that position (see page 7).

Sherrye will oversee Facilities Management, Human Resources, Information Technology, Material Management, and Sustainable Energy & Environmental Stewardship.

Sherrye began her career with OPPD in 1999 in Economic Development. In 2000, she was promoted to division manager – Market Research & Product Management, oversee-ing mass-market power quality solutions for customers and load-shaping opportunities for OPPD. She led the team through product de-velopment and execution plans that increased revenues and achieved profitability.

In 2004, Sherrye was named division manag-er – Customer Solutions, where she was given the additional responsibility for large commer-cial and industrial products and services. She restructured the organization, reengineered

Sherrye Hutcherson Named Vice President“Go Red for Women” campaign and the ICAN Women’s Lead-ership Conference for metropolitan Omaha, and serves on ICAN’s board of directors. Sherrye has been named one of Ten Outstanding Young Omahans, as well as Distinguished Service Award Winner that same year, and was named by the Midlands Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” recipient.

Sherrye earned an MBA from Creighton Uni-versity in Omaha, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and holds professional cer-tifications in human resources, economic devel-opment, and business retention and expansion.

Sherrye and her husband, Wes, are the proud parents of first-grade twins, Maya and Miles.


People

June RetirementsSandor E. Chomos, senior nuclear design engineer, Nuclear Engineering, retired June 1 with 20 years of ser-vice. Sandor joined OPPD in 1990 as a test performance engineer in Production Engineering.

Wilbert F. McLemore, nuclear security officer, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support, retired June 1 with 15 years of service. Wilbert joined OPPD in 1995 in that same position.

Charlene R. Meyer, steam-fitter worker mechanic crew leader, Nuclear Operations, retired June 1 with 32 years of service. Charlene joined OPPD in 1978 as a guard at Fort Calhoun Station.

Leon R. Wright, shift super-visor – Nebraska City, Pro-duction Operations, retired June 1 with 18 years of service. Leon joined OPPD in 1983 as an auxiliary operator – NC Operations,

Production Operations.

Beverly J. Glover, senior radiation protection technician, retired June 1 with 22 years of service. Beverly joined OPPD in 1989 as a junior clerk in Nuclear Operations.

Holly L. Hartwell, nuclear engineering technical specialist, Nuclear Engineering, retired June 1 with 21 years of service. Holly joined OPPD in 1989 as an auxiliary operator in Nuclear Operations.

James D. Hilgenkamp, system engineer, Nuclear Engineering, retired June 1 with 22 years of ser-vice. Jim joined OPPD in 1988 as a system engi-neer in Production Engineering.

Raymond Johnson, apprentice line technician, T&D Operations, retired June 1 with 24 years of service. Raymond joined OPPD in 1986 as a meter reader in Meter Reading.

30 YearsDenise Eucker, Customer Service OperationsThomas Heng, Nuclear EngineeringAlan Kaspar, Substation OperationsBernard Krejci, Production OperationsLouis Mrla, T&D OperationsMark Nelson, System Planning & Cost ManagementRonald Short, Nuclear Construction & Project ManagementLeland Smith, T&D Operations

25 YearsBradley Blome, Nuclear OperationsJohn Cate, Nuclear EngineeringTodd Culp, T&D OperationsBlaine Dinwiddie, T&D OperationsLarry Hagan, Facilities ManagementRobert Huebner, Information TechnologyJon Iverson, Energy Marketing & TradingDwight McGrath, Nuclear OperationsDouglas Molzer, Nuclear EngineeringJames Ocander, T&D OperationsMichael Palmisano, T&D OperationsRussell Plott, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportBrian Schmeling, System Planning & Cost ManagementPatrick Schramm, Production OperationsKristie Thompson, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support

20 YearsEugene Bolz, Substation OperationsSandra Erickson, FinanceJason Hiatt, T&D OperationsCharles Kinney, Production OperationsDouglas Madison, Substation OperationsStanley Montemayor, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportDavid Sandstedt, Information TechnologyDale Storey, Material ManagementKurt Teten, T&D Operations

May-June Service Anniversaries15 YearsRose Mary Jacobsen, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support

10 YearsLinda Allen, Production OperationsSusan Anderson, Customer Service OperationsJeffrey Breeding, System Planning & Cost ManagementJoseph Connell, Facilities ManagementJames Copas, Nuclear OperationsTerence Dugan, Customer Service OperationsBrian Dvorak, T&D OperationsJerremy Fankhauser, T&D OperationsGregory Franks, Production Engineering & Technical SupportRyan Headley, FinanceBryan Huebner, Nuclear OperationsKurtis Jorgensen, T&D OperationsNiki Kutz, Production OperationsMichael May, Substation OperationsCarla McLeod, Customer Service OperationsWesley Moore, Facilities ManagementJohn Petrulis, FinanceMatthew Rybenski, Nuclear EngineeringMahmood Safi, T&D OperationsDebra Salnicky, Customer Service OperationsJames Stevens, Energy Services PlanningKevin Sunderman, T&D OperationsKevin Talbott, Production OperationsJinrong Wang, Customer Sales & Service

5 YearsTrevor Fiala, Production OperationsAdam Gartner, Nuclear EngineeringKurt Hartman, Facilities ManagementThomas Heitkamp, Production OperationsRobert Kros, Nuclear OperationsMelissa Lester, Substation OperationsKelsey Martz, Nuclear Performance Improvement & SupportDonald Miller, Nuclear OperationsMelissa Sperry, Customer Service Operations

SympathiesShellie and Dale Storey, Material Management, for the death of Shellie’s parents, Clarence and Deloris Lentz.

Beth and Jeff Craig, Omaha Center, for the death of Beth’s father, Eldon Potter, on May 8.

Ann and Joe Benes, FCS Work Management, and Jeanne and Dan Huelskamp, Metering & Collections, for the death of Joe and Jeanne’s father, James Benes.

Dave Kulisek, retired, for the death of his mother, Lila Kulisek, on June 3.

Dave Hanna, Omaha Center, for the death of his grandmother, Loretta Vacek, 95, on June 7.

Leonard Meador, retired, for the death of his wife, Glorie, on May 30.

John Bailey, Substation Operations, for the death of his father, Don Bailey.


July RetirementsKathleen R. Duckworth, supervisor – Administrative Services, Production Opera-tions, retired July 1 with 36 years of service. Kathy joined OPPD in 1975 as a stenographer in General Accounting.

Adrian J. Minks, vice presi-dent – Marketing and Support Services, retired July 1 with 23 years of ser-vice. Adrian joined OPPD in 1988 as manager – Corpo-rate Computer Planning.

Leonard D. Hare, senior quality control inspec-tor – Quality Assurance & Quality Control, retired July 1 with 11 years of service. Leonard joined OPPD in 1999 as a quality control inspec-tor in Quality Control.

Roger C. Pierce, distribution system operator, T&D Operations, retired July 1 with 20 years of service. Roger joined OPPD in 1990 as a line technician in Electric Operations.

DeathsServices were held May 6 in Omaha for David L. Byers, 63, shown in a 2000

photo. Dave joined OPPD in 1975 as a communication technician in Communi-cations and retired in 2001 as supervisor – data communications in Information Technology.

Dave was preceded in death by his mother, Dorcas. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children, Michael Alan (Becci) Byers, Parker Tretheway, Michael Sean (Dawn) Tretheway, Beth (Jay) Pettit and Ben Tretheway; nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; father, Jim Byers; brothers, Don (Teri) Byers, Russ (Machelle) Byers; sisters, Pat (Tom) Weddle and Jan McNew.

Services were held some time in June for John L. Casey, 98. John joined OPPD in 1929 as a stub clerk in Customer Accounting and retired in 1977 as manager of Customer Accounting.

No personal information was available.

Services were held June 15 in Albuquerque for Jack L Wilkins, shown in a 1973 photo. Jack joined OPPD in 1949 as an instrument technician and was an assistant general manager responsible for Material Management, Management Systems Services, System Planning, Environmental and Regulatory Affairs and Projects and Construction Divisions at the time of his retirement.

Jack is survived by his wife, Nancy; and two daughters, Pam Vaughn (Stan) of Omaha and Julie Clark (John) of Madison Wis.; two grandsons, Tim Vaughn (Denai) and John Clark (Nicole); granddaughter, Christine Clark Harris (TJ); and five great-grandchildren, Cassie Stolp, Victoria Vaughn, Gatlin Clark, Zac and Wade Harris.

Services were held June 21 in Omaha for Robert J. Graves, 82, shown in a 1988 photo. Bob joined OPPD in 1968 and retired in 1991 as a commercial representative in the Customer Services Operations Division.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Hazel Graves, and daugh-ter, Judith Lynn. He is survived by his wife, Therese; sister, Jean Michelsen (Mike); children, James Graves (Kristi), Janet Gleason (Bob), Jean Chastain (Joel), and Michele Gates (Clif); grandchildren, Matthew, Jessica, Jamie, Tena, Tyler, Talia, Joshua, Jourdain, Jakob and Kelsey, and 10 great-grandchildren.

Services were held June 25 in Elkhorn for William D. Eastman Jr., 80. Bill joined OPPD in 1959 as a helper and retired in 1994 as a transportation working crew leader at the Irvington Center.

Bill is survived by his wife, Marjorie; son, Brad Eastman; daughter, Vanessa Eastman; brothers: Jim (Barb) Eastman, Russell (Lola) Eastman, Marvin Gail (Liz) Eastman and Kevin (Maria) Eastman; sisters: Darlene Hunt, Carol Flanery, Shirley (Ken) Smith, Twyla (Berry) Lindsey, and Pat (Mike) Bell.

Services were held July 2 in Omaha for Allonzo Morgan, 73, shown in a 1993 photo. Allonzo joined OPPD in 1968 as a helper in the machine shop and retired in 1998 as senior maintenance worker at North Omaha.

Allonzo is survived by his wife, Louise; mother, Susie Morgan; sisters, Dorothy Helen, Almetrice (Ruelle), Maeola (Johnelle); daughters, Debra (Donald) Bolden, Diane Morgan, Sandra Lessley; sons, James Morgan, Gervals (Sherlyn) Lessley, Kem Morgan; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren.

ElPoCoEl Po Co would like to invite everyone to attend the Summer Outing at the Bellevue Berry Farm

on Thursday, July 14. This will be a "grill your own steak" format, just like we do at the Fall outing. For an additional fee, you'll be allowed to bring a guest. Invites have gone out, so we’d like for all members to come out and have some fun. We also welcome two new members to the club, Jonathan Shipman and James Shipman.

- By Heather Rawlings

Retirees Betty Zaller, Bev Baggett, Jackie Perry and Lorraine Quinn vacationed in Savannah, Ga. They traveled through Nashville to enjoy some shows at the theatre Betty’s son owns… Sharon and Don Hutson spent two weeks in April touring Italy, including Rome, Sorrento, Florence and Pompeii… Elaine and Harold Wil-liamson boarded a bus for a three-day tour… Lucille and Alfred DuPree celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on May 1 with a family dinner. Their son surprised them with a card shower, with many cards received… Theo and Don Jones and their two daughters took a two-week tour of Ireland. The trip was fantastic… In May, Janet and Ed Guthrie travelled to Laugh-lin. The report back was “enjoyable, however not profitable,”… Delmer Bock and family are enjoying a visit from their daughter, Barb, from California… Al and Lynne Sledge went to Bea-trice for Lynne’s 45th class reunion… David and Sharon Dickman returned from a two-week tour to Ireland and Scotland. The 44 different shades of green were enjoyed in Ireland, along with great entertainment both places.

- By Sharon Dickman

High Voltage Club

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DJ Jacobberger-Clarke Receives OPPD Award

DJ Jacobberger-Clarke, manager – Executive Communications, was selected to receive the 2011 OPPD Award of Excellence. Employees nominate co-workers for the award.

DJ formally accepted the award at the OPPD Family Picnic at the Henry Doorly Zoo on July 10.

A 30-year employee of OPPD, DJ began her career at OPPD in Customer Account Services. In 1987, she transferred to Corporate Commu-nications, where she worked as a publications editor, supervisor of Publications & Advertis-ing, supervisor of Media Relations, and as man-ager – Publications & Advertising.

“DJ is recognized as a person who is compe-tent, helpful, cheerful and easy to work with. She is successful in directing projects and com-pleting tasks. This success can be attributed to her excellent communication and people skills that carry her forward,” wrote Cherie Carlson of Business Strategy & Analysis in her nomina-tion.

“DJ is a model employee who embraces the Ideal Culture at OPPD. Her positive and respectful behavior helps ‘make it happen,’ which is the highest level of accountability at OPPD,” Cherie added.

In also nominating DJ for this honor, Christi Labs of the Executive area wrote, “DJ has become a mentor to me at OPPD – someone I look up to and strive to be like in my pro-

Award of Excellence NomineesCongratulations to all of this year’s award nominees.

Phyllis FuhsInformation Technology

Barb GullieCustomer Service Operations

Dwayne HansenInformation Technology

Rich HaugNuclear Performance Improvement & Support

Tim JohnsonInformation Technology

Joel JohnstonProduction Operations

Mike PotterInformation Technology

Dave SpargoFCS Plant Operations

Sue VanecekInformation Technology

“After my initial surprise, I was really touched by the award. When I read some of the comments, I was moved to tears. It truly is an honor to know that this award came from people with whom I work closely. It’s not too often that I’m speechless, but I was after the announcement. I received many nice emails and phone calls from cowork-ers. I feel so blessed to work with some of the greatest people. That’s what truly has sustained me all these years.” – DJ Jacobberger

fessional career. She is always willing and ready for whatever is handed to her, no matter the deadline.”

In yet another nomination, Laurie Zagurski of Corporate Communications wrote, “Inter-nally and externally, people can attest to DJ’s customer service skills, work ethic and passion for mentoring. Throughout her tenure, she has attended numerous OPPD development programs, obtained her master’s degree and has supported the company’s efforts through publications, advertising, media and executive communications.

“Equally important, her attitude mirrors her credentials. DJ truly cares about those she works with – their health, safety and families. She is a voice of reason and is always ready with an open door and listening ear. She recog-nizes the efforts of those around her; she looks for the best in people and when challenged with a difficult situation, she chooses to focus on the positive,” Laurie added.

July-August Flash

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Transcript of July-August Flash