 |
Stephen R. Cieslewicz, President/Chief Consultant
With more than 30 years of industry experience, Stephen R. Cieslewicz has established himself as a leading expert in utility
vegetation management (UVM). In working with utilities, regulators and service providers around the world, Cieslewicz has been
directly involved in the bulk of tree and power line issues of note. He was a principal UVM investigator for the Joint U.S./Canada
Power Systems Outage Task Force, a principal author of all UVM related reports following the August 14, 2003 blackout, and is
currently a member of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) FAC-003 drafting committees. Cieslewicz has
testified as an expert at many significant legal, regulatory and legislative hearings. He is a past president of the Utility
Arborist Association (UAA) and a recipient of numerous awards, including the UAA Utility Arborist Award, UAA President’s Award,
and certificates of appreciation from the U.S. and Canadian governments. Cieslewicz is also a well known speaker and author on
UVM issues.
|
|
 |
Derek Vannice, Vice President of Operations
An icon in the UVM industry, Derek Vannice joined CNUC in 2011 after decades of success at
two chief industry organizations, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Utility Arborist Association (UAA).
As ISA director of certification, he increased the program’s Certified Arborists from 2,000 to more than 26,000 in 50 countries.
Concurrently, as UAA executive director, Vannice was responsible for many initiatives and programs that advanced the
organization and industry in regard to reputation, technology and training. He served as the primary spokesman for the utility
arboriculture industry and also provided expert testimony in regulatory hearings. Vannice was the 2008 recipient of the ISA
Achievement Award and the 2011 recipient of the UAA President’s Award. Vannice holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry and
a Master of Business Administration and has done independent consulting work with utilities and line clearance companies across
North America.
|
|
 |
William Porter, Director of Consulting Services
Will Porter is CNUC’s principal project manager for benchmarking and research. His work supports
consulting and field operations with unparalleled data, analysis and training. With nearly 20 years of experience in the
utility vegetation management (UVM) industry, Porter has direct knowledge of all aspects of UVM work. Since coming to CNUC in
2008, he has directed many program and compliance reviews and special projects and has performed detailed analysis of all
existing UVM metrics. Porter was the principal author of the 2010 benchmarking publication. He and his staff also continually
monitor and evaluate legal and regulatory changes, issues and trends related to UVM in North America and abroad. Porter brings
to CNUC a unique understanding of UVM programs, best practices and research intersections. |
|