Outstanding Engineer Award
| 2008 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
The Outstanding Engineer Award is given to recognize outstanding contributions of a
local engineer to the power engineering profession.
Outstanding Engineer selection guidelines can be found here.
To submit a nomination for Outstanding Engineer, please click here.
Outstanding Engineer 2008: Marty L. Page
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Marty Page was born in Dalton, GA and graduated from Murray County High in 1977. After high school, he worked full time at a building supply store and attended night classes at the local community college. A subtle turning point came in his life in the summer of 1978 in the form of a pay raise at work... A mere ten cents an hour after one year of work experience!
So, in the fall of 1978, Marty started full-time classes at what was then named Southern Technical Institute in Marietta, GA. Whle there, he worked part-time jobs and took out student loans in order to pay for school. In 1982 he earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology degree from Southern Polytechnic Institute and later that same year started working for Georgia Power Company. Soon afterward, he married Lisha Carnes from Gainesville, GA. He and Lisha have two children, Bethany and Ryan, age 22 and 19.
Marty began his career at GPC working in the Fault Data Department for Bob Burnette, whom Marty believes to have been one of the brightest engineers and best teachers he has known in his career at Georgia Power. Marty's career includes Substation testing and commissioning work and resolving power quality problems within industrial and commercial facilities. His present responsibilities as a Principal Engineer involve power quality issues on the Georgia Power Distribution System and include studies and investigations of harmonics, voltage flicker, and stray voltage.
Marty is a registered professional engineer in Georgia since 1992 and is a member of the IEEE Power Engineering Society. Within the IEEE PES he is an active member of several working groups including the revision to IEEE P1250 "Draft Guide for Improving Voltage Quality in Power Systems" and the initial writing of IEEE P1695 the "Trial-Use Guide for Assessing Voltages at Publicly and Privately Accessible Locations".
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Outstanding Engineer 2004: Ronald L. Purvis
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Ron grew up in Sylvester, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Army. In 1965 he earned the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Ron is licensed by the state of Georgia as a Professional Engineer. He has been active in the IEEE, the Edison Electric Institute, the Southeastern Electric Exchange and the International Association of Electrical Inspectors.
In April 2005, Ron retired from Georgia Power Company, where he worked most of his career. First in Marketing and then in Distribution, Ron carved a unique niche for himself as the company's leading expert on the National Electrical Code. He also supported the company's field engineers with his expertise in stray voltage investigations.
As a voting member of the N.E.C. code-making panels, Ron helped create the standards for wiring and electrical equipment throughout the United States. He brought a utility perspective into the code-making process.
Much of Ron's time is spent teaching others. He teaches classes on the N.E.C. for electricians, inspectors and engineers, promoting the safe use of electricity and increasing the skill level in the technical community. In recent years, Ron has learned to speak Spanish. He teaches Spanish-language Sunday School in his church, and he hopes to get involved in international missions.
Ron Purvis has contributed much to the engineering profession and the power industry over the course of his career. His quiet dedication and terrific work ethic are an inspiration to all who know him. For all of these contributions to his profession and his community, it's a pleasure to honor Ron Purvis as the IEEE Power Engineering Society's Atlanta Chapter 2004 Outstanding Engineer.
Distinctions
Senior Member, IEEE
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Outstanding Engineer 2003: Larry T. Coffeen
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Mr. Coffeen was born in Athens, Georgia and grew up on a farm outside of Athens. He spent his college career as a co-op student with Georgia Power Company while earning a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1970. He continued to work for Georgia Power in the areas of Transmission Substation Testing and High Voltage Testing until the formation of NEETRAC in January of 1996. Mr. Coffeen was instrumental in developing the NEETRAC High Voltage Laboratory and the 1995 and current revision in progress of "IEEE Standard Techniques for High Voltage Testing". He has been a laboratory instructor for graduate level courses in High Voltage Engineering at Georgia Tech as well as industry short courses in High Voltage Practices and Testing. Mr. Coffeen has been the principal investigator on numerous high voltage research projects and the most recent include the development of test techniques and dedicated test equipment to predict imminent failure in essential power transformers and bushings. His other interests include studying the Bible, running, and auto mechanics.
Research Interests
- Technology and test equipment development for predicting transformer and bushing failures using frequency response analysis (FRA)
- Energy storage and power conversion equipment for commercial use
- Development of new high voltage testing techniques for field applications
Distinctions
- Senior Member, IEEE
- Member IEEE Power System Instrumentation and Measurements Committee and member of the Transformers Committee Task Force on FRA Guide development
- Member IEEE Power Electronics Society
- 1997 PES Working Group Award for IEEE std 4-1995
- 2003 Working Group Recognition Award for Outstanding Technical Report, IEEE/PES/PSIM High Voltage Testing Techniques Subcommittee Report, "IEEE Std 4 High Voltage Testing Techniques Past, Present and Future."
- Holds two U.S. patents on power transformer frequency response analysis with a third U.S. patent pending
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Outstanding Engineer 2002: John R. Kennedy, P.E.
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BEE, 1973, Georgia Institute of Technology
Professional Credentials
Registered Professional Engineer, State of Georgia, 1980
IEEE Affiliations
Senior Member IEEE, Power Engineering Society, Industrial Applications Society
Committee Work
IEEE 519, IEEE519A, Single Phase Harmonics, 1409 Custom Power, IEEE P1346 (PQ Compatibility Guidelines), P1547 (DG Interconnection Standard), Voltage Quality Group
Other
- Past Chair of EPRI Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Committee on Load Management, Power Quality, and Distribution
Committee developed electric battery charger specifications and standards with the major auto manufacturers. Assisted in the research and writing of several papers on the effects of charging on the distribution system (Effects of Olympic Battery Chargers on the Distribution System, Effects of Vehicle Charging on the Distribution System, Secondary Effects of Vehicle Charging on the Distribution System). Developed a standard method for testing electric vehicle battery chargers for compatibility with the electric distribution system.
- Chairman of the Southern Company Power Quality Task Force
Responsible for developing Southern Company standards for power quality, harmonics and voltage flicker. This committee also selects research projects in power quality for the Southern Company, such as flywheels, static voltage restorers, batteries, other UPS technologies, high speed internet, and other new technology.
- Technical advisor for distributed generation
Involved in research and applications of Distributed Generation. Authored a section on DG in the new Electric Power Engineering Handbook by CRC, 2000 edition.
Distribution Research Activities
Managed projects on Distribution Customer Perceptions of Reliability and Power Quality, Optimum Lightning Protection Design (also co-authored 2 papers in this area), developed a Power Quality Database for the Distribution system using Quad IV meter data and system data, high speed power line carrier internet technologies, other grounding, and stray voltage research.
Work Activities
Responsible for Power Quality and Reliability of the Distribution System. Activities include harmonic studies and analysis, flicker studies and analysis, other customer related studies. Develops and directs the implementation of reliability strategy for GPC. Developed a prioritization method for distribution system improvement. Performs distribution coordination studies. Manages a staff of 17 reliability engineers. Responsible for approval of all distribution relay and coordination changes. Serves as the resource for solving power quality and other related distribution problems. Conducts seminars and make outside presentations on power quality and reliability related subjects.
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