Baltimore Chapter IEEE Power & Energy Society Outstanding Engineers
| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 |
2012 Outstanding Engineer
Brian Majerowicz
Brian Majerowicz is a Lead Engineer in Substation Engineering & Standards at BGE. He has 23 years of experience at BGE with 13 years focused in electric substation engineering. His professional responsibilities include leading a team of engineers and designers applying engineering principles in substation design and high voltage equipment application. His work has a particular focus in substation high voltage electrical equipment application and failure analysis. More recent engineering projects include 230kV GIS 18 Breaker Substation Investigation and Design, 230kV Ring Bus to 115kV H-Tie Bay Open Air Substation Design, and 115kV 9 breaker H-Tie bay GIS Substation & 230kV 2-ring / 8 breaker GIS substation design.Brian is a Registered Professional Engineer (MD) and Master General Electrician. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Engineering degree.
2011 Outstanding Engineer
James Mirabile
James A. Mirabile, P.E. obtained his BSEE from Drexel University and a Masters Degree in Administrative Science from the Johns Hopkins University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Maryland. He is also a Senior Member of IEEE and this title requires extensive experience, and reflects professional maturity and documented achievements of significance.
In his 26 years with BGE, Jim has held various technical and leadership positions. For 20 years, he worked in the Customer Engineering group where he worked with customers directly and achieved outstanding customer satisfaction scores. Jim was named BGE’s director of BRAC Initiatives in 2006 and he led the effort to prepare for growth associated with new military functions moved to Maryland at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Meade. He is an expert in infrastructure planning with regard to the Federal government’s Base Realignment and Closure process.
Jim Mirabile is a recognized expert in mandatory North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards which affect nearly every aspect of electric transmission operations, planning, and engineering. Named a Transmission Compliance Consultant in 2009, Jim provides consulting services to BGE Subject Matter Experts on how to achieve and maintain compliance with applicable reliability standards. He fosters a culture of compliance through BGE’s transmission business by developing and administering training, newsletters, and through other communication methods.
Jim’s hobbies include gardening and volunteering at the Howard P. Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Garden in Druid Hill Park. Jim is also a member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society, the National Society of Professional Engineers, Maryland Society of Professional Engineers, United States Green Building Council – Maryland Chapter, and the Association of Energy Engineers. He is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), Certified in Power Quality (CPQ), and a LEED AP O+M.
2010 Outstanding Engineer
Charles Matassa
Charles P. Matassa was named the 2010 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Power & Energy Society Outstanding Engineer. Charlie graduated from Lehigh University In 1972 and started in the BGE Planning Department Electrical System Analysis Unit where he developed engineering programs used by the planning organizations and performed fault, motor start and various other engineering calculations. This was a good area to begin his career as it gave him a good foundation on engineering calculations and programming that aided him for his entire career.
After several years, Charlie moved to what was known as "Interconnection Planning". There he performed studies with representatives from other PJM companies of the high voltage PJM bulk power system. For those that are unfamiliar with PJM, PJM was back then what was termed a power pool where power was freely interchanged among its nine utility members to what is now termed a Regional Transmission Organization with 683 members.
This move to "PJM Planning" afforded Charlie the opportunity to greatly expand his areas of knowledge. Through memberships on numerous PJM groups, Charlie was able to develop expertise two main areas: power system reliability and dynamic analysis that became his passion for many years.
And then came wholesale deregulation to the electric industry - a whole new set of rules, a whole new vernacular. And Charlie was there helping to develop one of the three main agreements that are the foundation documents of PJM. Charlie also participated in two groups that established a new reliability organization. ReliabilityFirst, that is a regional arm of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation that set standards for Planning and Operations of the electric systems across the US.
Charlie now has 6 engineers working for him planning the needs of the BGE system out as far as 20 years.
2009 Outstanding Engineer
Kirk Rae
Kirk A. Rae was named the 2009 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Power & Energy Society Outstanding Engineer. Kirk’s field of expertise is the area of transmission and distribution protective relaying, where he has held various positions ranging from engineer through principal engineer as part of his 19 year career with BGE.
He has been a member of the Baltimore Power and Electronics Society Executive Committee since 1991, holding positions such as publicity chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Vice-Chairman, Chairman and member of the Advisory Board.
Kirk is an active member of Hereford community where he has served as a basketball coach for the Hereford recreational league and is currently a member of the Hereford United Methodist Church Trustees Committee.
Kirk is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Maryland, having graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree in 1988. He is married with two children, ages 12 and 15.
2008 Outstanding Engineer
George Niles
George B. Niles was named the 2008 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Power & Energy Society Outstanding Engineer. George was the Principal Engineer of BGE's Overhead Transmission & Support Unit. He's a licensed professional engineer in the state of Maryland, having graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Northeastern University and an MBA from Loyola College in Baltimore. George has been a longtime supporter of IEEE and PES and an active member of several overhead transmission committees.
2007 Outstanding Engineer
Luis Giraldo
Luis A. Giraldo was named the 2007 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Power & Energy Society Outstanding Engineer. Luis is a Senior Protection & Control Engineer at BGE. His professional career experience spans approximately 16 years in the field of power system engineering - 13 years working on the transmission system in Colombia, South America and the last 3 years at BGE.
Since joining BGE in 2004, Luis has been the responsible Protection Engineer supporting a number of high profile capital projects. In 2007, he was actively involved in providing engineering support for a number of critical transmission projects, including Conastone and Waugh Chapel 500kV expansions and the new 115kV switching stations at Orchard and Westport.
In 2007, he obtained a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from National University of Colombia, his thesis being "Management and Solution of Electric Restraints in the Colombian Wholesale Electricity Market". He is currently working on a technical paper based on the Masters thesis. The paper abstract was submitted to the Planning Committee of the 2008 IEEE Latin American conference of the Power Engineering Society, to be held in Bogotá.
He has taught at utilities and universities in Colombia on topics including Power System Stability, Protection, Insulation Coordination, and Electromagnetic Transients. Luis is a member of the Power System Relaying Committee of IEEE/PES. He is also a member of the PJM Relay Subcommittee.
2006 Outstanding Engineer
Drew Bonthron
The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Engineering Society (PES) would probably not be where it is today had it not been for the perseverance and support of a few senior members, and Andrew J. Bonthron (Drew) sits well at the top. For this and other contributions to the engineering discipline, he is being awarded the Baltimore Power Engineering Society (PES) 2006 Outstanding Engineer of the Year award.
When first notified of his selection as the award recipient, Bonthron, in his always humble demeanor stated, "I am happy for such great news and I am truly honored". Bonthron expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the many PES members and other colleagues who have helped him over the years. He noted that engineering is a profession that requires a lifetime commitment for learning so mentoring is extremely important. Bonthron said, "I have been fortunate to have so many wonderful colleagues and mentors to assist me in my career."
Bonthron has been a member of IEEE & PES for over 25 years. He served as Baltimore PES Chapter Chair from 1989 to 1990 and was awarded senior member status within the IEEE in 1991. He is currently the chairman of the PES Membership Committee and the PES Chapter Representative for the Mid Atlantic area including chapters in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, DC. He serves on the Baltimore PES Advisory Board and Membership Committee.
"Drew was selected from a pool of very worthy candidates," said Dewane Daley, PES Chair. "Drew’s exceptional service and dedication toward preserving and promoting the value of belonging to a professionally affiliated institution like IEEE/PES has made him a well noted individual among his IEEE and BGE peers. He is one of the most pleasant and respectful persons I have ever worked with. He commands an attentive audience when he speaks due to his extensive knowledge of IEEE which is evident from his many involvements."
"Drew is a highly respected member of Constellation Energy’s IT team and I can’t think of a more deserving person to be recognized as the Outstanding Engineer of the Year," said Tim Waire, Vice President of Business Performance Improvement and IT for Constellation Generation Group. "His analytical skills were paramount to the success of our Hackett Benchmarking effort. His knowledge also proved invaluable as we worked to finalize our Consumption Based Pricing models."
Bonthron graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1974. In 1978, he received his BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and in 1983 he received his MBA from Loyola College with a concentration in Finance.
He joined Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) in June, 1978 as an Associate Engineer in the System Protection and Communication Section of the Electric Engineering Department. He served in a variety of roles within the Engineering, Telecommunications and Information Technology organizations of BGE and since 2003 in Constellation Energy. His current role is IT Business Consultant in Global Operations and Network Services in Constellation Energy's IT Infrastructure Services.
Drew is married with 2 children and 1 grandchild. He resides in Northern Baltimore County, Maryland. He is very proud of his family and recognized and thanked them for their support and encouragement for both his career and IEEE activities. He also noted, "I was especially pleased that my dad was able to make the awards ceremony since he was so instrumental in my choice of engineering profession."
2005 Outstanding Engineer
Ron Carstens
Ronald N. Carstens Jr. was named the 2005 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Engineering Society (PES) Outstanding Engineer. Mr. Carstens has over 17 years of experience in various engineering positions in Distribution Engineering, System Operations, Substations & Distribution Design, and Project Management at the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE). He has been the Project Manager on several large projects at BGE including the new Outage Management System (OMS), Mobile Dispatch System (MDS), and the Downtown Transmission & Distribution Plan Project. He presently is the Director of Project Management in the Electric Transmission & Distribution Division.
Mr. Carstens graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1988 and from the University of Baltimore with a MBA in 2001. He has been a member of IEEE since 1991 and a Senior Member since 1999. Mr. Carstens has served on the PES Membership Committee and on the PES Executive Committee as the Awards Chairman. Additionally, he has been the speaker at several PES technical presentations and presented a class on Distribution System Operations. He has also presented on OMS and MDS at several industry conferences including DistribuTECH and Marcus Evans OMS Seminar and he co-authored an article on OMS/MDS implementation that was featured as the cover article for the July 2005 edition of Transmission & Distribution World magazine. Mr. Carstens received his Professional Engineers License from the State of Maryland in 1995.
Mr. Carstens resides in Union Bridge, Maryland. He has volunteered in numerous local community activities and church committees.
2002 Outstanding Engineer
John Matthews
John W. Matthews was named the 2002 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Engineering Society (PES) Outstanding Engineer. Mr. Matthews has over 30 years of experience in various engineering positions in Substation Engineering, System Operations, and Electric Test, at the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE). He presently is an Engineering Consultant specializing in transformers in the Substation, System Protection, and Project Management Department.
Mr. Matthews graduated from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a Major Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Minor Degree in Nuclear Science in 1972. He has been a member of IEEE since 1968 and a Senior Member since 1989. On the national level, Mr. Matthews has served on the IEEE PES Transformers Committee since 1978. On that Committee, he has held the positions of Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Mr. Matthews has also Chaired the Performance Characteristics Subcommittee, Awards Committee and the IEEE Delegation to ANSI ASC C57 Committee in addition to serving on numerous working groups developing ANSI/IEEE Standards. He has also represented the United States in technical activities with the International Electrotechnical Commission in the development of international standards. In local activities, John has assisted in Baltimore Chapter membership activities and presented a class on Transformers and Reactors as part of the Electric Utility Systems & Practices Course.
Mr. Matthews resides in Manchester. He has volunteered in numerous local civic association activities and church committees.
2001 Outstanding Engineer
Bill Keagle
William A. Keagle, Jr., resident of Catonsville, was named the 2001 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Engineering Society (PES) Outstanding Engineer. Mr. Keagle has over 27 years of experience in various engineering & supervisory positions in Substation & System Protection, and Electric Test, at the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE).
Mr. Keagle graduated from the Northeastern University with a BSEE in 1975 and a Masters in Engineering Administration from George Washington University and has been a member of IEEE since 1974 and a Senior Member since 1980. Mr. Keagle was inducted into the Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society in 1974. After serving in a variety of committee positions, he was Chairman of Baltimore Chapter PES Executive Committee in 1986 and continues today to serve on the Advisory Committee. Mr. Keagle made presentations on various professional and technical topics at Baltimore Chapter PES technical meetings On the national level, Mr. Keagle served as Secretary of the Electricity Metering Subcommittee of the Power System Instrumentation & Measurement Committee of IEEE/PES from 1980 to 1986. Mr. Keagle has served several times as an instructor for Professional Engineers Exam Review Course - Electrical Engineering for the Baltimore Chapter of PES. Mr. Keagle is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Maryland, a member of National Society of Professional Engineers and has also taught several Professional Engineer Review classes for the University of Maryland - Baltimore County. Mr. Keagle also teaches mathematics and statistics at University of Phoenix/Columbia Campus.
Mr. Keagle demonstrated an extraordinary amount of leadership, skill, perseverance and ingenuity as the Chairman of the 1991 PICA Conference and the 1996 PES Winter Power Meeting in Baltimore. Mr. Keagle has volunteered in many leadership capacities including in Baltimore City Schools Curriculum Development, United Way, March of Dimes WalkAmerica and at St. Mark Church in Catonsville.
2000 Outstanding Engineer
Gerry Schmitt
Gerard L. Schmitt, resident of Parkton, was named the 2000 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Engineering Society (PES) Outstanding Engineer. Mr. Schmitt has over 20 years of experience in the systems protection area at the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE). He has designed and implemented various relay schemes at BGE. Mr. Schmitt has co-authored several technical papers focusing on relay applications and has served on Committees that have published ANSI standards.
Mr. Schmitt has been a member of the Power System Relay Committee - Line Protection Working Group since 1994. He was also a member of the working group that revised and reissued the present edition of the Transformer Protection Guide and a member of the working group that authored an award winning paper on protection aspects of voltage stability. Mr. Schmitt was previously a member of the Surge Protection Devices Committee from 1986 through 1991 where he served on various Working Groups.
Mr. Schmitt graduated from Northeastern University in 1977 and received a Masters Degree from Rensseleaer Polytechnic Institute in 1978. He has been a member of IEEE since 1973. He was a member of the Baltimore Chapter PES Executive Committee as the Publicity Chairman from 1985 through 1989. Mr. Schmitt has taught at Loyola College and for the Baltimore Chapter of PES in its Power Systems Engineering Course. He was a volunteer 1996 PES Winter Power Meeting in Baltimore.
1999 Outstanding Engineer
Ken Sebra
Kenneth H. Sebra has been named recipient of the 1999 Baltimore Chapter IEEE Power Engineering Society Outstanding Engineer Award. The award will be presented at the Chapter Meeting on January 18, 2000 at the BGE Marketing Building in Woodlawn, Maryland. Mr. Sebra is an Electrical Engineering Consultant at the Baltimore Gas and Electric’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. In his 45 year career with BGE, Mr. Sebra has been responsible for numerous electrical engineering projects that involve generation control, DC and AC load analysis, and protective relaying systems. He has currently been working on computer programs that model the electrical systems at the plant (from 500 kilovolts to 480 volts). As part of a continuing education program for plant engineers, Ken has recently taught modules on Automatic Generation Control, Symetrical Components and System Fault Analysis.
At the national level, Mr. Sebra has been associated with numerous technical working groups of the Power System Relaying and the Energy Development and Power Generation Committees. These working groups have developed IEEE technical papers and standards including the IEEE 666, which is the Design Guide for Electric Power Service Systems for Generating Stations. He chaired the Station Design Subcommittee from 1992 to 1996. Since 1997, Mr. Sebra has been the Chairman of the PES Energy Development and Power Generation Technical Committee.
Ken has been active in local IEEE activities serving on the Baltimore Chapter PES Executive Committee from 1974 through 1977, as Chairman of the chapter in 1976-7 and the IEEE Baltimore Section Chairman in 1983 to 1985. Mr. Sebra developed and taught technical courses on System Protection offered by the Baltimore Chapter. Ken and his wife, Charlotte, were volunteers on the host convention committee for the 1996 PES Winter Meeting in which nearly 2000 engineers met for a conference in Baltimore.
Mr. Sebra is a graduate of City College in Baltimore. He received a BS in Electric Engineering from Johns Hopkins in 1964 and a Masters of Engineering Science from Loyola College of Maryland in 1981. Mr. Sebra has been a member of IEEE since 1964 and is currently a Senior Member of IEEE.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is the largest technical society in the world with nearly 340,000 members who pursue a variety of engineering interests within the electrical and electronic industry. The Baltimore Chapter of PES consists of approximately 270 local IEEE members with a focus on electric power.
The Sebra's are the parents of four grown children and they have one grandchild. They reside in Dameron, Maryland located in St. Mary's County. Although Mr. Sebra is planning to retire from BGE next March, he intends to remain active with IEEE and PES.
1998 Outstanding Engineer
Don Milanicz
Donald P. Milanicz, resident of Ellicott City, was named the 1998 Baltimore Chapter Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Engineering Society (PES) Outstanding Engineer. Mr. Milanicz has over 25 years of experience in the systems protection area at the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE). He has designed and implemented various relays at BGE as well as other utilities. Mr. Milanicz has co-authored several technical papers focusing on black load starting of power plants and other relay applications.
Mr. Milanicz is currently a member of the PJM Relaying Testing Task Force and had previously served on the IEEE Power System Restoration Working Group in 1995. He is in the Who’s Who of Global Business Leaders and was nominated to be a member of the General Electric’s Digital Generation Protection Advisory Committee of Experts (ACE).
Mr. Milanicz graduated from the University of Maryland - College Park in 1972 and has been a member of IEEE since 1972 and a Senior Member since 1985. He was a member of the Baltimore Chapter PES Executive Committee as the Membership Chairman from 1984 through 1986. Mr. Milanicz created and taught on numerous occasions the Art of Protective Relaying course for the Baltimore Chapter of PES and volunteered at the 1991 PICA Conference and 1996 PES Winter Power Meeting in Baltimore.