(April 27) Northwest Public Power Association and its Engineering & Operations Conference Planning Committee have selected Grant PUD’s Kevin Marshall for NWPPA’s Award for Excellence in Engineering or Operations, also known as the Milton Hunt McGuire Award.
Marshall is a licensed professional civil and structural engineer with over 43 years of experience in a broad range of civil, structural, and in-water engineering applications. He has considerable experience with the evaluation, design, and construction of electrical generation and other facilities in the West. He recently retired from full-time work with Grant PUD.
“Kevin is known for his collaborative style and has developed many strong relationships with many utility owners, contractors, engineering consultants, and regulators. He has mentored and trained many dam safety engineers, engineering managers, and executive leadership at several different utilities in the Northwest,” said Grant PUD Chief Operating Officer Richard Wallen. “Kevin is also a lifelong supporter and facilitator of sharing lessons learned within the industry.”
Marshall’s list of accolades runs long. He is a leader in dam safety and civil engineering in the Northwest and United States. He is an active participant and presenter in USSD, ASDSO, and ASCE. He is a leader in FERC Risk-Informed Decision-Making (RIDM) for dam safety and has piloted several RIDM processes at Grant County PUD along with Douglas County PUD and Chelan County PUD. Marshall is a key advocate and sponsor for RIDM within FERC-regulated owners. He was also a committee member for the FERC PFMA process when it was originally established. While leading Portland General Electric’s Dam Safety Program in 2002, Marshall participated in the pilot FERC Potential Failure Mode Analysis process utilizing Round Butte Dam for the initial workshop for this new industry approach to risk mitigation. He was also an industry leader in fish passage improvements at several different facilities and provided technical direction for improvements such as fish collectors and fish bypass structures.
The Excellence in Engineering or Operations Award is given to an engineer and/or operations person who has made contributions to the utility industry in the engineering or operations area. Also known as the Milton Hunt McGuire Award, named after the longtime manager of the Electrical Department of the City of McMinnville, it was first presented in 1947 and is considered NWPPA’s most prestigious award for a utility employee working in the areas of engineering or operations. Because of the high caliber of requirements to receive the award, it is not presented every year. Recent award winners for Excellence in Engineering or Operations include Dave Peterson of Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative (2017), John Martinsen of Snohomish County PUD (2014), and Bob Coates of Kodiak Electric Association (2013).
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