Co-Chair: Ande Bostain, City of Brenham
Co-Chair: Simon Pena, SRP & Associates

The Employee Development Committee is responsible for determining the classes that are needed by the other member classes in the Association. Their responsibility includes planning, coordinating and implementing the scheduling of these classes for the operations, maintenance, and safety personnel of the member companies.

Active members of the Committee:

  • Whitney Hopper, Atmos Energy, MidTex
  • Melissa McCleod, Atmos Energy, West Texas
  • Kevin Hecht, Bay City Gas
  • Michael York, CenterPoint Energy
  • Jenny Prazak, Cobb, Fendley & Associates
  • Brian Stiles, CoServ Gas
  • Robert Botello, Heath Consultants
  • Diana Perossa, Lyle & Perossa Engineering
  • Ryan Simmons, Texstar Products
  • Jason Mustain, West Texas Gas

 

2017 Winter Committee Meeting Notes

  1. The committee continued to discuss utilizing larger member companies in-house training focuses to share/spread among the smaller members/municipalities who may not have the capability to keep up with the most current training topics.
  2. The committee discussed upcoming/scheduled training classes including, but not limited to: Corrosion protection/coatings, Compliance (RR Commission), Valves, Gaseous Environments, and New Technologies (automatic meters, etc.).
  3. There was much interest in hosting several Gas Characteristics/Customer Service/101 type classes throughout the state.
  4. The committee discussed upcoming annual meeting breakout session topics such as: Engineering Ethics & Accident Investigation.

2016 Fall Committee Meeting Notes

  1. The committee heavily discussed ongoing training within larger member companies and how the committee can help to spread the training topics within the organization and coordinate training classes similar to the larger companies for the smaller members/municipalities.
  2. The committee discussed past and upcoming training sessions, including, but not limited to “hot topics” such as: Gaseous environments (live gas/static electricity) & safe driving.
  3. The committee discussed and generated action items regarding hosting another leadership session.

2016 Summer Committee Meeting Notes

  1. The comittee discussed upcoming fall safety classes and Transmission Roundtable speaker opportunities, including, but not limited to: SGA/TGA joint conference, the use of CoServ’s mobile demonstration trailer, and coordination with the safety committee to help provide additional training classes.

2016 Spring Committee Meeting Notes

  1. The committee discussed training classes held since the last meeting including: CoServ Safety Day “Mock Strike” (Corinth), Corrosion/Regulator (Brenham, Del Rio), Excavator exhibition (Brenham), Line Leak Detection (Dumas), & Leadership for Life (Dallas).
  2. The committee discussed upcoming/scheduled training classes including, but not limited to: RR Commission Rules & Regulations (Amarillo May 4), Regulator Basics (Pearsall May 11), Leak Compliance Class (Boerne, ~May), opportunity for another line locating class (since class in Dumas reached capacity).  Also, the need to identify additional regions for training (explicitly south Texas) and to help coordinate a training class for the Transmission Roundtable.
  3. The committee discussed upcoming opportunities available thanks to member companies that may open up locations/areas of safety training.
  4. The committee discussed Annual Meeting topics including a leadership/generations topic, AC mitigation, and possibly a drone technology class?

2016 Winter Committee Meeting Notes

  1. The committee discussed upcoming training sessions, with topics including, but not limited to, Corrosion, Leak Investigation, Locating 101, Emergency Leak Response, and Natural Gas 101/Customer Service Training.  The session locations are throughout Texas.  As dates, topics, locations, and presenters are finalized, the training classes will be added to the TGA schedule.  The committee also discussed breakout session topics for the upcoming O&M Conference in June.
  2. The committee will coordinate with TGA representatives for “TGA on the Road” sessions.
  3. Mike York with CenterPoint Energy has a training video on Serpentine Backing available that he is willing to share with those interested in viewing it and/or using it for training.
  4. Brian Stiles gave an update on the TGA/SGA partnership effort for the joint training meeting.
  5. Jenny Prazak will work with TGA officials and other committee representatives to coordinate a survey to be completed during the O&M Conference breakout sessions regarding ideas/needs for future training topics and locations.
  6. Diana Perossa gave a “Leadership for Life” class update.  The class will be held on April 13 @ CPS Energy’s training facility.  Julia Montgomery will be presenting the class.  DISC assessments will be completed prior to the class by participants and will be discussed.  Follow-up meetings are proposed during the O&M breakout sessions.

2015 Fall Committee Meeting Notes

  1. The Employee Development Committee discussed training class topics to offer in 2016.  Training topic ideas are Natural Gas 101 for new members to the industry and Service 101 for new employees in customer service roles.   For more experienced members, potential training topics include Compliance and Leak Investigation.
  2. The Employee Development Committee is in the processing of creating a 2016 training schedule with dates and locations.   We plan to have training throughout the TGA regions and are focusing on locations that have had higher participation in the past.  Potential locations are Pearsall, Brenham, Dumas, Lufkin, and Del Rio.
  3. Diana Perossa will be presenting the Advantages of TGA and training available at the Transmission Roundtable.
  4. The committee is having additional discussion about hosting a leadership workshop in 2016.  More details to come at January board meeting.