Meet the Candidates
Division Director VII Elections
Beginning in August, the election for the position of IEEE Division VII director-elect for 2015 will be held. Division VII consists of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) only. There are two candidates, both nominated by Division VII, vying for this office: John Paserba and Alan Rotz. The successful candidate will serve as the IEEE Division VII director in 2016–2017. To learn about the candidates before casting your vote, read the biographies and candidate statements that follow.
Voting members of PES may, by petition, propose names to be added to the ballot for this office. Contact Carrie Loh, c.loh@ieee.org for further details.
Division Director Candidates
John Paserba
John Paserba is the General Manager – Gas Circuit Breaker Division at Mitsubishi Electric Power Products where he has held several leadership positions in power system studies, power electronic (FACTS) projects, and manufacturing of circuit breakers since 1998. John began his career at GE’s Power Systems Energy Consulting in 1988 where he performed power systems studies. As an integral part of his career, John has pursued educational activities. He currently teaches a graduate course in power engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and has taught short courses at Pennsylvania State University’s Advanced Power School, GE’s Power Systems Engineering Course, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. John holds a M.E. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.E. from Gannon University.
John is a 30-year member of IEEE (Fellow). He has served on the PES Governing Board, as an officer of a PES Technical Committee, on numerous roles for PES conferences, on PES magazine and Transactions Editorial Boards, and various Student Member leadership roles in IEEE-USA and IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA). He has authored or co-authored sixty technical publications, including contributions to several CRC Press Engineering Handbooks.
John received the 2010 Outstanding Engineer Award – IEEE PES Pittsburgh Chapter, and the 2011 IEEE PES Nari Hingorani Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) Award. He received the 2012 U.S. National Committee Atwood Award for his contributions to CIGRE. John received a 2012 Citation of Honor and the 2014 Jim Watson Student Professional Awareness Achievement Award from IEEE-USA for advancing student professional awareness activities.
Candidate Statement
During my thirty years as a member of IEEE I have served in leadership positions in a variety of areas of the Power & Energy Society including Publications, Technical Conferences, Technical Committees, and the PES Governing Board. This experience has exposed me to the needs of Division VII membership in multiple areas, including Membership, Education, Chapters, Students, Young Professionals (formerly GOLD), and Standards.
In addition, my work in industry, along with my academic activities, and the leadership roles that I have served in as Committee Chair in IEEE-USA and IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA), has provided me with a clear understanding of the actions that I need to take to serve the PES constituents in the role of Division VII Director-Elect (2015) and Division VII Director (2016-17). In this role, I will engage the IEEE Board of Directors, the Technical Activities Board, the PES Governing Board, and our Society membership for the betterment of IEEE and our mission to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.
Alan Rotz
Alan (Al) C. Rotz (Member 1995, Sr. Member 2003) received a BSEE from Lehigh University and a MS in Engineering Management from Drexel University. He has been a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Pennsylvania in the USA since 1976.Al retired from PPL Electric Utilities in April 2010 after 40 years of service. His career as an engineer and manager spanned every major department in the utility business. From 1995 to 2001 Al was a member of the Edison Electric Institute’s Transmission & Substation Committee, and served that group in roles as 2nd and 1st Vice Chair. Al has served IEEE and PES in many roles during his career. He was PES Treasurer from 2004-2007 and PES President in 2010-11. His other IEEE roles have included PSPB Products and Services Committee, TAB FinCom, TAB Nominations & Appointments and TAB Future Directions. He is currently Chair or TAB Conflict Resolution Committee, and a member of the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct and IEEE Governance Committees. While Al was PES Treasurer, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, canceling the PES T&D Expo that year, and contributing to a $1.5 Million loss over the 2004-2005 timeframe. Al recommended additions to the PES Strategic Plan to create more revenue from Periodicals, Conferences and Education to diversify PES’s revenue stream. These initiatives have resulted in an increase of PES reserves from about $2 Million to nearly $13 Million, allowing PES to provide increasing benefits and services for its members.
Candidate Statement
My past IEEE and PES experiences will allow me to serve PES members at the highest level of IEEE. I have created an extensive network of volunteer and staff contacts. Those networks, along with my diverse experiences, will allow me to achieve results for the benefit of both IEEE and PES. I believe that IEEE must strive to increase its focus on supporting its volunteers, as well as controlling IEEE corporate costs. IEEE overheads have been spiraling out of control, and volunteer opinions and direction not always been considered or embraced. These trends come at a time when there is increased competition for long-standing IEEE products and services that could ultimately weaken IEEE and deplete membership. I will work with volunteers and staff to reduce costs, streamline processes, and provide increased member benefits to all PES and IEEE members around the world. I have served PES to the best of my ability for many years, and ask for your support so that I can use my experiences for the benefit of IEEE and PES.