Team of the Month > April 2023

Left to right:  Jen Mullen, Dawn Presler, Jacob Dahl, Jessica Spahr, Erin Burke and Ben Davis.

April’s Team of the Month worked for almost four years developing a curriculum that brings real-world knowledge to employees across the PUD that will enable them to be even better stewards of our natural world when they’re working out in the field and planning, designing and permitting for future activities. Please join us in congratulating the Environmental Learning Program Team on being Team of the Month and recognizing their incredible work bringing this suite of trainings to the PUD.

“This training program has created a tremendous benefit for our field staff,” said Guy Payne, AGM Distribution and Engineering. “It helps them recognize when their work might require special attention or future mitigation, especially in situations where emergency repairs are being made to restore service during storm events – such as a pole replacement. It allows our crews to do their best work to serve our customers, while serving our environment at the same time. I’m really proud of the work that this team has accomplished.”

The Environmental Learning Program is designed to teach employees – who by the nature of their position are not experts in environmental permitting requirements – how to better plan to avoid impacting these areas, or how to mitigate potential impacts on-site.

“This team’s work touches so many different parts of the PUD and helps us to better serve our customers. It can help us reduce our impact on the environment and meet regulatory requirements,” said Jason Zyskowski, AGM Generation, Power and Rates, and Transmission Management. “The team should be extremely proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish. This training series is already having tangible positive impacts for our environment and the customers we serve.”

Many of the trainings the team developed are mandatory for certain job classes, but all trainings are available to those who are interested. Additionally, training has been added to new employee orientation to make sure that all members of Team PUD are aware of the District’s environmental commitment and stance on stewardship.

“Developing these courses and resources has been an incredible cross-departmental effort,” said Dawn Presler, Senior Environmental Coordinator. “We’ve received great support from the Environmental Advisory Team. We sincerely appreciate all the time and effort that has been put into bringing this project to fruition.”

In addition to courses, resources for employees are available and catalogued so that employees can revisit courses and access information as needed. This information is being regularly maintained so that it’s always up to date for employees.

“I have had the privilege to work with this awesome team to develop a robust environmental learning program that will hopefully enhance the work of many PUD staff,” said Jessica Spahr, Senior Project Manager. “This has been a program I’ve been eager to work toward for many years and have really enjoyed this opportunity. When people ask questions I don’t know the answers to, I enjoy problem solving together and reaching a solution. What I love most is empowering colleagues to be great environmental stewards and helping them represent the PUD in this light.”

To date, 636 employees have already completed at least one class in the training series. There is no doubt that these classes and resources will have a significant impact on the utility’s ability to maintain our environmental commitment into the future. Huge kudos to the Environmental Learning Program Team for your significant cross-departmental effort, and congratulations on being April’s Team of the Month.

Team members:

• Dawn Presler
• Kyle Legare
• Jessica Spahr
• Paul Kiss
• Ben Davis
• Jacob Dahl
• Erin Burke
• Jen Mullen