About the Utility Safety & Ops Leadership Network

The Utility Safety & Ops Leadership Network (USOLN) came together to establish a much-needed Certified Utility Safety Professional – CUSP certification program serving the utility industry.

An education team was organized with an objective of establishing knowledge criteria for two certification levels. A utility safety leadership review course has been developed in support of the certification.

An exam team was established for test and procedures development. Two Unique exams (Blue and Green) have been created.

USOLN Founding Members

• Jeff Clark – Jeff Clark, CUSA, is a shift supervisor at the Distribution Control Center for Progress Energy Florida. At Progress Energy, he is responsible for development and implementation of continuous improvement initiatives centered on human performance.
• Ken Flechler – Ken Flechler, CUSA, is the Vice President, Environmental, Health & Safety for Pike Electric. Flechler recently joined Pike with more than 15 years progressive leadership experience in environmental, health and safety – most recently from COMCAST, where he served as Vice President, Safety & Compliance.
• Danny Raines – Danny Raines retired from Georgia Power after 40 years of electric utility construction, supervision and corporate safety training. Today, Danny is CEO of Raines Utility Safety Solutions, LLC.
• Ron Schenk – Ronald J. Schenk, COSS, is Executive Director of the Institute for Safety in Powerline Construction (ISPC). He served as Red Simpson, Inc.’s Director of Training for nearly a decade and also held the Director of Training position at Universal Electric Construction from 1990 to 1994.
• Michael Stremel – Michael Stremel is Operations Training Manager at Midwest Energy Inc., a customer-owned cooperative that services 48,000 electric and 41,000 gas customers in northwest Kansas. He has nearly 35 years of experience in the electric industry, including assisting in disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and numerous ice storms and tornadoes. Michael serves on the advisory board of two Kansas vocational-technical schools and is a member of the Midwest Energy Association steering committee.
• Pam Tompkins – Pam Tompkins is President and CEO of SET Solutions; she is a 22-year veteran in the electric utility industry, and has worked extensively with small to medium sized utilities to develop safety excellence. A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and a Certified Utility Safety Administrator (CUSA), Pam is frequently requested to speak at conferences and workshops throughout the United States on high voltage safety issues.
• Mack Turner – Mack Turner, CUSA, has worked in the industrial/utility safety field for more than 20 years. Mack is currently Safety and Training Director for Southwest Energy Solutions, a division of Unisource Corporation. He also owns Turner Enterprises, a safety consulting and training business.
• Jim Vaughn – Jim Vaughn began his utility industry career in the early 1970s as a lineman with Florida Power & Light Company. He has spent the past 15 years as an occupational safety and training specialist in the electric utility industry. Currently, Jim serves MYR Group as Corporate Safety Supervisor for the Sturgeon business unit in Arizona.