Robert Williamson is a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma. Robert is a Cultural Leader of the tribe and has served as a Council member. Robert currently sits on the Sac and Fox Business Committee who are responsible for oil and gas development.
Greg Ward
Greg Ward joined CoServ in 1997 as a lineman. Throughout his career he has worked as a Staking Engineer, Project Manager, Marketing Representative, Business Development Manager, Director of Engineering Services, Director of Construction Management & Logistics and Senior Director of Operations.
Greg is certified in NRECA’s Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program for Executive Management. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University.
Mark Smith
Prior to founding GSPH, Mr. Smith founded Underground Solutions, Inc. (OTC:UGSI), an infrastructure technology company that developed pipeline technologies. He served as President and CEO until 2005. UGSI had sales of $50M, and was sold to Aegion Corp. (NASDAQ:AEGN) for $90M in 2016.
Mr. Smith founded several construction firms in the Pittsburgh area, focused on industrial construction services, as we all residential construction and remodeling.
Mr. Smith holds several patents covering various pipeline installation and rehabilitation technologies and is a pioneer in Trenchless Technologies and a thought leader in 3-D mapping.
Jeremy Koster
Jeremy Koster currently leads an operational support organization in the Natural Gas Industry with teams in Work Management, Operator Qualification, Technical Training, Continuous Improvement, Data Performance, and Technology Support and Strategy.
With most of his career in multi-state large construction and development operations he worked for over a decade structuring and building long term strategic partnerships and alliances within labor and supplier channels to gain quality, efficiency and loyalty.
This combined with experience in Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, Agile, DevOps, and historical project management, Jeremy propels a progressive and pragmatic approach to everyday business challenges requiring rapid or long term improvement and sustainability
Jeremy, originally from Central New York now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife Heather and 4 children.
Tom Gross
Brother Tom Gross was initiated into Local 81, Ottawa, IL, in 1975. With 45 years experience Brother Gross has served as Business Agent of Local 81; in charge of pipeline, gas distribution, and building trades, and as Business Manager of Local 81 for six years before being appointed by former General President Hite as a Special Representative assigned to the UA’s Department of Pipeline and Gas Distribution.
At the 39th UA General Convention Brother Gross was unanimously re-elected and will continue to serve as the UA’s Director of Pipeline and Gas Distribution.
Donald R. Clary, Jr.
Donald R. Clary, Jr., CPA President and Chief Executive Officer, CoServ Donald (Donnie) R. Clary, Jr., CPA, was named CEO of CoServ Electric in 2014 after joining the Corinth, Texas-based electric cooperative as its Controller 24 years earlier.
As the highest-ranking financial official, Clary oversaw CoServ’s growth from 20,000 meters in 1990 to more than 210,000 across parts of seven counties today. In 1998, he was part of a team that created a for-profit natural gas distribution affiliate that today provides service to more than 107,000 meters in three counties. Donnie serves as an officer and a member of the governing body of each CoServ affiliate.
CoServ retains a Fitch-affirmed AA– rating and is ranked among the top five percent nationwide for reliability. In 2014, CoServ successfully attained its first private debt placement.
T. Minh Tran
T. Minh Tran, who was a Vietnamese refugee, arrived in Greenville, S.C., in April 1975 and graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Minh joined Piedmont Natural Gas in 1985 and had held various positions. In his last role before retirement at Piedmont, he was the Managing Director Construction, overseeing all distribution pipeline construction. Minh has more than 31 years of experience in the energy field and has remained active in several professional organizations. He was member of both the American Gas Association and Southern Gas Association’s Managing Committees for Utility Operations. Away from his professional life, Minh served on several Boards of Directors, including the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce, United Ways of Coastal Carolinas and Spartanburg Community College Foundation. He currently serves on the Charlotte International House Board of Directors. Minh’s commitment to inclusion is evident through his leadership on many diversity initiatives. He is a Riley Institute Diversity Fellow at Furman University. He is also a graduate of the Charlotte’s Leadership Diversity Initiative and a graduate of the Innovation Institute at the McCall Center in Charlotte.
John C. Thomas III
John (J.C.) Thomas III serves as Director of External Affairs for Sempra Infrastructure, which develops, builds and operates wind, solar, storage, liquefied natural gas facilities and midstream natural gas infrastructure in North America. In his position, Thomas is responsible for governmental affairs, community relations, media and marketing strategies for the company. Prior to his current role, he has held positions with Sempra Energy and its subsidiaries Sempra International and San Diego Gas & Electric. His career has spanned international affairs, regulatory affairs, customer service, public affairs and fire safety preparedness. Before joining SDG&E in 2002, Thomas served as regional director of government relations for a broadband telecommunications company. Prior to that, he served as chief of staff, chief of policy and advisor to a San Diego City Council Member. He began his career as an intern with the Mayor of San Diego in 1993. Thomas currently serves on the Smart Border Coalition Board of Directors, San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation Board of Directors, San Diego Diplomacy Council and the Institute of the Americas Energy Committee. He is a graduate of San Diego State University and resides in Solana Beach, California.
Joe O’Donnell
As the Director for Southeast Operations at Mears Group Inc. (A Quanta Services Company), Joe O’Donnell has more than 14 years of experience in the oil and gas pipeline industry as a contractor. He got his start in project management in the Northeast United States working on large natural gas distribution contracts. O’Donnell joined Mears Group in August 2013 and has held positions of Operations Manager and Director of Operations.
Jim Spigener
Jim Spigener is a Senior Vice President for DEKRA Insight, a consulting firm specializing in comprehensive safety solutions. Jim has helped hundreds of companies implement successful change initiatives in the fields of safety, quality, and leadership development. A dynamic speaker, Jim has presented at hundreds of national and international conferences and has published several articles on performance improvement.
A former steward of the OCAW labor union (now PACE), Jim’s experience on both the shop floor and in the management office gives him a unique perspective on organizational dynamics and an uncanny ability to motivate an audience to see new points of view.