Lighting Electrical Illumination Engineer Expert Witness

Education

BSEE University of Texas at Austin, 1988.
Attended many management development courses, technical continuing education courses and military education courses between 1974 and present; list of courses available upon request.

Graduated from Westlake High School, Austin, Texas 1974.

Professional Memberships, Societies and Committees

Registered Professional Engineer in Texas

Past Chairman, American Association of State Highway Transportation Official’s (AASHTO) Technical
Committee on Highway Lighting, wrote the design guide entitled, “Roadway Lighting Design Guide” which included the Master Lighting Plan.

Co-Chairman Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/AASHTO International Scan of Highway Lighting Technologies, April 2000, see Bibliography below for documentation.

Past Chairman, current member National Transportation Communications Interoperability Protocol (NTCIP) Work Group on Electrical and Lighting Management Systems.

Past-President and current member, Texas Capitol Section, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)

Member, IESNA Roadway Lighting Committee, Standard Practice Subcommittee, Interchange Subcommittee, and Tunnel Lighting Subcommittee, Chairman of Electrical and Lighting Management Subcommittee.

Member, National Academy of Sciences, Panel of lighting experts. (Two projects: Sign Visibility, and Lighting for Work Zones and Roadways in Construction Areas (NCHRP Report 498))

Director of the following State funded research projects between 1985 and 2005:

1.    Evaluation of Roadway Lighting Systems Designed by Small Target Visibility Methods
2.    Fiber Optic Applications for Traffic Signals and Roadway Illumination Systems
3.    Evaluation of Structural Strength Characteristics for Light Pole Transformer Bases (2 projects)
4.    Tightening Procedures for Large-Diameter Anchor Bolts
5.    Preliminary Analysis of Transformer Bases
6.    Development of Iso-Footcandle Curves for Highway Lighting
7.    Development of Automated Illumination Test Equipment
8.    Wind Loading: High Mast Area Floodlights
9.    Wind Load and Noise Evaluation of High Mast Lighting Systems

Experience

November 2007 to present– Partner, A Private Compay, LLP. In this position I design ITS and Illumination projects. Projects include open road tolling communications and power plans, fiber optic cables and duct banks, specification of various types of media converters and ethernet switches; battery backup systems, CCTV, Radar Vehicle Sensing Devices, DMS signs, and hub cabinets. Plans include compliance with regional and national ITS architecture including Market Package implementation. Lighting designs include high mast lighting, Neighborhood Friendly high mast lighting, conventional lighting , pedestrian lighting, pedestrian bridge lighting, and decorative lighting.

December 2004 to present– Principal, a Lighting and Electrical Engineering Training and Consulting Firm.  In this position I develop lighting and electrical training courses and seminars for engineers, provide expert witness and litigation support services to the legal community, develop lighting products, design lighting and electrical projects for streets and roadways, and I provide other lighting and electrical engineering consulting services.   Projects that I have designed as a consultant include open road tolling, neighborhood friendly high mast, conventional roadway lighting, high mast lighting, decorative lighting, pedestrian bridge lighting, and backup power supplies.  I have also continued to work with AASHTO in the preparation of guidelines for roadway lighting design.

May ’85 to November 2004 (Retired) – Senior Lighting Design Engineer, Texas Department of Transportation. Roadway lighting design and secondary electrical distribution design group, Manager since January 1989. My major function is the development and implementation of policy, design guidelines, design standards and specifications for outdoor lighting systems and secondary electrical distribution systems. I work independently and am responsible for planning, budgeting and managing a group of technical personnel and technical programs; for developing and implementing short term and long term plans using the Total Quality Management and Continuous Improvement techniques; for research supervision and implementation; for design and design oversight of lighting and electrical plans. This work is regulated by the National Electrical Code, the Texas MUTCD, AASHTO design guidelines, Texas State law, FHWA policies, and department policies. I write and update design training manuals and training courses.

I have designed conventional lighting systems, high mast lighting, tunnel lighting, decorative bridge lighting, building façade lighting, landscape lighting, parking lot lighting, swing bridge controls, electrical and lighting management systems, motor controls, pump station electrical systems, building electrical systems, lightning protection systems and more.

I have represented the Department on numerous public forums including the Texas State Legislature, Committees and Subcommittees of AASHTO, IESNA, NTCIP, the National Academy of Sciences, and numerous State, national, and international conferences as a guest speaker. I have provided affidavits, expert opinions, depositions, and court room testimonies on numerous lighting and electrical matters coordinated through the Attorney General’s Office.

I have participated in conducting research, providing peer review of research, writing research problems statements, reviewing proposals and selecting project researchers (state and NCHRP), participated in the European Scan Tour, writing research reports and other documents, managing research budgets, making presentations on research results, and implementing research.

July 1980 to May 1985 – Texas Department of Transportation. Building Maintenance Section. I became supervisor in April of 1984. I supervised HVAC and electrical personnel engaged in the maintenance of a large office complex (300,000+ sq. ft.) including a large main-frame computer facility equipped with 400 Hz. Power generation equipment.

June 1974 to May 1980 – US Navy. Nuclear Power Plant Electrical Operator and Interior Communications Electrician. I reached the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class. Majority of duty was in the Submarine Service on board the USS George Bancroft (SSBN 643). Honorably discharged.