The Department of Public Utilities' Senior Management Team operates under the jurisdiction and control of the Board of Public Utilities, a group of five citizens, each appointed by the Los Alamos County Council. The County Manager (Harry Burgess) and Utilities Manager (Philo Shelton) are ex officio, non-voting members of the BPU. Our Management Team shares decades of design, engineering, finance and management experience in multi-service utilities, power systems and public works organization.
|
Philo S. Shelton, III
Title: Utilities Manager
Mr. Shelton is a registered Professional Engineer in the Civil Engineering discipline. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and received his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also a Certified Public Manager and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from University of Colorado at Denver. Mr. Shelton joined the County in June 2012 and served as the County’s Public Works Director until June 2019. Prior to joining the County, Mr. Shelton had been a Public Works Director since 2001 serving in the communities of Steamboat Springs and Black Hawk, Colorado.
|
 |
James Alarid
Title: Deputy Utility Manager - Engineering Division
Mr. Alarid joined the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) engineering staff in
2002. In 2008 Mr. Alarid became the Deputy Manager of
Engineering. Prior to joining the DPU staff Mr. Alarid worked as an
engineer for 10 years in a combination of private and public sector
positions. Mr. Alarid's engineering experience in land development,
utilities and roadways prepared him for the challenges of leading an engineering
staff of six who support the natural gas, water distribution, water production,
wastewater collection, wastewater treatment, electric distribution and electric
production utility operations and infrastructure. Mr. Alarid is a
registered Professional Engineer in the state of New Mexico and has a bachelors
and masters degree from the University of New Mexico in Civil
Engineering. Mr. Alarid is a member of the American Society of
Engineers since 1994 and a member of the American Water Works Association since
2000.
|
 |
Steve Cummins
Title: Deputy Utility Manager - Power Production
Joining the Department of Public Utilities leadership team in 2000, Mr. Cummins
currently supervises operations for power production and electric distribution. He serves as the manager
of operations for the Los Alamos Power Pool pursuant to the County-DOE Electric
Coordination Agreement. Other responsibilities include oversight of transmission
service contracts, purchased power contracts, a jointly operated power control
center, two hydroelectric facilities and power supply planning. Holding a
Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering Mr. Cummins is a licensed
Professional Engineer with over 20 years of experience in municipal utility
engineering and seven years of consultant engineering.
|
 |
Jack Richardson
Title: Deputy Utility Manager - Gas, Water, and Sewer Services
Mr. Richardson has been with the Department of Public Utilities since 2010 and is responsible for operation of the natural gas distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and water production and distribution systems. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from New Mexico State University and has three decades of experience in utilities and public works engineering with federal, private and municipal employers. He is a registered professional civil engineer in New Mexico.
|
 |
Robert Westervelt
Title: Deputy Utility Manager - Finance & Administration
Joining the Department in 2012, Mr. Westervelt brings to the DPU over twenty years finance and accounting experience, including more than fifteen years in utilities and four in state government. Bob is the chief financial officer responsible for financial planning for the electric, gas, water and wastewater services, billing, and is DPU's contract manager on the Electric Coordination Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. He also holds responsibility for the 311 Customer Care Center that serves as centralized customer service for both Los Alamos County and the DPU. Bob received both his BBA and his MBA from the University of New Mexico, is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Governmental Financial Manager, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and is a member of each of those professional associations.
|