FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : July 15, 2004

CONTACT : Jennifer Neville , 720-962-7054, neville@wapa.gov

Western recognizes Watertown resident for exceptional service

LAKEWOOD , Colo. — Watertown resident David Schilder will receive Western Area Power Administration’s highest honor at a ceremony July 23 at Western’s Watertown Operations Office, Watertown , S.D. Western’s Administrator Mike Hacskaylo will present Schilder with Western’s Exceptional Service Award during the ceremony.

“I congratulate David Schilder for making outstanding daily contributions to Western. David exemplifies our values by serving his customers and peers with great dedication. His skills, initiative and commitment help to make Western a premier power marketing and transmission organization,” Hacskaylo said.

UGP’s SCADA System Manager Schilder helped build Western from the ground up, beginning as an electronics engineer in Watertown more than 29 years ago.

Schilder receives Western’s highest honor for his understanding of power system operations and his contributions to developing, deploying, maintaining and enhancing UGP’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Automatic Generation Control systems. Schilder was one of the lead programmers for the original SCADA system software that allows dispatchers to monitor and control the power grid in real-time. He was instrumental in putting the system together. From that foundation, he continues to apply his technical expertise to enhance the system and mentor others in the Computer Support Division.

He’s also flexible, shifting his focus from programming the SCADA system to cyber security and training CSD employees in SCADA system development and maintenance. Overall, his long career of dedicated service, as well as personal and technical talents, have benefited Western, its employees and its customers.

He spends his free time in Watertown playing golf and music, woodworking, cycling and traveling. Schilder and his wife Lee Ann have one son, Ross Kranz.

Western Exceptional Award recipients:

• Are recognized as experts in their fields
• Consistently go above and beyond what is normally expected on a long-term basis
• Perform additional assignments, such as dedicated participation on committees or task forces
• Involve themselves in outside activities that reflect favorably on Western
• Help accomplish the goals of Western’s Strategic Plan
  
  

Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 10,000 megawatts of power from hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy.

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Serving the West with Federal hydropower