Kyle Conroy - EPTC manager

Kyle has more than 35 years’ experience in the electrical utility industry, starting as a U.S. Air Force Electrical Power Lineman. He became a USAF Instructor in the Electrical Power Lineman Training program completing all phases of USAF instructor training and development curriculum and achieved recognition as a master instructor. Kyle simultaneously completed the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Education as well as those for a Technical Training Teaching Practicum.

His post-military experience includes working with Southern Companies as a power linemen, distribution operator and engineering assistant at Gulf Power, and with Savannah Power & Light as a transmission system supervisor. Kyle moved to Colorado in 2002 and has worked as a senior system operator and power operations specialist at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. WAPA hired Kyle as a power dispatcher/trainer in its Rocky Mountain regional office in 2014 before bringing him into the EPTC three years later.

His technical, operational and training experience also include completion of Master of Education degree in Human Resource Studies with a focus on Adult Education and Training.​

Jim Bonner - craft training coordinator

Jim has significant experience and education in instructional program management and coordination. He brings a systematic approach to training, informed by adult learning theory, to course facilitation and instruction, curriculum development and instructional systems design.

These skills served Jim well at the Department of Energy where he worked as a training and development specialist. In this position, he conducted training program process and data analysis and performed training evaluation functions. While at the DOE, Jim participated in the WAPA Joint Craft Training Committee as executive secretary; the Craft Leadership Development Program Steering Committee as a member, instructor and mentor; and the Craft Apprenticeship Standards Subcommittee within the Department of Labor's registered apprenticeship programs.

Jim possesses a thorough understanding of new and existing training requirements. He uses this to assess logistical, technical and cost implications of program continuity and success.

Joseph Liberatore - Electrical engineer 

Joe, who has been with WAPA since 2005, joined EPTC in 2018 to help maintain the Miniature Power System, develop new and existing course materials and teach, among other duties. Prior to EPTC, he worked in field commissioning for six years, collaborating with design engineers, electricians, lineman, contractors, meter relay technicians and others to help design, troubleshoot, document, build and rebuild new and existing substations.

Joe's career with WAPA began in the Rocky Mountain Region, where he split his first seven years between planning and next-day studies engineering. The mid-2000s brought WAPA a flood of wind study interconnection requests, giving him the opportunity to learn planning, power flow, dynamics and contingency analysis. He eventually put these skills to work assisting with outage coordination during planned system maintenance outages associated with next-day studies.

Before joining WAPA, Joe lived in Colorado's Eagle Valley where he spent his summers in the concrete industry and winters on the mountain. He earned a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and master's degree of Systems Engineering from Colorado State University.

Tim Slater - Instructor

Tim has more than 20 years’ experience in the electrical utility and power generation industries. His professional positions include power plant operator, unit/control room operator, operations and maintenance supervisor and maintenance manager in fossil fuel- and solid waste-fired generating facilities. In addition to this experience, Tim served in the U.S. Navy as a conventional machinist mate, surface fleet, excelling as an observer for engineering casualty control exercise training. He was a main control engine room supervisor for six months, and has experience as a construction project manager in commercial real estate development.

He holds an associate degree with a focus on pre-engineering from Pasco Hernando Community College and a bachelor degree in organizational management from Ashford University. Tim is also certified as a CompTIA certified technical trainer, Occupational Safety and Health Administration outreach trainer, mobile equipment trainer, National Association of Safety Professionals-registered safety training professional and licensed water system operator in Wyoming.

Prior to moving to Denver from Wyoming in June 2018, Tim worked as an O&M supervisor for Black Hills Energy in Gillette and as director/manager of Circle J Retreat Camp in Ten Sleep.

​KARL FITTINGER – INSTRUCTOR

Karl has 39 years' experience in the electric utility industry. He began as a steam plant assistant for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, gaining 9 years experience in steam generation. Karl later transitioned into a control room operator.

In 1990, Karl became a load dispatcher in Los Angeles. He remained in this position for many years, the city of Los Angeles owned or participated in power plants in 5 different states. Karl was the operating agent for the Pacific DC Intertie and the Intermountain DC Intertie.

When reliability coordination was brought to the west around 1997, Karl was one of the original 20 people selected to be the first real-time reliability coordinators, a position he held for 22 years. In addition to this role, he served as the reliability coordinator trainer for several years where he not only trained realibility coordinators, but developed and delivered training for several regional classes. Karl hosted blackstart/restoration classes for all utilities in the Western interconnection.

Karl began his instructor postion with WAPA in April 2020.

Rick Krumpeck – INSTRUCTOR

Rick has more than 40 years' experience in the electric utility industry. He began his career as a groundman for Southern California Edison and worked through the lineman apprentice program. He then transferred into substation operations, becoming a Transmission System Operator. 

Rick moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1991 and took a position with Pacific Power and Light as a System Dispatcher in Yakima, WA.  Five years later, he transferred to Casper, WY as a Career System Dispatcher in the Wyoming Control Center. He later worked as a System Dispatcher at Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in Spokane, WA.

In 2008 Rick became a Reliability Coordinator with the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) and Peak Reliability. Several years later, in 2014 he was promoted to a Shift Foreman.

In August 2020, Rick joined WAPA stepping into an instructor role at EPTC.  He currently lives on the Eastern Plains of Colorado and enjoys operating a purebred Scottish Highland Cattle ranch.

​Lisa Yuma – Management Analyst/Training Coordinator

​Lisa brings decades of administrative experience to the position of management analyst/training coordinator. Her organizational skills, attention to detail and thorough knowledge of business protocol were earned in both public service and private business.

She began her career in 1989 with U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons in Littleton, Colorado, as secretary to the captain, eventually rising to the position of correctional officer.

Taking a job with a private sector moving company in 1993 expanded Lisa's office management skills. Her duties ran the gamut from balancing the books to developing Material Safety Data Sheets and included extensive staffing responsibilities, such as recruiting, training employees and managing benefits plans. 

Lisa returned to federal employment as a human resources assistant with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2010, and joined WAPA in 2013 as an executive assistant. She moved to EPTC to provide marketing, accounting and administrative support. Lisa advanced into EPTC’s Management Analyst/Training Coordinator position in 2018. She currently oversees data analysis to complete program planning, coordination and execution of EPTC training and budget administration. Lisa also represents WAPA/EPTC with outside entities to coordinate logistic requirements of large training events. 

Leah Wilson – administrative analyst

Leah graduated from Ball State University with a journalism graphics degree in 2014 as a student-athlete. Before WAPA, she began working at a gymnastics facility that gave her the opportunity to sharpen her design skills, gain experience in office administration and training/managing employees as a Recreational Director/Graphic Designer.  

In April of 2017, Leah joined WAPA's Technical Services team as a part-time secretary, taking on a variety of duties for inventory management, records, aviation, the renewables program, property management, facilities and EPTC. She has continued to grow in her role, transitioning to full time administrative support at EPTC in the fall of 2017 and becoming an Administrative Analyst in 2019. This opportunity has allowed her to work with various audio/visual projects, provide technical training guidance to EPTC customers, establish proper records protocol and participate and assist with the development of training materials.