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  May (2022) Member Spotlight: Jason Pegg (Avista)

  Posted by Kevin Praet (Adm) on May 2, 2022 at 12:01 pm

  Jason Pegg is an active UAI member and provides outstanding influence and contributions to the UAI community through any of our multiple channels, including, but not limited to engagement on UAI Connect, volunteering with UAI, involvement and/or leadership in monthly Community Conversations, and/or speaking at UAI events, plus so much.  As thanks, we are featuring him in the UAI Member Spotlight. Jason is Domain Architect and Team Lead over Avista’s Data Delivery and Integrations programs. He leads and participates in a variety of projects including analytics, cloud computing, systems integration, machine learning, and more.

   

  Kevin: How did you get into the utility analytics industry?

  Jason: I suppose it started with my interests in and focus on machine learning back in college. Since then, I’ve gravitated towards all things analytics and artificial intelligence, even when I’ve been focused on other technologies. I came to the utility industry about five years ago after spending most of my career in the corporate space, so working in the utility analytics space was a natural progression.

   

  Kevin: What project have you enjoyed working on most in your career?

  Jason: I’ve been very fortunate in my career to have many fantastic projects to choose from.  One of my more recent favorites has been Avista’s adoption of cloud computing with AWS.  Being part of the team that brought this capability into Avista has been incredibly rewarding, and it’s one that keeps on giving as we continue adopting more features.  I’ve learned a lot by working with such an amazing group of talented people at Avista, and my ongoing interactions with this team and the new technological challenges we regularly take on keeps me coming back for more.

   

  Kevin: What has been your biggest professional challenge and how did you work through it?

  Jason: Coming from the corporate world into the utility space was challenging.  At first, it seemed like everything ran slow, new ideas were hard to foster, and it seemed like we were perpetually behind where we could be.  But my mindset has shifted.  I now see a plethora of opportunities for innovation, and I see those in the context of still providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy to our customers.  It’s not that you can’t innovate, it’s that the challenge to innovate is even greater, and the opportunities for creativity in the space greater still.

   

  Kevin: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice before entering the utility analytics industry, what would it be?

  Jason: Breathe. Take a moment and just breathe.  It may not be moving at the pace YOU want it to move, but there are reasons for that, and they’re not all bad.  A bad day in the corporate space is a delayed project.  A bad day in the utility space is injury or even lives lost.  You ARE making a difference, and if you continue to stay the course, that difference will positively accumulate over time.  So take a moment.  Breathe.

   

  Kevin: What would you like to talk to fellow colleagues and members about in UAI Connect? Or, what issues or topics would you like to see more discussions on in UAI Connect?

  Jason: I am perpetually interested in the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence in all areas of our lives.  As such, I would love to talk more about how machine learning could be used in the utility space.  How might we improve the smart grid through machine learning?  How might we find efficiencies in the way we work through machine learning?  What can we learn about our rate schedules and how they impact low-income customers through machine learning?  I think there are many areas we could explore and I’d love to learn more about the kinds of problems other utilities are solving using machine learning and related technologies.

   

  Kevin: Thank you so much for sharing with us and for being a highly engaged member of UAI!

  Do you have any final thoughts, ideas, or comments you would like to share with your fellow UAI members?

  Jason: Stay involved.  Stay connected.  Of course, none of us actually has time for that.  We all have projects and deadlines and expectations put upon us.  But by staying involved and staying connected, we provide future benefits to future projects as we actively learn from each other.  It’s good for our projects, it’s good for the companies we work for, and it’s good for each of us in our individual careers.  Thank you for giving me an opportunity to connect!

   

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  Kevin Praet
  Membership Coordinator
  Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
  Boulder CO
  315-440-3033
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  Kevin Praet (Adm) replied 2 years, 6 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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