December 2025 Vol. 80 No. 12
Business
UI Business People: Leadership moves and industry appointments
Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission
Ann Rendahl, commissioner with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), was elected president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
Rendahl has been a commissioner with UTC since 2014. She is an active member of NARUC, serving on the association’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Committees on Water and Critical Infrastructure, and previously chaired the Committee on Electricity.
She will lead the association over the next year and work with state regulators across the country with a theme of uniting regulators and harmonizing NARUC’s impact to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable utility service for all customers.
Before she was appointed commissioner, Rendahl gained a deep understanding of utility and transportation regulation as an assistant attorney general, administrative law judge, director of administrative law, and director of policy and legislation for the UTC.
She graduated from Wellesley College and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her law degree from UC Law San Francisco.
The UTC regulates the rates and services of investor-owned electric utilities, telecommunications companies, natural gas and water companies, solid waste collection companies, household-goods movers and passenger transportation companies, commercial ferries, pipeline companies, marine pilotage, and a low-level radioactive waste repository. The commission does not regulate the rates of broadband services, cellular, cable, or Internet service.
ALCEA
Jeff Slaughter joined ALCEA, an ASSA ABLOY company and global provider of total security solutions for critical infrastructure, as the head of business development, based in Dallas.
Slaughter brings more than two decades of experience building high-performing teams, launching advanced security technologies, and leading enterprise-level national accounts. His career spans every layer of the security ecosystem, from frontline system design and integration, to managing multi-state sales organizations and pioneering technology rollouts.
In 2020, Slaughter took an entrepreneurial step and founded his own security integration firm in Dallas. For five years he led the business, delivering large-scale access control, video, intrusion detection, and automation systems for customers across healthcare, utilities, K–12, commercial buildings, and major religious facilities. Building and selling a security integration company gave him a deep understanding of the integrator mindset, which is a perspective he now brings to ALCEA as it strengthens its security channel partner strategy in the U.S.
In his new role, Slaughter will focus on accelerating ALCEA’s growth in its top vertical markets: energy and telecommunications, oil and gas, and transportation, while also preparing the company’s channel partners for a broader, more coordinated nationwide push. His immediate focus includes the ramp-up to the North American launch of ALWIN, ALCEA’s advanced security management software platform that integrates access control, intrusion detection, video, visitor management, and key management within a modular, scalable system.
NASTT
The North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) announces a leadership transition as Executive Director Matthew Izzard concludes six years of dedicated service with the organization.
During his time with NASTT, Matthew provided steady and thoughtful leadership, guiding the society through several pivotal moments, including the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. His commitment, professionalism and support of NASTT’s mission have strengthened the organization and positioned it for continued success.
NASTT extends its sincere appreciation to Matthew for his many contributions and offers its warmest wishes as he begins the next chapter of his professional journey. As part of this transition, NASTT has appointed Jessie Clevenger as interim executive director.
A search committee has been formed and will begin the process of selecting the next executive director to lead NASTT into the future. NASTT remains committed to supporting the trenchless technology community through education, research, and collaboration, and looks forward to a smooth and successful transition.
Sempra
Jerry Cochran, Pipeline Manager-US Midstream E&C at Sempra Infrastructure, was named 2025 Pipeliner of the Year by The Pipeliners Association of Houston.
Cochran has been instrumental in delivering some of the most complex and high-impact energy infrastructure projects across the U.S. and internationally. His leadership on our Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector project reflects an unwavering commitment to safety, integrity and innovation — values that define our work every day.
Sempra Infrastructure develops, builds and operates energy infrastructure that is expected to play a crucial role in the energy systems of the future, while prioritizing sustainability, innovation, world-class safety, championing people, resilient operations and social responsibility.
Ray Sterling
Ray Sterling, former director of TTC, completed a book he co-wrote, “Underground Space: Use, Planning and Design.”
With cities worldwide facing pressures from rapid urbanization, climate change, and land scarcity, underground space has become a vital resource for sustainable and resilient urban development, this book provides a comprehensive framework for planners, engineers, architects, and policymakers to understand and apply underground solutions and updates a landmark reference work on the topic.
Based on many decades of research, practice, and global examples, this book offers authoritative guidance on how underground space can contribute to the creation of livable, future-ready cities:
- An understanding of the many reasons why underground space is used and when to choose to build underground.
- Broad coverage of underground uses, from transport and urban utilities to underground architectural applications.
- Recent advances made in three-dimensional urban underground planning.
- Updated design approaches and human-centered considerations for the exterior and interior design, layout, lighting, and safety of underground spaces.
- In-depth exploration of sustainability, resilience, and adaptability issues.
- Insights from several decades of hands-on experience with modern underground designs.
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