OFFICERS
With a combined experience of 250+ years, EEI’s leadership team brings solid experience and a firm commitment to our clients.
Michael T. Watanabe, P.E.
President & CEO (Board Director)
Mr. Michael Watanabe is the co-founder of Energy Experts International with 45 years of experience in the energy business. He has 25 years of gas and electric utility management and technical expertise with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and a diverse background that includes assignments in Engineering, Operations, Marketing and Research & Development. In addition to his experience in the regulated utility sector, he has worked with PG&E affiliates, serving in an advisory capacity to provide technical input and general market feasibility for projects in Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia and Japan. In his most recent appointment at PG&E, Mr. Watanabe served as Director of Technology Development and successfully expanded the scope of international technology exchanges with European and Asian utility companies.
Mr. Watanabe is a graduate of the University of Texas and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of California. He earned his MBA in Management from the University of San Francisco and attended the Engineering Executive Program at Stanford University.
Donald R. Murray
Executive Vice President & COO (Board Director)
Mr. Donald Murray is the Executive Vice President & COO as well as a Board Director with 50 years of experience in the energy industry. He has 29 years of management experience with Pacific Gas & Electric Company and a diverse background in the gas and electric utility industry. He worked as an electrical engineer early in his career and progressed to positions with increasing responsibility. In his most recent assignment, Mr. Murray was appointed as the Director of Capital Investment for the San Francisco Division. During his career, he amassed extensive experience in managing high profile assignments. One of the more difficult assignments he tackled was the planning, design and completion of a $50 million gas pipeline replacement and electric underground project in San Francisco. As a result of Mr. Murray’s outstanding work management as the Division Gas & Electric Operation’s manager, his Division received the Chairman’s Award, the company’s highest accolade, in 1995.
Mr. Murray earned his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and earned his certification in Executive Management from the Haas School of Business.
Steven W. Gauthier, P.E.
Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Gas and Energy Business Initiatives
Mr. Steve Gauthier is the Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Gas and Energy Business Initiatives, a veteran of 30+ years in the Energy industry and is primarily responsible for overseeing the Company’s overall Gas & (non-Electric) Energy consulting business. In this role, he is the lead executive concerning all matters related to the Natural Gas Industry and non-Electric Energy Resources. He has held key positions in several organizations, serving as the Vice President of Research & Deployment at the Gas Technology Institute, Principal Technology Manager at the Gas Research Institute, and more recently held the position as Vice President & General Manager for the Midwest Region. He has extensive experience in marketing and business development, as well as having a solid foundation in engineering and technical services.
Mr. Gauthier is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Illinois and a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his MBA from the University of Illinois.
Rudy Movafagh, PhD.
Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Electric Business Initiatives
Dr. Rudy Movafagh is the Sr. Vice President of General Manager, Electric Business Initiatives. He is primarily responsible for overseeing the Company’s overall Energy consulting business. He will also oversee the R&D efforts to explore, probe and implement new ideas and concepts into EEI’s repertoire as a service offering for our clients.
Dr. Rudy Movafagh has over 36 years of experience in Asset Management, Engineering, Design, Operation, Construction Management, and Work coordination in both public and private sectors of the electric utility industry. He has held engineering and leadership positions with companies such as Boston Edison, NSTAR and Danvers Electric. Most recently he was the Director of Electric Standards for Transmission, Substation, and Distribution at PG&E.
Dr. Movafagh has a doctorate in electric engineering from Northeastern University.
Bruce Agid
Vice President, Management Consulting & Corporate Services
Mr. Agid is the Vice President of Management Consulting and Corporate Services. Mr. Agid is responsible for providing and supporting our clients with the advice and counsel of industry subject matter experts. EEI’s management consulting business covers a diverse range of support such as litigation and experts witness services, technical and business consultation, regulatory and compliance matters, as well as providing other corporate support services for our clients.
Mr. Agid developed his broad utility experience across operations and customer care through leadership assignments in Gas and Electric Field Services, Electric Switching Center Operations, Call Center Operations, Local Office Customer Service, and Meter Reading. Most recently, he was the Managing Director of Business Development.
Mr. Agid has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from San Francisco State University and serves on the Board of Directors of Utilimetrics (Utility Technology Association).
Patrick F. Hayes, J.D.
Vice President, Energy Market Enterprises
Mr. Pat Hayes is the Vice President, Energy Market Enterprises. Mr. Hayes provides leadership and guidance in working on new concepts and approaches to meeting the future Energy needs of clients, especially in the downstream renewable energy business.
He is a 40 year veteran of the utility business and was responsible for the provision of gas and electric services for PG&E’s customers in densely populated sectors of Northern California. He has an extensive and diverse experience interfacing with utility clients, as well as the energy industry in the private sector. He spearheaded numerous initiatives such as the EV charging station and overhead to underground conversion projects, as the Director of the Utility Design & Consulting Division for Energy Experts International.
Mr. Hayes is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and has a Law Degree from Empire College.
Ben Obayashi
Vice President, Electric Operations
Mr. Obayashi is the Vice President of Electric Operations and is responsible for ensuring that EEI’s value proposition is delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner related to all electric utility consulting products and services. Working closely internally with key engineering, field services and financial teams, he ensures optimum alignment with our clients’ objectives and goals.
Mr. Obayashi has extensive experience in the utility industry, from working as a lineman to running complex projects as a manager. His diverse experience encompasses transmission, substation and distribution construction work. In addition to holding over 20 years’ experience in superintendent and supervisory roles, Mr. Obayashi has served as a Director in Electric Engineering and a Senior Director of Project Management in his tenure with EEI, taking on and leading the California High Speed Rail project, as well as mitigation work on the fire hardening engineering projects for PG&E’s firestorm events.
Cliff I. Simon
Vice President, Europe Operations
Mr. Cliff Simon represents Energy Experts International’s business and strategic interests in Europe. He manages the Company’s business operations from the Company’s European Office located in Brussels, Belgium.
Mr. Simon is a veteran in the energy business with over 28 years of international experience. His career as managing director of a natural gas pipe manufacturing plant in Mexico since the early 1980’s gave him a unique perspective on Mexico’s natural gas industry. Mexico’s dynamic privatization process included worldwide players in gas distribution, bringing Mr. Simon in contact with diverse distribution technologies, regulations and corporate cultures. Mr. Simon expanded his international expertise working in Italy from 2000 to 2003 where he developed technical and commercial relationships with European gas consortiums. With the launch of the Brussels office in 2007, Mr. Simon has become a specialist on EU energy policy and he coordinates the Company’s projects in Europe and the Middle East.
Mr. Simon earned a BA in Economics and Management from Beloit College, Wisconsin.
Robert C. Becken, III, P.E.
Vice President Emeritus, Gas Engineering
Mr. Robert Becken served as the Vice President of Gas Engineering from May 2005 to September 2018. As Vice President Emeritus, he will continue to stay involved in industry related matters. He has 50+ years of experience in the natural gas industry and served in various managerial and technical positions with increasing responsibilities. Mr. Becken has extensive knowledge and expertise in all facets of gas design engineering, maintenance and construction issues. His technical expertise includes the design of pipelines, control systems, regulation, compressor stations, as well as natural gas fueling stations. At PG&E, he served as the Company’s Chief Technical consultant for the California Gas Transmission Unit. Mr. Becken is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of California, both as a Mechanical and as a Control System Engineer.
Mr. Becken graduated from the University of Washington with a BS in both Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering.
KEY EXECUTIVES
Bob Gault
Director, Safety and Compliance
As the Director of Safety and Compliance, Mr. Gault is responsible for the Company’s Safety Program. He has 46 years of management and field experience in gas construction process and procedures at PG&E. Mr. Gault has extensive experience in change management and innovation in work processes to deliver energy safely. He has held a number of positions with increasing responsibilities from a welder to successive leadership roles from a Supervisor to a Superintendent.
Doug Glover
General Manager. Inspection & Technical Services
Mr. Glover manages the EEI San Bernardino Office on all matters relating to the provision of field technical services for the construction and maintenance work related to Gas Distribution and Transmission Pipeline Systems, as well as serving as the Key Contact for the Electric Inspection Program. With over 35 years of experience working in Southern California Gas Company, Mr. Glover also handles and coordinates Operator Qualification testing and compliance, Drug and Alcohol Testing, and provides expert witness testimonies and field validation on compliance issues
Iruru Takahashi
Executive Advisor, Asian Business
Mr. Takahashi is the Executive Advisor, Asian Business. He has over 34 years of experience in the gas and electric business at Tokyo Gas, Japan. He has extensive experience and knowledge not only in Japan but also outside Japan, including working at the Tokyo Gas Paris Representative Office twice. He has been involved in various projects such as researching energy utility strategies, exploring new business opportunities, and planning, constructing and operating power generation facilities. During his career, he served as president of Tokyo Gas International Holdings B.V., an overseas financial management company, and also served as director of several subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas such as power generation and electricity retail companies in Japan and overseas. For the development of electricity business in Japan, he served as a member of some committees at the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, and the Electric Power System Council of Japan.
Mr. Takahashi holds BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Nancy Yu
Sr. Director, Human Resources, PHR, SHRMCP
Ms. Yu brings 20+ years of extensive experience and a solid background in all facets of Human Resources spanning several industries. Ms. Yu has served in past key roles as a Director and Business Partner for several prominent firms providing leadership and direction as a corporate wide HR Leader. She is a certified PHR and is a graduate of St. Mary’s College with a BS in Business Administration.