As a rights-of-way manager for White River Valley Electric Cooperative in Branson, Missouri, Bruce Roseman’s role is to make sure his department runs efficiently and stays on budget.
“WRVEC has approximately 5,000 miles of line that we over see in the vegetation program,” Roseman says. “We are on a 5-year pruning cycle rotation, and a 2-year herbicide treatment cycle rotation.”
It is why Roseman chose to take part in the Utility Vegetation Managers (UVM) Summit in Kalispell, Montana, May 13 – 15, along with 57 attendees, including 46 utility professionals, UAA Board members and staff at this invitation-only event.
“I wanted to be there because IOU and cooperative managers can get together in the same room and talk about our vegetation programs,” he adds. “The summit’s breakout sessions allowed us to learn about how we collect data and how it will be used by managers to make good decisions in UVM.”
Anthony Lindfors is a Vegetation Inspector II with Matanuska Electric Association in Palmer, Alaska. He sits on the UAA Planning Committee, which planned this summit, and was also a first-time attendee.
“At our utility, we can wear several hats,” says Lindfors. “In the field, I coordinate with VM contractors and landowners, often resolving work refusals to keep projects on track. I also collaborate with our teams to plan projects and programs, such as technology integrations that strengthen our UVM program.”
Budgeting for operational expenses, maintaining regulatory compliance and the challenge of attracting skilled labor are the most significant hurdles for UVM programs, according to the 2025 summit survey. But there are big opportunities for growth including innovations in technology, workforce development and vegetation rights-of-way management.
“The group sessions with the contractor and vendor scorecards offered practical metrics and lessons that can sharpen how we measure contractor performance,” adds Lindfors. “I picked up solid ideas for tracking and reporting safety during the safety management tools segment that should fit neatly into our existing processes.
“The new qualification tiers on the upcoming Z133 updates sparked a lot of conversation. We’ll need a clear plan to brief our staff, contractors, and Alaska’s wider arboriculture community so everyone’s informed and, most importantly, safe.”
UAA Board Member Cindy Devlin Musick is senior director of VM for Rappahannock Electric Cooperative in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This was her third summit.
“The industry is changing by leaps and bounds,” says Devlin Musick. “What was in the distant future is now a reality. Utilities – cooperatives, municipalities and investor-owned all face similar challenges. Interaction, especially in small groups for the Managers’ Summit is a chance to compare notes about technology, vendors, science and research. Connections can be made that are difficult to forge in a larger setting.”
More than a third of this year’s attendees were electric cooperatives, reaching a record high in 2025 and continuing an upward trend in participation. There are more than 900 electric cooperatives in the United States and Canada serving 42,000,000 member-owners. Devlin Musick says most of them are small cooperatives, with 40 employees or less.
“To see representation from the cooperatives throughout the country was impressive and really speaks to the commitment of those utilities to knowledge sharing and excellence,” says Devlin-Musick. “We even had attendees from Canada who provided a great deal of insight about how training for craft workers is done there. We have so much to learn from each other.
“This is an $8 billion dollar industry – in terms of annual dollars spent. It is typically the largest budget item at many utilities, excluding payroll. To exchange ideas with others on how to best manage those funds to prevent outages, mitigate fire risk and sustainably manage the land underneath those poles and wires in a small setting? Priceless,” she says.
REMINDER: The 2026 Utility Vegetation Managers (UVM) Summit will take place in Chicago.
Cody is the Membership Office Coordinator for the Utility Arborist Association, where she supports membership operations with a focus on organization and engagement. She blends her experience in organizing systems, interpreting data, and working closely with people to support both the day-to-day and big-picture needs of the UAA.
Sam joins the UAA crew with over a decade of non-profit experience behind her. As our Partnership Coordinator, her focused efforts on building relationships with diverse funders include crafting proposals, cultivating connections, and cohesively earning dedicated sponsors to support the sustainability of UAA substantially and empowering our programs. Well equipped with professional skills which include program development, public speaking, proposal writing, donor relations, working with diverse stakeholders, coalition building, and public-facing service. Sam’s educational background includes a BS in Animal Ecology with a minor in Animal Science, and a MA in Philanthropy and Non-profit Development.
Fallon is a Utility Arborist and Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association. Prior to his current role he was responsible for leading vegetation management programs across several upper Midwest states on behalf of a large investor-owned utility. He’s also been an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he facilitated the 
Crystal started her career in the Interior Design space but soon found herself 
Craig works for Pacific Gas and Electric as Principal Safety Program Manager in Land Management. His career spans 30 years in the utility industry serving numerous roles. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist, and hold his TRAQ and is a TCIA Certified TreeCare Safety Professional. Craig has been engaged and involved in the UAA for many years, starting back in 2008. He then wanted more so he ran for UAA President and was elected in 2014. Today, Craig looks back over his 30-year career and wouldn’t change a thing, he’s made life-long friends and considers many as mentors. He also claims he would not be where is in his career if it weren’t for these people, and pledges to pay it forward to support others in their success.
Jodie Braskich is an experienced professional in the utility industry with a strong background in supply chain and vegetation management. With over 18 years of industry expertise, Jodie continues to contribute her time and knowledge to the continuous improvement of the professional field of UVM. She has been a member of the UAA since 2007.
A winner of the David H Nabi Award for dedication and service, Dr. Robert Vanderhoof earned his Ph.D. from the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University in 1995. A veteran natural resource manager, Robert spent 15 years as Florida’s Deer Management Section Chief during which time he coordinated range management activities across Florida’s seven-million-acre wildlife management area system.
Cindy is the Senior Director, Vegetation Management Services and she manages departments responsible for maintaining vegetation in REC’s rights-of-way with the goal of reducing exposure of the electric grid to tree caused outages while encouraging habitat and species diversity. Cindy also has a consulting business, EcoAcumen, LLC that focuses on residential, commercial and government clients.
Kimberly Laing has had an exciting career in the energy industry, gaining valuable experience in various areas for almost 20 years. During her career, she has worked with numerous customers worldwide in a diverse cross-disciplined technical environment. She has extensive experience working with utilities, asset owners, equipment manufacturers, and consultants to facilitate transmission and distribution projects. Kimberly is particularly passionate about Utility Vegetation Management and its vital role in delivering safe and reliable power.
Josh Beaver is currently senior vice president of Eocene Environmental Group, a utility vegetation management (UVM) consulting and operations firm. Josh has more than two decades of experience within the UVM industry. He is currently responsible for relationship management and oversight of long-term UVM contracts throughout the United States and Canada. He considers customer and community communication to be vital aspects of his role, and he has a proven record of success working with utilities.
Sara Dreiser is a Senior Program Manager with ComEd. She works with a team to oversee ComEd’s routine cycle maintenance and ComEd’s interruption investigation programs. She has been working in the Vegetation Management industry for close to 15 years.
Matt Goff is a Transmission Vegetation Manager at Georgia Power Company. He lives in Brookhaven, GA with his wife, two daughters, and the family’s two dogs Sam, and Payton. For leisure, he enjoys sports with his family, bird hunting, and salt-water fishing.Matt holds a BSFR from the University of Georgia in Forest Resource Management and he graduated in 1997. He has worked in the vegetation management industry for 26 years. His work experience includes six years as a procurement forester for a forest products manufacturer, and 20 years in the utility vegetation management industry with Georgia Power.
Brandon graduated from Minnesota State University–Mankato with a B.S. in Geography. Brandon has been with Rainbow Tree Company since 2009 and has gained experience in several roles, including Business Developer for our utility products division, GIS Tree Inventory Analyst, and Technical Arborist. Brandon has been the Director of VM Services, the fastest growing division inRainbow Tree Company, since 2012.
Jim Neeser is a business developer for the Davey Resource Group, a division of the Davey Tree Expert Company. Jim primarily works with utility companies to provide innovative and customized solutions. Jim earned his AA from Vermillion Community College in 1997 and his BS in Forestry with an emphasis on Hydrology and Soils from the University of Minnesota in 2000. Jim is an ISA Certified Arborist with the Utility Specialist endorsement. Jim has been involved in the UAA training committee for nearly a decade as a past chairman and is currently the treasurer and Champion of the finance committee. Jim spent his first 7 years in the industry as a field arborist in the commercial and utility markets. The last 10 years, Jim has been working with utility companies to enhance their Integrated Vegetation Management programs. Jim’s other interests include spending time with his family, sports, hiking, fishing and coin collecting. Jim is also active with the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout. Jim lives in Forest Lake, MN with his wife and 2 children.
Erin Creekmur has been in the UVM industry for over 20 years. After graduating with a Bachelors in Botany from Northern Arizona University she relocated to Northern California to start her professional career. Starting as a consulting utility pre-inspector with Western ECI she quickly moving up to the ranks to Supervisor under the tutelage of folks like Nelson Money. In 2004, Erin joined PG&E as a Quality Assurance Auditor for the VM program. Eventually becoming the Program Manager for the North Coast Division, helping stand up the beginnings of CEMA as the Emergency Drought Response Initiative Lead for the Enhanced Inspection & Mitigation Program, targeting off-cycle hazard trees across the system. In 2015, Erin moved back to her home state of Arizona and took the role of Division Supervisor with Arizona Public Service, managing both transmission and distribution UVM programs out of the Flagstaff area. As part of her role with APS Forestry Fire and Resource Management Department, Erin had responsibility for creating a Hazard Tree Mitigation program. maintaining APS’s ROW Stewardship Accreditation, FERC reporting, and the Transmission Lidar program. In 2021, Erin took a shift in her career and is now Supervising the Customer Construction and Design team for APS, expanding her overall understanding of the Utility industry. Erin continues to maintain her ISA Utility Specialist Certification and TRAQ. She has also completed certifications in both Six Sigma and Lean Sigma Green Belt through accredited universities. In addition to her current service on the UAA Board of Directors, Erin spent the last 6 years as an officer with the Arboretum at Flagstaff Board of Directors. In her free time, you can find Erin in the woods taking pictures of native plants and beautiful western landscapes.
Renée is our Member Services Manager. She is available to UAA members for questions on committee assignments, educational opportunities, scholarships, CEU questions, and any other assistance.