Tyler Sorensen has twenty years of experience in the Utility Vegetation Management industry and has been a certified arborist and utility specialist since 2007. He started on a tree crew in the spring of 2002 and quickly worked his way up through every available position, eager to learn and gain industry knowledge along the way. Promoting safety, teaching, and learning new practices have always been his passion. His work experience in Utility Vegetation Management has allowed him to work in various vegetation related capacities in the following states: Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and California.
In August of 2018, Tyler took a position as the Rocky Mountain Power Salt Lake senior utility forester in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. In this role, his primary responsibility is to manage the vegetation maintenance for over 2500 miles of distribution and transmission power lines. He plans work on a three-year cycle schedule, executes annual vegetation activities within the allocated budget, oversees contractors, and audits tree work for adherence. In addition to the cycle schedule, in 2018, Rocky Mountain Power proactively changed its scope of work by introducing new work practices to reduce wildfire risks involving tree and power line conflicts. This was a major shift, industry wide. It has been challenging but has provided many learning experiences along the way.
In December of 2022, Tyler accepted a position with Rocky Mountain Power as the Director of Vegetation. Overseeing all utility vegetation maintenance activities in the Rocky Mountain Power service territory.
Tyler has a great deal of knowledge in the utility vegetation Industry. Sharing life and work experiences is how we all learn; and it provides resources and leadership to others seeking knowledge. It has been a long-time interest of his to be a part of the Utility Arborist Association to collaborate and share industry ideas.
Tyler spends his time away from work enjoying time with friends and family. Traveling, BBQ’s, hiking, fishing, and supporting his children in their various endeavors, especially helping them to develop their skills in competition baseball and softball, are some of his favorite activities.
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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.
Adam’s experience includes leading business development strategies for a utility vegetation management consulting firm, vegetation management field operations at two major investor-owned utilities in the southeastern US, project management at a variety of utilities in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern regions, and vegetation management program development and assessments across the country. His utility arboricultural experience provides a broad understanding of the many different methods used to create a successful utility right-of-way, vegetation management program, including remote sensing, data analytics, optimization, and the utilization of third-party consulting foresters for planning and auditing duties.
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.
Craig works for Pacific Gas and Electric as a Principal 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.
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.
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 
Kevin Puls is the president of ACRT. He has been with the company for more than 25 years and began his career with us as a work planner in western Ohio. He worked his way up to become an operations manager, senior operations manager, and director of operations. During his tenure he has managed utility vegetation contracts, municipal forestry programs, performed environmental compliance inspections, and many more items. He has worked with over 50 customers in over 40 states. He attended Mount Union College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in ecology. He completed his internship at Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts as part of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Kevin performed studies on plant-soil-air interactions and presented his research in multiple forums. Kevin also holds an MBA in Executive Management from Ashland University. Kevin also serves as a committee member on multiple BSA troops and conservation organizations.
Tim is the Vice President of Health and Safety for the Davey Tree Expert Company.
Geoff Kempter is Technical Services Manager for Asplundh with 28 years of experience in arboriculture and urban forestry. He has served on the ANSI A300 Committee since 1996, and has served as ISA Certification Chair, the ISA Board and the TREE Fund Board. He also serves on the Michigan Urban and Community Forestry Committee, and the Grand Rapids Urban Forestry Committee. Geoff is ISA Certified, a TRAQ instructor and holds a degree in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan.
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.
Diona has been with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) since December 2015 and has worked in various capacities within the organization.