Gonzaga Power Program Pushes Andrew Berman Higher in Utility Industry

Andrew Berman (METD ’23) finds he's advancing his career and better serving his power utility customers because of his Master of Engineering in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) degree from Gonzaga University.

As process engineering manager at S&C Electric Company, Berman says the program’s breadth gave him a deeper understanding of how his company’s products fit into the utility industry.

He enjoyed gaining insight into how utilities design and operate their infrastructure. “Learning from peers really helped me understand the day-to-day challenges as well,” he said.

The program’s expert faculty and their real-world experience in utility design have proven invaluable. “This program gave me a wide cross-sectional view of the utility infrastructure that not everyone has access to. You get to learn multiple areas that span from System Protection (coordination of protective circuits) to Utility Communications to Leadership and Project Management skills (right of ways, construction methods, budgets).”

One highlight: Dr. Juan Gers’ power system analysis course. “Power System Analysis was a ton of fun to dive into system analysis and using the programs to simulate scenarios was a ton of fun.”

Since starting the program, Berman has earned two promotions. He looks forward to helping customers tackle emerging challenges in the nation’s power grid, including data center development. “The implementation of customizable automation for these systems will be key to protecting the quality of service.”