Established in 2005, the Willamette University Utility Management Certificate (UMC) Program has prepared hundreds of professionals to take on advanced leadership roles in the electric and natural gas utilities industry. As it enters its twentieth year, this utility management training program is being updated to provide information, insights and skills that will help program participants guide their organizations through transformational changes taking place in the industry.
Energy utilities are responsible for providing essential services to meet their customers’ needs. They must continue to deliver reliable energy services at affordable rates while also accommodating rapidly growing uses of electricity and dramatically reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
Successfully achieving these ongoing and new requirements will require strong, effective leadership and problem-solving abilities at utilities and at other energy organizations. The Willamette Utility Management Certificate Program helps prepare high-potential individuals to meet these challenges.
This utilities management training program is designed to achieve the following outcomes:
The 2024 UMC program will be an intensive, 10-day management training. Eight days of in-person class sessions will be held at Willamette's new Executive Development Center in Portland, Oregon. Two days of instruction will be held via online webinars.
Classes will be conducted by top-level instructors who are subject matter experts with significant experience in their fields. From industry-leading practitioners to professional trainers, each instructor has recognized expertise in their given topic. Guest speakers will also be invited to engage with the class on topics of interest.
In addition to daily classroom instruction, discussions and exercises, students will work together in small teams throughout the course. Each team will explore and assess a key planning topic, prepare a written report and deliver a final presentation that simulates interaction with an organization’s decision makers.
The curriculum for the 2024 Utility Management Certificate Program will address multiple topics, including how they integrate with each other and within the overall energy utility industry. Topics will include:
Throughout its existence, the Utility Management Certificate Program has provided valuable learning experiences to participants from a range of energy utilities entities, including investor-owned electric utilities, consumer-owned electric utilities natural gas utilities, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and other types of energy organizations. A number of energy utilities organizations send participants each year and several organizations send multiple participants per year.
In recent years, policy and industry structural changes have expanded the range of entities that are involved in the energy utilities industry. Major new policies are being enacted and new regional industry organizations are being established. These developments are bringing a wider range of players into the energy utilities industry. As a result, there is a growing need to develop shared, robust understanding about and across the energy utilities industry. There is also a growing need for productive collaboration among various sectors of the industry.
To meet the evolving needs of the energy utilities industry, Willamette will begin broadening participation in the program. In upcoming programs, students from additional types of organizations and individuals may be invited, including:
Students will be expected to attend eight hours of in-class sessions daily. Three graded assignments, a final team project and course participation evaluations all contribute to the final grade.
Students who successfully complete the 10-day course will receive a certificate of Utility Management Certificate Program completion from Willamette’s MBA Program. Students may also be eligible for graduate academic credit.
Tuition for the Fall 2024 Utility Management Certificate Program is $6,275 per person or $5,750 per person for an organization sending four or more employees. The tuition includes registration fees, course materials, breakfast and lunch, and daily snacks.
We are pleased to present the 2024 Utility Management Certificate Program and are looking forward to engaging with this year’s students. If you or your organization are interested in participating, please contact us!
Charlie Black Director, Utility Management Certificate Program
Kennedy Hawkins Director, Executive Development Center
10-day course. Eight days of in-person sessions will be held October 15-18 and November 12-15 at Willamette University's Executive Development Center in Portland, Oregon. Two days of instruction will take place via online webinars on October 30 and November 6.