Jonny Rogado, PE, SPRAT I

My journey in the hydropower industry spans 18 years in the federal sector, transitioning through roles including internal consultant engineer, hydropower plant mechanic, design engineer, field operations and maintenance (O&M) engineer, then facility manager. This diverse experience afforded me a comprehensive understanding of the hydropower domain, enriched by mentors and the opportunity to solve significant challenges. I traveled extensively and, at one point, lived in a converted shuttle bus 100 miles from home. I’m grateful for the opportunities to become immersed in engineering, O&M, and field inspections.

My tenure with the federal sector gave me invaluable on-the-job training in hydropower O&M, including firsthand response to equipment failures and leadership of maintenance and repairs. This experience honed my ability to operate within diverse teams, prioritize safety, and deliver high-quality solutions without a predetermined playbook. These skills are directly transferable to my role at Gannett Fleming, where I can offer a depth of practical knowledge and operational insight to enhance our clients’ projects across the country.

One of the most significant projects of my career involved working on the overhauls of several 70-megawatt vertical Francis units as an engineer and hydropower plant mechanic. This experience culminated in a critical intervention on a unit displaying dangerous levels of shaft vibration, which could have resulted in a pole being thrown into a new stator.

As the project manager and technical lead of this repair, I navigated the challenge without a clear initial scope, budget, or outage approval, ultimately mitigating the vibration and devising a new vibration measurement device to ensure easier identification and mitigation of possible future problems. With the collaboration of colleagues in offices throughout several states, we reduced the unit’s outage downtime and avoided millions of dollars in lost electricity generation.

Since starting at Gannett Fleming, I’ve jumped into a wide array of projects, including:

• Working on a micro-hydropower construction project.
• Designing a new, fully updated governor system on a 15-megawatt horizontal Francis unit.
• Designing an ultraviolet sanitation and drum filtration system for a Northern California fish hatchery.
• Providing real-time O&M troubleshooting of mechanical systems for local water agencies.
• Conducting turbine assembly condition assessments.
• Performing spillway gate inspections.
• Renewing my SPRAT Level 1 certification.

My Gannett Fleming colleagues have wasted no time putting me to work, and I’m loving every minute of it!

The evolving water and power management landscape, marked by a loss of experienced personnel and knowledge transfer gaps, poses significant challenges to maintaining operational continuity and efficiency. I understand the importance of experience in ensuring the reliability of generation units and the smooth execution of processes. In my current role, I am focused on addressing these challenges by filling knowledge voids and applying my comprehensive understanding of hydropower operations to improve clients’ facilities and practices.

My transition from the federal sector to Gannett Fleming in late 2023 was driven by a need to balance work and family life, specifically, the desire to be closer to my family. Despite the fulfilling challenges and responsibilities at the federal level, including managing a large hydropower facility, the opportunity at Gannett Fleming presented a chance to be a technical hydropower mechanical engineer while being close to home.

I am thrilled to offer nearly 20 years of facility O&M owner/operator experience to enhance the hydroelectric power services Gannett Fleming provides to clients. The company’s culture, focused on employee development, technical excellence, flexibility, and the ability to work on impactful projects, made this shift the best decision for my career and family life.

Two pieces of advice have influenced my professional and personal life:

1. “Perception is reality.” Identify facts that can be agreed upon.
2. “You won’t win the game if you never practice.” Invest in the skills and experience needed when it doesn’t matter in order to execute them with accuracy when it does.

These principles guide my decision-making and interactions, reinforcing a growth mindset, understanding, and effective leadership.

My family is my driving force, providing motivation and joy. My wife, Camille, our sons, Wesley and Ian, and I have embarked on numerous adventures. We’ve gone to the Sierra Nevada mountains to visit family, camp with friends, and spend time in nature. We’ve taken trips to Sedona, Arizona, and Joshua Tree National Park in the converted shuttle bus I slept in for work. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Joshua Tree for two consecutive years and hope it will become a tradition. Cooking a full Thanksgiving meal for 10 people in the clear black desert night with outcropping silhouettes at the skyline was amazing! This year, we introduced the boys to snowboarding, and they didn’t hate it, so we will add snow sports to our list of wintertime activities.