Western Power Consultants is a registered professional services firm headquartered in Idaho. Our management team has over 50 years of project experience.  

Management Team

David Berry, P.E. - Managing Director

Mr Berry has a decade of engineering project development and management experience. He has been responsible for the civil, structural and physical design elements of substation and transmission projects for 46kV to 500kV developments.  Mr. Berry has conducted various economic and financial studies from feasibility analysis to asset and business valuations.  He is a registered engineer in three western states and has worked on projects throughout America, Canada, Australia and the Philippines.  Mr. Berry holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Gonzaga University, a Certificate of Proficiency in Structural Engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and an MBA from the University of Portland.  

Makary Hutson - Senior Project Manager

Mr. Hutson specializes in providing scientific and technical regulatory environmental support to a variety of new and existing transmission projects.  He has experience composing documents to comply with federal, state and local laws or regulations, including NEPA, ESA, CWA and NHPA as well as preparing and managing contracts for surveys, studies and other environmental services.  Mr. Hutson has significant field experience developing and managing mitigation implementation plans in support of linear and non-linear transmission projects.  He regularly serves as a liason and point of contact for transmission field crews regarding emergency environmental-related compliance measures, particularly for Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) facilities.  Mr. Hutson has a B.S. from Gonzaga University in Biology and Political Science.

Devin Barr - Public Relations Director

Mr. Barr has been involved with brokering land acquisitions, marketing campaigns, brand management and influencing public perceptions for a decade.  He has experience in creating, implementing and managing marketing as well as public policy campaigns from inception to completion.  Mr. Barr has worked with clients throughout the United States to satisfy their specific market needs.  He graduated from Depauw University with a degree in Economics and Communications.  

James Watkins - Senior Electrical Engineer 

Mr. Watkins has been working in electrical system planning since graduating from Western Washington University with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 2006.  He has developed various client specific protection and control schemes as well as coordinated multiple substation upgrades.  Mr. Watkins has experience with the preparation of single-line and three-line diagrams, control schematics, wiring diagrams, equipment layouts, technical specifications and procurement support.  He also has significant experience conducting workplace arc flash hazard assessments.   

Andrew Mentzer - Senior Policy Specialist

Mr. Mentzer's previous experience working for multiple public agencies have provided him with strong relationships within the various local, state and federal agencies.  He has been involved with land use applications, coordinating stakeholder engagement, public hearings, determining compliance and mitigation measures for a decade.  Mr. Mentzer holds a B.S. in Political Science and a Master's of Public Administration from Boise State University.  

Katie Gonzalez - Senior Planning Specialist

As a planning specialist, Mrs. Gonzalez focuses on producing the required applications and documents associated with project permitting.  She has significant experience coordinating with landowners, stakeholders and local, state and federal entities throughout the entire project life-cycle.  Her expertise extends to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) process milestones including Pre-Application Documents and License Applications.  Mrs. Gonzalez holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Washington.  

Ian Johnson - Senior Project Designer

Mr. Johnson applies his art of balancing digital design with strategic vision to capture an effective roadmap for project success.  His expertise includes utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) for creating effective planning and permitting exhibits.  He has significant experience working with clients to ensure the true intent of the design is communicated in the final project.  Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the Portland Art Institute.