The Bridge
to Tomorrow’s
Energy
Transformation

Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer Mark Montgomery leads Bridgewater Consulting Group, a full-service management consulting company that works exclusively with clients within the Utilities industry.

Its mission is to provide advanced business solutions for our clients that foster collaboration and value, while exceeding expectations.

Mark is a highly talented, dedicated, results-driven executive with over 20 years of Utilities industry-related leadership and client relationship management experience. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated expertise in corporate strategy development that has resulted in multimillion-dollar savings and operational efficiency improvements.

He’s earned a stellar reputation in managing internal, sourced, and outsourced projects by collaboratively working with domestic and international resources to fulfill corporate goals and initiatives. His high-caliber qualifications and impressive results partner with clients to develop and implement innovative strategies and solutions to address the most challenging and complex problems. Mark has a hands-on, lead-by-example style that fosters a culture of teamwork and dedication to operational excellence.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University and an MBA from the University of Redlands. He also obtained the MIT Sloan Executive Certification in Innovation and Strategy as well as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Certification.

Mark enjoys taking part in a mentoring program that focuses on developing and transforming interns and young workers into tomorrow’s leaders.

Gretchen Heyman provides Bridgewater Consulting Group with executive leadership as its EVP, COO. She is an accomplished executive with in-depth Utility Industry knowledge and experience leading large technical organizations, deploying enterprise initiatives, and developing/executing breakthrough strategies.

Before joining Bridgewater, Gretchen worked at CBRE’s in their Global PMO where she provided strategic and governance oversight and accountability to the global, multi-year, multi-phased Salesforce initiative for business case validation, program roadmap development, and capital and expense tracking at the program level. Its objective was to enable a single view of the client across lines of business and geographies.

Gretchen began her professional career at Southern California Edison (SCE) as an intern. In time, she became an Executive Director who held leadership roles in both Corporate Finance and its IT Organization. In these roles, she provided strategic direction and management oversight that resulted in multi-million-dollar savings and operational improvements across the organization.

Gretchen holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from California State University, Long Beach and completed the Executive Program in Information Technology at the University of Chicago. Further, she pursued graduate-level studies in Business Administration at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She also holds an Incident Command System certification and a Process Master Curriculum credential.

In her downtime, Gretchen enjoys helping others through philanthropic outreach ministries to help those in need.

Ernie Lewis serves Bridgewater Consulting Group as its Executive Vice President, Business Strategy & Operational Excellence. His over 25 years of experience in the Utilities industry – with roles spanning a multitude of functional spaces – provide him with a uniquely qualified point of view that brings strategic thinking, planning, and execution to life.

At Bridgewater, Ernie is responsible for internal and external business strategy to drive results that meet our business objectives. Ernie provides executive oversight for new and innovative opportunities while ensuring alignment with our organization’s vision. He ensures that our capabilities mature and foster growth. Additionally, he provides executive leadership for strategic accounts.

Before joining Bridgewater, Ernie served General Electric (GE) in Product Development as its Program Director. At GE, he helped to merge the post-merger legacy environment of two companies into one cohesive roadmap with specific milestones to enable operational excellence and cultivate positive customer experiences.

Before GE, Ernie spent close to a decade with Verizon Enterprise Solutions, most recently as its Global Head for Enterprise Lifecycle Marketing. In this role, he focused on lifecycle marketing implementation, global portfolio leadership, product development, strategy development, and C-level negotiations.

Ernie spent 27 years at Southern California Edison (SCE), most recently as its Director – IT Program Management Office (PMO), Product Management, and Client Relationship Management. While there, he created and led the IT PMO to become a world-class organization, including a formal Center of Excellence. Ernie developed an enterprise-wide portfolio management capability for the prioritization of technology projects. He helped to institutionalize the Product Management and Client Relationship functions while bridging the gap between the executive line of business leaders with the IT Executive team.

Ernie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management and an MBA from the University of Redlands. He earned a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from Villanova University. Additionally, Ernie is a certified Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner. Further, he has received professional development training from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business (Delivering Information Services), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Development of Technology-Based Innovation), Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business (Delivering Excellent Customer Service), and Hammer and Company (Business Process Management).

In his spare time, Ernie enjoys volunteering with his church, travel and spending time with his family.

Ramon Gonzalez currently serves Bridgewater Consulting Group as its VP, Solution Design. In this role, he leads the Pre-Sales team, crates and executes solutions strategy, and fosters the ability of the organization to deliver a world-class sales enablement function. Ramon originates competitive business plans and collaborates cross-functionally with colleagues across the business to develop joint solutions, communicate the value our solutions deliver for partners, and to share his subject matter expertise with stakeholders.

Previously, Ramon has held three different roles at Bridgewater. He began his professional journey with the company as a Senior Principal Consultant before his promotion to Director of Solution Delivery and then VP, Design & Delivery Services. In the latter two roles, Ramon provided a broad delivery of services. He was responsible for the day-to-day oversight of activities, quality management, business development, and distribution of work products. He managed all aspects of clients’ engagements from scope development to schedules, budget, quality, and project escalations.

Before joining the Bridgewater team, Ramon earned a portion of his 15+ years of Utilities industry experience at Southern California Edison (SCE) as a Lead Consultant/Configuration Management Process Manager. In that role, Ramon was accountable for the management, execution, and monitoring of the Configuration Management process and its supporting toolsets, amongst other duties. Additional duties included managing audit findings and revising process controls to ensure compliance with new audit requirements.

Ramon holds two Associate degrees in Applied Science (Networking Technology & Computer Technology) from the Heald Institute of Technology. Additionally, he is a Certified Software Asset Management (CSAM) and holds certifications in ITIL Intermediate Service Transition (V3), ITIL Foundations in IT Service Management, ITIL Practitioner’s in IT Service Management/Support and Restore (V2), ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (V3), and the Six Sigma Green Belt.

In his spare time, Ramon enjoys spending time with his family, working out, and playing basketball.

Karen Taylor-Herring serves Bridgewater Consulting Group as its Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness in addition to providing principal thought leadership to its executive team. She relies on her 20+ years of Utilities experience to transform clients’ objectives and goals into workable solutions that achieve desired business outcomes. Her honed relationship-building skills and strategic thinking enables her to help bring a client’s vision to life.

Previously, Karen served as Principal at T&H Consulting. There, she provided consulting services related to Strategic and Operational Planning, Organizational Change Management, Business Process Management, and Vendor Management. She led the development of Supplier Diversity Strategic Plans and Operating Plans with local utilities.

Before that role, Karen spent 16 years at Southern California Edison (SCE) working in Procurement, Contracts Management, Vendor Management, and Information Technology. As Senior Strategic Portfolio Manager, IT Client Services and Planning (her most recent role at SCE), she was responsible for maintaining the strategic partnerships between IT and internal client organizations to ensure an optimal return on clients’ technology investments. Additionally, she led cross-functional technology teams and integrated their efforts for the overall solution design and delivery, process improvements, issue resolution, and project and service-level performance.

Karen holds an Economics degree from Kent State University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Additionally, she earned a Public Policy certification from the University of Southern California, a non-profit management certification from Harvard University, and the Prosci Organizational Change Management certificate.

In her spare time, Karen serves on Pomona Catholic High School’s Consultative Board to improve and develop strategic objectives for its enrollment and its international program. Additionally, she serves on Shoes That Fit’s Board that partners with the Chris Paul Family Foundation (founded by 9-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul).

Nu Pho serves Bridgewater Consulting Group as its VP, Program/Project Management, where she provides executive leadership, subject matter expertise, and management for its PMO and AMI practices. Additionally, she leads, manages, coaches, and mentor project management resources to help ensure the successful execution of programs and projects.

Nu Pho has over 35 years of experience in corporate management, program/project management, and IT operations. In addition to a strong record of industry innovations, she has a track record of successfully delivering complex projects.

Before joining Bridgewater, Nu spent over 17 years with Southern California Edison (SCE) in multiple roles, including her most recent as a Senior Program Manager within its IT organization. She has extensive knowledge of the Utilities industry. At SCE, she led significant award-winning programs for the implementation of strategic platforms of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Smart Grid, NERC CIP Compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley, Business Resiliency, and the Digital Customer Experience Portal. Nu was a recipient of SCE’s highest employee recognition – the Chairman’s Award.

Additionally, Nu held the VP, Program Management Office role at Smart Energy Water (SEW). Some of her responsibilities included managing products in its implementation portfolio, leading the development, implementation, and oversight of its governance structure, and managing both high-profile, level one client relationships.

Nu holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

In her downtime, Nu enjoys embroidery, sewing, high-intensity exercise, and collecting stamps.

Flora Chang serves on Bridgewater Consulting Group’s Leadership team as its Managing Director of Implementation. Flora brings over 30 years of IT experience within the Utility Industry and Public Sector. At Bridgewater, she works closely with customers, implementation/delivery leadership, and technical experts to determine the customer’s service needs and to ensure their satisfaction throughout implementation and ongoing support processes.

Before joining Bridgewater, Flora spent over 11 years in multiple roles with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP), most recently as its Deputy Chief Information Officer. As a result, she has extensive knowledge of the Utility industry and the meter-to-cash operation. In addition to IT project delivery, system support and operations, and strong business knowledge, she managed customer billing and customer relations operations at LADWP.

In addition to her experience at LADWP, Flora was the Director of Systems at the Los Angeles City General Services Department and the Recreation and Parks Department. She also worked at the Public Works Department and the Information Technology Agency. During this time, she acquired a broad range of industry, technical, and project management experience that allowed her to deliver sophisticated technology and enterprise-scale solutions.

Flora has a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Additionally, she holds certificates in Oracle Database Administration and Unix System Administration.

In her spare time, Flora takes Tai Chi and martial arts lessons. She also enjoys painting and traveling.

Mark Podorsky brings more than 30 years of professional experience in the industry (with a focus on business operations and systems experience) to his Energy & Utilities Practice Partner leadership role at Bridgewater Consulting Group. He is responsible for business development, strategy, and industry guidance based on regulatory environments, technology advancements, and industry insights. Additionally, he provides executive thought guidance as a member of Bridgewater’s Leadership team.

Before joining the Bridgewater team, Mark served as the Principal Manager of Implementations & Information Governance within Customer Service at Southern California Edison (SCE). He was responsible for the development, execution, and operations of customer-centric programs, customer information governance, data exchange, and third-party integration. Mark also served SCE as its Senior Manager of External Parties & Future Programs. In this role, he managed the implementation of SCE’s home area network (HAN) programs, Green Button compliance and initiatives, and established SCE’s customer information governance strategy.

He originally joined SCE in 2009 as its Senior Manager of Business Integration for Edison SmartConnect – SCE’s award-winning smart meter program. His responsibilities included managing the overall design and integration of Edison SmartConnect products, services, and business processes, as well as leveraging the capabilities enabled by the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).

He has served as the Green Button Alliance Vice-Chair and headed both the Global and US Marketing Committee and Subcommittee. Additionally, he’s been a voting member of the California Public Utilities Commission’s Energy Data Access Committee.

Mark earned a BS degree in Mathematics from Loyola University of Chicago.

As a former touring musician, Mark has released three albums and a song on a movie soundtrack. In his spare time, he continues to enjoy playing music and traveling around the globe.

Kevin owns an extensive career within the Utilities industry with broad experiences. His professional journey includes project experience with analytics, smart meter operations, information governance, infrastructure and operations, cybersecurity, smart grid maturity model and reference architecture, distribution management, smart metering, and many others that would be welcomed senior insights for any mission-critical effort. Additionally, he has earned six patent grants related to his work.

Laura Dutton serves on Bridgewater Consulting Group’s Leadership team as its Vice President, Business Strategy. Laura brings over 20 years of experience within the Utility Industry and Public Sector. At Bridgewater, she focuses on business strategy to drive results that meet our business objectives. 

Before joining Bridgewater, Laura served JEA as its Chief Strategy Officer for the past three years. She led JEA’s enterprise-wide strategic direction, Board Services, Distributed Resources, Corporate Strategy, Enterprise Strategy and Planning, Economic Development and Real Estate, Grid Modernization and Business Development, and Organizational Effectiveness organizations. 

In addition to her experience at JEA, Laura spent over 17 years in multiple roles with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). During this time, she acquired a broad range of industry experience from contracts management, fuel analysis, incentive program management, performance analysis, corporate business planning, workforce planning and analytics, external relations, distributed energy resources strategy, engagement and inclusion, and talent planning.

Laura’s experience and skill set are unique. She’s known for her values-driven strategic mindset and customer-focused approach to simplifying complex ideas and communicating purpose to transform vision into reality.

Laura has an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Alabama. 

In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her family.

Alicia Flohs has over 40 years of experience in Corporate and Information Technology Management, Program/Project Management, and Vendor Management. She has excellent client interface and communication skills and in-depth expertise within the Utilities industry, supporting Sempra Energy, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and the Southern California Gas Company.

Alicia serves Bridgewater Consulting Group as a Principal Relationships Manager, where she is clients' primary point of contact. She is responsible for overall client relationship and business development. She introduces new clients to the value of Bridgewater Consulting Group (BCG) and encourages them to utilize its consulting services.

Before joining BCG, Alicia spent over 36 years with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) in multiple roles, including her most recent as a Strategic Vendor Manager within its IT organization. She has in-depth experience in desktop technologies, enterprise, and distributed environments. Further, Alicia managed the successful execution of several enterprise programs and projects. At SDG&E, she pioneered multiple strategic platform implementations such as the first Local Area Network (LAN), Mobile Technologies, Enterprise Network Storage, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Smart Grid, and O365 Programs.

Additionally, she led the Advanced Distribution Management System Phase 2 Project for IT software and infrastructure teams on a significant upgrade of Oracle NMS 1.10 to 1.12. She managed IT software and infrastructure teams in the successful migration from production to disaster recovery environment and upgrade of the NMS Database from Oracle 11.1 on AIX to Oracle 11.2 on Linux.

Alicia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems. She also has a Program Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Ben Benton serves on Bridgewater Consulting Group’s Leadership team as its 

Principal Enterprise Network Architect for Private LTE/5G. Ben brings over 25 years of experience in the Wireless Industry, delivering extensive experience in the engineering design, deployment, and operations of LTE and 5G networks. He works closely with customers to determine their Private LTE requirements and to support them in the financial, engineering, and deployment processes, as well as ongoing operations and maintenance processes. 

Before joining Bridgewater, Ben spent three years as a Private LTE / 5G Technical Consultant at Burns & McDonnell. He has experience with multiple Utility clients and their journey to understand and deploy Private LTE networks to support grid modernization efforts. He was a key contributor in the engineering and deployment of a utility LTE network in Kansas and Missouri.

In addition to his experience at Burns & McDonnell, Ben was the VP of Wireless Engineering and Operations for GCI, a statewide telecommunications company in Alaska. He also held leadership positions at Sprint, MetroPCS, and T-Mobile. During this time, he acquired a broad range of industry, technical, project management, and operations experience that allowed him to deliver sophisticated technology and enterprise-scale solutions.

Ben has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech. 

Ben enjoys cooking, traveling the world, and spending time with his kids and grandson in his spare time.

Abhijit Bhure serves Bridgewater Consulting Group’s Leadership team as its Managing Director of Utility Modernization. Abhijit brings over 22 years of IT experience within the Utility Industry and Public Sector. At Bridgewater, he works closely with customers, implementation and delivery leadership teams, and technical experts to determine their service needs. He also works with customers to solve their challenges and ensure satisfaction throughout the program execution and beyond.

Before joining Bridgewater, Abhijit spent over 10 years in multiple leadership roles with various business and technology transformation programs and grid modernization initiatives, most recently as a lead of the program management office for a CIS modernization program at PG&E. He used his extensive knowledge of the utility industry and the meter-to-cash operations. In addition to IT program management, he managed senior stakeholders, multiple vendors, and partners and served the program governance. 

In addition, he has worked with multiple other utilities, including PacifiCorp, Nevada Energy, and Puget Sound Energy, leading multiple business-critical programs such as AMI-based IT-OT programs, AI/ML-based data analytics programs in renewable energy, and T&D operations. Abhijit also has experience in the United Kingdom with British Gas, delivering an extensive CIS implementation program. He has also worked with utility regulators for policy formation and regulations. 

Abhijit has a master’s degree in Energy Systems from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in India and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. 

He loves cooking and spending time with his family in his spare time.

Demonte Alexander is the Managing Director of Public Affairs at Bridgewater Consulting Group and a key member of its leadership team. With over 20 years of experience in communications and public affairs, he develops strategic relationship initiatives that advance Bridgewater’s interests with local and regional governments, business leaders, and key stakeholders—unlocking new partnership opportunities.

Before joining Bridgewater, Demonte spent more than 11 years in various roles with prominent organizations, including VIA Metropolitan Transit, the City of San Antonio City Council, and DOCUmation, where he most recently served as Director of Public Affairs. His diverse background has given him extensive expertise in building strategic relationships across public and private sectors. He also possesses a deep understanding of municipal utility governance and has contributed to public opinion polling, strategic messaging, and community engagement strategies to enhance public sentiment for utilities.

In addition to his public sector accomplishments, Demonte’s tenure at DOCUmation allowed him to acquire a broad range of industry, technical, and project management skills within the Managed IT sector—equipping him with the knowledge of delivering sophisticated technology and enterprise-scale solutions.

Demonte holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Morehouse College and is a U.S. Army veteran, having served with distinction during Operation Iraqi Freedom II in Baghdad, Iraq. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, writing, and spending quality time with his family.” 

With a passion for building meaningful connections, Linda Angel Meynier is a seasoned leader. As the Director of Network Customer Engagement at Bridgewater Consulting Group, she brings over 25 years of experience in building out physical infrastructure across the telecommunications and utility industries. In her role, she engages with existing clients and prospects, fostering strong relationships, enhancing customer experiences, and driving innovative solutions that empower businesses to thrive.

Before joining BCG, Linda spent the previous five years working exclusively within the utility industry. As East Region Sales Manager at Ubiik-Mimomax, she brought a passion for servant leadership and deep expertise in private LTE network development and advanced networking solutions with utilities and public safety agencies across the country. While at ADB Companies, she founded the Utility Sector Division, building a comprehensive service portfolio that included dark fiber construction, cell tower development, data center build-outs, and IT-based services.

Linda attended the University of Phoenix on a full-ride scholarship, which she received by winning the America's Most Inspirational Mother contest, awarded by Dr. Lucille O'Neal (Shaquille O'Neal's mother), Kimberly-Clark, and the Boys and Girls Club. She holds degrees in Marketing, Management, and Human Services, with an emphasis on children and families.

In her spare time, Linda enjoys renovating a 19-acre historic 1801 stone home and farm in Perryville, Kentucky and supports the University of Alabama's football team, where her daughter is a student. She and her husband reside in Texas.