Our Team - Overwatch Grid Systems

Industry Leading Expertise

Two world-leading experts in the field of vegetation management are part of our team.

Stephen Cieslewicz

U.S. Navy Veteran & UVM Industry Expert

Stephen Cieslewicz is one of the most recognized names in the utility vegetation management industry. Prior to co-founding CN Utility Consulting (CNUC) in 1999 and serving as its president for 17 years, Steve led Pacific Gas & Electric's vegetation management program as their System Utility Arborist.

He worked for PG&E for 21 years in a variety of positions of increasing responsibility and was PG&E's first ISA certified arborist. He has designed complete UVM programs for PG&E and other utilities across North America and is experienced in all aspects of UVM.

Among his numerous industry and government awards, Steve received a Certificate of Appreciation from the US and Canadian Governments for his contributions in investigating the 2003 Northeast Blackout, in which he was commissioned by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as one of two lead investigators.

Steve is currently the co-host of The UVM Podcast, the leading podcast in the industry.

Lawrence Kahn

Attorney, Entrepreneur & Educator

Lawrence Kahn is an attorney, entrepreneur and educator who has provided advisory services in the environmental and maritime "trees and seas" space for over 25 years. He is a Distinguished Research Fellow with the Tulane Center for Environmental Law.

Mr. Kahn previously worked for the U.S. Army, where he was certified as a Contracting Officer's Representative and negotiated and enforced government contracts and had oversight of the hazard tree removal program, management of Army timber, flora and fauna resources.

Kahn developed (and currently serves as Director of) the Tulane Utility Vegetation Management Initiative ("UVMI"), a joint project of Tulane Law School's Center for Environmental Law and Tulane Law School's Center for Energy Law.

The UVMI is now widely recognized as the leading neutral academic center of its area of focus and it has attracted positive attention from government, non-governmental organizations, the utility industry, and a variety of private and public companies.

Additional Leadership

David Bravo

Operations & Business Development

David Bravo has been a leader in building efficient and profitable businesses through their operations departments for over 30 years, focusing especially on the vegetation management, land management, and construction disciplines.

Over a majority of the last 10 years, David has led efforts in emergency management, utility vegetation management and line clearance industries in California to ensure safe, productive and profitable operations.

Herbert Hughes

Chief Financial Officer

Herbert Hughes is a graduate of Harvard University Class of 1982. Mr. Hughes worked on Wall Street for fifteen years and specialized in derivatives trading and structuring. Mr. Hughes also held senior risk management positions.

Mr. Hughes spent a decade at Bass Brothers Enterprises where he handled capital formation, derivatives, and risk management. He is a Director of Wormhole Information Technology Systems and Chief Financial Officer of Wormhole Labs, Inc.

Guillaume Riviere

Technology & Engineering

Guillaume Riviere is a multi-disciplinary, multicultural, tech crafter with strong experience in software engineering management and specialized in remote team organization and operational management.

An engineer with a long-time passion for mixed reality software, complex problem solving and challenges, for over 20 years Guillaume has worked within major fortune 500 companies encompassing automotive, gaming and civil engineering/construction industries.

Industry Recognition & Expertise

Regulatory & Standards Development

Our team has written and/or contributed to the development of most of the existing rules and standards that dictate and define UVM work, including:

GO 95 Rule 35
PRC 4293
ANSI Standards and BMPs
NERC FAC-003
Many ISA publications

Legal & Expert Testimony

Our team's detailed understanding of the UVM industry has led to expert testimony in over 35 significant legal, regulatory and legislative proceedings across North America.

They have completed UVM program and compliance reviews for major utilities all across North America and abroad and have authored and presented numerous scholarly papers and articles relating to vegetation management over the majority of the last three decades.

Academic & Research Leadership

Tulane Utility Vegetation Management Initiative (UVMI)

Our team co-founded and currently serves as Senior Expert Advisor for the Tulane University Law School's Utility Vegetation Management Initiative (UVMI), a joint project of Tulane Law School's Center for Environmental Law and Tulane Law School's Center for Energy Law.