James (Jimmy) Vich

Jimmy's path into engineering started with Steve Howe, a mentor to his youth robotics team, who showed him what it looked like to build a career as an engineer solving concrete problems. That early exposure stuck — but it was spending the summer helping correct control drawings that pulled him toward GRDA’s hydroelectric projects. He spent that summer working at the Salina Pumped Storage Project learning how the systems worked and how they are changed to resolve issues. That combination shaped how Jimmy approaches the work today.

Now an Electrical Engineer at GRDA, Jimmy handles a steady stream of small projects and troubleshooting issues related to nearly everything electrical from modifying and improving protection systems to electrical testing, staying close to hydroelectric daily. He studied Electrical Engineering at Oklahoma State University. None of it happens without his wife Sierra, whose support keeps Jimmy grounded and moving forward. At Clean Currents, Jimmy will speak on GRDA’s motivation to change the operational capabilities of the Salina Pumped Storage Project.