BALTIMORE (March 1, 2016) – Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE)’s Larry Laws was named a “Most Promising Engineer” at the 2016 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) conference held recently in Philadelphia. This annual conference honors those who demonstrate outstanding performance. The Most Promising Engineer awards are among the conference’s signature honors. Three additional BGE engineers were recognized with Modern Day Technology Leader Awards, presented to those who are shaping the future of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) industries.

“It gives us great pride to see BGE employees represented among the nation’s top engineers,” said Calvin Butler, BGE’s chief executive offer, who presented Laws with his honor at the BEYA gala. “It confirms our commitment to hiring and retaining the right talent. This is critical as we celebrate our 200-year legacy of moving smart energy forward for customers in central Maryland.” Laws, a Baltimore City native and current resident of York, Pa., joined BGE in 2006 as a relay and control technician. Now manager of systems analysis and support, he leads a team of 13 engineers and technicians that support functions including system event operational analysis and investigation, voltage control and substation engineering support.

Laws, an Army veteran, previously worked at Northrop Grumman in the Field Engineering Services division. BEYA also recognized Laws for his work mentoring aspiring engineers and for collaborating with Exelon human resources to recruit diverse candidates for technical positions.

Ferdinand Cardona, Yibekal Essatu and Issaya Mutombo of BGE were among the Modern Day Technology Leaders.

Cardona is a manager in BGE’s gas and electric methods department, responsible for evaluating the tools used in the electric and gas environment and maintaining approximately 1400 work procedures. In his previous role as a senior engineer in BGE’s electric distribution engineering and standards department, he led a team that implemented OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulation changes at BGE. These included changes to the safe work distances and clearances, fall protection, and the substation entry process. Prior to joining BGE in 2014, Cardona worked as a program manager and senior design engineer at Exelon’s Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station. Cardona was born in Puerto Rico, where he retains strong ties to the local engineering community. He currently resides in Finksburg, Md.

Essatu is a senior engineer in the protection and control section of BGE’s transmission and substation engineering department. With the impending application of new cyber security regulations, Essatu has implemented several projects which mitigate security and regulatory concerns. Essatu also serves as BGE’s subject matter expert (SME) for an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) study team convened by Exelon. He joined BGE in 2009 from Suddenlink Communications, where he was responsible for the installation and troubleshooting of video, data and telephone services. Essatu is a resident of Eldersburg, Md.

Mutombo is a senior engineer in BGE distribution systems operations where he leads the electric system’s seasonal readiness assessment among other responsibilities. Prior to this role, he worked as the only engineer in BGE’s design services department, where he reviewed plans for construction projects to ensure any engineering concerns were addressed. In 2014, Mutombo, a native of Zimbabwe, applied these skills when he oversaw a project to have a borehole drilled in his home village so residents could have safe drinking water. Mutombo currently resides in Bel Air, Md.

Nine other employees from across the Exelon family of companies also were honored – two from Constellation in Baltimore, two from ComEd in Chicago, two from Exelon Generation, one from Exelon Business Services and two from PECO in Philadelphia. Ten Exelon presenters, including Laws, Cardona and BGE’s vice president of Transmission and Substation, Darryl Stokes, also served on conference panels.

The BEYA STEM Conference brings together students, college administrators, recruiters, engineering and IT professionals, scientists and high-level decision-makers from the corporate, government and military communities in an effort to broaden diversity in this country's technical and scientific work forces.

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