Meet the Team

David W. Bowman is well known as a true human performance practitioner with a thorough and strong working knowledge of the topic. His 30 plus year background in both the utility and petroleum refining industries lends to support the science, application, and data collection necessary to establish and maintain a true culture of performance improvement. With military experience from the United States Marine Corps, a strong operational background with Chevron, and multiple diverse leadership roles within Entergy, David has the innate ability to assist any organization with establishing a highly reliable culture. David serves on the Board of Commissioners of Lane Regional Medical Center.

David Bowman

CEO

David Sowers

Dave has over 30 years of experience in power generation and the utility industry. He started his career in the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power Program where he served aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). After the Navy, Dave started working in commercial nuclear power as an operator and trainer in New Jersey and Louisiana. Dave returned to government service with the US Army Corps of Engineers at a hydroelectric dam in Alabama. Throughout his career, Dave has served in many diverse roles including Plant Operator and Trainer, Emergency Responder, Control Room Supervisor, Power Plant Manager, Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer. In addition to the technical training received in the US Navy, Dave has a Bachelor of Science degree in Resources Management from Troy University, a Master of Science in Management degree from Troy University, and a Master of Science in Emergency Management and Homeland Security from George Washington University.

Ken has over 20 years of utility and nuclear power industry experience. He started his career in the United States Navy Nuclear Power Program. After six years, he moved into the commercial nuclear industry, where he held the roles of Operator, Lab Technician, Specialist, Supervisor, and Department Manager. Ken also obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering Technology. Throughout his career, Ken has become well versed in human performance, organizational improvement, leadership, and causal analysis. His experience as a field worker, supervisor, and manager has given him the ability to be effective in multiple areas and levels of an organization.

VP of Information Technology

Ken hallaran

Todd Brumfield

Todd Brumfield brings over 30 years of operations experience to KnowledgeVine. He’s served in Director-level positions at several utilities in the United States with responsibility for areas including training, oversight, corrective action and self-assessment, nuclear security, regulatory assurance, and emergency preparedness. He also served as the Director of Performance Improvement in Abu Dhabi, UAE, establishing the initial programs for corrective action, quality assurance, and management observation. As a Team Leader at the World Association of Nuclear Operators, Todd led diverse, multi-disciplined teams in the evaluation of plant performance at facilities all over the world. As an inaugural member of the WANO Hong Kong office, he led the development of the Pre-Startup Performance Objectives and Criteria which serves as the guidance document for evaluating all new nuclear facilities. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering Technology from Edison State and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University. Additionally, he earned a senior reactor operator license from NRC and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

VP OF OPERATIONS

James Merlo

Prior to joining KnowledgeVine, James was at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) as a Vice President and Director of the Reliability Risk Management department. In this role, he led the electric reliability organization’s efforts to assess the industry vulnerabilities with regard to events on the Bulk Electric System and how human performance challenges affected system reliability. James served over 22 years in a variety of leadership roles in the US Army, including combat tours in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Significant positions include; Deputy Brigade Commander in Baghdad, Iraq 2004-2005 and as an assistant professor and program director at the United States Military Academy. Dr. Merlo earned his Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Psychology from West Point, his Masters in Engineering Psychology from the University of Illinois, and his Ph.D. in Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology from the University of Central Florida. He is the author of over 50 publications on the subjects of human factors engineering and human performance.