NEWLY-SWORN-IN Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Commissioners, Dr. Leyland Lucas and Ms. Verlyn Klass, come with a wealth of knowledge and are eager to bring a transformative perspective to the public utilities in Guyana.

Speaking with this newspaper recently, the commissioners opened up about their experience in the field and highlighted consumers’ rights, country-wide equity of public utilities and modern technology adaptation as key areas of interest.

Delving into their academic life first, Klass stated that she studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Surrey in England, where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree.

She later completed her Master in Electrical Power Systems Engineering at the University of Manchester’s Institute of Science and Technology.

After graduating, she was employed at the Guyana Electricity Corporation for some 17 years but now teaches courses in Power Systems Engineering and Renewable Energy at the University of Guyana.

Klass has also completed research in the areas of Power Sector Policy and alternative energy sources, having competency in load flow studies; power systems protection and stability, and load forecasting.

Dr. Lucas, on the other hand, began his professional career after graduating from the University of Guyana in 1981.

He was employed at the State Planning Secretariat and worked under the tutelage of Messrs: Clarence Ellis and Clarence Blue.

INVALUABLE LESSONS

He told this newspaper that working with these gentlemen, now deceased, gave him invaluable lessons of dedication to detail; labour matters and financing which have helped to shape his views of the Guyanese society.

He later migrated to the US where he worked in several areas, including banking and finance and real estate sales and management.

In 1990, he pursued graduate studies at Howard University, later returning to New York to work as a fundraising analyst at Amnesty International while he taught on a part-time basis.

In 1996, he pursued PhD studies at the Rutgers Business School at the State University of New Jersey and later joined the faculty of the Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan State University.

There, he rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Full Professor with Tenure even while teaching at the University of Maryland; the University College (UMUC); the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and Regent University.

Since the establishment of the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI) at UG, he has functioned as SEBI’s Dean and served as the Chairman of Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has written extensively in the areas of knowledge management, entrepreneurship and capacity development, and issues related to credit unions and local content.

Dr. Lucas said the commission is “extremely important” to the provision of exceptional service quality by the entities and sectors it is tasked with monitoring.

“Gone are the days of haphazard approaches to dealing with customer issues. Particularly within a competitive and open economy, poor service translates into inefficiencies with a domino effect throughout the economy. We must therefore seek to reduce these occurrences and strive for the establishment of high standards which can serve as exemplars for other sectors of the economy,” he said.
During his time as commissioner, he hopes to focus on service quality to ensure the interests of customers are addressed and respected, and on telecommunications to facilitate deregulation and power, placing his efforts towards energy efficiency.

EMERGING SECTOR

“We have an emerging solar power sector. We have areas of this country that cannot be easily electrified. How do we create incentives as well as policies and procedures to ensure that communities will have access to inexpensive and reliable power? What must be ensured is that we have power companies focusing on efficiency as a resource, which provides both supply and demand savings to the customer and the provider,” he expounded.

Meanwhile, Klass also underscored the importance of the PUC in ensuring that Guyanese receive the quality utility services they deserve.

“Because many utilities are monopolies, it is important to have a strong regulatory body that is able to look after the interest of the consumers. The PUC has the responsibility for, among other things, quality of service and tariff setting. There must be equity between the quality of service and the tariffs being demanded by the utility and so the PUC has to be proactive in ensuring that this is the case,” she said.

Klass also stressed the need for the PUC to encourage the use of the best modern technology and all available local resources while ensuring that it is prompt in its deliberations and decision-making.

Her vision for the public utilities services in Guyana is to see affordable services; prompt resolution of all customer complaints; equitable services countrywide; and gradual sustained improvements in the quality of service of all utilities.

Meanwhile, Lucas’ vision is to see public utility services rise to an exceptionally high level and to see the commission establish a regime of excellence; expand its role; and push transformation with a broad-based approach.

Dr. Leyland Lucas and Ms. Verlyn Klass were sworn in to office on May 8, 2019 by President David Granger, in the presence of Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams; Minister of Business, Haimraj Rajkumar and other members of the PUC.

They replaced Commissioner Maurice Solomon, whom PUC Chairman, Dela Britton, has hailed as one who served with distinction.

Giving her thoughts on the recent appointment, Britton told this newspaper: “Because of their wealth of expertise, I would imagine that the commission and our deliberations and our hearings will certainly be bolstered by their wealth of experience.”