Springfield Utility Board
For 75 years, SUB has been Springfield, Oregon’s customer-owned utility, created by the people of Springfield to bring safe, reliable, and cost-effective utility services to the community. Jeff Nelson, SUB’s General Manager, will take us through the utility’s remarkable history, including how residents wrested control away from an unpopular for-profit utility and instead created SUB to ensure Springfielders had a voice in how they were served. He’ll also share how that spirit of ownership continues to guide the utility today.
Looking ahead, Jeff will discuss the complex challenges facing SUB, including a changing climate, new regulations, and rapid advances in technology. Those challenges are addressed in SUB’s newly released strategic plan, which focuses on five key goals over the next five years. The document is a commitment to customers, one aimed at keeping the utility resilient, reliable, and responsive to serve Springfield’s needs in a fast-changing world. Learn about how SUB is securing the community’s drinking water and power future with large-scale infrastructure projects, plus about our new customer-focused service and technology initiatives. Jeff will share how SUB is preparing for the future while staying true to its mission—and how customer voices continue to shape our direction.
A native Oregonian, Jeff Nelson began his career with the Springfield Utility Board in 1996. He has served as the utility’s General Manager since 2012, making him only the fifth person to hold the position in the utility’s 75-year history. Under his leadership, SUB has emphasized energy and water efficiency, infrastructure investment, and a commitment to serving the Springfield community. Jeff has been instrumental in guiding the utility through various challenges, including the West Coast power crisis in the early 2000s and the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, he led the utility through a comprehensive review following the 2024 ice storm, resulting in a rigorous after-action process that has positioned SUB to better meet customer needs during future large-scale events. In March, Jeff announced he would retire in 2026, after nearly 30 years of service. He is working now to ensure a strong finish and a smooth transition to a new general manager.
You may have met Jeff in the wild without knowing it: from donning a beard and belly to play Santa in the Springfield Christmas Parade, to pulling on his formal stars-and-stripes attire to greet Light of Liberty Celebration festivalgoers as Uncle Sam, to jumping in a dunk tank dressed as a pirate, he’s known foe injecting fun and humor into even the most buttoned-up occasions.
Priscilla Macy-Cruser grew up near the Rogue River in Southern Oregon. At an early age, she was introduced to outdoor recreation and various water sports. Her first job was working for a jetboat company in Grants Pass, and shortly after high school, she became a professional whitewater river guide, leading trips in Oregon, Idaho, and California, both commercially and for a wilderness therapy program based in Oregon and Idaho.
Holding his 1600-ton Open Oceans USCG license, since 2002, Eddie has worked his way up the commercial side and transitioned to the private sector of the maritime industry. He has accumulated over 60,000 nautical miles of sea service during this time. Working with local authorities and adhering to customs, clearances, maritime laws, and specific country or state regulations was the norm. High profile, high stress, and high expectations were the day-to-day grind in that arena. Still, he maintains his license and remains ingrained in the maritime community professionally and personally.
Jami Resch was sworn in as the Interim Chief of Police for the City of Springfield on March 17th and became the City’s first female Chief of Police. In this presentation, Chief Resch will discuss what new initiatives are being considered, what current strengths of the department she wants to build upon, and her overall philosophy of management and policing.
Leigh Manning, MPH, CSP, ARM has been Senior Safety Management Consultant with SAIF Corporation since 2010 and has been working in occupational health and safety for almost 20 years. In her current role, she creates safety and health training materials, speaks at regional conferences, and works with employers to improve the health and safety of their workers. She is an active member of the Cascade Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals, serving in many leadership roles over the years. Leigh has a BA from the University of Oregon in Journalism, Public Relations and Communications and a Master of Public Health from Portland State University.
Rob Miller brings over 30 years of experience in Oregon workers’ compensation insurance, with nearly 23 years dedicated to SAIF Corporation. He moved to Springfield in 1999 and has been in his current role for the past three years. Rob’s extensive insurance experience is primarily in the premium audit function. Rob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Communications from Concordia University-Portland. Born in Portland, Oregon, he has a deep connection to the state. In his spare time Rob enjoys following the Seattle Mariners and all things baseball. He and his wife Shannon are celebrating their fourteen-year wedding anniversary in April, and they enjoy spoiling their two amazing grandkids every chance they get.
One of the newest business additions in Springfield is a franchise of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain. The new restaurant is located in the Gateway area, near the intersection of Gateway and Beltline. Chick-fil-A’s franchise model is essential to how the restaurant serves others. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are owned and operated by a single individual, which means Chick-fil-A’s local Owner-Operators are small business owners, not passive investors, who work in their restaurants side by side with their Team Members each day.
Britni D’Eliso, Lane County Health & Human Services, Behavioral Health Project Manager. Britni has been working locally in the behavioral health field for over 10 years, primarily serving individuals who are navigating chronic and complex behavioral health conditions. She translates her experience as a therapist to maintaining a person center approach while working to address system wide barriers and believes the key to making impactful change is genuine collaboration.
Alicia Beymer, Chief Administrative Officer at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend has more than 25 years of varied experience serving Lane County with a demonstrated record of bringing stakeholders together to improve healthcare access to all and strong patient advocacy. She previously served as director of Home Care Services in the PeaceHealth Oregon network and has experience in risk management and as a regulatory consultant at PeaceHealth. Alicia first answered her calling as an advocate during the 10 years she worked at Lane Council of Governments—Senior and Disabled Services, where she spearheaded the quality improvement program, implemented the Medicare Part D program and served as an adult protective services worker protecting clients and safeguarding rights as a key investigator of abuse and neglect. Alicia earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Oregon and master’s degree in business administration from Northwest Christian (now Bushnell) University.
Natural areas are vital to our wellbeing. Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health, and emotional wellbeing, according to the American psychologist Association. Not only are natural areas vital to us as humans, they are critical to providing habitat for plants and wildlife. Willamalane staff will share their experience implementing large restoration projects at various natural areas, including Thurston Hills Natural Area and Dorris Ranch, to improve conditions for both humans and wildlife. Staff will discuss some threats, such as wildfire, to our local natural areas and what Willamalane is doing to try and address them. You’ll hear about Willamalane’s