Biography:

James A. Besha, Sr. P.E.

Jim is the CEO of Albany Engineering Corporation located in Albany, NY.

Albany    Engineering    Corporation    was    founded    in    1924.    Activities involve planning, development, design, construction management, operation and maintenance for numerous hydroelectric generation projects, ranging from $1 million to $100 million in value in 11 states and three foreign countries. Other activities and responsibilities include engineering services for water resource projects. In addition to work for clients, AEC develops, owns and operates seven hydroelectric projects in New York State for its own account.

In 2007 Jim was appointed Trustee-New    York    Power    Authority; White Plains, New York    
The Authority is a corporate municipal instrumentality and political subdivision of the State of New York, created in 1931. The Authority operates generation facilities with a capacity of 6,187 megawatts and 1,400 miles of transmission lines. Trustee responsibilities include reviewing and monitoring the financial, management and operational decisions of the Authority. I was appointed to this position by Governor Eliot Spitzer and confirmed by the New York State Senate.

From 1971 to 1984 Jim was Principal and Vice President at J. Kenneth Fraser & Associates, P.C.; Rensselaer, New York. Activities involved planning, design and general supervision of projects for private as well as local, state and federal government clients. Projects included water supply distribution and transmission, wastewater collection and treatment, environmental monitoring, municipal energy conservation and general municipal facilities. Responsibilities also included preparation of comprehensive planning studies for water supply and wastewater systems including economic evaluations, implementation arrangements and determination of regulatory requirements. Extensive experience in design and implementation of sophisticated electronic control systems for water and wastewater facilities as well as environmental monitoring. A majority of projects involved substantial Federal and State funding, requiring project grant administration.

Publications 
Besha, J.A., Early Electric Railway Lays Tracks for the Future and 21st Century Green Power Rises from Early Electric Railway (2-part series), IEEE Industry Application Magazine, scheduled for September – October 2010.    
Besha, J.A., The Historic Mechanicville Hydroelectric Station (3-part series), IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, January – May 2007.    
Besha, J.A. and Craig, W.G., Introduction of Extranet Technology into a Seventy Eight Year Old Hydroelectric Plant, Proceedings of WaterPower XII, July 2001.    
Besha, J.A. and Besha, J.A., Jr., Distributed Control of a Multiple Unit Hydroelectric Plant, Proceedings of WaterPower XII, July 2001.    
Besha, J.A., Town Solves Complex Pumping Station Problems, Water & Waste Engineering, November 1986.    
Besha, J.A. and Burke, S. F., Simplifying Design: Elegance and Economy, Hydro Review, All 1985.    
Besha, J.A. et al, Automated Environmental Monitoring, American Society of Civil Engineers. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 1981.    
Besha, J.A., Normanskill Hydroelectric Feasibility Assessment, Proceedings of Small Low-Head Hydropower Symposium, Albany, NY, 1979.