Dennis F. DeCosta became President of Commonwealth Associates, Inc., in 2001. Previously, DeCosta managed the company’s Substation Engineering Department. Under his leadership, Commonwealth has grown both in size and revenue, and achieved a trajectory which earned it a 2012 Top 40 Design Firm ranking by EC&M Magazine and a 2012 Top 500 Design Firm ranking by Engineering News-Record.

A respected industry leader, DeCosta has actively participated in establishing today’s industry standards. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and serves on various Power and Energy Society Committee Working Groups, including:

IEEE Substation Committee Work Group E6 – Chair, Ground Testing
IEEE Substation Committee Working Group D7 – Substation Grounding Safety
IEEE Substation Committee Working Group D9 – Permanent Connections Used in Substations
IEEE Substation Committee Working Group D3 – Substation Bus Design
IEEE Insulated Conductor Committee Working Group C2W – Guide for Bonding High-Voltage Cable Sheaths
IEEE Insulated Conductor Committee Working Group C23 – Design Considerations for Underground and Overhead High-Voltage Transmission Circuits

DeCosta is Co-Author of “Design, Commissioning and Testing of IPP Ground Electrodes,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Volume 3, No. 4, October 1988.

Beyond his extensive technical expertise, DeCosta is a savvy businessman who was honored as a “Business Person of the Year” by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce for his ability to adjust quickly to marketplace demands and retain staff and profitability during the company’s early lean years, and for his commitment to fostering a new crop of engineers by advancing STEM education in local schools, instituting aggressive mentoring programs, and employing engineers transitioning from the military.

A Professional Engineer, licensed in California, Delaware, Michigan, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin, DeCosta holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.

At Commonwealth, you can Connect With Confidence. For more information, visit www.cai-engr.com.