About the Authority

Who Are We?

TThe Maryland Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Authority (The Authority) was established in 2010 by the Maryland legislature (Senate Bill 911); which updated the existing Maryland Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Law, more commonly known as the “Miss Utility” or 811 law. The Authority is a peer driven organization, that has been authorized to enforce the Miss Utility law in the form of mandatory training or fines for violators.

The Authority is an agency of the Executive Branch of Maryland State government; and acts as a quasi-judicial body governed by APA rules when reviewing and hearing violations of the 811 law. The Authority also has the ability to assess civil penalties. All fines collected by the Authority are used solely to underwrite its

Educational and Outreach activities. The Authority is self-funded through a nominal surcharge on “Miss Utility” tickets. The Authority also competes annually for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) – State Damage Prevention grants, that help to support some Authority activities. The Authority does not receive any state funds or appropriations.

The nine members of the Authority are appointed by the Governor to serve staggered two-year terms. As Authority members, these individuals sit as Administrative judges, when hearing and determining probable violations. They do not receive any compensation or any reimbursement for expenses.

Guidance Documents

The Authority Members

Board Composition

As specified in §12-107(c), the Maryland Authority Board must be composed of individuals who reside in Maryland, and proportionally represent the following entities:

Two underground facility owners that are Maryland members of the Maryland/DC Subscribers Committee;
One person from the Associated Utility Contractors of Maryland;
One person from the Public Works Contractors Association of Maryland;
One person from the One-Call Centers operating in the State;
One person that represents the underground utility locator community selected by the Maryland members of the Maryland/DC Damage Prevention Committee;
One person from the Maryland Association of Counties with experience in the field of underground utilities;
One person from the Maryland Municipal League with experience in the field of underground utilities; and,
One person from the general public selected by the appointed and qualified members of the Authority.

James E. Jennings

Contract Locator Member

Mr. Jennings has over 24 years’ experience in the underground damage prevention industry. Jimmy began his career with One Call Concepts Locating Services, Inc. (OCCLS) as a Utility Locator.
Over the years he has filled multiple roles and currently serves as the Director of Business Growth and Development for OCCLS as well as overseeing multiple locate operations in four states.
Mr. Jennings has traveled the country with the 811 Damage Prevention Bike, Trike, and Car; where he has promoted safe digging and the “Call Before You Dig” message. His interactions with stakeholders and the public have helped to increase national awareness of Damage Prevention initiatives. Mr. Jennings’ relationships with utility companies and call center operations around the country allows him the ability to share information and ideas to the betterment of the damage prevention industry.

James E. Dudley

Public Member

Jim Dudley is a twice decorated Army veteran of seven years who served in Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom and has developed training programs and led operational efforts involving IED threats during his tenure. He possesses a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, NC; and an MBA from Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD. Jimmy currently works as the Senior Construction Manager at Mott MacDonald delivering water and wastewater projects in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Jimmy and his family are proud to call Carroll County home.

David Wilkins

Facility Owner Member

David Wilkins has a long history in water and sewer operations. He has worked for the WSSC Water Division for almost 20 years prior to joining WSSC, he worked for the City of Rockville where he was responsible for emergency and non-emergency repairs to street, water, sewer, storm drain, and storm debris incidents. He also served as the city’s Water and Sewer locator. At WSSC he performed replacement of water mains, water services, valves, fire hydrants, water taps, and meters; Installs sediment control devices; Performs shutdown/recharge of water mains. Performed work in confined spaces and excavations, following applicable safety regulations. Assisted in the installation of shoring and confined space safety devices. Observed safety regulations, wearing the required personal protective equipment. Followed and enforced recommended safety practices and used appropriate traffic safety devices such as arrow boards, safety lights, cones and barrels, etc. for traffic flow protection. David’s current position at WSSC is Customer Advocate. In that role he works closely with community and government officials, and other WSSC Water stakeholders regarding repair, maintenance, and construction activities associated with planned and emergency projects. Prepare customers for water outages and other emergency work. Works jointly with internal stakeholders including field staff and supervisors, project design and construction teams and external stakeholders including State Highway Administration, Prince George’s and Montgomery County Departments of Public Works, and Department of Environmental Services to inform about planned work and key issues, and to ensure WSSC Water compliance to state and county regulations.

Keith Dill

PWCA Member

Keith Dill is the Health and Safety Manager for David A. Bramble, Inc. He has worked in the underground construction industry in various capacities in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia since 1988. He served as a field safety technician for Cherry Hill Construction until 2003 and has been the Health and Safety Manager at Bramble from then until the present. Mr. Dills work experience has had a heavy emphasis on underground ground utility installation and directional drilling.

Michael Beall

MML Member

Mickey was appointed to the Maryland Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Authority in 2023. He is employed as the Director of Public Works for the Town of University Park where he has served for the past 16 years. He is an active member of the Maryland Municipal League Public Works Association and the American Public Works Association. Mickey has been active in the community as a youth and high school baseball, wrestling, and softball coach for more than 25 years.

Bahareh Inanhoo

MACo Member

Bahareh Inanloo is a professional engineer who works on utility permitting at Montgomery County Land Development Division, reviewing aboveground and underground utility permit applications. She has more than 14 years of civil and structural engineering design and research experience. Prior to her moving to Montgomery County, Dr. Inanloo was a senior water resources engineer who worked extensively on floodplain mapping. She holds a PhD in civil engineering from Florida International University, has published extensively on subjects such as risk modeling in the peer reviewed literature, and has worked as a civil engineer on infrastructure projects across the country, including in Maryland.

Jennifer Arroyo

One-Call Member

Jennifer Arroyo is the General Manager for One Call Concepts Inc.’s Miss Utility
Maryland office serving the states of Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
She started with OCC in 1997 as a CSR in the Wichita, Kansas office where her ability
to converse with people and desire to help others was a natural fit for the one-call
industry. Jennifer quickly moved up into management holding various positions prior to
relocating to Maryland in 2021. She has assisted in establishing several of OCC’s call
centers in other states and additional projects within the company. Jennifer is committed
to safety and knows the notification center is crucial in protecting underground facilities.

Marc Haines

Facility Owner Member

Marc Haines is the Damage Prevention Senior Engineering Technical Specialist with BGE. He started with BGE in 1988 as a lineman. Marc quickly moved up with within the company in multiple positions including Overhead/Underground Senior Inspector, Contract Administration, New Business Field Coordinator, and Workload Management Engineering Analyst. He actively works with the BGE Damage Prevention team, Facility Owners, excavators, locators, and the community to convey the message of safety and Dig Smart best practices. Marc is the BGE trainer for the Dig Safe Outreach, and active in the Miss Utility community by being on the board of directors for Electric Facility Owners. He is a member of the recent Title 12 rewrite team, representing Electric Facility Owners. Marc is a member on the following Miss Utility committees: GCDPTC, the locator achievement awards, and the Dig Smart awards. Marc has been happily married for over 40 years, has 3 children, and 7 grandchildren.

David Gaines

Chairman - AUC Member

David Gaines is a Vice President and owner of Gaines and Company, Inc. a private underground utility company that has been in business since 1954. David started his career at Gaines in 1986 working summers in high school and college before joining the Marine Corps where he served as an infantry officer. After getting an MBA at the University of Texas at Austin, David rejoined the family business and moved to NC to help manage and grow the company’s operations there. David served as the President of the North Carolina Utility Contractors Association for one year during that time. David and his family moved back to Maryland in 2016 and he now works at the Gaines home office in Reisterstown, MD.

Past Chairs and "In Memoriam"

Walter F. Gainer 1945-2020

Treasurer AUC/PWCA Member

R. Thomas Hoff

Inaugural Chairman 2011-2012

Kevin D. Woolbright

Chairman 2013-2014

Thomas L. Hastings

Chairman 2015-2016

Vincent C. Healy

Chairman 2017-2018

Erik L. Phillips

Chairman 2019-2020

Michael I. Jewell

Chairman 2021-2022

Walter F. Gainer 1945-2020

Treasurer AUC/PWCA Member

Walter F. Gainer of Ellicott City, 75, died on June 29, 2020, after a short illness. Walter was the President of W.F. Wilson & Sons a family owned underground utility construction company, where he worked for 42 years. An original member of the Maryland Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Authority, Walter was instrumental in the development of the legislation that later became the Title XII law in Maryland, more familiarly known as the “Miss Utility” law. Walter served five terms totaling nine years on the Authority as the Excavator member (three representing the Public Works Contractors Association and two terms representing the Associated Contractors of Maryland. During his last two terms on the Authority, Walter served as the Authority Treasurer and as a Utility Contractor lead representative on the 2020 Title XII re-write Steering Committee. His leadership in underground safety was a career long passion. He was a member of the Common Ground Study, which established the foundation of a nationwide partnership with excavators, facility owners, allied industry stakeholders and the federal government whose common goal was to set standards for protecting underground infrastructure, insure the safety of those who worked in the field and that of the general public. The Study findings were submitted to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1999 and became the basis for the “Pipes Act”, the federal statute governing the installation and safety of underground pipelines. It was also the genesis of the Common Ground Alliance; which is an international organization dedicated to underground safety. As a thought leader in the construction industry, he was active in the Associated Utilities Contractors Association and was elected for a term as President of the National Utilities Contractors Association and the Maryland Utility Contractors Association. He was Chairman of the Excavation Committee for National Pipeline Safety and a member of the Maryland Water Quality Committee. Mr. Gainer received the Maryland Ditch Digger of the Year Award and the Maryland Utility Contractors Founders Award. He "died with his boots on" as he always said he would, remaining President of W.F. Wilson & Sons until his death. Walter was married 42 years to the love of his life, Kris Gainer years and was the father of three children. The underground safety movement and the utility contracting community have lost a dear friend and tireless advocate.