Damage Prevention Council of
Texas Board of Directors
John Sparks – President
A Texas811 employee for 28 years, John Sparks has held several roles within the organization including Contact Center Manager, Damage Prevention Manager, and now Director of Damage Prevention. John serves as President for the Damage Prevention Council of Texas. With help from DPC industry stakeholders and the board of directors, John plans to create a unified statewide damage prevention message and effort while helping to cultivate a safer excavation environment through partnerships, education, and awareness.
Ketha Molina – Vice President
Ketha Molina serves as Senior Damage Prevention Manager for Texas811 and manages the Northwest Region of the State, including five chapters of the Damage Prevention Council of Texas. She also serves as the President of the American Society Professionals Permian Basin Chapter. She has nearly 20 years’ experience as a safety professional that include experience in heavy civil construction, transportation, heavy equipment and oil and gas. She is active lecturer and instructor. Ms. Molina is a native West Texan and shares her passion for the safety of all Texans in her work through the DPC of Texas.
kethamolina@texas811.org
(432) 209-9482
Tina Sanders – Treasurer
As a Damage Prevention Manager and EHS professional, Tina Sanders provides industry outreach. She delivers educational training on damage prevention and safe excavation to contractors, facility operators, and municipalities across more than 50 counties in Texas.
Tina has worked in underground utility damage prevention for over ten years and has more than twenty-five years of experience in education, quality assurance, and safety. In addition to her role at Texas811, she serves as the Texas811 representative for several Northeast Regional DPC Chapters, sits on the Damage Prevention Council of Texas Board of Directors, and is an active member of multiple Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC).
tinasanders@texas811.org
(469) 595-1357
Casey Thames – Secretary
Casey Thames currently serves as an Operations Supervisor with Energy Transfer, overseeing operations at a natural gas processing facility in West Texas. He has more than 15 years of experience in the midstream industry, beginning his career in 2011 performing contract line locating and excavation monitoring for Southern Union Gas. He later joined Kinder Morgan / El Paso Natural Gas, where his responsibilities remained closely tied to line locating, excavation monitoring, and Damage Prevention.
Casey continued his career with Western Midstream, progressing into leadership roles and ultimately supervising all pipeline operations across the company’s West Texas and New Mexico assets. He has since transitioned into plant operations with Energy Transfer while remaining actively involved in Damage Prevention and the industry relationships developed throughout his career.
Casey has served in various roles within regional Damage Prevention Council chapters and continues to participate in industry events and discussions. His passion for Damage Prevention was shaped by witnessing and investigating incidents throughout his career. He believes effective Damage Prevention requires collaboration between operators, excavators, locators, and other stakeholders and continues to advocate for practical solutions that improve safety and protect underground infrastructure.
casey.thames@energytransfer.com
(806) 336-4557
Mike Culp – Industry Board Member
Mike Culp started his career in December 1978 for Pioneer Natural Gas Company in Hereford, TX. He was working in the C&M (construction and maintenance) department. He worked many years gaining knowledge and insight into the natural gas industry as the Company transitioned to Energas and, eventually, Atmos Energy. Mike entered supervision in July of 1997 in Amarillo, establishing lasting relationships throughout the community while continuing to promote safety and partnerships. In July 2006, Mike became an Operations Manager overseeing all departments and employees in and around Amarillo until his role changed to Manager of Compliance for the West Texas Division in September 2015.
Mike manages and supervises all compliance-related requirements through federal and state regulations and policies, and procedures within Atmos Energy. Mike continues to go above and beyond in his role in promoting damage prevention, excavation safety, and culture within Atmos Energy. He continues to be a sought-after leader and mentor with 44-plus years of experience and service to the gas industry at Atmos Energy.
mike.culp@atmosenergy.com
(806) 220-6849
Wesley Davis – Industry Board Member
With over 7 years of experience in damage prevention within the utility industry, Wesley specializes in minimizing risks and preventing damage during utility installation and maintenance. Adept at collaborating with teams and stakeholders, he is dedicated to ensuring safety protocols are followed and that projects run smoothly without causing harm to infrastructure or the environment. Expertise spans risk assessment, training, compliance, and proactive solutions aimed at avoiding costly disruptions in utilities. Wesley brings a deep commitment to protecting vital resources while maintaining operational efficiency.
wesley.davis01@outlook.com
(832) 329-6436
Holly Eshliman – Industry Board Member
Holly is a Branch Manager for United Rentals Trench Safety in New Braunfels TX. She has worked for United Rentals for 5 years and spent her entire tenure with them in the Trench Division. She teaches Trenching and Excavation classes as well as classes on Confined Space Entry. She has served on the Central Texas Chapter Board for DPC for 2 years as their Scribe. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology with a minor in Geology from Texas State University. Holly is an avid San Antonio Spurs fan and enjoys going to concerts.
heshliman@ur.com
(832) 459-4000
David Ferguson – Board Member
David Ferguson currently serves as a Damage Prevention Manager for Texas811. Prior to joining Texas811 in 2017, David served as Pipeline Damage Prevention Program Manager at the Railroad Commission of Texas.
David joined the Railroad Commission in 2006 and held positions in the areas of Gas Services and Pipeline Mapping before joining the Pipeline Damage Prevention team in 2009. He quickly became the program’s subject matter expert and Pipeline Damage Prevention Program Manager in 2015. David represented the Commission before damage prevention and pipeline safety organizations, the One-Call Board of Texas, other state agencies, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and other public forums. During his tenure at the Commission, David met with pipeline operators, contractors, excavators and municipalities and collaborated with the Commission’s Office of General Counsel on enforcement cases and rulemaking.
davidferguson@texas811.org
(737) 877-0201
Josh Flud – Industry Board Member
Josh started his career with the City of Lubbock in August 2005. Since that time he has worked with a number of different departments assisting in not only construction projects but assisting departments with specialty projects or large unusual problems. He is currently serving as the Construction Inspector Supervisor for the Engineering Department. His department is made of Inspectors, Surveyors, Right-of-Way Inspectors, CIP and a Right-of-Way Coordinator. Josh recently retired from city service and joined Deerwood Construction as General Manager.
He has worked to promote the Damage Prevention Council of Texas, Northwest Region for the past five years to implement excavation safety through education. In 2008 the City of Lubbock locators were moved to his department; at that point he began stringent education and standardized procedures.
One of his largest and most recent accomplishments was rewriting the City of Lubbock Right-of-Way ordinance which was adopted by City Council in December of 2021. The new ordinance incorporated state laws and industry best practices to promote safer excavation.
He holds the following licenses and certifications, Class C Water license, APWA Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector, ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade 1, Radiation Safety Officer, Nuclear Gauge Safety Certification, Level 1B Roadway Inspector and TXDOT Work Zone Traffic Control certified.
Jflud@Deerwoodinc.com
(806) 548-4152
Rodney Hale – Industry Board Member
Rodney Hale is the Director of Gas Operations at CoServ Gas and has been in the natural gas industry for twelve years. He has a strong background in natural gas regulatory compliance and damage prevention. His job includes overseeing all CoServ Gas operations, including compliance regulations, service, construction, and system operations. He believes that damage prevention and safety are important to every part of the operation, and in every department, he is over.
He is involved with several organizations across the natural gas industry, including the Southern Gas Association (SGA), Common Ground Alliance (CGA), and American Gas Association (AGA). He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Texas Gas Association (TGA). Rodney has also been the Chair/President of the North Texas Damage Prevention Council Chapter with the DPC of Texas from 2018 to 2023.
When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and four children and traveling. Rodney also enjoys hunting, camping, and golf.
rhale@coserv.com
(940) 218-0258
Brandon Jennings – Board Member
Brandon currently serves as the General Manager for T&M Line and has been with T&M for 7.5 Years.
Brandon has worked in the Construction industry since 2016 where he has been a pipe fitter and welder, heavy equipment operator, roustabout supervisor, line locator, and GIS specialist. I have learned and used many aspects of the industry to grow and spread the knowledge of my experiences throughout my career. He manages 25 Line Locators and 6-7 roustabout crews daily in the Permian Basin; T&M provides services to many asset owners. He strives to provide the best leadership and knowledge to all my employees and colleagues.
In his life, he has accomplished many great things. First and foremost, he is a father and husband, but he also has completed the Fire Academy and served as a paid and volunteer fireman. He and his son are very involved in Team Roping where he has qualified for the World Series Finale team roping in Las Vegas multiple times. coaching his son in all of his activities is a huge accomplishment, and he enjoys being involved in the community. Brandon has been married to his wife, Kaylie, for over 10 years.
brandon@tmlinelocators.com
(720) 552-4101
Sam Littrell – Board Member
Sam Littrell is a seasoned professional with nearly two decades of experience in damage prevention, known specifically for his collaborative expertise with water and sewer operators. With a background in public safety, he has consistently driven success in mitigating risks and preserving assets.
Sam has held many positions at Texas811, allowing him to bring a wealth of knowledge and perspective to the position. In his recent role as Member Solutions Consultant, Sam spearheaded transformative initiatives that elevated damage prevention strategies, working with some of the largest municipalities in Texas to reduce the number of damages to underground infrastructure by over 50%. His work at Texas811 plays a pivotal role in helping to protect not only those assets, but the people digging around them.
Sam actively contributes to industry conferences, sharing insights on emerging trends. As a thought leader and advocate for advancing damage prevention strategies, Sam Littrell continues to shape the industry with his visionary approach and commitment to positive impact.
Samuellittrell@texas811.org
(214) 707-8927
Ruben Mendez – Board Member
rubenmendez@texas811.org
(281) 827-1528
Jill Nelson – Board Member
Jill Nelson serves as Chief Financial Officer of Texas811, where she oversees the organization’s financial strategy, accounting and finance functions, business development initiatives, and continuous improvement efforts. With nearly 25 years of service to Texas811, Jill has played an integral role in supporting the organization’s growth, operational sustainability, and commitment to public safety.
Jill holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Finance. Throughout her career, she has developed extensive expertise in financial leadership, strategic planning, governance, process improvement, and organizational development. Her passion for building strong organizations and fostering innovation has helped guide Texas811 through periods of growth and transformation while maintaining its focus on protecting people, infrastructure, and communities.
As a member of the DPCs of Texas Board of Directors, Jill brings a unique blend of financial stewardship, long-term industry knowledge, and a commitment to advancing damage prevention education and safety initiatives across Texas.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Jill is an artist, workshop facilitator, and Paralympic silver medalist, bringing a creative and collaborative perspective to leadership, problem-solving, and community engagement.