IBEW Local 1 member, training instructor elected chair of National Electrical Code Panel on emergency systems

An internationally recognized organization that establishes electrical code standards has elected Linda Little, PhD, an IBEW Local 1 member and an instructor at the St. Louis Electrical Industry Training Center, to chair its panel covering emergency systems.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) named Dr. Little to chair the National Electrical Code (NEC) Panel 13 covering installations of generators, batteries, fire pumps, stand-by systems and other emergency-oriented electrical systems.

Little, of Affton, is the first woman from the IBEW to chair a NEC panel.

Local 1 partners with the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association to form the Electrical Connection to help advance best practices in following the NEC.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Little,” Local 1 Business Manager Frank Jacobs said.  “She has been a member of the National Electrical Code Panel for more than a dozen years, helping set guidelines for safe electrical installations to accommodate the growing complexities of the electrical industry.”

Dr. Little has been an instructor at the training center since 1999.

”Dr. Little is the ultimate example of the quality of the men and women that rise to be the leaders within our industry and set the standard of excellence,” Jim Curran, executive vice president of the Electrical Connection said. “In our workforce development outreach to schools and communities, she serves as a great example of our training that is the foundation for great careers building Missouri’s energy future.”

Most recently, Dr. Little collaborated with another training center instructor, Jeff Holmes, in helping the IBEW/NECA National Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (NJATC) develop a curriculum for an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP).  The curriculum is essential to support the electric vehicle industry, which relies on safe and reliable charging stations.

Dr. Little received her doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from Saint Louis University, where her 100-page dissertation was on the “Impact of High School Math Preparation in an Electrical Trades Program.” Since then, she has been a prime advocate for elevating high school education to better prepare students for the trades.