Eric Schwarzrock likes a challenge, whether it’s protecting the Tahoe Basin from wildfire or — together with his wife, Megan — raising four children all under the age of 11.
That willingness to take the hard road goes way back, as far as the early 2000s, when he was an incoming freshman at the ҹɫÊÓƵ.
“I remember … meeting with a counselor, and we’re talking about which engineering discipline I should take,” he said. “I asked which one was the most difficult, and she said, ‘probably electrical.’ I said, OK, I’m gonna do that one.”
That is the one he did, graduating in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He then went to work for NV Energy, moving through the ranks and while working full time, he also earned an MBA from the University’s College of Business. Over the years, he has remained close to the College of Engineering: he was on the advisory board of the department of Electrical & Biomedical Engineering (EBME), and he currently serves on the College of Engineering Advisory Board.
In January 2025, he became president at Liberty Utilities (CalPeco), a Tahoe/Sierra-area power provider in California. Later that year, the College recognized him with its Scrugham Medal, an award given to alumni who demonstrate success in their chosen profession.
“I think he’s one of our top graduates,” EBME Professor Mehdi Etezadi-Amoli said. “Eric and I have been working together for ages, and I am proud of him.”
‘I absolutely do not want a wildfire in the area’
The heavily forested Tahoe Basin and Sierra range present unique challenges to Liberty Utilities and to Schwarzrock, as Liberty’s president.
“Ninety-four percent of Liberty's service territories are what's classified as a high-fire-threat district,” Schwarzrock said.
A sparking or failing electrical grid could ignite surrounding vegetation, according to Schwarzrock, so wildfire risk guides nearly all the decisions that Liberty makes.
One of those decisions has been to support the ALERTWildfire network run by the University’s Nevada Seismological Laboratory. The network includes both wildfire cameras and weather stations, which work together to provide wildfire detection and situational awareness. Earlier this year, Liberty announced that it was sponsoring some of the wildfire cameras.
“Any investment we can make to notably reduce wildfire risk is a prudent and valuable one for our communities,” Schwarzrock said at the time.
And he continues to champion investment in the power grid as a way to decrease fire risk.
“It’s an investment we’re all making,” he said. “That investment comes in [the form of electric rates], but that investment turns right back into wildfire mitigation.
“I am passionate about it,” he added. “I absolutely do not want a wildfire in the area.”
‘Make sure you get doughnuts for the field teams’
There’s a little bit of irony in the fact that Schwarzrock works in electric power systems: as an undergraduate student, the power system classes were the toughest classes for him.
“I always joke that in (engineering) I got straight A's; the only classes I didn't get As in were all of Medhi's [power system] classes,” he said. “And now I’m in the power industry.”
For his part, Etezadi-Amoli admitted that he is a “pretty tough” teacher, but he also softened when speaking about his former student.
“I am sorry he didn’t get an an A,” Etezadi-Amoli said. “Perhaps he deserved an A.”
The two have a longstanding relationship: they have published research papers together and in 2014, when Etezadi-Amoli was EBME department chair, he had Schwarzrock cover one of his power systems courses.
“What I appreciated about Medhi was that he always connected (theory) to the field experience,” Schwarzrock said. “I remember him standing in front of the classroom, telling students that after you design (a power station’s electrical power and protection systems), you make sure to bring the field teams doughnuts. Because if you don't have a good relationship with the lineman, it's not gonna work.”
That sort of practical advice — making sure everyone on the team understands the goal and the reasoning behind engineering decisions — resonated with Schwarzrock.
In that vein, the electrical engineering design course he’s currently developing with Associate Professor Livani is meant to provide that practical skill development.
“It’s a really applied course,” Livani said. “It is not something that has been offered, and there are not that many universities that offer it.”
Livani isn’t sure when the class will be available to students, but Schwarzrock — always up for a challenge — is keeping his eyes on this goal.
“We’ve got some good traction, and it’s happening,” Schwarzrock said.
