Video Team for 2026 Understanding the NEC, Volume 2 - Video Program

Brian House is Vice President of Digital and Technical Training at Mike Holt Enterprises, and a Certified Mike Holt Instructor. He is a permanent member of the video teams, on which he has served since the 2011 Code cycle. Brian has worked in the trade since the 1990s in residential, commercial and industrial settings. He opened a contracting firm in 2003 that designed energy-efficient lighting retrofits, explored “green” biomass generators, and partnered with
residential PV companies in addition to traditional electrical installation and service.

In 2007, Brian was personally selected by Mike for development and began teaching seminars for Mike Holt Enterprises after being named a “Top Gun Presenter” in Mike’s Train the Trainer boot camp. Brian travels around the country teaching electricians, instructors,military personnel, and engineers. His experience in the trenches as an electrical contractor, along with Mike Holt’s instructor training, gives him a teaching style that is practical, straightforward, and refreshing.

Today, as Vice President of Digital and Technical Training at Mike Holt Enterprises, Brian leads the apprenticeship and digital product teams. They create cutting-edge training tools, and partner with in-house and apprenticeship training programs nationwide to help them reach the next level. He is also part of the content team that helps Mike bring his products to market, assisting in the editing of the textbooks, coordinating the content and illustrations, and assuring
the technical accuracy and flow of the information.

Brian served as the chief editor for this new edition of Understanding Electrical Estimating and assembled the team for the video production, and content review of this textbook and its supporting resources. Brian is high energy, with a passion for doing business the right way. He expresses his commitment to the industry and his love for its people in his teaching, working on books, and developing instructional programs and software tools.

Brian and his wife Carissa have shared the joy of their four children and many foster children during 25 years of marriage. When not mentoring youth at work or church, he can be found racing mountain bikes or SCUBA diving with his kids. He’s passionate about helping others and regularly engages with the youth of his community to motivate them into exploring their future.

Kyle began his career in the electrical construction industry in 1997, working his way from apprentice, ultimately to Master Electrician Licenses. Later, armed with his Commercial Electrical Inspector License, and Design Engineer of Electrical Systems Kyle worked as an AHJ for the City of Milwaukee and teaching code classes for the local JATC. In 2013 he accepted a role as Associate Director for the Milwaukee Electrical JATC and Milwaukee Chapter, NECA until 2022 when he was hired at NECA National’s Government Affairs team as Director, Codes and Standards. Kyle currently serves as NECA National’s Executive Director, Codes and Standards. 

In the realm of industry standards, Kyle is a key player, representing NECA on the National Electrical Code’s® Correlating Committee and Code Making Panel-3. His influence extends to the Correlating Committee for The National Fire Alarm Code® (NFPA 72). As a member of NFPA’s Electrical Section Executive Board and Secretary of NECA’s Codes and Standards Committee, Krueger is at the forefront of shaping industry regulations. Kyle also sits on the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) Board of Directors, showcasing his commitment to electrical safety through enforcement. His active membership in NFPA, IAEI, ANSI, ICC, IEEE, and the SES underscores his dedication to supporting and advancing the electrical industry.

Kyle's work in electrical safety reaches into the classrooms as he is an authorized OSHA Outreach Instructor and certified by the NFPA as a Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional (CESCP).

Ms. Martin has over two decades of experience directing and safely executing projects within the operating boundaries of nuclear facilities. She has worked extensively with laboratories across the DOE complex to establish best practices, policies, and procedures that reinforce electrical safety as a top priority for DOE contractors and subcontractors. She currently serves as the EFCOG Worker Safety & Health (WS&H) Chair and is Chair Emeritus of the Electrical Safety Community of Practice. Widely recognized throughout the DOE community as a technical subject matter expert, she is valued for her ability to collaborate with peers, leverage collective expertise, and address unique challenges with innovative solutions. Her comprehensive knowledge of electrical codes and standards, combined with a deep understanding of the physical, operational, and infrastructure requirements of complex R&D laboratories, uniquely positions her for success as an AHJ. She is highly skilled in translating codes and standards into practical field applications, enabling her to connect effectively with DOE representatives, engineers, electricians, and supervisors alike.

Ms. Martin also serves as an appointed technical committee member of NFPA 790 Standard for Competency of Third-Party Evaluation Bodies and NFPA 791 Recommended Practice and Procedures for Unlabeled Electrical Equipment. In addition, she is an active member of IEEE IAS and the IEEE Electrical Safety Workshop Committee, where she has contributed technical papers, presentations, focus sessions, and tutorials at numerous industry workshops.

When presented with the opportunity to contribute to this edition of Mike Holt’s distinguished series, Ms. Martin welcomed the challenge. She regards the experience of collaborating with such an exceptionally talented team—and the countless hours of discussion, preparation, and production that followed—as truly unparalleled.

With over 25 years in the electrical industry—including six years as an Electrical Inspector for the City of Chicago—Gerry O’Connor brings unmatched depth and insight to his role as a Codes & Standards Specialist at Eaton. His work is instrumental in shaping national electrical safety frameworks, serving on NFPA Code Making Panels (CMP-16 for the 2023 NEC and CMP-18 for the 2026 NEC) and actively contributing to UL standards, including UL 1699 (AFCI), UL 916 (EMS), UL 3141 (PCS), and UL 414 (Meter Sockets). Gerry’s dedication is rooted in a deep respect for electrical safety, quality, and education.

A passionate educator, Gerry teaches night school courses at IBEW 134 NECA’s In-Tech Technical Institute, where he mentors future electrical inspectors and code professionals. His dedication to industry advancement also extends to his leadership within the IAEI—representing the Illinois Chapter in the Western Section and serving on its Board of Directors.

Gerry’s passion for the electrical field is matched by his love for the outdoors and family life. When he's not diving into code revisions or teaching night classes, you'll likely find him fishing, working out, or spending quality time with his wife Catherine, and their two children.

Eric Stromberg has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and is a professional engineer. He started in the electrical industry when he was a teenager helping the neighborhood electrician. After high school, and a year of college, Eric worked for a couple of different audio companies, installing sound systems in a variety of locations from small buildings to baseball stadiums. After returning to college he worked as a journeyman wireman for an electrical contractor.

After graduating from the University of Houston, Eric took a job as an electronic technician and installed and serviced life safety systems in high-rise buildings. After seven years he went to work for Dow Chemical as a power distribution engineer. His work with audio systems had made him very sensitive to grounding issues and he took this experience with him into power distribution. Because of this expertise, Eric became one of Dow’s grounding subject matter experts. This is also how Eric met Mike Holt, as Mike was looking for grounding experts for his 2002 Grounding vs. Bonding video.

Eric taught the National Electrical Code for professional engineering exam preparation for over 20 years, and has held continuing education teacher certificates for the states of Texas and New Mexico. He was on the electrical licensing and advisory board for the State of Texas, as well as on their electrician licensing exam board. Eric now consults for a Department of Energy research laboratory in New Mexico, where he’s responsible for the electrical standards as well as assisting the laboratory’s AHJ.

Eric’s oldest daughter lives with her husband in Zurich, Switzerland, where she teaches for an international school. His son served in the Air Force, has a degree in Aviation logistics, and is a pilot and owner of an aerial photography business. His youngest daughter is a singer/songwriter in Los Angeles.

Mario Valdes Jr. is a member of the technical team at Mike Holt Enterprises, working directly with Mike Holt in researching, re-writing, and coordinating content, to assure the technical accuracy of the information in the products.

Mario is licensed as an electrical contractor, most recently having worked as an electrical inspector and plans examiner for an engineering firm in South Florida. Additionally, he was an electrical instructor for a technical college, teaching students pursuing an associate degree in electricity. He taught subjects such as ac/dc fundamentals, residential and commercial wiring, blueprint reading, and electrical estimating. He brings to the Mike Holt team a wealth of knowledge and devotion for the NEC. 

He started his career at 16 years old in his father’s electrical contracting company. Once he got his Florida State contractor’s license, he ran the company as project manager and estimator. Mario’s passion for the NEC prompted him to get his inspector and plans review certifications and embark on a new journey in electrical Code compliance. He’s worked on complex projects such as hospitals, casinos, hotels, and multi-family high-rise buildings. Mario is very passionate about educating electrical professionals about electrical safety and the National Electrical Code.

Mario’s a member of the IAEI, NFPA, and ICC, and enjoys participating in the meetings; he believes that by staying active in these organizations, he’ll be ahead of the game, with cutting-edge knowledge pertaining to safety codes.

When not immersed in the electrical world, Mario enjoys fitness training. He resides in Pembroke Pines, Florida, with his beautiful family, which includes his wife and his three sons. They enjoy family trip getaways to Disney World and other amusement parks.