Tracks
Kathryn Bowling
Plant Manager Eastern Gas
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Michael Burroughs
Plant Manager - Plant Scherer
Georgia Power
Rizwan James
Power Generation System Operations Director
Dominion Energy, Inc.
Siraj Taj
Principal / Owner
ST Power Services Consultants, LLC
Joe VonDerHaar
Plant Manager, Spurlock
East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc. [EKPC]
James Goosby
Executive in Residence at the McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security
Southern Company
Jay Cribb
Generation Cyber Security Program Manager
Southern Company
Aaron Larson
Executive Editor
POWER magazine
Sonal Patel
Senior Editor
POWER magazine
Darrell Proctor
Senior Editor
POWER magazine
Jeff Cramer
President & CEO
Coalition for Community Solar Access
Brian Heinbaugh
Plant Manager - Wildcat Point Generation Facility
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
Jeffrey Fassett
President
IEM Energy Consultants
Stewart Nicholson
President
Primex
Robert Wolfe
Product Line Manager - Digital
Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.
Galen George
VP
Siemens Energy
Thomas Steitz
Director of Energy Storage
Kiewit
Diane Fischer
Director, Generation Services
Kiewit
Timothy Held
VP of Engineering
Echogen Power Systems Inc.
Denis Garman
Chief Business and Marketing Strategist
Lockheed Martin
Cedric Fritch
Communication Manager
Kraftblock
Mary Page Bailey
Sr. Associate Editor
Chemical Engineering Magazine
Brandon Delis
Engineering
EPRI Electric Power Research Institute
Lacy McManus
Executive Director of Future Energy
Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Janice Lin
Founder & President
Green Hydrogen Council
Kristen Himmerick M. Ed.
Vice President, Solutions/Interim Director of EPCE
CAEL - Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
Rosa Schmidt
Center For Energy Workforce Development
Charna Flennoy
Talent Acquisition Services Manager
JEA
David Walters
Director of Autogas Business Development
Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)
Robert Hollinsworth
Plant Manager Montrose & Sibley Stations
Kansas City Power & Light
Nik Kutz
Training Supervisor
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)
Luke Krooswyk
Project Manager, Nuclear
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.
Travis Russell, P.E. Ph.D.
Manager of Innovation and Advanced Nuclear Engineering
Enercon
Chad Swope
Section Manager
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.
Jamie Choate
Director, Workforce Strategy & Development Labor Relations, Safety, & Workforce Development
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Kristie Kelley
Workforce Development Director
Center For Energy Workforce Development
Arlen Herrell
Sr. Deputy Director
Department of Employment Services (DOES)
Claire Brown
Senior Director Strategic Marketing NA, Clean Energy
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
Brendan Jones
Mechanical Engineer
Sargent & Lundy
Laura Geiman
Director Business Development, Clean Energy
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
Mitchell Samuelian
CEO
NuConsult Services, LLC
Tim McCarthy
Marketing Director
Trystar
Takis Zourntos
VP_ R&D/Products
Volta Energy Inc.
Rick Lank
President and Chief Commercialization Officer
Resilient Power Works, LLC
David Tucker Ph.D.
CEO
Creative Power, Inc.
Alex Krowka
Consultant
United States Energy Association (USEA)
Jeffery Pope PE
Program Manager, Facility Decommissioning & Demolition Services
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc.
Briggs White
Technology Manager
U.S.Department of Energy/NETL
Wayshalee Patel, B.S.ChE, MBA, P.E.
Manager
Sargent & Lundy
Anna Rausch
Environmental Associate
Sargent & Lundy
William Latta
New Technology, Sr. Program Manager
Babcock & Wilcox
John Giles
Project Manager
Kiewit
DeAnna C. Myers
Senior Manager, Learning & Development
Sargent & Lundy
Jody Porter PhDc
Senior Consultant
STS CONSULTING SERVICES LLC
Samuel R. Barnes, P.E.
President & CEO
Middough Inc.
Ed Davis
Senior Consultant
DOE Loan Programs Office
Megan Reusser
Hydrogen Technology Manager
Burns & McDonnell
Whitaker Irvin, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer
Q Hydrogen
Clayton Tucker
Process Engineer - Green Energy Solutions
Lectrodryer
William Mangan, MBA, MEM, PMP
Operations and Maintenance Manager
Kissimmee Utility Authority
Kenneth Luebbert
Senior Director - Gen Support Engineering
Evergy, Inc
Darren Hoard
Senior Engineer
Evergy, Inc
Craig Burgett
Project Manager
Kiewit
Shawn Larson CMRP
Business Development, Maintenance and Reliability SME, Plant & Facility Services
Fluor Corporation
Casey Allen
Associate Professor
Marquette University
Rahul Mukherjee Ph.D.
Co-founder and Director of R&D
Alsym Energy
Caroline Brannock Ph.D.
Sr. Sales Manager Battery Technology
BASF Corporation
Wayne Garrett
Chief Commercial Officer
Viridi Parente
John Nixon
Vice President - Energy, Chemicals & Infrastructure
Siemens Industry Software, Inc.
Sarah Osborn, PMP, FS Eng
Energy, Utilities, Chemical & Infrastructure Industry Strategy Lead
Siemens Digital Industries Software
Mike Harbison
President
M E H & Associates, LLC
Yang Ge, Ph.D.
Team Leader
SmartBurn LLC
Jill Liska
General Counsel, Sponsor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative
Sargent & Lundy
Mel Bergsneider
Executive Account Manager
Allume Energy
Justin Walters
VDC Lead
Middough
R.J. "Chip" Hilarides, PhD, PE
Vice President, Quality & Stewardship
Flint Hills Resources
John Schroeder
Executive Vice President, Distributed Energy
DEPCOM Power
Jim Barbour
VP - Regional Utility Sales
Enchanted Rock, LLC
David Eisenbud
Sr Director Origination
Distributed Solar Development (DSD)
Peter Hoeflich
Director Generation Technology
Duke Energy
Jhansi Kandasamy
Director, Net-Zero Program
Idaho National Laboratory
Sercan Teleke
Principal Engineer
Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.
Matthew Fioretti
Senior Manager Market Development
Wartsila North America, Inc.
Deepak Divan Ph.D.
President & Co-Founder
Varentec
Paul Kempf
Assistant Vice President of Utilities & Maintenance
Notre Dame Power Plant
Leet Wood PhD
Chief Energy Advisor
Space Frontier Foundation
Samuel Abraham
Global Technical Advisor - Geothermal
Halliburton
Brooke Mills
Sr. Comms Business Partner
GE Vernova
John Evans
Principal Consultant
Thornton Tomasetti
Anastasija Kuprijanova
Director of Maritime Business Development
Amogy
Elizabeth Lawrence
Manager, Program Development & Implementation
Arizona Public Service Company [APS]
Sarah Noll
Manager, VPP Innovation & Strategic Initiatives
Arizona Public Service Company [APS]
Wayshalee Patel, B.S.ChE, MBA, P.E.
Senior Project Manager/Discipline Manager and Chemical Engineer
Sargent & Lundy
Timothy Eiden
Environment Technology Associate III
Sargent and Lundy
Eric Fins
Vice President
Grove Climate Group
Reed Lengel
National Sales Manager, North America
MAN Energy Solutions
Gursaran Singh, MASc, P.Eng, PMP
VP Energy Alliances
Volta Energy Inc.
Dan McGee
Director, Hydrogen Markets
Kiewit
Joseph Vonderhaar
Station Manager, Spurlock Power Station
EAST KENTUCKY POWER CORPORATION
Steve Dobson
EAST KENTUCKY POWER CORPORATION
Chris Kurle
Manager of Purchasing
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Norris Minnis C.P.M., MBA
Manager, Contracts - Supply Chain Services
Oglethorpe Power Corp
Benjamin Carmichael
Business Development Manager, Advanced Energy Systems Research and Development
Southern Company
Emmanuel Darko, P.E.
Principal Nuclear Engineer
PSEG Energy Holdings
Justin Williams
Senior Account Executive
Trevi Communications
Junaid Ali
CEO
Prismecs
Kathryn Bowling
Plant Manager Eastern Gas
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Kate has spent the last 20 plus years working for Tennessee Valley Authority honing her skills and knowledge in the policy procedures and power production and core business of the industry. She currently serves as site management in rotational development capacity for several power plants in the TVA network.
Michael Burroughs
Plant Manager - Plant Scherer
Georgia Power
Rizwan James
Power Generation System Operations Director
Dominion Energy, Inc.
Rizwan James, Director-Power Generation System Operation Joined Dominion Energy in 2004 as a combustion turbine technician at the Fairless Energy Power Plant. Through series of career advancements his new role is Director Power Generation System Operations. Rizwan James is responsible for providing fleetwide operational support to Power Generation assets which include regulated fleet asset management and budgetary oversight, regulatory reporting, and oversight of the PG Operational Excellence team. He is also responsible for leading Power Generation operations teams, leading Power Generation's hydrogen strategy for combustion turbines, and providing support for Project Construction
Siraj Taj
Principal / Owner
ST Power Services Consultants, LLC
Technical. Commercial. Operational. Strategic.
Siraj Taj is the rare power industry consultant who understands every side of the business -- because he's been there.
In his 32-year career, Siraj has become an expert in all facets of the thermal power generation industry. Since 2016 Siraj and his firm, ST Power Services, have enabled thermal power plants to remain viable and profitable by devising solutions that are innovative, collaborative, and pragmatic.
Siraj and his team guide owners through critical business decisions and processes, to improve total asset performance, develop cost-effective O&M strategy to expertly integrate Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Conventional Power Systems (CPS). This approach empowers owners to achieve life-cycle cost savings of 35%+. Most recently, Rebuild GT26 following a catastrophic failure with pragmatic and innovative solutions delivering significant time and cost savings. Also upgraded several turbine control systems to increase operational efficiency, reliability and profitability of plant with GT7EA, W501D5A, LM6000, and others.
ST Power Services has become the industry's knowledge hub for all things related to Alstom, GE, Siemens and other gas turbines, as well as overall plant operations and maintenance strategy in a rapidly shifting energy landscape. Siraj is frequently asked to speak at leading industry events, such as Experience POWER and the AOG annual conference, and has contributed to POWER magazine.
Joe VonDerHaar
Plant Manager, Spurlock
East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc. [EKPC]
Joe VonDerHaar has over 35 years of experience in the utility and manufacturing industries. On the utility side he has held positions in System Operations, Transmission & Distribution and Power Generation. On the manufacturing front he was a Plant Manager for a Power Transmission OEM. A common thread in both industries is the tremendous change in process and mission because of competition, new technology and evolving regulations. Being able to adapt and even welcome change is critical to success.
Joe is currently the Plant Director at the Spurlock Power Station, a 4-unit, coal fired, 1500MW facility in Maysville Kentucky. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Dayton.
James Goosby
Executive in Residence at the McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security
Southern Company
James currently serves as the Southern Company Executive in Residence at Auburn University's McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. In this role he works closely with industry, academia, and federal partners, including national laboratories on electric grid cyber security strategies. James also served as a senior fellow at the McCrary Institute, a prestigious group of nationally renowned cyber and critical-infrastructure security experts.
With more than 28 years of service at Southern Company, James co-led an initiative to implement an enhanced Operations cyber and NERC-CIP program support model and has held various operational and engineering support leadership positions. Prior to joining Southern Company, James served in the U.S. Marines. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Auburn University.
Jay Cribb
Generation Cyber Security Program Manager
Southern Company
Aaron Larson
Executive Editor
POWER magazine
Aaron Larson joined the POWER team in September 2013 as an associate editor and was named executive editor in 2017. Aaron has a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering technology and a master's degree, specializing in finance. He spent 13 years in the U.S. Navy nuclear power program, advancing to Chief Petty Officer. He has worked at commercial nuclear, biomass, and coal-fired power plants, functioning in operations, maintenance, safety, financial, and management capacities. Aaron holds a Chief A Engineer boiler operator license in the state of Minnesota.
Sonal Patel
Senior Editor
POWER magazine
A national award-winning multimedia journalist, Sonal Patel has covered a wide range of technology, business, and policy issues affecting the power industry worldwide for POWER and its sister publications since 2008. Along with keeping her eye on national and international matters for POWER magazine's monthly department Global Monitor, she contributes in-depth analysis and spot news pieces for POWER and POWERnews. She also surveys, crunches, and visualizes power generation data and trends from around the world for POWER's web and print infographics and other multimedia. She is a graduate of the University of Houston.
Darrell Proctor
Senior Editor
POWER magazine
Darrell Proctor joined POWER in 2017. He has years of experience in the energy and publishing industries, including as a writer, editor and energy data analyst for Ponderosa Advisors and Bentek Energy (S&P Global/Platts). He has written numerous reports and white papers on power demand, particularly from industrial facilities, as well as natural gas and crude oil exploration and trading. He also has written about transportation of commodities, particularly coal, crude oil and natural gas, and the operation of crude oil refineries. He was an assistant business editor and assistant news editor as well as Technology Editor for the Rocky Mountain News in Colorado, and also was a senior editor at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. He is a graduate of Franklin College of Indiana.
Jeff Cramer
President & CEO
Coalition for Community Solar Access
Brian Heinbaugh
Plant Manager - Wildcat Point Generation Facility
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
Brian Heinbaugh has a B.S. Engineering Technology and two Master's degrees, M.S. Management and Master of Business Administration. He has been in the Power Generation industry for over 25 years in a variety of O&M roles dealing with many different technologies. He has served as a Director of Operations with both GDF Suez and NAES over simple cycle, combined cycle, and coal plants. Currently he is a Plant Manager with ODEC at their new 1000 MW Combined Cycle Wildcat Point Generation Facility.
Jeffrey Fassett
President
IEM Energy Consultants
Jeff Fassett, President & Co-Owner, IEM Energy Consultants, LLC
Mr. Fassett is Co-owner and founder of IEM Energy Consultants LLC has more than 36 years of broad based experience in the power and related industries. He founded IEM in 1998 as a boutique consulting practice which provides consulting services in all aspects of power plant operations, maintenance, and management to clients worldwide. Mr. Fassett has provided services in outage planning, management and oversite, long range O&M budgeting, reliability assessments, and plant staffing analysis. In addition, he has also been involved in the negotiations of long-term service agreements representing over 30 GW of gas and steam turbine generating capacity worldwide and has testified as an expert witness regarding proper operations and maintenance practices and procedures. Under his guidance, IEM has experienced significant growth, and now employs almost 15 consultants.
Prior to forming IEM, Mr. Fassett held roles of increasing responsibility with various utilities, both regulated and IPP's, as well as petrochemical process facilities. These roles included Plant Engineer, Maintenance Engineer, Start Up Manager, Maintenance Manager and Plant Superintendent. His experience includes coal, simple and combined cycle CT's and coal gasification. Mr. Fassett sits on the Board of Directors of the Plant Managers Institute, the Advisory Board of the Electric Power Conference, is a member of the ASME Power Committee, and International Gas Turbine Institute, Education Subcommittee. He has taught college classes in Energy & the Environment, Ethics in the Energy Industry, Electronics and Power Plant Operations. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University with an emphasis in Power Plant System Design
Stewart Nicholson
President
Primex
Stewart Nicholson is President and founder of Primex Process Specialists, Inc. a professional services firm specializing in generation asset monitoring and optimization services. Building on thirty years' experience in process optimization, Stewart's mission is to further develop and deploy Primex's suite of advanced forecasting, anomaly detection and diagnostic services. Stewart is a seasoned executive, patent holder, Professional Engineer, ASME published author and contributing author of Machine Learning and Data Science in the Power Generation Industry (ISBN 9780128197424).
Robert Wolfe
Product Line Manager - Digital
Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.
Galen George
VP
Siemens Energy
Mr. George has worked in the North American Power industry for more than 35 years in the areas of Automation, Electrification and the Application of Digital Solutions for more than 35 years. In his career he has served as Design Engineering, Construction Engineer, Commissioning and Startup Management, Project Engineering, Project Management, Marketing, Sales, and Sales Management.
Thomas Steitz
Director of Energy Storage
Kiewit
At Kiewit, Tom is monitoring all aspects of the long-duration energy storage market and spearheading Kiewit's initiatives to ensure the success of our power engineering services in the Northeast U.S. With decades of leadership experience in the global energy industry, Tom has led multiple, large global business units. He also launched a new energy storage venture, instrumental in the company's shift from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources.
Diane Fischer
Director, Generation Services
Kiewit
Delivering asset development, operational improvements and performance enhancement services, Diane Fischer, the Director of Generation Services at Kiewit, leverages her 30+ years of experience in the power industry to provide detailed engineering and design solutions. Throughout the project lifecycle, she partners with clients to address environmental issues, engineer components and systems and conduct facility evaluations and feasibility analyses.
A recognized subject matter expert in the power market, Diane has shared her insights on combustion turbine issues, fuel flexibility, hydrogen combustion and energy storage at 12 conferences over the last three years. Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University, she is also a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri.
Timothy Held
VP of Engineering
Echogen Power Systems Inc.
Dr. Timothy Held is the Chief Technology Officer at Echogen Power Systems in Akron, Ohio, where he is responsible for development, maturation, and transition to product of supercritical CO2 power cycles and energy storage systems. Prior to joining Echogen in 2008, Dr. Held was with GE Aviation for 13 years, where he held leadership positions in several combustor design and fuels technology teams. He received a BSAAE from Purdue University in 1987, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 1993. He has published several technical journal articles and book chapters, and holds 49 U.S. patents.
Denis Garman
Chief Business and Marketing Strategist
Lockheed Martin
Denis P. Garman
Chief Strategist, Lockheed Martin Energy
Denis Garman has been the Chief Strategist for Lockheed Martin Energy since March 2016. In this role, he is responsible for developing and executing strategic and marketing plans to position LM Energy for success in highly competitive commercial markets.
With nearly 30 years of experience in both B2B and B2C sectors, Denis has a proven track record of crafting effective strategies and plans. He began his career in the Consumer Products Industry with Procter & Gamble and IBM, later transitioning to IBM Energy, where he led global strategy and marketing efforts. At Duke Energy, Denis spearheaded residential programs and marketing, introducing several innovative products. He then moved to CLEAResult, a leading energy efficiency consultancy, where he directed brand marketing initiatives.
Denis holds a degree from Vanderbilt University and currently resides in Winter Garden, Florida, with his wife, Amy.
Cedric Fritch
Communication Manager
Kraftblock
Mary Page Bailey
Sr. Associate Editor
Chemical Engineering Magazine
Brandon Delis
Engineering
EPRI Electric Power Research Institute
Lacy McManus
Executive Director of Future Energy
Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Lacy McManus is the Executive Director of Future Energy at Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) where she advances a diverse coalition of higher education, community college, non-profit and industry partners spearheading the renewable energy evolution across South Louisiana. Lacy has re-joined the GNO, Inc. team after nearly three years with Amazon Web Services' (AWS). Prior to joining AWS, Lacy served as the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at GNO, Inc. where she oversaw a portfolio of workforce, education and environmental programs that enhanced the economic competitiveness of the GNO region. Her work in Louisiana was launched at the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) where she was Strategic Initiatives Manager. Lacy holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Georgia, a MA in Global Communications from the American University of Paris, and a MBA from Tulane University. She and her husband Bryan are proud New Orleans residents, raising their three daughters and rescue dog Uptown.
Janice Lin
Founder & President
Green Hydrogen Council
Janice Lin is the Founder and President of the Green Hydrogen Coalition and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strategen. She brings more than two decades of experience in clean energy strategy, market development, and corporate strategy to Strategen. During this time, she has advised a diverse range of clients including renewable energy equipment manufacturers and service providers, large corporations diversifying into clean energy, and real estate developers building sustainable communities.
Kristen Himmerick M. Ed.
Vice President, Solutions/Interim Director of EPCE
CAEL - Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
Kristen Himmerick is a higher education and nonprofit administrator with extensive experience working with higher education institutions and systems to launch large-scale academic technology projects.
She joined CAEL in June 2012 as Director of Academic Technology and Student Engagement for the CAEL's national portfolio assessment program, LearningCounts. As Director, Kristen led the internal operations and platform design of LearningCounts.
In 2022, Kristen became the Vice President of the Solutions Team, which focuses on developing technology to support regional, workforce, and higher education initiatives. In addition to tech development, Kristen leads the group that manages both EPCE and NACTEL signature programs and has a special interest in linking learning and work for a region or industry.
Before joining CAEL, Himmerick was part of the Innovation Lab at Southern New Hampshire University, where she helped author the proposal for a self-paced, competency-based associate degree awarded the $1MM Next Generation Learning Challenge Grant for College Completion (SNHU's College for America Program). Before SNHU, Kristen was the District Director of Academic Technology at the City Colleges of Chicago, managing the first system-wide LMS and student email system launches.
She earned an M. Ed., concentration in eLearning from the University of Illinois, and holds a B.S. in Communication Studies and a Musical Theater certificate from Northwestern University. Kristen is a Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner. Also, an actress and singer, Kristen, has performed in theaters across Chicago. Past regional theater appearances include roles at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Second City, and Drury Lane Oak Brook.
Rosa Schmidt
Center For Energy Workforce Development
Charna Flennoy
Talent Acquisition Services Manager
JEA
Charna Flennoy serves as the Talent Acquisition Services Manager at JEA, a utility company based in Jacksonville,
FL. Her department is responsible for recruiting for a wide range of positions, from field staff to executive roles.
Charna plays a key role in building and maintaining a sustainable workforce of over 2,000 employees dedicated to
meeting the community's needs.
With over 30 years of experience in HR, Charna has expertise in various areas, including Labor Relations, where she
has successfully negotiated multiple multi-year collective bargaining agreements. Her background also includes
roles as a Corporate Facilitator, where she supported the personal and professional development of employees.
Additionally, Charna has experience as an Adjunct Professor, teaching business courses at the collegiate level. Her
current position as Talent Acquisition Services Manager marks a return to her roots, as she began her HR career as
a recruiter.
Outside of work, Charna is a devoted mother and is actively engaged in her community through her sorority. She is
also an author of a non-fiction book and is working on creating a book trilogy.
David Walters
Director of Autogas Business Development
Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)
David Walters joined PERC in 2024 as the director of autogas business development. In this role, Walters will develop and implement strategic market plans to increase propane autogas adoption and support the research and development of innovative products.
Walters brings more than 25 years of expertise in business development and sales leadership in the energy industry, including a focus on hydrogen and RNG. Most recently, he served as national sales manager at Atlas Copco Compressor, where he directed business development and oversaw product integration across multiple North American regions. Walters has his bachelor's degree in communications and business from Cabrini University (Villanova).
About PERC: The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit that provides leading propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. PERC is operated and funded by the propane industry. For more information, visit Propane.com.
Robert Hollinsworth
Plant Manager Montrose & Sibley Stations
Kansas City Power & Light
Nik Kutz
Training Supervisor
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)
Mr. Kutz has over 17 years of operations and training experience obtained from working at an Ethanol plant, Oil Refinery, Gasification plant and Power Plant. Nik was hired at the Omaha Public Power District as a Plant Helper and worked his way up to a Unit Operator. Nik jumped at the opportunity to work in the Production Operations Training Department as a Training Coordinator for the Nebraska City Station and has since moved to the Production Operations Department Training Supervisor position. Some of his many responsibilities are providing Fire Brigade training to Operations Personnel as well as creating and delivering computer based training via OPPD's Learners Management System. He currently resides in Nebraska with his wife and two children.
Luke Krooswyk
Project Manager, Nuclear
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.
Luke started his power generation career supporting the operating nuclear fleet with the evaluation, design, modification, and repair of systems and components, and progressed to serving as a Project Engineering Manager for nuclear plant modifications. His project experience diversified with new combined cycle plant design, solar project siting development, and power plant decommissioning and demolition.
Most recently, Luke has been serving as a project manager for the design development and pre-construction planning activities for micro and small modular reactor projects, including the development of capital cost estimates and project schedules.
Travis Russell, P.E. Ph.D.
Manager of Innovation and Advanced Nuclear Engineering
Enercon
Dr. Travis Russell, P.E., PhD, is ENERCON's Innovation and Advanced Nuclear Manager. He earned his doctoral degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Tennessee, is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Georgia and has over 13 years of nuclear industry experience across multiple roles including research and development, engineering design and analysis, project management, safety and risk management, engineering management, innovation, and business development.
As Manager of Innovation, Dr. Russell leads ENERCON's corporate innovation strategy to identify and implement new markets, services, and/or technologies that have measurable impact on project success.
As Manager of Advanced Nuclear, Dr. Russell manages ENERCON's engineering efforts in new and emerging nuclear markets like next-generation reactor design, novel nuclear power applications, and assocaited licensing/regulatory support.
Personally, he has been married to his wife Kirby since 2011, and they have five sons, including two sets of twins.
Chad Swope
Section Manager
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.
Mr. Swope has a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology and has 11 years of experience at Burns & McDonnell in the power generation industry. His experience includes thermal cycle design, performance optimization, thermal performance testing, unit capability testing, economic analysis, conceptual design, technical feasibility, cost estimating, and equipment evaluation for procurement.
Jamie Choate
Director, Workforce Strategy & Development Labor Relations, Safety, & Workforce Development
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Jamie Choate is the Director of Workforce Strategy and Development (WS&D) at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
In this role, she leads a newly created team focused on ensuring TVA's workforce remains adaptable and equipped with the skills, capabilities, and technology needed to safely power TVA's energy future.
Jamie is passionate about developing an agile and diverse workforce through strong community partnerships. Towards that mission, Jamie leads her team in pursuing several key objectives: making strategic workforce development investments, fostering cross-functional enterprise alignment, enhancing partnerships, alliances, processes, and tools, and developing diverse workforce pathways and pipelines. In her current role, she is also focused on equipping our current and future workforce with robust skills and capabilities.
As a results-driven leader, Jamie excels in strategic planning, organizational leadership, financial management, training programs and change management. She is committed to bolstering innovation across TVA and continuously evaluating progress with an eye on the future of work.
Her extensive background in the energy sector has provided her with deep technical knowledge and a strong leadership presence. With over two decades of experience at TVA, Jamie has held several leadership positions, including Director of Learning and Development, Director of Technical Training, Senior Manager of Regulatory & Corporate Training, and Manager of Power Production Operations Training.
Jamie holds an MBA from Ashford University Forbes School of Business and Technology, a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and an Associate's degree in General Studies from Columbia State Community College.
Jamie currently resides in Ooltewah, TN with her husband and three children. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with community events and spending time with family traveling to her kids' sporting events.
Kristie Kelley
Workforce Development Director
Center For Energy Workforce Development
A native of Pensacola with over twenty years of leadership experience in a combination of education, targeted industry workforce development and talent acquisition, Kelley serves as the Workforce Development Director for The Center for Energy Workforce Development. Kelley is responsible for revitalizing the Energy Industry Fundamentals program; managing efforts to assess re-skilling, upskilling, and training needs for energy jobs of the future; strengthening connections with students and educators; and primarily supporting CEWD's members in the west and mid-west regions, among other things.
Her previous roles have included creation and management of external talent development partnerships to grow the future workforce of targeted industries and enhance the southeast's growing economy. The connections spanned the entire talent supply pipeline. She was also responsible for the full-life cycle recruitment process used to acquire and retain talent for a local utility company and secure their future workforce.
Kelley holds a Master of Education in administration and a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of West Florida. She currently lives in Pensacola, Florida and enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband, Joe, and two sons: Kaleb and Kristopher. They like boating, camping, and traveling to unique locations.
Arlen Herrell
Sr. Deputy Director
Department of Employment Services (DOES)
Arlen Herrell serves as the Deputy Director of Innovation and Partnerships at the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES). In this role, he oversees the Bureau of Innovation and Partnerships, which includes the DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) and the Office of Talent and Client Services (OTCS). The Bureau of Innovation and Partnerships is responsible for providing skilled training, business engagement, and career assistance to thousands of District residents annually. Previously Herrell was the Associate Director of the DC Infrastructure Academy, where he played a key role in launching and expanding the program. Since its inception in 2018, DCIA has successfully served over 4,000 residents and gained national recognition from the Biden Administration.
Before joining DOES, Herrell served as the External Affairs Manager for the City Administrator of the District of Columbia. In this capacity, he maintained strong relationships with various regional and national stakeholders, including the Metro Washington Council of Governments, the DC Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the US Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities. Additionally, Herrell played a pivotal role in establishing the DC Infrastructure Academy.
During the Obama Administration, Herrell was appointed as the Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In this role, he served as the liaison between the agency and state and local governments. Herrell played a vital role in supporting the agency's disaster relief efforts and helped secure funds for the affected regions.
Furthermore, Herrell has served as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the City of Cincinnati, OH where he was responsible for managing the city's relationships with state and federal entities, as well as overseeing the city's eight international Sister City relationships. Notably, Herrell facilitated the establishment of Cincinnati's first new Sister City in 20 years, Mysore, India, and initiated a student exchange program with New Taipei City, Taiwan. He attended the University of Cincinnati, where he served as the undergraduate member of the Board of Trustees, and from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Government.
Claire Brown
Senior Director Strategic Marketing NA, Clean Energy
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
Brendan Jones
Mechanical Engineer
Sargent & Lundy
Brendan Jones is a Mechanical Engineer for Sargent & Lundy, whose primary role is focused on the Hydrogen and Clean Fuels. He has spent 3+ years working in power generation and hydrogen industries. At Sargent & Lundy, Brendan has worked closely with electrolyzer manufacturers in projects spanning from large-scale hydrogen production studies to hydrogen production and consumption demonstrations.
Laura Geiman
Director Business Development, Clean Energy
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
Laura Geiman is a business development director in the Clean Energy business at W. L. Gore and Associates, based in Newark, DE. Gore's Clean Energy's mission is to improve life through innovative material solutions that enable the decarbonization of the transportation and energy sectors. Since 1994, Gore's proprietary Proton Exchange Membranes (PEM) and related technology have pioneered hydrogen fuel cell commercialization throughout major industrial market sectors, lowering total cost of ownership in applications ranging from stationary power generation to global long-haul transportation. Laura holds a BS degree from Jefferson University, in Textile Technology and Material Science. She attended The University of Virginia, Darden School of Business to participate in their Executive Marketing program. Holding primarily Business Development and Sales Leadership positions, she has spent more than 3 decades working on the commercialization, adoption and advancement of polymer products. She is an expert in proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications and is utilizing her technical knowledge and market insights to support customer success for PEM adoption in the water electrolysis market. Laura represents Gore Clean Energy on the Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association and the Mid-Atlantic Clean H2 Hub.
Mitchell Samuelian
CEO
NuConsult Services, LLC
Mitchell M. Samuelian is a highly experienced professional in the renewable energy sector, currently serving as the CEO and Founder of NuConsult Services, LLC. He has over 40 years of expertise in the electric utility industry, with a strong background in corporate asset management, engineering, compliance, plant management, and strategic planning.
Current Role:
CEO/Founder of NuConsult Services, LLC, a consulting company that develops innovative solutions for owners and operators of renewable power plants.
Previous Roles:
CEO of Tonian Renewables
Vice President of Operations for Clearway Energy Group / NRG Energy, overseeing the safe and reliable operations of over 6 GW of wind and solar projects.
General Manager of Ivanpah, a 392 MW concentrated solar thermal plant.
Director of Plant Operations for First Solar, involved in the development, construction, and operations of over 5 GW of utility solar power plants.
Head of Tennessee Valley Authority's Hydro and Renewable Operations and Maintenance program, managing over 5 GW of capacity across various renewable energy sources.
Educational Background:
MBA with a minor in Human Resources from the University of Phoenix.
BS in Nuclear Engineering from Thomas Edison State College.
Holds a Reactor and Senior Reactor Operator License from the NRC.
Mitchell Samuelian's extensive experience and leadership in the renewable energy industry make him a significant figure in the field, contributing to the advancement and operational excellence of renewable energy projects.
Tim McCarthy
Marketing Director
Trystar
Tim is a seasoned professional in the field of marketing and business development. Currently serving as the Director of Marketing at Trystar, he brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the company's strategic initiatives, including those of sustainability and resiliency.
Prior to joining Trystar, Tim dedicated 43 years of his career to Honeywell, where he held various key roles across sales, customer service, consumer affairs, and quality management. His multifaceted journey at Honeywell saw him excel as a Product Director, Channel Director, and Strategic Director, demonstrating his versatility and ability to adapt to diverse business challenges.
Throughout his career, Tim has been instrumental in fostering meaningful relationships with clients, stakeholders, and industry partners, driving collaborative efforts that yield mutually beneficial outcomes. His relentless pursuit of excellence and commitment to delivering value have earned him a reputation as a trusted leader and strategic advisor at Trystar.
Takis Zourntos
VP_ R&D/Products
Volta Energy Inc.
Over 2 decades of experience in hardware design, software development, systems integration, R&D. Rigorous analytical skills in modeling and controls, electronics, robotics, and IoT applications with 50+ publications/patents, 1626 citations, h-index: 20.
Rick Lank
President and Chief Commercialization Officer
Resilient Power Works, LLC
Rick is the Chief Commercialization Officer (CCO) and co-founder of Resilient Power Works (RPW). He and his team have been collaborating with the Hybrid Performance (HyPer) Project Team at the National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) for the past decade to design a scalable microgrid - powered by hydrogen - known as the Hydrogen Hybrid Microgrid (HHM). The HHM is capable of integrating readily with the nation's utility grid to add resilience, robustness and low-cost spinning reserves. His firm has been involved with microgrid design and utility regulation issues since 2012, when he was involved in the first round of microgrid and grid hardening development by the State of Connecticut after the devasting Hurricane Sandy experience. Since that time, Rick has been the chief proponent of utilizing the hydrogen hybrid technology for a new generation of clean and versatile power plant design; he has long held that the deployment of a fleet of HHMs at critical nodes throughout the distribution grid would enable the grid to handle far more non-dispatchable renewables to be brought on-line. Rick, along with co-presenter Dr. Tucker and other allies, have been mapping out the commercialization strategy for the HHM technology, including addressing manufacturing strategies, supply chain issues and workforce training.
David Tucker Ph.D.
CEO
Creative Power, Inc.
Dr. Tucker's earned his doctorate in physical chemistry in 1993 from the University of Alabama. His career spans research and scientific successes in industry, academia, and the government sectors. For the government, Dr. Tucker serves as a project leader with research focus in cyber-physical systems, hardware-in-the-loop simulations, real-time dynamic modeling, hybrid system dynamics and controls, solid oxide fuel cell degradation, piezoelectric flow detection, high-temperature piezoelectric valves, and cyber-security using blockchain. During his tenure, Dr. Tucker has served as principal investigator for awards made by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy-Advanced Manufacturing Office (EERE-AMO), Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), and the Grid Modernization Initiative (GMI).
Leadership in Cyber-Physical Systems Research & Hybrid Power Systems
Dr. Tucker developed a cyber-physical system for energy research six years before the National Science Foundation coined the term in 2008. Cyber-physical systems embody a seamless integration of hardware and numeric models that interact with a physical environment and form the foundation of intelligent systems. Leveraging the reconfigurable nature of cyber-physical systems, Dr. Tucker first advanced the creation of a cyber-physical solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to accelerate hybrid power systems technology development With this technology, new material discoveries could be incorporated into power systems to evaluate the impact on component integration and controls development.
Alex Krowka
Consultant
United States Energy Association (USEA)
Alex Krowka is a Seattle-based Consultant for the U.S. Energy Association. In this position, Alex helps manage the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded Consensus Program to build global and domestic understanding, consensus, and cooperative action on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) and Carbon Management Technologies (CMT). Additionally, Alex has worked with USEA's Promoting International And Domestic Consensus On Oil And Natural Gas Program and USEA's U.S. - East Africa Geothermal Partnership (EAGP).
Alex has 8 years of experience in Energy and International Development having worked at Energetics and the International Tax and Investment Center. His past clients consisted of multiple programs and offices within DOE including: Appliance Standards, Emerging Technologies, Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), International Affairs, Residential Buildings Integration, and Zero Energy Ready Homes. Alex graduated magna cum laude from American University's School of International Service with a B.A. in International Studies.
Jeffery Pope PE
Program Manager, Facility Decommissioning & Demolition Services
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc.
Mr. Pope is the Program Manager for Facility Decommissioning and Demolition Services at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a licensed professional engineer. His focus is providing utilities and power cooperatives with assistance for the decommissioning and demolition of fossil-fired power plants. He is currently managing or participating in the demolition and remediation of 15 fossil-fired power plants and has completed more than 35 additional demolition projects around the country.
Briggs White
Technology Manager
U.S.Department of Energy/NETL
Dr. White serves as a Technology Manager at NETL where he manages three research and development programs related to fossil energy applications on behalf of the Department of Energy. These include: High Performance Materials, Water Management, and Energy Storage. These activities serve to accelerate R&D progress and develop concepts and technologies that enable improvements in fossil-based power generation, including its workforce and supply chain, and the electricity grid and markets with which generation assets must integrate. He holds degrees in Materials Science & Engineering from Alfred University (BS), the University of Florida (MS, PhD), and the Univ. of Rome (PhD) with an emphasis on solid-state high-temperature electrochemical devices.
Wayshalee Patel, B.S.ChE, MBA, P.E.
Manager
Sargent & Lundy
Wayshalee (way-shaw-lee) A. Patel works for Sargent & Lundy, a comprehensive consulting, engineering and design firm providing solutions for electric power generation. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Illinois. Ms. Patel is an environmental technology specialist and has 10 years of experience in process design of various air quality control equipment in the power generation industry including flue gas desulphurization, selective catalytic reduction, fabric filters and activated carbon injection.
Anna Rausch
Environmental Associate
Sargent & Lundy
William Latta
New Technology, Sr. Program Manager
Babcock & Wilcox
William F. Latta is the New Technology Commercialization, Program Manager, for Babcock & Wilcox (B&W). Mr. Latta is an industry leader in commercializing new and novel sustainable energy technologies. Mr. Latta has 30 years of experience in engineering, R&D, operations, finance, venture capital and project development in both large multi-national organizations and start-ups. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Latta took a one-person start-up to $100M in revenue on multiple continents. Mr. Latta holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Duke University.
John Giles
Project Manager
Kiewit
Ensuring client satisfaction and overall project performance, John Giles, a seasoned project manager with over 21 years of experience, understands the different project phases, including the intricacies of mechanical and pipe stress engineering, and the critical role of accurate estimating. Specializing in rectifying design errors that could lead to operational issues, John serves as the primary point of contact for clients and project stakeholders, including third-party interfaces for Kiewit.
John, a licensed Professional Engineer in Kansas, Michigan, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Recognized as a subject matter expert, he has shared his insights at several conferences, including the Energy Progress & Innovation Conference (January 2024), the Power Generators Air Coalition (October 2023) and the Kiewit Engineering Technical Summit (February 2023).
DeAnna C. Myers
Senior Manager, Learning & Development
Sargent & Lundy
DeAnna Myers is the Learning and Development Manager at Sargent Lundy, LLC, a prominent engineering consultant in the power generation industry. Ms. Myers orchestrates the design and delivery of more than 500 courses annually. Her company utilizes in-house subject matter experts and an in-house development team to develop course content aimed at sustaining organizational knowledge capital.
Ms. Myers authored the organization's first knowledge transfer process and continues to cultivate the organization's learning culture through classroom training, on-line learning and communities of practice.
Ms. Myers completed her Master's degree in Northwestern University's Learning and Organizational Change Program in June 2013. Her master's research is based on the transfer of knowledge across levels of expertise as a means of sustaining intellectual capital within the organization.
Her research is featured on Northwestern's Knowledge Lens website for exemplary Capstone efforts.
Jody Porter PhDc
Senior Consultant
STS CONSULTING SERVICES LLC
Jody brings to STS over 20 years of experience as an organizational and leadership development professional investing in the growth of leaders, enhancing team effectiveness, and strengthening organizational cultures to ensure performance excellence and sustainable results.
She is passionate about partnering with leaders and teams to build a culture of engagement and psychological well-being that makes a lasting impact on the organizations she supports. In addition to her emphasis on developing engaging cultures, leaders working with Jody frequently cite her ability to skillfully craft practical solutions to challenging strategic issues.
Prior to joining STS, Jody spent 12 years honing her understanding of effective leadership in operationally excellent, high-reliability organizations while supporting the commercial nuclear energy industry. Most recently, she spent four years as the Director of Organizational and Leadership Development for Duke Energy Nuclear. Jody was responsible for the design and implementation of industry-leading solutions supporting the team's fleet's organizational and leadership development strategy. The breadth of her experience in this role included organizational culture and employee engagement improvement initiatives, leadership development programs, workforce planning, succession planning, knowledge transfer and retention, as well as individual and team assessments. She has extensive experience supporting a range of leaders from first-line leaders to senior executives.
Jody is a certified executive coach and certified in several leadership and team assessment tools. Jody is an active member of Women in Nuclear and a passionate proponent of women's leadership development. She earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Organizational Development from Clemson University. She is currently a doctoral candidate pursuing her Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Northcentral University.
Samuel R. Barnes, P.E.
President & CEO
Middough Inc.
With over 30 years of experience in engineering, consulting, and leadership, Sam is the President & CEO of Middough Inc. Middough provides major project solutions and consulting by combining the experience, expertise and reach of a large EPCM firm with the flexibility and customer focus of a local service provider. Sam leads the executive team and oversees the functional and financial performance of the company, ensuring alignment with the vision, mission, and values. Middough provides project solutions across several industries including: Chemical, Oil & Gas, Power, Refining, Metals, Agribusiness, Food, and Advanced Manufacturing.
Ed Davis
Senior Consultant
DOE Loan Programs Office
Edward Davis is a senior nuclear industry consultant with over 40 years of nuclear industry experience in a number of senior management roles, including engineering, business development, project finance, marketing, strategic planning as well as governmental affairs.
In his long career, Mr. Davis has developed a wide range of knowledge on energy and environmental issues both domestic and internationally and has a keen understanding of governmental policymaking, regulatory compliance, state rate making, as well as legislative and political affairs.
Currently, Mr. Davis serves as President and Managing Director of the Pegasus Group where he is responsible for providing strategic consulting services to a wide range of clients in the energy and electric utility industries as well as Federal agencies in a number of strategic areas. Mr. Davis is a subject matter expert in his field and has testified before Congress and State Public Utility Commissions on nuclear energy issues.
Megan Reusser
Hydrogen Technology Manager
Burns & McDonnell
As a Technology Manager, Megan brings over 14 years of hands-on industry experience to support clients. Her background spans various aspects of front-end project development, including process engineering, proposal management, and cost estimation. This diverse experience blends technical and commercial knowledge, which she applies to strengthen EPC projects and proposals. Megan is committed to delivering technical solutions that improve process design efficiency, reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and lower overall costs. Her specialization focuses on technologies critical for decarbonization efforts, such as long-duration energy storage, green hydrogen production, and carbon capture.
Megan earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and MBA with a concentration in Marketing and International Business from the University of Kansas.
Whitaker Irvin, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer
Q Hydrogen
Whitaker Irvin, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer of Q Hydrogen, based in Park City, Utah. A seasoned entrepreneur, he has wide ranging experience in industries including finance, aerospace/defense, energy and green high technology companies, including Raytheon, where he managed technology deployments in the northeast region.
In 2010, he left Raytheon to guide the development and commercialization of carbon-free hydrogen production technologies invented by his father, Whitaker B. Irvin Sr. He is responsible for crafting the company's commercialization strategies and is known for his relationships within the commercial and equity communities.
He graduated from Babson College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Global Business Management. He serves on the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, is President of the Board for the Community for Children's Justice in Summit County, Utah, is a member of the Forbes Business Council and Board Member for Midori and Friends in New York, NY.
Clayton Tucker
Process Engineer - Green Energy Solutions
Lectrodryer
Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Kentucky
Specialize in Hydrogen Purification Product Lines, Process Design, and Custom Engineered Products
Works with 10+ Electrolyzer OEMs to date
2020 AIChE Award Recipient for work on designing a Green Hydrogen Ammonia Production Plant
William Mangan, MBA, MEM, PMP
Operations and Maintenance Manager
Kissimmee Utility Authority
Bill Mangan is the Operations and Maintenance Manager at the Cane Island Power Park, a 750 MW gas power plant located in Central Florida.
Bill's career started in 1998 with the US Navy. Over a period of 14 years, Bill served on multiple submarines, in multiple leadership roles, to include power plant mechanic, Division Officer on the USS PITTSBURGH and USS TUCSON, Project Manager for the Afghan National Police in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Chief Engineer on the USS HELENA. Bill continues to serve in the Navy Reserve as a Commander and Commanding Officer.
After leaving active duty, Bill worked with Nextera Energy, at the St. Lucie Nuclear Station. At St. Lucie, Bill served as an operations instructor, leading the electronic work package program development and training, and Mechanical Maintenance Department Head, where he led over 60 nuclear mechanics, welders, machinist, non-destructive testing specialist, and weld engineers.
After leaving Plant St. Lucie, Bill was activated for one year with the Naval Reserves as the Executive Assistant to the Commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay.
Bill has been working with KUA/FMPA for four years as the O&M Manager at Cane Island.
Bill's educational background includes an MBA from John Hopkins University, a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University, and a BS from Jacksonville University. Bill also holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Green Belt certifications.
Kenneth Luebbert
Senior Director - Gen Support Engineering
Evergy, Inc
Kenny Luebbert is a seasoned engineering professional with a diverse background in mechanical engineering, business administration, and project leadership. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, Kenny has cultivated a unique skill set that blends technical expertise with strategic business acumen.
As a registered professional engineer in the state of Kansas, Kenny has demonstrated his commitment to upholding high standards of professionalism and excellence in his field. With over six years of experience as a consulting engineer, he specialized in implementing power plant controls and digital twin/simulation projects, showcasing his proficiency in cutting-edge technologies shaping the energy sector.
Kenny's career trajectory at Evergy exemplifies his dedication and expertise. Over the course of twenty-four years with the company, he has assumed increasingly challenging roles in project and engineering leadership. Currently serving as the Senior Director of Generation Engineering, Kenny leads a dynamic team responsible for supporting a diverse fleet of fossil and renewable generating units. His strategic vision and technical prowess play a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability and efficiency of Evergy's power generation operations.
Throughout his career, Kenny Luebbert has demonstrated a passion for innovation and a relentless pursuit of excellence. His breadth of experience, coupled with his commitment to continuous learning, positions him as a respected leader in the energy industry.
Darren Hoard
Senior Engineer
Evergy, Inc
Darren Hoard is a Senior Engineer whose primary role is the technical support for multiple sites in Evergy's Gas Turbine fleet. He creates and evaluates bid specifications, prepares for and project manages outages and maintains capital budgets for various projects in which he is involved. Darren's prior responsibilities within Evergy include Maintenance Engineer, BOP Engineer and Performance Engineer at the Sibley Power Plant; as well as Central Engineering's Fire Protection Engineer and Turbine Engineer.
Darren Hoard completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. When he's not busy with work, Darren's major hobby includes traveling. He also enjoys the outdoors, attending sporting events and concerts (for which he will also travel).
Craig Burgett
Project Manager
Kiewit
Managing risk, cost and schedule, Craig Burgett, ensures successful completion of complex projects. As an experienced design engineering manager with over 33 years of experience in plant maintenance and capital improvement projects, he leads engineering teams and serves as the main point of contact for clients during the design phase.
His knowledge of flexible and efficient solutions for the renewable transition has led him to present at three conferences in the past year, discussing the role of combustion turbines in the renewable energy market and generation planning. At Kiewit, Craig, is a licensed Professional Engineer for Missouri and Kansas, holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Shawn Larson CMRP
Business Development, Maintenance and Reliability SME, Plant & Facility Services
Fluor Corporation
Shawn is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional with over 25 years' experience in maintenance management, reliability engineering, mechanical engineering, and project management. He provides overall leadership of all maintenance and reliability activities. His experience includes planning and scheduling, maintenance work flow processes, PM and PdM optimization, asset criticality assessment, asset maintenance strategy development, performance metrics, capital spares procurement, power distribution management, and engineering design review.
Industry experience in Chemical Processing, Mining and Metals, and Nuclear Power. International experience supporting a project in Saudi Arabia. He served 6 years in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Power Plant Operator, Mechanic and Supervisor.
Shawn earned his Master of Science in Engineering Management at the University of South Florida long with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida.
Casey Allen
Associate Professor
Marquette University
Dr. Casey Allen is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Marquette University, where he directs the FIRE Lab and Combustible Dust Performance Based Design Center. Dr. Allen's research is dedicated to experimentally studying and modeling flammable vapor ignition and vapor/dust explosion processes. The overarching goal of his research is to develop an improved understanding of combustible mixture formation and its relation to energy release rates and explosion phasing. Applying this knowledge is critical for developing robust explosion protection systems. For his contributions to combustion research and teaching, Dr. Allen has been recipient of the Bernard Lewis Fellowship (Combustion Institute), the Ralph R. Teetor Award (Society of Automotive Engineers), and the Michael J. Wallace Endowed Faculty Scholarship (Marquette University). Dr. Allen holds degrees in Chemical Engineering (B.S.E., University of Iowa) and Mechanical Engineering (Ph.D., Michigan State University). Dr. Allen has consulted with over 30 organizations to assist them with managing the hazards of combustible dust and assuring explosion hazards are managed in accordance with NFPA standards.
Rahul Mukherjee Ph.D.
Co-founder and Director of R&D
Alsym Energy
Dr. Mukherjee is a technology developer and engineer with a background in lithium-ion and lithium-air batteries. Before co-founding Alsym, he served as Chief Technology Officer at EnerMat Technologies, where he led technology R&D in graphene-based lithium-ion battery storage systems and low-cost manufacturing strategies. Dr. Mukherjee previously taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned his Ph.D.in Mechanical Engineering.
Caroline Brannock Ph.D.
Sr. Sales Manager Battery Technology
BASF Corporation
Caroline is the Senior Sales Manager of Battery Technology for BASF Stationary Energy Storage, where she is responsible for finding new projects for the NAS Batteries system and expanding the division's North American presence.
Caroline holds a PhD in Chemistry from North Carolina State University, an MBA from Duke University, and a BS in Chemistry from Salem College.
She joined BASF in 2012 and has gained a broad experience through various positions in sales, project management and business development.
Wayne Garrett
Chief Commercial Officer
Viridi Parente
John Nixon
Vice President - Energy, Chemicals & Infrastructure
Siemens Industry Software, Inc.
Sarah Osborn, PMP, FS Eng
Energy, Utilities, Chemical & Infrastructure Industry Strategy Lead
Siemens Digital Industries Software
Sarah is the Energy, Utilities, Chemicals, and Infrastructure presales industry technical lead in the USA for Siemens DISW.
In this role, Sarah leads and supports customer digital transformation. Prior to moving to Siemens, Sarah was the Teamcenter program manager leading global deployments and support for one of Siemens' largest marquee customers. Sarah has a BS in Electronics Engineering Technology and has 25+ years in the oil & gas, aerospace, and software industries, including being a DPS/Nav trainer for the space shuttle program, programming offshore BOP control systems, leading systems engineering in R&D, managing business processes, and more at Honeywell, Rockwell Automation, Raytheon, and United Space Alliance.
Mike Harbison
President
M E H & Associates, LLC
Mr. Michael Harbison is the Founder and Owner of M E H & Associates, LLC. In this capacity, he performs unit walk-downs and assessments, modifies combustion systems, reduces emissions through advanced computational modeling, assesses and tunes boilers / boiler operations. Mr. Harbison covers the full US for the power generation sector.
Mr. Harbison specialized in process optimization for over twenty-five years.
Yang Ge, Ph.D.
Team Leader
SmartBurn LLC
Dr. Yang Ge has over 25 years of extensive research and field experience in coal combustion, modeling-based design and hands-on analysis, assessment and tuning of coal-fired boiler combustion. Dr. Ge has led unit optimization, CFD modeling analysis and combustion tuning on a wide variety of boiler types. He has served as the technical leader and project manager for a number of SmartBurn's assessment, logic update, tuning and optimization projects. Dr. Ge has BS, MS and PhD degrees in engineering mechanics and thermophysics from Tsinghua University in China and a second PhD in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University.
Jill Liska
General Counsel, Sponsor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative
Sargent & Lundy
Jill Liska is the leader of Sargent & Lundy's commercial, procurement, and legal teams. She guides the firm's successful management of risk, corporate insurance, litigation, contracts, and outside counsel. Her direction of the legal department influences Sargent & Lundy's overall strategy.
Ms. Liska served as an associate attorney at Robbins Schwartz and an engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation prior to joining Sargent & Lundy's legal team in 2006. She was promoted to vice president in 2013, at which point she became responsible for the firm's legal, commercial, and procurement groups. Sargent & Lundy named her a senior vice president in January 2020.
Ms. Liska monitors developing legislation at local, national, and international levels. She develops internal policies and procedures for Sargent & Lundy, including use of intellectual property, risk management, and conflicts of interest and ethics. She interprets various domestic and international regulations and license requirements, negotiates leases, supports acquisitions and due diligence efforts on commercial matters, advises HR, and manages the legal team's budget. Ms. Liska, an ardent supporter of diversity issues, played a pivotal role in helping the firm launch an internal professional network for female employees in 2015 and a DEI advisory council in 2020.
Mel Bergsneider
Executive Account Manager
Allume Energy
Mel Bergsneider is Executive Account Manager at Allume Energy, responsible for business
development in the U.S. market. As the first US-based employee at Allume Energy, Mel
leads the Australian-born startup's expansion across target markets such as California, New
York, and Florida. Mel works closely with affordable housing providers, solar installers, and
real estate developers to provide solar energy benefits to participating tenants. Previous
experience includes working in energy efficiency in San Francisco, installing solar at a
Women's Cooperative in Nicaragua, and supporting sustainable development in the Amazon
Rainforest.
Prior to joining Allume Energy, Mel worked in energy equity at GRID Alternatives and in
energy efficiency at Carbon Lighthouse. She also interned in the Amazon Rainforest at
Fundación Runa and was a Community Coach at Greenpeace USA, serving as Director of
Sustainability at Residence Hall Association.
Mel has dedicated her career towards fighting climate change, and in that path, she found a
passion for solar energy. Mel holds a BA from Indiana University in Bloomington in
Entrepreneurship, Corporate Innovation and Sustainable Business. She also holds a
Certification in Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologi
Justin Walters
VDC Lead
Middough
Justin Walters is a distinguished design professional with over 15 years of experience, currently serving as a VDC Specialist at Middough. His extensive expertise in Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) coordination has been instrumental in optimizing project workflows and enhancing collaboration within the organization.
R.J. "Chip" Hilarides, PhD, PE
Vice President, Quality & Stewardship
Flint Hills Resources
John Schroeder
Executive Vice President, Distributed Energy
DEPCOM Power
John Schroeder is the Executive Vice President of Distributed Energy at DEPCOM Power, a Koch Engineered Solutions Company. DEPCOM Power provides transformative energy solutions in the form of projects and services. Along with several industry veterans, John founded DEPCOM Power in 2014, and served on its Board of Directors until the merger with Koch Engineered Solutions in 2021.
John previously served as DEPCOM's SVP of Engineering, Chief Operating Officer, EVP of Plant Operations, and launched the company's Repowering division. His current focus is to develop energy solutions for industrial facilities, deploying photovoltaic projects, energy storage systems, and combined heat & power installations. Prior to DEPCOM Power, John served in various leadership roles in technology for First Solar from 2005 - 2013.
John earned a BSEE from Purdue University in 1998 and later earned an MBA. He is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and holds six photovoltaic related patents.
Jim Barbour
VP - Regional Utility Sales
Enchanted Rock, LLC
Jim Barbour is an accomplished energy industry veteran with more than 25 years of knowledge and experience in the Utilities and Industrial segments. An Ohio native, Jim earned his B.S. in Business Administration, Management & Operations from the University of Missouri- St. Louis and held senior positions at Aclara, GE, and Aggreko before joining Enchanted Rock in 2019. As VP of Regional Utility Sales, Jim's sales and operational leadership creates lasting partnerships with utilities and end use customers while leveraging Enchanted Rock's solutions to meet critical infrastructure power needs.
David Eisenbud
Sr Director Origination
Distributed Solar Development (DSD)
David Eisenbud has been a long-standing solar advocate and clean energy business development executive for more than 20 years with a focus on addressing climate change challenges while capturing customer savings through deployment of commercial and large-scale solar and storage technologies.
In his role originating projects for DSD, David sources new projects with commercial and industrial as well as public sector clients. He also supports co-development work with select partners and identifies development acquisitions supporting solar and storage deployment at various stages of development.
Prior to joining DSD in 2017, he held sales and finance roles within the solar project development, energy storage and PV technology segments. He launched and was the head of SunPower Canada, leading utility-scale development, project acquisition and commercial system sales, and led the Canadian Solar Energy Industries Association during a period of robust growth. He started his career with industry solar pioneer, PowerLight holding various roles driving early solar adoption in the eastern US.
Mr. Eisenbud earned his BS in Economics (Finance) from Lehigh University and an MBA in Marketing from Fordham University. An avid skier, he has spent 25 years as a trainer and instructor for the Adaptive Sports Foundation teaching snow sports to people with cognitive and physical challenges. He and his wife Lisa live in Boston, MA with two strong-minded daughters.
Peter Hoeflich
Director Generation Technology
Duke Energy
Peter is the Director of Generation Technology in Duke Energy's Generation and Transmission Strategy Organization. In his role, he evaluates emerging generation technologies. Peter has over 30 years of experience in the energy and power generation industries. During that time, he has served in various leadership and technical roles. Peter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Grove City College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Ohio State University. He is also a registered professional engineer.
Jhansi Kandasamy
Director, Net-Zero Program
Idaho National Laboratory
Jhansi Kandasamy is an electrical engineer, business professional, past chair of U.S. Women in Nuclear (WIN), and co-founder of U.S. WIN Nuclear Executives of Tomorrow. Kandasamy has taken on numerous energy challenges over the course of her 30 years in nuclear energy and emerged as both a successful leader and sought-after mentor. Prior to her role as director of INL's Net-Zero program, Kandasamy took on the challenge of developing carbon-free energy as the executive vice president of engineering for GE-Hitachi. There, she contributed to the development of a new generation of nuclear reactors called small modular reactors. This work helped her achieve one of her core goals: protecting the planet by developing energy alternatives. Kandasamy was poised to take on this work after holding progressive roles as maintenance supervisor, operations supervisor, engineering manager, regulatory assurance manager and chemistry environmental manager at Exelon's Limerick Generating Station and Oyster Creek Generating Station. She then transitioned to Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) Nuclear Salem/Hope Creek New Jersey where she held positions as regulatory assurance manager, work management director and senior projects director. Kandasamy obtained U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission senior reactor operator certification at the Limerick Generating Station. As a woman in a largely male-dominated space, Kandasamy was motivated to help other women and historically underrepresented groups, which is why she became involved with U.S. WIN in various capacities, including being selected as the recent past chair of the organization. She served on the local American Nuclear Society executive committee and as co-founder of Atomic Allies, which was born from a memorandum of understanding signed by U.S. WIN, the Nuclear Energy Institute, North American Young 20-GA50518 continued on back...Generation in Nuclear and the American Nuclear Society. She is on the oversight committee for and initiated the U.S. WIN Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group, which addresses not only gender gaps, but all diversity in the nuclear workforce. In her free time, Kandasamy is the president and chair for a college her father started in a rural part of India to educate underprivileged men and women from rural villages. Kandasamy is happily married and the proud mother of two children. She is also an avid reader -- a hobby fueled by her natural curiosity and love of learning -- and enjoys painting, travel, pickleball and walking.
Sercan Teleke
Principal Engineer
Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.
Dr. Sercan Teleke is an expert in energy storage, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, microgrids, renewable energy integration, power electronic applications to power systems, and power system design and analysis. He is a Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensed in California and Maine. His professional career includes consulting experience and helping various electric utility companies and renewable energy developers across North America prepare for the renewable energy revolution, as well as manufacturing experience. Dr. Teleke is a patent holder and has published more than twenty articles and technical papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings. He is a senior member of IEEE and IEEE Power and Energy Society.
Matthew Fioretti
Senior Manager Market Development
Wartsila North America, Inc.
Deepak Divan Ph.D.
President & Co-Founder
Varentec
Dr. Deepak Divan does research in the areas of power electronics, power systems, smart grids, and distributed control of power systems. He works closely with utilities and industry and is actively involved in research, teaching, and entrepreneurship. He has around 400 published refereed papers and over 85 issued and pending patents. He is coauthor of the book 'Energy 2040 - Aligning Innovation, Economics and Decarbonization', published by Springer in 2024. Dr. Divan has started several companies, including Varentec in Santa Clara, CA, which was funded by leading green-tech Venture Capital firm Khosla Ventures and renowned investor Bill Gates. He has founded or seeded several new ventures including GridBlock, GigaGrid, Soft Switching Technologies, Innovolt, Varentec and Smart Wires, which together have raised >$500M in venture funding.
Dr. Divan is an elected Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, member of the National Academies Board on Energy and Environmental Systems and was a member of the National Academies (NASEM) Committee on The Future of Electric Power in the United States. He is a member of the Transformative Science & Technology Committee organized by the National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine for the Department of Defense. He is the recipient of the 2024 IEEE Medal in Power Engineering. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE, past President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, is a recipient of the 2006 IEEE William E Newell Field Medal and the 2023 IEEE Hingorani Custom Power Medal. He has started and was the International Chair of the IEEE Empower a Billion Lives (EBL) recurring global competition to develop scalable energy access solutions. He was an invitee to the White House Electrification Summit in 2022 and has presented on the subject of electric grids around the world, including at the COP-22 meeting in Morocco in 2016 and the United Nations Global Solutions Summit in 2023. He received his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in India, and his MS and PhD degrees from the University of Calgary, Canada.
Paul Kempf
Assistant Vice President of Utilities & Maintenance
Notre Dame Power Plant
Leet Wood PhD
Chief Energy Advisor
Space Frontier Foundation
Samuel Abraham
Global Technical Advisor - Geothermal
Halliburton
Brooke Mills
Sr. Comms Business Partner
GE Vernova
John Evans
Principal Consultant
Thornton Tomasetti
John leads the safety and risk team at Thornton Tomasetti and has over 30 years experience in hazard and risk assessment and management. As well as leading the teams John is a practitioner in hazard identification, assessment, control, mitigation and management techniques and brings his practical experience with an understanding of state of the art modelling techniques undertaken by Thornton Tomasetti to support clients solve their problems.
John has worked on global projects assessing the hazards and risks for the exploration, production, extraction, transportation and processing of oil and gas including LNG and CNG, and has identified, developed and supported the implementation of control, mitigation and management systems. John currently leads the Thornton Tomasetti team assessing the hazards from alternative energy systems including hydrogen and ammonia and has also worked on multiple carbon capture and storage projects.
Anastasija Kuprijanova
Director of Maritime Business Development
Amogy
Anastasija Kuprijanova has a diverse and extensive work experience. Anastasija is currently working as the Director of Maritime Business Development at Amogy, where they lead efforts to promote the use of ammonia as a fuel alternative in the maritime industry. Prior to this, they worked at Hornblower Group as the Director of Business Development for Ferries & Transportation Services. Anastasija's responsibilities included developing new business opportunities in the transportation sector.
Anastasija also worked at NYC Ferry, where they started as the Special Projects Coordinator, responsible for development and contract compliance. Later, they became the Manager of Business Development and Contract Compliance, where they managed contracts and regulatory compliance, handled negotiations and tendering for support contracts, and oversaw projects related to vessel and facility maintenance. Anastasija maintained relationships with various stakeholders, including the United States Coast Guard.
Before joining NYC Ferry, Anastasija worked as an Ocean Imports Coordinator at Kuehne + Nagel, where they gained experience in import processes and handled documentation associated with cargo imports. Anastasija also worked as a Government Contracts Technical Intern at BAE Systems, where they gained valuable insights into naval ship repair.
In summary, Anastasija Kuprijanova has worked in various roles related to business development, contract compliance, and operations in the maritime and transportation sectors. Anastasija has expertise in promoting green solutions, managing contracts, and overseeing project budgets.
Anastasija Kuprijanova completed their education from 2012 to 2016 at the California State University Maritime Academy. Anastasija earned a Bachelor's degree in Global Studies and Maritime Affairs during this time.
Elizabeth Lawrence
Manager, Program Development & Implementation
Arizona Public Service Company [APS]
Sarah Noll
Manager, VPP Innovation & Strategic Initiatives
Arizona Public Service Company [APS]
Wayshalee Patel, B.S.ChE, MBA, P.E.
Senior Project Manager/Discipline Manager and Chemical Engineer
Sargent & Lundy
Wayshalee (way-shaw-lee) A. Patel works for Sargent & Lundy, a comprehensive consulting, engineering and design firm providing solutions for electric power generation. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Illinois. Ms. Patel is an environmental technology specialist and has 10 years of experience in process design of various air quality control equipment in the power generation industry including flue gas desulphurization, selective catalytic reduction, fabric filters and activated carbon injection.
Timothy Eiden
Environment Technology Associate III
Sargent and Lundy
Timothy Eiden graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. He has worked at Sargent and Lundy in the Environmental Technologies Group for over two and a half years. There he has prepared over a dozen LCAs to be submitted as a part of FOA applications.
Eric Fins
Vice President
Grove Climate Group
Eric Fins is the Vice President of Grove Climate Group, LLC. Eric works directly with GCG's clients to understand the full scope of their work and develop strategies to achieve their climate goals, including political and policy advice, strategic guidance, background research and analysis, memos and reports, and connecting relevant parties to build relationships and coalitions.
Prior to joining GCG, Eric spent nearly 15 years in the U.S. House of Representatives in a variety of capacities, most recently as the Deputy Staff Director of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (SCCC). Known as the "climate think tank" for House Democrats, Eric was responsible for coordinating climate policy with House Democratic Leadership, including the standing committees, in addition to the White House and Senate. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated "[SCCC's] work formed the foundation of Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act, helping to deliver the largest climate investment in human history."
Eric received his J.D. from American University Manga Cum Laude and served as a staff member on the American University Law Review for two years. He is a member of the DC Bar. He also received his bachelor's degree from American University. Eric lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and their dog.
Reed Lengel
National Sales Manager, North America
MAN Energy Solutions
Reed Lengel is the National Sales Manager for North America with MAN Energy Solutions, responsible for new unit sales of their large 4-stroke reciprocating engines for power generation. Reed has 14 years of experience in the power industry, with roles ranging from the on-site management and execution of heavy-duty gas turbine commissioning activities, to the product line management and technical sales of industrial and aero-derivative gas turbines, and reciprocating internal combustion engines. Reed holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida.
Gursaran Singh, MASc, P.Eng, PMP
VP Energy Alliances
Volta Energy Inc.
Dan McGee
Director, Hydrogen Markets
Kiewit
DAN MCGEE / ENGINEERING SERVICES DIRECTOR OF HYDROGEN MARKET
Providing services for the development of assets, enhancement of operations and improvement of performance, Dan McGee, the engineering services director of hydrogen market at Kiewit, uses his 35 years of power generation experience to provide comprehensive engineering designs and solution strategies. He partners with clients throughout the project lifecycle from pre-FEED/FEED through commissioning and spearheads hydrogen engineering efforts.
Previously, Dan led project management consulting services, the power retrofit engineering team, and solar and battery energy storage systems engineering efforts. A certified Project Management Professional with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Dan is a published subject matter expert in power engineering. He has presented at multiple Kiewit events and co-authored an article on water and steam chemistry control.
Joseph Vonderhaar
Station Manager, Spurlock Power Station
EAST KENTUCKY POWER CORPORATION
Steve Dobson
EAST KENTUCKY POWER CORPORATION
Chris Kurle
Manager of Purchasing
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Chris Kurle is the Manager of Purchasing at Basin Electric Power Cooperative. Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a consumer-owned, regional generation and transmission cooperative, located in Bismarck, North Dakota, that provides wholesale power to member rural electric systems in nine states. Chris has been in various positions within the supply chain industry for the past 34 years and has experienced a wide variety of supply chain challenges and wins. Chris manages a team of purchasing professionals that process on average 50,000 purchase orders per year. Chris has an MBA from the University of Mary along with a Masters in Management. Chris is also a Certificated Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) through the Institute for Supply Management. In her free time, she enjoys attending concerts, being on the family ranch with her registered Hereford cattle and walleye fishing on Lake Sakakawea with her husband.
Norris Minnis C.P.M., MBA
Manager, Contracts - Supply Chain Services
Oglethorpe Power Corp
Norris Minnis is Contracts Manager of Oglethorpe Power Corporation (OPC), among the nation's largest power supply cooperatives and one of the primary energy producers in Georgia, generating power for 38 Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs) and serving approximately 4.5 million people across the state. Norris began his career at OPC in 2011 in Supply Chain and has served as a Contract Agent and Contract Manager for most of that duration. Norris engages in various community activities and stewardship throughout the year in the Atlanta area. Norris earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and Management from Florida State University and an MBA with an emphasis in Finance from Georgia State University.
Benjamin Carmichael
Business Development Manager, Advanced Energy Systems Research and Development
Southern Company
Ben Carmichael is part of the Advanced Energy Systems team at Southern Company Research and Development, where he works as a Business Development Manager to establish the national and international collaborations that support Southern Company's advanced energy systems development programs. Ben joined Southern Company in 2006 and has had a variety of opportunities across Southern Company affiliates, including engineering roles in both Southern Company Fleet Operations and Generation Planning and Development, managing the nuclear fuel procurement program for Southern Nuclear Operating Company, and managing new nuclear development opportunities for Southern Nuclear Development, LLC. Ben holds a Bachelor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Master of Science of Civil Engineering from Auburn University, a Masters of Engineering in sustainability from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a Professional Engineer license in the State of Alabama.
Emmanuel Darko, P.E.
Principal Nuclear Engineer
PSEG Energy Holdings
Justin Williams
Senior Account Executive
Trevi Communications
Junaid Ali
CEO
Prismecs
Junaid Ali is a visionary leader in the global energy sector with a proven track record of steering large-scale projects with expertise and pragmatism. Under his leadership, Prismecs, the recipient of GE's highest vendor award in safety, has delivered impactful engineering and procurement services across the entire Power value chain, driving substantial multimillion-dollar growth and fostering a culture of innovation and
responsibility across the globe.
Junaid's comprehensive educational background underpins his robust technical and managerial skills. He is keen to analyze emerging industry, social, and technical trends at both micro and macro levels, allowing him to engage and captivate audiences with insightful perspectives. A resident of Houston for over a decade, he is deeply involved with Helping Hand, dedicated to improving the lives of displaced children worldwide. In his professional endeavors, Junaid consistently demonstrates visionary leadership
success in guiding global project initiatives and sourcing strategies to enhance operations in the energy sector.
He is adept at liaising between vendors and internal stakeholders, ensuring that project goals align with key business benchmarks, driving stakeholder value, and exceeding client expectations. Moreover, he is skilled at managing projects from inception to completion, devising innovative solutions, and building
consensus across diverse functional levels, including sales, marketing, engineering, finance, accounting, and legal.