grid edge innovation summit 2018

Joseph Aamidor is a senior product and market strategy consultant focused on smart buildings, IoT, energy and real estate. He has nearly 15 years of experience in building and energy technology. He provides strategic guidance and advice to established building management firms, technology providers, and early-stage innovators. He helps these firms understand the smart buildings market, develop competitive strategy, and forge partnerships. Previously, he served as Director of Product at Lucid Design Group and was a product manager at Johnson Controls. He frequently speaks at industry events and regularly publishes articles on the energy and smart building industry. Connect with him on Twitter (at [url=https://twitter.com/jaamidor]https://twitter.com/jaamidor[/url]) and LinkedIn (at [url=http://www.linkedin.com/in/jaamidor]http://www.linkedin.com/in/jaamidor[/url]) or at [url=http://www.aamidorconsulting.com]http://www.aamidorconsulting.com[/url]

Yang Bai is a technical lead of enterprise energy services at Nest/Google. He spearheads efforts to leverage Google's expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing in the transformation of energy systems. During the Total Solar Eclipse last summer, Yang and his team deployed a demand response event on over 750K Nest thermostats that tracked the eclipse trajectory across America and delivered over 700MW load reduction.

Prior to Nest, Yang pursued a PhD in Robotics from Northwestern University and a BS in Math/Physics/EE from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Kari Binley is an Expert Product Manager on the Energy Efficiency team at PG&E working on a number of innovative customer and technology solutions.  Kari was on the team that launched the PG&E Marketplace in early 2015 and continues to manage the program today.  Other innovative projects include PG&E’s Connected Home Strategy, working on voice assistant integration, and finding new and innovative energy savings products for the PG&E residential portfolio.   Kari began her career in consumer products as a merchant for consumer electronics retailers and as an Executive Director at a small sustainability non-profit in the Bay Area.

As our Founder and CEO of GreenSync, Phil is forging new paths to energy management in Australia through cloud analytics, grid-edge technologies and network optimisation. With over 15 years’ experience commercialising new technology in global markets, Phil has been the lead technologist at five start-ups in the UK and Australia, including multimedia, cryptography, and smart buildings.
Starting his career as an aerospace engineer and professional pilot, Phil followed his passion for advanced technology and research into machine learning and artificial intelligence. He moved into energy to counter the looming threat of climate change and is now focused on reinventing the energy system to build a better future. Phil continues to play a key role in the governance of GreenSync as a member of the board. He is an active contributor to discussions about the future of global energy markets, and has held academic posts at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin and the University of Sydney, where he obtained his PhD.

Chris Brazell is an Infrastructure Program Manager with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). ARC provides grant funding to projects in a 420-county service area across 13 member states. Past ARC infrastructure investments have focused on water, wastewater, broadband, electric, and natural gas infrastructure. Chris is also leading ARC’s efforts to support economic development around IoT (Internet of Things) platforms like advanced metering infrastructure (AMI or smart grids), unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV). Prior to his tenure at ARC, Chris worked in Johannesburg, South Africa as a university lecturer in economics and as a business consultant to an international development organization. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Stanford University with an emphasis on economic development. He also has an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University with a focus on finance, entrepreneurial management, and international business.

Stina Brock is the Senior Vice President of North America for Electron. She is focused on working with industry partners, utilities, and grid operators to bring Electron’s innovative solutions to energy markets to enable a more efficient and sustainable grid. Previously, Stina was the Senior Director of Global Utility & Grid Solutions at Sunverge, leading Sunverge’s Solutions Engineering team. At Sunverge, Stina was responsible for developing Sunverge's product offerings for utilities. She led Sunverge’s efforts to use blockchain technology to improve how distributed resources at the grid edge can provide value to utilities and energy markets. As an original member of the product team, she grew the company's product to commercialization and helped to expand Sunverge’s customer base across North America and globally. Prior to Sunverge, Stina led product marketing activities at Primus Power, an energy storage startup based on advanced flow battery technology, and managed utility operations at EnerNOC (acquired by Enel), a demand response and smart grid industry leader. She started her career at Accenture as a strategy consultant in the technology sector. She has an MSEE degree in electrical power engineering from the University of Washington, and AB & BE degrees in engineering and economics from Dartmouth College.

Mike is a global management executive with more than 25 years of experience in finance, technology and operations management across industries. Currently, Mike is President of Siemens Digital Grid in the United States. Mike’s initial background started in finance and systems and he has dedicated his nearly 20 years in the utility industry to harnessing technology to achieve value through business transformation and grid modernization. As the former CIO of Xcel Energy, Mike was a key player in designing and implementing the utility’s business transformation and smart grid strategy. In his current role at Siemens, Mike is responsible for driving the business strategy and execution for the Digital Grid business and global software development.

Mike earned his B.S. in Accounting and Business Management from Union College and his M.B.A. in Finance and Operations from Pepperdine University.

Hawaiian Electric serves 95% of Hawaii’s electric customers with a service area made up of five separate islanded electric systems.  At 27% RPS with 17% of its customers deploying various rooftop solar systems, Hawaiian Electric has taken a leading role in the integration of renewable and DER systems. 

Colton has responsibility for planning Hawaiian Electric’s 100% renewable energy grid and integrating needed new technologies into the system.  He previously served as Vice President of Energy Delivery as well as Vice President of System Operation and Planning and has 27 years of utility experience.

In addition to his work at Hawaiian Electric, Colton serves on the Corporate Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Hawai‘i, the Executive Board of the Aloha Council Boy Scouts of America, and on the Advisory Council to the State of Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency.  Colton is also one of 13 inaugural cohorts in the Omidyar Fellows Leadership program.

Colton was born and raised on the island of Maui and is a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where he received a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He now calls Kāneʻohe home where he resides with his wife Vicky and their son Jacob.

Ron Critelli is senior director of Power Delivery engineering and technical services for Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). He is responsible for engineering, design and standards, technical services, performance and diagnostics center, and the reliability planning of the company’s transmission, substation and distribution facilities.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Critelli served as director of engineering and technical services for the transmission and substation business unit. He also served as the director of engineering and construction for transmission & substation and was responsible for the engineering and expansion of FPL’s transmission system, including system strengthening and new generation projects. Earlier in his career, Mr. Critelli held various management positions related to project management, engineering and field operations. He joined FPL in 1987.

Mr. Critelli holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Florida. He is a member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Power and Energy Society, AEIC Electrical Power Apparatus Committee and participates in numerous industry committees on topics ranging from reliability, assets management and risk, smart grid application to product innovation.

Brad Davids leads  business development activities related to load management and demand response for Nest’s energy partners, and also manages the company’s relationships with electric cooperatives across the U.S.

Before joining Nest in February 2015, Mr. Davids was Vice President of Utility Solutions for EnerNOC, Inc., where he managed a 40-person team responsible for sales, marketing, and consulting to electric and gas utilities worldwide, and was directly involved in securing more than $750 million in utility contracts between 2009 and 2014.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Davids held a variety of leadership positions related to retail energy services, including Vice President for EPRI Solutions, President and CEO of Primen, and Senior Vice President of the energy research firm E Source, which he co-founded in 1992. Mr. Davids received master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Ray DeMeo is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Virsec. With more than twenty years of operations and global business development experience, Ray has held key roles in the successful growth and transition of multiple tech. startups, including Giganet, acquired by Emulex and EqualLogic, acquired by Dell. He has led teams in roles of responsibility ranging from operations management to global sales and CEO.

Ray holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Computer Science from Norwich University, and a MS degree in Business Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

John Elliott is Chief Sustainability Officer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is responsible for directing and implementing the Lab’s sustainability strategy. He has broad and detailed experience in building efficiency, building energy management, building performance data architecture, renewables, water efficiency, electric vehicles, employee engagement, waste diversion, and living laboratory collaboration. He was previously Director, Energy and Sustainability at UC Merced and has done prior work in energy efficiency program design, strategy consulting to utilities, consulting on efficiency and renewables to native American tribes, and leading a professional services team implementing energy software solutions for utilities and energy market operators. He holds a masters degree in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley and a bachelors in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University.

Mr. Gerber is the Director for New Energy & Environment in IBM’s Energy, Environment & Utilities Industry. He is responsible for the development of solutions for non-traditional utility functions, specifically focused on integrating distributed energy resources, environmental issues focused on air and water, and energy efficiency. Previously he was the Director of the Smart Lifecycle Asset Management (SLAM) initiative. In this role he was responsible for the Strategy, Sales, and Solution Development of SLAM solutions. SLAM is focused on asset intensive clients across the Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Energy & Utilities, Oil & Gas, and Travel & Transportation industries. SLAM solutions seek to leverage information across an asset’s lifecycle through information management, advanced analytics, and optimization. Prior to that, Mr. Gerber was the Power Generation Leader for the Energy & Utilities industry at IBM. In this position he was responsible for devising, developing and executing the solution portfolio strategy and capabilities for all of IBM’s power generation business. This includes capabilities for fossil, nuclear, and renewable generation areas.   Mr. Gerber has over 30 years of industry experience providing advanced solutions to the utility industry. He has been deeply involved in electric utility solution development and implementation, as well as having served in executive management positions. Prior to working at IBM Mr. Gerber was the CEO of a power plant simulation company, which was successfully sold to a major control system company, where the business continues to operate to this day. Mr. Gerber also served as the VP of operations and strategy for an internet-based file storage company. Mr. Gerber has a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters of Control System Engineering degree from Stanford University.

Dr. Sonja Glavaski is a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) overseeing  portfolio of projects developing innovative and disruptive technologies that would facilitate cost-effective building energy audits, more efficient renewable energy generation, and enable electricity grid to be more responsive and resilient. Her technical focus area is data analytics, and distributed control  of complex, cyber-physical systems with emphasis on operations and security of energy systems.  Dr. Sonja Glavaski spearheaded development and is currently helming ARPA-E Network Optimized Distributed Energy Systems (NODES) Program that aims to develop transformational grid management and control methods to create a virtual energy storage system based on use of flexible loads and distributed energy resources (DERs).

Prior to joining ARPA-E, Dr. Glavaski served as Control Systems Group Leader at United Technologies Research Center advancing knowledge and technology in the area of control & intelligent systems. Before being at UTRC, Dr. Glavaski led key programs at Eaton Innovation Center and Honeywell Labs. During her 20-plus-year career, Dr. Glavaski has contributed significantly to technical advancements in numerous product areas, including energy systems, hybrid vehicles, energy efficient building HVAC/R systems, and aircraft systems. Dr. Glavaski received Ph.D. and MS in Electrical Engineering from California Institute of Technology, and Dipl. Ing and MS in Electrical Engineering from University of Belgrade.

David Groarke is an experienced utility technology and strategy consultant. He has worked with power companies globally to define new growth opportunities, business model evolutions and strategic technology deployments. In this capacity, David has designed large capital technology and modernization programs ($1B+), led cleantech research teams and provided subject matter expertise for a range of utilities in the areas of technology strategy, strategic planning, innovation management, business model evolution, customer engagement, utility automation, distributed energy resource management and data analytics. He has published several industry leading smart grid research reports and grid modernization insight pieces. Prior to Indigo, David held executive positions at Accenture and PA Consulting Group and led innovative research at Greentech Media Research. David holds an Honors Degree in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and has studied European programs at Roskilde University in Denmark and Lund University in Sweden.

Stefan is a pioneer in the development of the solar industry. His 20 years of experience includes ground breaking PV encapsulation research; development of the world’s first AC module system Plug&Power™; developing the Combined Cycle durability test program now used globally; building a 20MW manufacturing facility in Germany; PV system design; large scale solar power plant development; and solar home energy management. Holder of several patents he is recognised internationally for his deep industry expertise.

Co-founder and CEO of Solar Analytics, Stefan leads a team of engineers, developers and designers in providing analytics that empowers people to navigate the changing energy landscape (or as he likes to call it - peak solar for every roof).

Gil C. Quiniones has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the largest state-owned electric utility in the nation, since 2011. He is responsible for developing and implementing the statewide utility's mission and strategic vision to serve customers and mission. He also supervises its operations, legal and financial matters and relationships with external stakeholders. Under his leadership, NYPA is currently playing a key role in fulfilling Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s landmark energy policies, Reforming the Energy Vision and the Clean Energy Standard. This is seen through NYPA’s stewardship of its clean generation and transmission assets, leadership in energy efficiency, the practice of environmental justice and sustainability initiatives, and advancement of innovative technologies to become the first digital utility, end to end. Quiniones serves on the Board of Directors of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; is a board member of the Large Public Power Council and the Alliance to Save Energy and NYPA's principal representative to the American Public Power Association. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Gridwise Alliance and the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council.

Quiniones was Co-Chairman of the New York Energy Highway Task Force, which helped carry out Governor Cuomo's blueprint for reimagining New York State's transmission system through partnerships between the public and private sectors. In 2015 he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute the electric power industry's international research and development organization. Before joining NYPA in 2007 as Executive Vice President of Energy Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Quiniones served in several positions in the administration of City of New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, including more than four years as Senior Vice President of Energy and Telecommunications. He previously worked for Con Edison for 16 years and was one of four co-founders of Con Edison Solutions, the utility's unregulated energy services company.

Kevin Kirk is Manager of Engineering for Shorenstein Realty Services based in San Francisco, California.  Kevin has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado and has spent over 30 years in the field of Building Engineering.

Lydia Krefta is a Principal Product Manager for Emerging Technologies on the Grid Innovation and Integration (GII) team at PG&E where she has been leading blockchain application development for two energy focused pilots, to be launched in 2018. In addition to blockchain, Lydia is developing and executing pilot projects related to vehicle-to-grid integration, EV communications protocols and residential/commercial/industrial building electrification. Prior to her current role, she developed long-term (15-30 years) gas and electric business model and investment strategies as part of the Corporate Strategy team. Lydia also has experience in the defense industry where she worked on the F-16 program at Northrop Grumman. She holds a B.S. w/Honors in Engineering Science from Penn State University and an M.B.A. from UCLA.

Rick Kubin is Vice President at Clean Energy Blockchain Network, the North American channel partner for Power Ledger, and leads solution architecture and and energy blockchain evangelism for the western US. Rick has been involved in sustainability and disruptive innovation for over two decades and is passionate about defining strategies and technical architectures to deliver the transactive energy ecosystem of the future, with a focus on the intersection of distributed networks (blockchain), AI and analytics. With a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Victoria he excels in analyzing complex problems crossing multiple domains, synthesizing information and defining innovative solutions with real-world execution plans. Rick is a successful change agent who understands the balance between people and technology and has previously led successful architecture practices and advanced tech projects at PG&E and SunEdison.

Bosco Lai is Senior Vice President in Macquarie’s Commodities and Global Markets Group, based in Houston. Specifically he is part of the Commodity Solutions team, which provides trade finance, asset based loans, project finance, energy supply facilities and a full suite of risk management/hedging products to enhance our bespoke lending solutions.
Bosco has over 10 years of experience providing financing and risk management solutions in the energy sector. He leverages expertise in commodities and project finance to provide flexible funding solutions in partnership with senior management and sponsors.
Prior to Macquarie Bosco worked as a controls engineer and project manager in a car assembly plant jointly owned by General Motors and Suzuki Automobiles. Bosco holds a Bachelor of Human Biology from University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from McMaster University in Canada.

Audrey deploys and aggregates home solar, batteries, and other energy services to serve residential customers, utilities, and grid operators in creating a more affordable, clean, reliable electricity grid. Audrey also serves on the NIST Smart Grid Advisory Committee. Previously, Audrey was VP of Analytics & Design at Advanced Microgrid Solutions, where she built the analytics and operations platform to optimize a 50 MW fleet of customer-sited batteries as a virtual power plant in Southern California after the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. This resulted in Series A and B corporate funding and a $200 million project finance raise – the largest dedicated energy storage finance vehicle at the time. Prior to that, Audrey led policy and analysis at the CA Public Utilities Commission President’s office, Harvard University, U.S. Department of Energy and the International Energy Agency. She holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Princeton University. At home she builds forts and Snap Circuits with her two children.

Sergej Mahnovski is Director of Growth and Innovation at Edison International, where he leads a team focused on the identification, incubation and commercialization of growth opportunities from emerging technologies, new business models and strategic collaborations in four key focus areas of clean energy, transportation electrification, grid edge, and customer choice.

Sergej previously served as the Director of the Utility of the Future team at Consolidated Edison. Sergej also served as the head of New York City’s energy and sustainability agency for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, where his team developed a blueprint for reducing carbon emissions in NYC by 80 percent by 2050, and a comprehensive strategy for rebuilding critical energy infrastructure after Superstorm Sandy. The team was awarded the Citizens Budget Commission Prize for Public Service Innovation for developing new approaches to reducing air pollution in NYC. Sergej also served as a Chair and co-founder of the NYC Energy Efficiency Corporation.

Sergej has served as Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He was previously Director for the Global Power Group at IHS CERA and Doctoral Fellow at RAND Corporation. Sergej holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and B.A. in History from Stanford University, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the RAND Graduate School.

Mark McGranaghan is Vice President of the Integrated Grid Sector for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He leads the teams responsible for EPRI’s research involving technologies, systems, and practices for the power distribution system and customer systems, as well as the related information, communication and cyber security infrastructure and systems. Mark has been with EPRI since 2003 and has had a strong influence on EPRI’s research in the areas of power quality, advanced distribution systems, and the smart grid. He has worked closely with government and industry research organizations, both in the United States and around the world. Prior to joining EPRI, Mark was with Electrotek Concepts (1998-2003) and McGraw-Edison/Cooper Power. Mark has BSEE and MSEE degrees from the University of Toledo and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He has taught seminars and workshops around the world and is very active in standards development and industry activities. He is an IEEE Fellow.

Colleen Metelitsa has ten years of experience in clean energy and energy efficiency. As Evaluation Manager at Con Edison, Colleen is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of Con Edison’s energy efficiency and demand management programs, and then developing strategies to incorporate these findings into program design. Colleen was previously a blockchain energy analyst at Greentech Media and continues to study blockchain while at Con Edison. She holds a Master’s in Energy Policy from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Environmental Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

Dr. Peter Muhoro is the Vice President, Strategic Industry Research and Analysis at the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC). Peter brings technical knowledge and strategic planning expertise to electric cooperatives, and is responsible for strategic technical and industry research, business intelligence and advanced technologies trends analysis. Prior to joining CFC in 2017, Peter held several positions working for, and with electric cooperatives. Most recently, he served as the Chief Strategy Officer at Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest distribution electric cooperative in the U.S. Prior to that, he was an Advisor at the Cooperative Research Network, the technology research arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He has previously launched several small businesses focused on energy analysis, bottom of the pyramid issues and poverty reduction through beneficial electrification. He serves on the boards of the Energy Storage Association and the Smart Electric Power Alliance, as well as other advisory committees. He is a sought-after speaker both nationally and internationally. Peter holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics from Hampton University, a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of Michigan.

Anne Arquit Niederberger is Vice President Market Development at Enervee, where she is responsible for thought leadership and collaboration with utilities, government agencies and retail market actors around the globe to drive innovation and expand markets for energy efficient consumer products. She began her career as a scientist, working with some of the leading figures in paleoclimatology and contributing to various Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments. She subsequently transitioned to a decade of climate & clean energy policy, serving during the 1990s in senior positions with the Swiss Federal Office of Environment and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, where she led international climate and energy policy and established Swiss carbon markets. Prior to Enervee, Anne was Principal at Policy Solutions, where she advised public and private clients globally on climate & clean energy solutions and spearheaded diverse implementation partnerships, such as the Standards for Energy Efficiency of Electric Motor Systems harmonization effort, the $1.2 billion Swiss Climate Cent and the World Bank National Strategy Studies program to support national carbon market development. She graduated with High Honors from Dartmouth College, holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography, completed a post-doctoral fellowship with a focus on global change at the University of Bern (Switzerland), and served as Visiting Scholar at Columbia University. Anne and her husband now call beautiful Healdsburg CA home.

Ms. Palmer currently leads the team that procures energy and electric infrastructure for Google Inc. Key efforts of her team include managing the company's energy portfolio, and sourcing as much renewable energy as possible to power Google's operations. As a result of these initiatives, Google has announced over 2.6 GW of renewable energy purchases around the globe, and is the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy.

Prior to joining Google, Ms. Palmer held several positions at PG&E, where she quickly rose to become the Director of Corporate Development.  She has also worked for Goldman Sachs, serving clients in the electricity sector.
Ms. Palmer holds an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a BS in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.

Lara Pierpoint joined Exelon in October 2016, focusing on energy technology innovation. She leads the Corporate Strategy technical team from her post in Danville, California, advising the company on energy technology trends and running Exelon’s partnership R&D program. Prior to joining Exelon, she directed the Office of Energy Supply Security in the U.S. DOE Office of Policy and Systems Analysis, where she was responsible for policy and analysis related to coal, gas, and nuclear power and energy cyber and physical security. Before her work at DOE she served as an AAAS Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, focusing on nuclear power and waste issues, energy finance, and electricity storage. She received her PhD in 2011 from MIT in Engineering Systems, studying deployment of advanced technologies for nuclear waste recycling, and she holds dual masters degrees from MIT in nuclear engineering and technology policy. She is a native Californian, and completed her B.S. in physics at UCLA in 2004.

Stephen Prince serves as Senior Vice President of Centrica Business Solutions in North America. He is responsible for commercial operations and driving growth across three key strategy areas – energy insight; energy optimization; and energy solutions, including combined heat and power (CHP), solar, battery storage and standby generators. In addition, Stephen works closely with Centrica’s Direct Energy Business team to put customers in control of their energy – from energy supply to distributed energy solutions.
 
Prior to joining Centrica, Stephen served in a variety of leadership roles, most recently as President and CEO of Younicos, a global leader in battery storage and microgrid solutions sold to Aggreko in July 2017. He previously served in executive leadership positions in industry, software, consulting, and outsourcing companies within the utility, financial service, and public transportation sectors, holding titles of Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, Chief Accounting Officer, Global Practice Leader, and Senior Vice President of Strategy, Business Development, Sales, Channel Management, Product Management, and Innovation.
 
Stephen earned an M.S. degree in Tax from the Golden Gate University School of Taxation, a Contracts Management Certificate from the University of California, Irvine, and a B.A. degree in Business Administration and Accounting from California State University, Fullerton.
 
Stephen resides between Texas and Massachusetts with his wife Karen and children.
 

Jan-Willem Rombouts co-founded REstore and serves as its co-CEO after a career at Goldman Sachs where he last served as Executive Director of Credit Trading Strategy. He brings expertise in quantitative modeling and software development. At REstore Jan-Willem leads the product innovation, technology development and trading activities. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from NYU and a graduate certificate in Data Mining and Applications from Stanford University.

With a comprehensive background in cutting edge technologies, Lisa Salley is a leader in managing and growing business operations with sustainability and profitability in mind. Lisa has more than 25 years leading product development in plastics and specialty chemicals, domestic and international energy storage and electrical grid operations for major corporations both domestically and in international markets.

Since 2015, Lisa has served as vice president of Global Industry Services at the American Petroleum Institute where she oversees all aspects of revenue-generating programs in certification, standards, training, events, publications and safety for onshore, offshore and refinery operations. Under Lisa’s leadership, the GIS division has grown net income year-over-year, playing a critical role in fostering standards adoption across the globe in the oil and natural gas industries. At API, Lisa oversees an international team, managing the GIS division’s staff and offices in Beijing, Dubai, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Houston and Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining API, Lisa served as vice president and general manager of UL’s Energy and Power Technologies Division from 2013-2015. As a key member of the UL Commercial and Industrial Executive Leadership Team, Lisa was responsible for $300+ million global P&L business with over 13,000 customers in the electrical and renewable energy market, including all general management activities. At UL, Lisa exceeded financial targets by more than 25% over two consecutive years and spearheaded creation of one UL’s first Renewables Council, a group consisting of multiple stakeholders in solar, wind, energy storage systems and biofuels. The Renewables Council is dedicated to providing advice, expertise and guidance on standards development and management, development and sustainability of service programs, and UL’s engagement within the energy industry as a whole.
Lisa held multiple senior level positions during her 16-year career with GE from 1988-2004 under the influential leadership of the company’s esteemed former Chairman and CEO Jack Welch. Through her work within several GE divisions including Industrial Systems, GE Capital, GE Plastics and GE Consumer Products, Lisa developed her skills in leadership and business strategy. During her early days at GE, she successfully pioneered the implementation of a program for standardizing processes at multiple GE plants on the islands of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Lisa’s work with the storied energy firm culminated in her role as global general manager and chief quality officer for GE Power Management, where she guided global development and implementation of GE’s Six-Sigma program, the firm’s highly disciplined process for developing and delivering near-perfect products and services.

Prior to her time at GE, Lisa was a materials engineer at Dupont. She has also taken on strategic roles with Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc, a biotech firm specializing in immunotherapy, and specialty chemicals firm Rohm and Haas. Lisa is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Metallurgical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Engineering and Management.
Dedicated to giving back to her community and mentoring the next generation of leaders and innovators, Lisa is an adjunct professor teaching business growth at Community College of Philadelphia and was appointed the GE campus coordinator for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Lisa also served on the advisory board for the College of Engineering at NCA&T.
She also has served as the Chairperson of the Greater Columbus Chapter of GE Elfun, an organization comprised of GE employees and retirees dedicated to community service and improving the lives of

Molly Sterkel is responsible for Infrastructure Planning and Permitting for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). As a Program Manager in the Commission’s Energy Division, she provides policy leadership and management direction on key California electricity grid planning issues, including generation, transmission, and distribution policies.  Her work frequently revolves around the critical path and innovation issues that are steadily moving California to a low carbon future, such as the State’s first Integrated Resource Planning designed to optimize the grid to meet the State’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, the development implementation of the State’s storage mandate, and the environmental review of major transmission infrastructure investments needed to support high penetration of renewables.

Siemens is investing in industry experts for product delivery. Jim is an Executive Grid Expert with a diverse background and knowledge of utility operations. This allows him to partner with Utilities and to translate business and technical needs into OT/IT solutions to maximize value for utilities. Jim Taylor is a nationally recognized electric industry leader and innovator of high character and credibility. His goal is to make complex ideas simple and inspire people to push the bounds of technology and their own barriers to achieve great results in a collaborative manner. He understands the need to pursue new ideas and technologies in order to continue to provide utility customers with leading-edge products and services. He is a highly motivated individual who works well in teams to get things accomplished. He is currently the VP Utility Solutions for Siemens Energy Management, Digital Grid.

With more than 17 years of energy industry experience, Bud Vos has in-depth experience with providing high-value software solutions to utilities. As president and CEO of Enbala, Bud is leading the company through the next phase of its business growth as it continues to expand its industry-leading Virtual Power Plant and DERMS solutions. Bud previously served as the COO of Simple Energy, a SaaS-based company that leverages data analytics to motivate utility customers to save energy. He was also senior vice president of utility sales and CTO of Comverge, a leading provider of integrated demand response, energy efficiency and customer engagement solutions. In addition, Bud was founder and vice president of engineering at Sixth Dimension, a provider of Internet-based control systems for demand response and distributed generation systems.

Highlights

Craig Watson coordinates, leads, and manages teams for IT project consultations and assessments on large-scale network architectures, communication network design, and gap analysis reporting efforts for utility networks across the country. He has considerable hands-on experience providing network design architecture expertise and on-site field project support and engineering guidance for operations and optimization of IT infrastructure. Additionally, he has a strong understanding and working knowledge of the importance of security as it relates to the regulations and standards with which utilities must adhere.

Bio

Craig has developed significant experience pertaining to the evaluation and adoption of smart grid solutions and strategies through the use of wired and wireless IP backhaul and mesh network technologies, advanced metering infrastructures, network convergence methodologies, and IT integration technologies. His areas of expertise include TCP/IP networking, routing, Ethernet switching, VOIP, enterprise WAN networking, and data center networking, as well as enterprise wireless, network security, network transport, video networking, and network monitoring solutions.

Prior to joining West Monroe, Craig was a network services manager with Black & Veatch. He managed a team of technical engineers and architects who provided telecom master strategy, technology roadmaps, OEM vendor selection criteria, network and security architecture and design, and technical implementation across a wide array of vendors and solutions.

Previously, he was a Cisco design architect with Alexander Open Systems and an IT specialist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration.

Craig attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Paul leads Powerley's product management and marketing disciplines, including helping drive product strategy and roadmap, understanding of competition and market landscape, product analysis and optimization, and driving external messaging for the platform and offering. 

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