Speakers

Greg Chafee is a partner in the Corporate Transactions & Securities Practice and the Energy Group at Thompson Hine. He is also Co-Chair of the Water Resources, Technology & Regulation Group. Greg's practice covers a wide range of domestic and international corporate, commercial, transactional, regulatory compliance and governance matters, with a focus on energy project development, clean technology, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability programs, policies and initiatives.

Greg provides strategic advice and counsel to project developers, owners, operators, lenders, private equity and venture capital investors, suppliers and services providers on financing, including debt and equity offerings, operations and transactions involving conventional and renewable energy. He has negotiated and structured complex project finance transactions involving electrical power generation, transmission and distribution, petroleum, ethanol, natural gas and LNG production, transmission and distribution and the generation of energy from solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass and biofuels, cogeneration, waste-to-energy and other renewable resources.

Brad Beauchamp joined Blue Bird from ZEVX, a leader in intelligent electric vehicle (EV) systems and infrastructure, where he served as Director of Product Management. For nearly 28 years, Beauchamp held various positions of increasing responsibility with General Motors leading alternative fuels and large-scale infrastructure projects. This included the role of Director of EV Solutions at BrightDrop, a GM business to electrify and improve the delivery of goods and services. Before then, Beauchamp successfully held business development positions at FCA and Roush CleanTech. He also served in a project management role with the U.S. Department of Energy to advance vehicle fleet and infrastructure developments.

Beauchamp holds a bachelor of science degree in Industrial Engineering from Central Michigan University and a master in business administration degree with a focus on global management from the University of Phoenix.

Austin Chambers is vice president of market development at Kitu Systems. Among other things, Austin focuses on the delivery of a new generation of interconnection of solar PV, battery storage, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources (DER) aimed at providing a foundation for new energy networks that are intelligent, resilient, adaptive, efficient, scalable and secure. Prior to joining Kitu Systems, Austin was a sales executive with Itron, where he worked with municipal, cooperative and investor-owned utilities in North America to help them better understand their DER needs and overcome challenges. He also worked for more than seven years for Comverge in various roles. Austin received a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia State University.

Alise Crippen joined CALSTART in June 2021 as an Associate Project Manager with the Validation and Assessment team. Her role involves supporting data collection, stakeholder engagement, and project management across numerous innovative mobility projects including fleet electrification and CALSTART's Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program.

Prior to joining CALSTART, Alise worked as a Program Assistant with Arizona State University's Office of University Sustainability Practices where she focused on engaging stakeholders and collecting insights for campus sustainability planning. During that time, Alise led the design of a university-enterprise-wide climate resilience program, consulted stakeholders to analyze campus commuter patterns, and provided support for an urban forestry carbon offsetting program. In addition, Alise worked with fleet electrification planning for the City of Glendale, Arizona.

Alise holds a BS in Sustainability and BSP in Urban Planning from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Her honors thesis investigated current and future opportunities for utilizing voluntary carbon offsets in climate action efforts.

Sean Cromie, Executive Vice President of Americas at Landis+Gyr, is an Irish and US citizen. Mr. Cromie was appointed Executive Vice President and Head of Americas in January 2022 after joining the company in June 2020 as Executive Vice President Supply Chain and Operations. Prior to joining Landis+Gyr, Mr. Cromie held various management positions in Europe and the US as President, General Manager, Managing Director and Business Unit Manager in the automotive supply and aircraft interiors equipment & services industries at publicly traded B/E Aerospace. Previously, Mr. Cromie spent 13 years in various management positions in the electronics manufacturing industry at Sanmina SCI and the natural resources industry at NACCO MHG. Sean Cromie holds a degree in Combined Sciences from Ulster University, Northern Ireland.

Raphael Declercq is the CEO of PowerFlex, a leading provider of intelligent solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions for commercial and industrial customers. Raphael has helped build PowerFlex, an EDF Renewables affiliate, into one of the largest developers and installers of commercial solar in the U.S. with more than 400 megawatts placed in service, and a leader in intelligent EV charging solutions with approximately 10,000 chargers in operation around the United States. PowerFlex's solutions include the adaptive, intelligent energy management platform PowerFlex X™ that seamlessly optimizes solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging.

Before focusing on PowerFlex, Raphael held responsibilities in strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and divestitures for EDF Renewables. Raphael managed transactions cumulating more than $3 billion in value. In his strategy role, Raphael focused on identifying growth opportunities and incubating innovative businesses for EDF Renewables in North America. Prior to moving to the U.S. in 2011, Raphael worked on the staff of the CEO of EDF Renouvelables in Paris. Earlier in his career, Raphael was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company where he primarily focused on the energy and heavy industry sectors. Raphael holds a Masters in Management from HEC Paris business school and CEMS (Community of European Management Schools).

Srinivas Dhanankar is a seasoned professional with over 32 years of experience in executing large-scale EPC projects across diverse sectors, including power, renewable energy, and urban mass transportation. As the General Manager of Tender Management & Purchase at Tata Motors, he oversees the deployment of Electric Buses under TML Smart City Mobility Solutions, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, across India. With expertise in project management, vendor management, and infrastructure development, Srinivas has successfully delivered over 125 projects, including power grid modernization and electrification projects in regions like Kashmir and Delhi. He holds a BE in Electrical & Electronics from Karnatak University and is known for his innovative problem-solving skills, leadership, and commitment to team empowerment.

In October 2021, James Douglas joined Alectra Utilities as Executive Vice President, Customer Experience. As a member of the Executive Committee and reporting to the President and CEO, he is responsible for overseeing Customer Service and Metering.

Prior to joining Alectra, James founded Util-Assist, a digital innovations company at the forefront of the smart grid movement. Under his leadership as President, he grew the company to over 150 employees and successfully expanded operations throughout Canada and the United States. James was instrumental in helping more than 100 utility clients across North America navigate the changing utility industry landscape and develop plans for future-state initiatives, such as next generation advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), enhanced customer experience solutions, and utility data analytics.

With more than 29 years of experience in the utility sector, James has a strong understanding of accelerating trends that are shaping the future of the utilities sector and extensive experience with strategic planning and enterprise solutions. He attended Carleton University, where he studied Economics.

Asher Dozier is the E-Mobility Engagement Lead at the University of Georgia.

Tim Echols has owned 7 EVs, and created the EV Braintrust here in the Atlanta area. As a Commissioner on the GA PSC, he authored an amendment that helped fund over $50 million in make-ready money for companies and entities wanting to install chargers. Tim started the Clean Energy Roadshow in 2011, and travels the state each summer touting the value of alt-fuel vehicles. He lives in Hoschton and has a radio show called Energy Matters with Commissioner Echols.

Chris Galbraithis a senior product manager at BluWave-ai, where he advances innovative solutions to the challenges and opportunities brought on by adoption of electric vehicles. Chris holds a BScH and MSc in physics from Queen’s University, where his research specialized in lasers and light-matter interaction. He graduated into a fast-growing startup where he worked on combined hardware and software solutions for industrial automation in cutting-edge spaces including EV and battery manufacturing. Chris is inspired by the potential of technology to enable us to 'work smarter' towards a sustainable future, and is excited to bring products to market with BluWave-ai that make this vision a reality.

Deepak Garg is the Founder and CEO of Smart Energy Water (SEW). A respected leader in the technology and utility industry, Deepak has over two decades of experience in product development and is responsible for driving innovation, vision, and strategy at SEW.

Deepak has spearheaded SEW's initiatives to build innovative digital platforms that address the challenges of global sustainability and help utilities connect with people. He has successfully established high-powered technology teams to develop industry-leading Digital Customer Experience, Digital Workforce Experience, Smart AI/ML Analytics platforms that address key business challenges for energy, water and gas providers. All the SEW platforms leverage next-gen technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and IoT to power customer and workforce experiences.

Driven by Deepak's vision, SEW has navigated 37+ geographies to serve energy and utility companies, connecting 1.5 B+ people and serving 22000+ Smart Cities/communities. Over the years, he has brought together like-minded people, developed high-powered business and technology teams, and started a SEW family (now 1000+ strong) that aims to connect billions of people with their energy and water providers. The company has been recognized by INC 5000 and is one of the fastest growing companies in America.

Deepak has received multiple industry recognitions such as EY Entrepreneurship of the Year, Best CEO Award, Innovator of the Year and more. Before SEW, he held senior leadership positions with Fortune 500 companies, and successfully developed direct and in-direct business solutions for diverse markets. He holds an MS in Computer Science with a Bachelor's degree in engineering along with executive management from Stanford Graduate Business School & MIT.

Currently serving as the Director of Business Development for Fleet Electrification at PowerFlex, David George specializes in providing innovative turnkey solutions that integrate solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and electric vehicle (EV) energy management. With past roles at Shell Recharge Solutions, Trillium CNG, and Siemens, David has extensive experience fostering partnerships with utilities, municipalities, and fleets, advocating for clean energy solutions, and driving growth in alternative fueling and demand response programs. His career reflects a commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technologies. David earned a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Marketing from The Ohio State University.

Alex Ivanenko is an innovator, serial entrepreneur, and thought leader in fuel cell technology, with a PhD in Electrochemistry. He is a former Founder & CEO of the Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of H2 fuel cells for aviation, HyPoint, and has been recognized for driving sales and developing business strategies at 3M and Owens Corning. Now, he is the founder and CEO of HyWatts, which focuses on green hydrogen energy solutions and long-duration storage technologies that align perfectly with advanced cutting-edge developments in electric vehicles and sustainable transportation.

Ryan D. James holds a Ph.D. in Geography and Urban Regional Analysis, a M.A. in Geography, and a Master of City and Regional Planning. As a researcher, he has authored ~20 peer-reviewed publications in leading economic and social science journals, and applies the same empirical rigor and innovation to his consulting work. At Guidehouse Insights, he leverages his expertise in economic and spatial analysis to provide insights and solutions to address the complex challenges and needs of clients. His mission is to use data and evidence to inform and improve decision-making and policy-making in various sectors and contexts.

Tim Jarrell is the vice president at Cobb EMC, overseeing the power supply, rates and distributed energy resource (DER) strategy. His team manages power supply planning, contract compliance, rate design for residential and commercial sectors, and the execution of DER projects. Under his leadership, Cobb EMC achieved a 400-percent growth in its renewable energy portfolio and implemented a solar and battery energy storage project on campus, along with a microgrid. Tim previously served as the Associate Vice President of Information System Programs and Project Management Office at Cobb EMC.

Amith Kota is the Global Chief Technology Officer of Landis+Gyr, an industry leader in integrated energy management solutions and cutting-edge smart grid technologies. In his role Amith is responsible for all aspects of Technology, product, strategy, development, and solutions offered by Landis+Gyr.

Prior to his current role, he was the Vice President of Software & Services and CIO, where he was responsible for the strategic growth and management of software, cloud and services businesses that support Landis+Gyr's long-term vision to be a trusted utilities digital and technology partner. Amith has more than 25 years' experience delivering digital change with leading-edge products and services to help customers achieve business value faster and work more effectively in the future.

Prior to joining Landis+Gyr, he served as the Chief Enterprise Architect/CTO and Global Head of Emerging Technologies at Gulfstream Aerospace, A General Dynamics company, where he was accountable for global enterprise strategy, architecture, and innovation to create new revenue channels and optimize business profitability through technology innovations. Earlier in his career, Amith held various leadership positions at Progressive Insurance and startups across sales, delivery, and business IT organizations responsible for digital customer experience, Omni-channel engagement, and business systems.

Amith is a board member of Advanced Energy United, has served in multiple non-profit boards championing clean energy. Amith is a member of various industry and CIO boards, a selective group of digital leaders from the most forward-looking companies. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and an Executive Certificate in Innovation and Strategy from the Case Western Reserve University.

Ross Malme is President and CEO of Malme Energy Consulting, providing services to utilities and the energy technology community, specializing consulting and raising growth capital for early to mid stage energy tech companies. Previously Ross was Senior Advisor at Bowen, Inc. a leading growth capital investment banking advisory firm where he co-managed the firm's Energy Technology practice and has led the Smart Grid practice for Skipping Stone, LLC, an energy consulting firm. He has served on the Advisory Board of DistribuTECH, the largest industry conference in the electric utility industry for over 15 years.

Ross was the inventor of the first utility wireless automatic meter reading system in the industry which became the industry standard for over 25 years and the founder of one of the first successful electricity demand response technology and service companies in North America.

Kevin Matthews is the Head of Electrification at First Student and is responsible for the strategy that will drive the development and deployment of all electrification initiatives and technologies. First Student is the largest operator of school buses in North America with over44,000 units in its fleet. Further, First Student is largest operator of electric school buses with over 198 deployed and carrying students with several hundred more on order.

Kevin has worked in the environment sector for more than 30 years. He has served as the managing director of the sustainability sector at National Strategies, LLC, as well as served as the co-project director of the Clinton Global Initiative EV School Bus project, that demonstrated Total Cost of Ownership of electric units could reach parity with fossil fuel school buses.

Pravin Sankhwar is a consultant at WSP, a leading provider of engineering and project management services. Pravin has more than 10 years of experience in electrical design, QA/QC, electrical inspections, and commissioning of residential and commercial projects, as well as renewable energy systems. He holds a Professional Engineer license, a LEED AP credential, and an ICC certification as a Commercial Electrical Inspector. Pravin also has a Master's degree and a Graduate Certificate in Advance Power Systems Engineering, and is pursuing graduate studies in business. His core competencies include circuit breaker and panel sizing, riser diagrams, power and lighting plans, NEC codes, SEL relay testing, solar and wind power design, distribution system planning, and optimal power flow.

Nathan Shannon is the President and CEO of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) and leads the organization's research, membership and policy initiatives. He started as SECC's Deputy Director in early 2015, and in this role, he grew membership by almost 40 percent to over 150 members. Along with his work on the Research and Policy Committees, Nathan leads member recruitment and engagement and routinely presents SECC's consumer research at industry conferences and policy workshops around the country.

Michael Sheppard has 16 years of market research experience designing numerous research practices from scratch while leading over 50 bespoke projects with Fortune-500 companies.

In 2016 he co-founded Power Technology Research (PTR) and has since launched new research practices in solar, storage, battery, and e-mobility. In addition to building and growing partnerships, he currently focuses on research around regulation and de-carbonizing efforts.

In 2020, he co-founded Matos, an intelligence automation company focused on providing powerful AI-driven tools for the market research sector. In 2023, this business was acquired by PTR.

Prior to founding PTR, he spent 8 years with iSuppli/IHS Markit in various analyst and consulting roles where he covered a broad range of sectors including mobile, renewable power and electricity transmission and distribution (T&D). In his last role, he led the power technology consulting group. He is an expert on the PV industry and having performed numerous competitive dynamics and opportunity assessment projects, covering upstream, downstream, and supply chain topics.

In 2008, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in both Financial Services and in Corporate Finance from San Francisco State University.

Nazib Siddique is currently serving as a Transportation Energy Analyst within the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis Division at Argonne National Laboratory. His research primarily focuses on several key areas, including the dynamic interplay between electric vehicle (EV) adoption and the deployment of charging infrastructure. He also investigates the energy, environmental, and economic implications associated with alternative fuels, vehicle technologies, freight modes, energy systems/technologies, and mobility trends at both regional and national scales.

Furthermore, Nazib demonstrates a keen interest in the domain of alternative fuel energy technology, particularly in the context of decarbonizing rail transportation. His work encompasses conducting life cycle analyses (LCA) and techno-economic analyses (TEA) to assess the viability and impact of alternate energy sources such as battery electricity, hydrogen, and biofuels.

Nazib earned his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Transportation Engineering from the University of Washington Seattle, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

Alok (aa-lok) Singhania is a Partner at Gridscape Solutions, a smart energy solutions company based in California. As a Senior Partner focused on business growth and scaling the company, Alok contributes to Gridscape's mission of providing sustainable energy solutions, such as solar-powered microgrids and EV charging systems. On September 30, 2024, Alok announced that Gridscape had been awarded a major grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, highlighting the company's continued growth and impact in the sustainable energy sector. Gridscape is the largest developer of small to mid-sized renewable energy microgrid products and technologies in California. Alok holds an MS degree in physics and computer science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Kerri Stewart, Chief Strategy Officer, collaborates across Miller Electric Company to optimize data utilization and enhance business and customer outcomes. She leads in formulating business strategies, managing corporate objectives, and fostering government and industry relations to support Miller's growth. Furthermore, she heads Miller's Electric Vehicle Solutions Group, focusing on national expansion and maintaining its leadership in North American EV solutions. Kerri's extensive career includes roles like Chief Customer Officer for JEA and Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Jacksonville, demonstrating a strong commitment to public service and effective leadership. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of North Florida and a Business Analytics certificate from Harvard University.

Jessica Wang is the Technical Associate for WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative, which aims to electrify the entire fleet of school buses across the United States by 2030. She provides school districts with technical assistance and support to help reduce the barriers in transitioning to electric fleets.

Prior to joining WRI, Jessica was the Transportation Program Coordinator and Interim Assistant Director of Transportation at Emory University working to grow demand for sustainable modes of transportation, develop campus bicycle infrastructure and programming, and support shuttle and fleet operations.

Jessica holds a dual B.A. in Environmental Studies and Political Science from Emory University as well as a M.Sc. in Global Environment, Politics, and Society from the University of Edinburgh.

Van Wilkins was integral in the startup of the operations for InCharge Energy with over 35 years of experience in Construction, Fleet Fueling, Facilities Management, Data Center Reliability, EV Charging Infrastructure development and EV Solutions for OEM Auto Makers across the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe.

Previously, Van was the Director of Business Dev. and had P&L responsibility for ABM's National Accounts team as it built out a large portion of early adopter EV infrastructure. Prior to that Van operated several TEGG Service Franchises in Arizona and Virginia for Electrical Maintenance and Testing.

Lincoln Wood is Southern Company's Clean Transportation Manager. Since 2006, Lincoln has worked in complimentary areas of marketing, including marketing research and statistical analysis, product development, policy development and innovation. Currently, Lincoln works to further electric transportation technology and infrastructure penetration, both nationally and across the Southern Company footprint.

Yan (Joann) Zhou is Principal Transportation Systems Analyst and the Group Leader for Vehicle and Energy Technology & Mobility Analysis in the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Zhou assesses energy and emission impacts of advanced vehicle and fuel and mobility technologies. She also analyzes market and technology trends for transportation electrification in the U.S. and China markets.

Her research interests include vehicle technologies, alternative fuels, freight modes, energy systems/technologies, mobility trends, and behaviors (e.g., travel and refueling behavior from local, regional, and national system perspectives). Dr. Zhou provides technical leadership for staff members and post-doctoral appointees who are involved in research and development activities in the areas of energy, environmental, and economic assessment. She has been featured by Argonne in a video about how bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures can offer new ways to solve problems.

She is a current participant in Launchpad, a merit-based Argonne program designed to facilitate the professional development of early- and mid-career researchers with enhanced training, mentoring and support. Under the Launchpad program, she is developing and promoting Argonne's agent-based transportation and energy infrastructure model, known as Compass.

Dr. Zhou also serves as the operations manager for the US-China Clean Energy Research Center and the Clean Vehicle Consortium and Truck Consortium. Dr. Zhou earned a PhD in Civil Engineering from Clemson University and is a member of the Transportation Research Board's Alternative Transportation Fuel and Technologies Committee.