Speakers & Panelists

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
PG&E Corporation
Anthony F. Earley Jr.
PG&E Corporation

Anthony F. Earley Jr. is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of PG&E Corporation. Earley joined PG&E in September 2011 after 17 years at Detroit-based DTE Energy, where he served as chairman and chief executive officer for 12 years, before becoming executive chairman of the board in September 2010.

 

Under Earley's leadership, DTE successfully navigated the largest blackout in U.S. history in 2003 and played a critical role in the revitalization efforts of its headquarters city.

 

As former chairman of the Edison Electric Institute, the trade association of investor utilities, Earley was directly involved in the development of national policies on energy, the environment and climate change issues. Earley also served as chair of the Nuclear Energy Institute and worked to revitalize the nuclear industry in the United States.

 

Earley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, a Master of Science degree in engineering and a law degree at Notre Dame University, where he serves on the advisory council of the College of Engineering. After graduating from Notre Dame, Earley went on to serve as an officer in the United States Navy nuclear submarine program, where he was qualified as a chief engineer officer. He joined DTE Energy as president and chief operating officer in March 1994. Prior to joining DTE Energy, Earley served in various capacities of increasing responsibility at Long Island Lighting Co., including president and chief operating officer and executive vice president and general counsel.

 

Earley serves on the executive committee of the Edison Electric Institute and the board of the Nuclear Energy Institute. He is on the board at Ford Motor Company and MASCO Corporation. He is also chairman of the board of Henry Ford Health Systems and serves on the listed member advisory board for the New York Stock Exchange. His community service has been recognized by readers of The Detroit News, and in 2003 he was selected as one of several Michiganians of the Year.

Vice President of Risk Management
Edison Mission Energy
Aram Sogomonian
Edison Mission Energy

Coming Soon!

Mayor
City of Long Beach California
Bob Foster
City of Long Beach California

 

Mayor Bob Foster is a widely-respected business and community leader who was elected as the 27th mayor of Long Beach in June 2006.  He was re-elected for a second term in June 2010.

 

Mayor Foster served as president of Southern California Edison before his retirement in 2006 after more than 20 years with the company.  As an Edison executive, Mayor Foster led California’s largest electric company through the 1999 energy crisis.  During Mayor Foster’s tenure, Edison developed the largest renewable, clean energy programs (solar, geothermal, biomass and wind) in the United States.

 

Mayor Foster began his career in public service as a staffer in the California State Senate and California Energy Commission where he established statewide energy efficiency standards that are still enforced today. 

 

He was appointed as the Environment Committee chair in 2008, elected to the Advisory Board in 2009 and the Board of Trustees in 2010 for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 

 

Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Mayor Foster to the Board of Governors for the California Independent Systems Operators (ISO) in 2010.

 

Mayor Foster is a graduate of San Jose State University in public administration. Prior to his election as mayor, Mayor Foster served as a trustee to the California State University system and remains active in a number of community and public policy organizations.

 

Mayor Foster and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 43 years and have two grown sons and three grandchildren.  The Mayor and Mrs. Foster work to support a variety of community organizations.

 

 

 

 

Chief Service and Information Technology Officer
Sprint
Bob Johnson
Sprint

 

Bob Johnson is chief service and information technology officer for Sprint. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Customer Management and Information Technology, including customer experience, customer care operations, credit/collections, telesales, solutions delivery, care and billing services, application development and architecture. He is also responsible for IT development, infrastructure operations and services, configuration management, and data and production support.

 

Johnson previously served as Sprint’s regional president for the Northeast, responsible for the wireline and wireless business. Before that, he was senior vice president-National Consumer Sales and Distribution.

 

An accomplished executive with 27 years in the telecommunications industry, Johnson joined the company (Nextel) in 1998. He brings with him a strong business background in sales, service, marketing and customer operations. Before joining Nextel, he held a number of executive positions at Bell Atlantic Mobile (Verizon), including executive vice president and chief operating officer for Telezone Corporation, a Bell Atlantic joint venture.

 

He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and serves as chairman of the advisory board of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. He is also a board member for the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Service Council™ Q2 Advisory Board.

 

Senator
Retired, United States Senate
Byron Dorgan
Retired, United States Senate

 

U.S. Senator Byron L. Dorgan served as a Congressman and Senator for North Dakota for 30 years before retiring from the U.S. Senate in 2011. 

 

He served in the Senate for 18 years and was a member of Senate Leadership for 16 years, first as Assistant Democratic Floor Leader and then as Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee.  He served on Senate Committees for Energy, Commerce, Appropriations, and was Chairman of Indian Affairs.  He was also Chairman of Senate Subcommittees on Energy and Water Appropriations, and Aviation.

 

While in the Senate, he was the principal author of the transmission title of the Energy Bill passed by the Senate Energy Committee in 2009 and has worked extensively on transmission issues.  He was the lead sponsor of the Electric Vehicle Deployment Act in the U.S. Senate.  He was the principal author of the first renewable fuel standard passed by the Congress and a lead sponsor on the U.S. Senate on hydrogen/fuel cell research.  He was a leading supporter of carbon capture technology for coal. As member and later Chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, he worked extensively on nuclear issues.

 

He is a recognized leader in the fields of energy policy, economic issues, aviation policy, Indian issues, trade policy, health care and more. He is considered a compelling public speaker and one of the best debaters in the U.S. Senate.

 

Senator Dorgan is now active in his post Senate life teaching, speaking, consulting, writing, serving on boards and much more. 

 

Senator Dorgan is a Visiting Professor at two universities lecturing on energy, economic policy and political affairs.  He works part time as a Senior Policy Advisor with the Washington DC law firm Arent Fox. He is also affiliated with the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington DC think tank, working on energy issues. And he is Chairing a new program at the Aspen Institute – the Center for Native American Youth -- focusing on challenges faced by Native American children with an emphasis on teen suicide prevention.

 

The Senator is the author of two books. The first, a New York Times Bestseller book “Take this Job and Ship It,” and a second book released in 2009, “Reckless... How Debt, Deregulation and Dark Money Nearly Bankrupted America (And How We Can Fix It).” And he has a contract to write two more books with the first due to be published in March 2012.

 

Senator Dorgan has a Bachelors Degree from the University of North Dakota, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Denver. Prior to his service in the U.S. Congress, he served as North Dakota’s State Tax Commissioner.  He is married to Kim Dorgan and has four children: Scott, Shelly (deceased), Brendon, and Haley.

 

 

 

Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Carlos Pascual
U.S. Department of State
Ambassador Carlos Pascual is the State Department’s Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs. Secretary Clinton appointed Ambassador Pascual to this position, effective May 18, 2011. In this capacity, he advises the Secretary on energy issues, ensuring that energy security is advanced at all levels of U.S. foreign policy. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Pascual served as the United States Ambassador to Mexico (2009-2011) and was Vice President and Director of the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution (2003-2009).
 
During his extensive career in public service, Ambassador Pascual has held positions in the Department of State, the National Security Council (NSC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He served as Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization at the U.S. Department of State, where he led and organized U.S. government planning to help stabilize and reconstruct societies in transition from conflict or civil strife.
 
Ambassador Pascual served as Coordinator for U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (2003), where he oversaw regional and country assistance strategies to promote market-oriented and democratic states. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2000-2003), Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia (1998-2000), and Director for the same region (1995-1998). Before then, Ambassador Pascual worked for USAID in Sudan, South Africa and Mozambique, and as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia (1983-1995).
 
Ambassador Pascual received his M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1982 and his B.A. from Stanford University in 1980. He has served on the boards of directors for the National Endowment for Democracy, Freedom House, and the Internews Network. He has also served on the Advisory Group for the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
PSEG
Caroline Dorsa
PSEG

Caroline Dorsa was named executive vice president and chief financial officer for Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) in April 2009. She is also the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), and PSEG Services Corporation.


Ms. Dorsa is responsible for all financial functions, including Internal Audit Services. She also leads the Information Technology and Procurement organizations. She is a member of PSEG’s corporate executive leadership team.


Ms. Dorsa had been a Director of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) since 2003, and a member of PSEG's Audit, Corporate Governance and Finance Committees.


Ms. Dorsa joined PSEG from Merck & Co., Inc. where she most recently served as senior vice president – global human health, strategy and integration. Immediately prior to her most recent role at Merck, Ms. Dorsa held positions as senior vice president and chief financial officer at both Avaya, Inc., and Gilead Sciences, Inc. Earlier in her career, she held a range of financial positions at Merck, including serving as vice president and treasurer of the company for over 12 years. She was also the Secretary of the Finance Committee of Merck's Board of Directors.


Prior to joining Merck, Ms. Dorsa worked for Mayor Edward Koch of the City of New York promoting economic development in midtown Manhattan.


Ms. Dorsa is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Newark Museum and a member of the Junior Achievement of New Jersey State Board of Directors in Princeton, NJ. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB), a biopharmaceutical company located in Cambridge, MA.


Ms. Dorsa holds a B.A. from Colgate University and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.

President
Duke Energy Indiana
Douglas F. Esamann
Duke Energy Indiana

Doug Esamann is president of Duke Energy Indiana, the state’s largest electric utility, serving approximately 790,000 customers in 69 of Indiana’s 92 counties. He is responsible for Duke Energy’s regulatory, governmental relations, economic development and community affairs work in Indiana. He was named to his current position in November 2010.

 

Previously, Esamann served as senior vice president of corporate strategy for Duke Energy, a position he held since July 2009. In that role, he led the company’s strategy development and business planning efforts including load forecasting and market fundamentals.  Prior to that, he was senior vice president strategy and planning with additional responsibilities for integrated resource planning, environmental compliance planning, transactional support, customer market analytics, load research and renewable energy compliance efforts.

 

Immediately following the merger between Duke Energy and Cinergy in April 2006, Esamann served as group vice president of strategy and planning for Duke Energy’s U.S. Franchised Electric and Gas organization.

 

Prior to the merger, he served as senior vice president of energy portfolio strategy and management for Cinergy’s commercial business unit. He was responsible for fuel management, environmental risk management, generation dispatch, power purchases and sales, portfolio analytics, load forecasting, generation asset planning, demand-side management planning and environmental compliance planning.

 

Esamann began his employment with Public Service Indiana (predecessor of PSI Energy) in 1979. In the course of his PSI/Cinergy career, he held a variety of leadership roles, including tax manager for PSI Energy until 1994; general manager of finance and business development for Cinergy’s commercial business unit until 1999; vice president and chief financial officer of the commercial business unit until 2001; and president of PSI Energy until 2004.

 

Active in the community, Esamann currently serves on the boards of directors of the Indiana Energy Association, Indiana Manufacturers Association and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. He is a board member of Special Olympics Indiana, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, and the Indiana Legal Foundation. He also serves on the advisory boards of the University of Missouri Financial Research Institute and the Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy.

 

A native of Plainfield, Ind., Esamann earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Indiana University. He and his wife, Kimberly, have two daughters, a son and two granddaughters.

 

Duke Energy, one of the largest power companies in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 4 million customers in the Carolinas and the Midwest. The company also distributes natural gas in Ohio and Kentucky. Its commercial power and international businesses operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing renewable energy portfolio. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK.

 

Director
Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
Dr. Arun Majumdar
Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)

Dr. Arun Majumdar became the first Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), the country's only agency devoted to transformational energy research and development, in October 2009. Dr. Majumdar also currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Secretary.

 

Prior to joining ARPA-E, Dr. Majumdar was the Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His highly distinguished research career includes the science and engineering of energy conversion, transport, and storage ranging from molecular and nanoscale level to large energy systems. In 2005, Dr. Majumdar was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for this pioneering work.

 

At Berkeley Labs and UC Berkeley, Dr. Majumdar helped shape several strategic initiatives in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy storage. He also testified before Congress on how to reduce energy consumption in buildings. Dr. Majumdar has also served on the advisory committee of the National Science Foundation's engineering directorate, was a member of the advisory council to the materials sciences and engineering division of the Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences, and was an advisor on nanotechnology to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

 

Additionally, Dr. Majumdar has served as an advisor to startup companies and venture capital firms in the Silicon Valley.

 

He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1985 and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989.

Vice President, Industry Strategy
Oracle Utilities
Guerry Waters
Oracle Utilities

Coming Soon!

Director, AMS Integration, Smart Grid
CenterPoint Energy
Jeffrey Myerson
CenterPoint Energy

Jeff is a leader in the Project Management Organization that is deploying and managing the Advanced Metering System (AMS) and Intelligent Grid (IG) for CenterPoint Energy. Within the PMO, Jeff has direct responsibility for integrated monitoring and diagnostics of the production systems, as well as planning, tracking, reporting and business process change for the deployment projects.

 

Previously, Jeff was Director of Land & Field Services, where he was responsible for the people, processes and technology that provide geographic information services, surveying, right-of-way management, joint use management and underground damage prevention services for the gas and electric regulated operations of CenterPoint Energy.

 

Jeff has 30 years of experience at CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies, and has a BS in Surveying from Purdue University and a MBA from the University of Houston.

Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Oncor
Joel Austin
Oncor

Coming soon...

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Exelon Corporation
John W. Rowe
Exelon Corporation

John W. Rowe is the chairman and chief executive officer of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. Its retail affiliates serve 5.4 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and its generation affiliate operates the largest fleet of nuclear power plants in the nation.

 

Rowe is the senior chief executive in the utility industry, having served in such positions since 1984. Rowe has led Exelon since its formation in 2000 through the merger of PECO Energy and the parent of Commonwealth Edison. Rowe previously held chief executive officer positions at the New England Electric System and Central Maine Power Company, served as general counsel of Consolidated Rail Corporation, and was a partner in the law firm of Isham, Lincoln & Beale. Rowe is the past chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute and the Edison Electric Institute. He was co-chairman of the National Commission on Energy Policy and serves on the Secretary of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, a panel to provide recommendations on managing used nuclear fuel and waste. He is the lead independent director of the Northern Trust Company and a member of the board of directors of Sunoco. In both 2008 and 2009, Institutional Investor named Rowe the best electric utility CEO in America.

 

Rowe is committed to a wide variety of civic activities, with a focus on education and diversity. He serves as chairman of the Illinois Institute of Technology and president of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. He is a former chairman of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Chicago History Museum. He is a member of the boards of the Field Museum, the Illinois Holocaust Museum, and the Morgridge Institute for Research. Rowe and his wife, Jeanne, established the Rowe Family Charitable Trust. The Rowes and the Family Trust have founded the Rowe Professorship of Architecture and the Rowe Chair in Sustainable Energy at IIT, the Rowe Professorship in Byzantine History and the Rowe Professorship in Greek History at the University of Wisconsin, the Rowe Professorship in Virology at the Morgridge Institute and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and the Curator of Evolutionary Biology at the Field Museum. The Trust co-founded the Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy and the Rowe Elementary School. The Rowes serve as patrons of the Pope John Paul II parochial school on Chicago’s southwest side. Rowe is chairman of New Schools for Chicago, a nonprofit organization formed to fund charter schools in the City of Chicago, and serves on the board of the Northwestern Settlement House.

 

Rowe holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif. He has also received that university’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Rowe holds honorary doctorates from the University of Wisconsin, DePaul University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Drexel University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Bryant College and Thomas College.

 

Rowe and his wife, Jeanne, reside in Chicago, as does their son, William.

Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Pepco Holdings, Inc.
Joseph M. Rigby
Pepco Holdings, Inc.

Joseph M. Rigby is Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), a regional energy holding company that provides utility service to approximately 1.9 million customers. PHI is the parent company of Potomac Electric Power Company, an electric utility serving Washington, D.C., and suburban Maryland; Delmarva Power, an electric and gas utility serving Delaware and the rest of the Delmarva Peninsula; and Atlantic City Electric, an electric utility serving southern New Jersey.



Mr. Rigby joined Atlantic City Electric in 1979 and advanced through a number of management positions. His responsibilities have included accounting, financial services, treasury operations, business transformation, human resources, and the Atlantic City Electric/Delmarva Power merger transition team. Following the merger that formed Conectiv, he was Vice President/General Manager of Gas Delivery, then Vice President/General Manager of Electric Delivery. He was elected President, Conectiv Power Delivery in 2002. From May 2004 to September 2007, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PHI and was responsible for all financial activity as well as investor relations.



From September 2007 to March 2008, Mr. Rigby served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He was responsible for the day-to-day operations of Pepco, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric Company, along with Information Technology and Corporate Communications. In March 2008, Mr. Rigby was elected President and Chief Operating Officer, adding responsibility for the competitive energy businesses (Conectiv Energy and Pepco Energy Services). Mr. Rigby was elected President and Chief Executive Officer effective March 1, 2009. He was elected Chairman of the Board on May 15, 2009.



Mr. Rigby earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Rutgers University and an MBA from Monmouth University. He is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of New Jersey.



Mr. Rigby is Chairman of the United Way of the National Capital Area and Chairman of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. He serves on the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Edison Electric Institute, the Federal City Council, the Trust for the National Mall and the Greater Washington Initiative. He is a member of the Rutgers-Camden School of Business Executive Advisory Board. Mr. Rigby is a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs.

 

Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Southern Company
Kenneth Coleman
Southern Company

 

As senior vice president and chief information officer, Kenny Coleman directs information technology strategy and operations across the 120,000 square miles and nine subsidiaries of Southern Company. He leads more than 1,100 employees in information technology delivery to one of America’s most respected companies.
Coleman came into the role of SVP and CIO from Alabama Power where he served as the vice president of Alabama Power’s Southern Division. Prior to serving in that role, Coleman was the sales and marketing director at Mississippi Power.
After joining the company in 1999 as a residential marketing manager for Alabama Power’s Birmingham Division, he held numerous positions including area manager in Alabama Power’s Mobile Division, business development manager for Southern Company generation and energy marketing, and assistant to the executive vice president of external affairs at Alabama Power. Before joining Southern Company, Coleman recruited new businesses to Alabama while working for the Metropolitan Development Board in Birmingham.
Coleman is very active in his community. He has served as the Chairman of the Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation, Chairman-Elect for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce; and served on the board of directors for the Montgomery Regional Airport Authority, River Region United Way, Montgomery City/County Library System, Montgomery Metro YMCA and the Capital City Club of Montgomery. He served as a member of the Montgomery Area Committee of 100 and serves on advisory boards for the Junior League of Montgomery, Troy University and Auburn University of Montgomery.
Coleman holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama and a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut. He is a native of Jersey City, N.J.
Southern Company has been consistently recognized as one of the 100 Most Innovative Companies by CIO Magazine and one of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT by Computerworld Magazine.
With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company is the parent firm of electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications companies. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company was named the World’s Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility by Fortune magazine in 2011, and is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com
President and Chief Executive Officer
Itron
LeRoy Nosbaum
Itron

LeRoy Nosbaum has more than 40 years of leadership and management experience with companies supplying the utility industry with metering and communications systems, including wireless network solutions. Nosbaum joined Itron in 1996, assuming executive responsibilities in product development, manufacturing, implementation, service and marketing. He was promoted to CEO in the spring of 2000, and elected chairman of the board in the spring of 2002. He retired from his CEO post in March 2009, and returned as President and CEO in August 2011.



Before coming to Itron, Nosbaum was with Metricom Inc., a supplier of wireless data communications networking technology. Prior to his tenure with Metricom, Nosbaum held management positions with Schlumberger Ltd., for 20 years. Nosbaum holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Valparaiso University.

Vice President, Information Technology & CIO
PSEG
Manoj Chouthai
PSEG

Coming Soon!

President and Chief Executive Officer
American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP)
Marc S. Gerken, P.E.
American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP)

Marc S. Gerken, P.E., has served as president and chief executive officer of American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) since February 2000.

 

Gerken began his career as a civil engineer working extensively in the public sector on infrastructure projects, including transportation, water, wastewater and storm water improvements. He served as the city engineer in the public power community of Napoleon, Ohio, and in 1995, was named the community’s city manager. In that capacity, Gerken served on the AMP Board of Trustees for four years and chaired the AMP Board committee with oversight over the construction of the 42-MW Belleville Hydroelectric Plant. He joined AMP in 1998 as vice president of business and operations.

 

Gerken is the immediate past chairman of the American Public Power Association Board of Directors, having served as a member of the 10-member Board Executive Committee since 2004, and as the chairman from June 2009-June 2010. Gerken previously chaired the Public Power, Inc. Board of Directors, which oversees an APPA utility services affiliate. He is a member of the organization’s CEO Climate Change Task Force, a frequent presenter at APPA meetings and a leader in public power Joint Action Agency working groups. He has testified before congressional committees and FERC technical conferences on wholesale power market issues and is a long-time member of the Transmission Access Policy Study Group (TAPS) Executive Committee. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the National Hydropower Association. Gerken received the APPA Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service Award in June 2005. He was recognized as a finalist for the Platt’s Global Energy CEO of the Year Award in December 2010.

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Portland General Electric
Maria Pope
Portland General Electric

 

Maria Pope serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Portland General Electric (PGE).  Prior to her appointment in 2009, she served on PGE’s Board of Directors.  Her responsibilities include oversight of all financial areas, risk management, rates and regulatory affairs and property/facilities.  She is also responsible for corporate performance management, focused on cost improvement initiatives tied to significant investments in technology and workforce redesign.

 

Maria previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of Mentor Graphics, Corp., a publicly traded software company and in senior operating and finance positions at Pope & Talbot, Inc. and Levi Strauss & Co.  In these positions, Maria oversaw finance, plant operations, sales, procurement, information technology, human resources and legal affairs.  She began her career at Morgan Stanley working on mergers and acquisitions. 

 

Maria serves on several U.S. and Canadian corporate boards inlcuding Premera BlueCross, where she is the lead director and chairs the goverance committee, TimberWest Forest Corp., where she chairs the audit committee and the Oregon Health Sciences University Governing Board, where she chairs the compensation committee.

 

Maria is a past chair of the Council of Forest Industries and the Oregon Symphony.  She is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. 

Vice President of Energy Trading & Chief Operating Officer
The Energy Authority
Mark Kinevan
The Energy Authority

As The Energy Authority’s Vice President of Energy Trading and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Kinevan is responsible for all of TEA’s energy marketing, trading, risk management, and portfolio optimization services on behalf of its public-power members. In addition to leading these activities, he also serves as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, with a focus on driving improved performance from TEA’s operations.

 

Before assuming his current position in 2005, Mr. Kinevan served as TEA’s Vice President of Risk Control and Strategic Planning for four years. Prior to joining TEA Mr. Kinevan held various leadership positions at an investor-owned utility and in the oil and gas exploration and production industry.

 

Mr. Kinevan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics from the Colorado School of Mines and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.

 

President and Chief Executive Officer
American Electric Power
Nick Akins
American Electric Power

Nick Akins is president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power and a member of AEP’s board of directors. Akins began his nearly 30-year tenure with the company in 1982 as an electrical engineer at Central and South West Corp. (CSW), which merged with AEP in 2000. Prior to being elected president of AEP in December 2010, he served as executive vice president - Generation from 2006-2010, responsible for all of AEP’s approximately 38,000 MW of generation resources. Akins has also served as president and chief operating officer for Southwestern Electric Power Company, as vice president – Energy Marketing Services, and as vice president – Industry Restructuring for AEP. He is vice-chairman of the Board of the Electric Power Research Institute, and a member of the boards of the National Association of Manufacturers, the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Wexner Center for the Arts. He also serves on several AEP subsidiary boards. A Louisiana native and holder of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University in 1982 and 1986, he resides in Dublin, Ohio.

Assistant General Manager for Customer, Distribution & Technology
SMUD
Paul Lau
SMUD

As Assistant General Manager of Power Supply & Grid Operations, Paul Lau is responsible for overseeing the purchase and sales of SMUD’s gas and electric commodities, the reliability of the electric, transmission, and distribution systems, and SMUD’s renewable portfolio standard.  Departments under Lau’s direction include Energy Trading & Contracts, Grid Planning & Operations, Grid Assets, Power Generation, and Energy R&D.  He is currently the executive sponsor for SMUD’s deployment of advanced metering infrastructure and smart grid initiatives. 

 

Prior to this appointment, Lau was the Assistant General Manger of Customer, Distribution & Technology and was responsible for overseeing SMUD’s retail and technology operations including customer services, energy delivery, energy efficiency, customer renewable programs, telecommunication and enterprise business applications.

 

Paul has over 25 years of utility experience. His past areas of responsibility include substation design and construction, line design and construction, system protection and control, and construction standards development.

 

Paul is a registered professional electrical engineer in the state of California and received his bachelor’s degree in electrical power engineering from California State University, Sacramento.

Editor-in-Chief
EnergyBiz Magazine
Program Chair: Martin Rosenberg
EnergyBiz Magazine

Martin Rosenberg is Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine. EnergyBiz is a bimonthly business magazine for leaders in the new power industry. EnergyBiz is a controlled circulation publication that reaches more than 20,000 of the most influential managers, executives, legislators, regulators, lawyers and consultants who play critical roles in utilities, government, advisory firms, and supplier companies.

 

The editorial focus of EnergyBiz is strategic issues -- financial, technological, legal and regulatory -- facing energy executives today. Feature articles will not only cover recent events, new trends and innovative ideas, but also the people behind them.

Chief Executive Officer
Oncor
Robert S. Shapard
Oncor

Robert S. Shapard has served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors and Chief Executive since April 2007. Mr. Shapard joined EFH Corp. in October 2005 as a strategic advisor, helping implement and execute growth and development strategies for Oncor. Between March and October 2005, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Tenet Healthcare Corporation, one of the largest for-profit hospital groups in the United States, and was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Exelon Corporation, a large electricity generator and utility operator, from 2002 to February 2005. Before joining Exelon, he was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, a North American refining and marketing company, since 2000. Previously, from 1998 to 2000, Mr. Shapard was CEO and managing director of TXU Australia Pty. Ltd., a subsidiary of the former TXU Corp., which owned and operated electric generation, wholesale trading, retail, and electric and gas regulated utility businesses. Mr. Shapard is also a director of Oncor Holdings and a manager of Bondco. In January 2011 he was elected chairman of the board of directors of Gridwise® Alliance, the nation's foremost smart grid organization.

President and Chief Executive Officer
Southern Company Services, Inc.
Susan N. Story
Southern Company Services, Inc.

Susan Story is president and CEO of Southern Company Services. In that role, she is responsible for business performance services, information technology, human resources, supply chain management, marketing services, SouthernLINC Wireless and Southern Telecom.

 

Story also leads Southern Company’s efforts to coordinate activities related to “smart” technology investment and deployment, including smart grid, smart meters, and emerging technologies involving energy efficiency and customer energy choices.

 

Story joined Southern Company in 1982 as a nuclear power plant engineer. She has served as president and CEO of Gulf Power, executive vice president of engineering and construction services and vice president of supply chain management at Southern Company, as well as vice president of real estate and corporate services at Alabama Power.

 

Story serves on the Edison Foundation’s Institute for Electric Efficiency Strategy Committee, as well as the boards of directors of Alliance to Save Energy, the Center for Energy Workforce Development, Raymond James Financial, Inc., and Job Creators Alliance and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center board of advisors. 

 

Story has an industrial engineering degree from Auburn University, an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and has completed executive education and leadership programs at Duke, Oxford and Harvard universities, as well as international business studies at Cambridge University. 

 

 

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Dominion
Thomas F. Farrell, II
Dominion

THOMAS F. FARRELL, II, 56, has been a director of Dominion since 2005.  Mr. Farrell has been chairman, president and chief executive officer of Dominion since April 2007. Mr. Farrell served as president and chief executive officer of Dominion from January 2006 to April 2007, president and chief operating officer from January 2004 to January 2006, and prior to that, executive vice president. He is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Virginia Electric and Power Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion, and was chairman, president and chief executive officer of CNG, a former wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion. Mr. Farrell is a director of Altria Group, Inc. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.

Commissioner
California
Timothy Simon
California

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