2021 Speakers

You'll find the most exciting and thoughtful minds in the industry speaking at the Grid Evolution Summit.

Adam Sledd

Director , Dominion Energy Innovation Center

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Andrew Price

Business Development Manager , Clean Power Research

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Andrew Price Andrew Price joined Clean Power Research in 2020 and helps utilities shape and implement their transportation electrification strategies. He also serves as a co-chair of the SEPA Electric Vehicle Working Group Subcommittee on Managed Charging and Vehicle-to-Grid. Prior to joining Clean Power Research, Andrew spent four years at Nissan Europe’s European Headquarters where he supported the Electric Vehicle and Energy Services departments with policy and business development initiatives. He has authored and contributed to several white papers and studies analyzing the opportunities and impacts associated with vehicle-grid integration. Andrew holds an MBA from Durham University in England and a B.S. in International Business from the College of Charleston.

Apoorv Bhargava

CEO , WeaveGrid

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Arlen Orchard

Strategic Advisor , EnerTech Capital

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Brenda Chew

Director, Research , Smart Electric Power Alliance

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Brenda Chew Brenda leads SEPA’s Research team and has focused much of her time at SEPA investigating the proliferation of flexible resources along the grid. Prior to SEPA, Brenda worked as a consultant at ICF, focusing on distributed energy resources, Utility of the Future and grid modernization efforts. She holds a master’s degree in sustainable development from the University of St. Andrews, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies from Emory University.

Christina Nichols

Senior Program Director , Groundswell

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Debra Smith

General Manager and CEO , Seattle City Light

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Debra Smith Debra Smith is the General Manager and CEO of Seattle City Light, one of the nation’s largest community-owned electric utilities. City Light serves more than 480,000 meters and 955,000 people across Seattle and parts of eight adjacent franchise cities, and unincorporated King County. Debra believes strongly in the value of teamwork, partnerships, and collaboration. As a public employee, she prioritizes customer needs while acknowledging that great customer service starts with engaged and committed employees. Under her leadership, City Light is focused on electrification, equity and creating customer value. Previously, Debra served as Central Lincoln PUD’s General Manager from July 2013 to October 2018. She brought 17 years of experience to that role from the Eugene Water and Electric Board, where she held a variety of positions, including Assistant General Manager. Debra earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Arizona State University and is a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum of Oregon. She served as the first Chairwoman of the Public Power Council and is currently the Vice Chair of Long-Range Planning. Debra also serves on the board of the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee.

Emeka Anyanwu

Energy Innovation & Resources Officer , Seattle City Light

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Emeka Anyanwu n/a

Frank Barton Sidles

EV Fleet Business Development Manager , bp - Future Mobility & Solutions

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Frank Barton Sidles Barton Sidles is the EV Fleet Business Development Manager for bp. Within the Future Mobility & Solutions team, he is leading efforts in the USA to develop new, and disruptive business models and digital solutions in e-mobility. Prior to bp, Sidles was Senior Director of Corporate and Business Development and member of the Executive Committee at Hubject Inc.’s North American subsidiary for more than three years. In addition to his management role at Hubject Inc., Sidles was leading the advising and consulting efforts surrounding ISO 15118 Plug&Charge. With the leading market-ready compliant ecosystem, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and certificate management system, Sidles and his team worked with automakers, charging networks, utilities and eMobility service providers preparing for the implementation of ISO 15118: the future of EV charging including smart and wireless charging and vehicle-to-grid. Sidles has more than 25 years of experience in international business development, disruptive mobility operations, clean energy, transportation, sales/marketing, mergers and acquisitions and PR. Before joining Hubject, he helped to launch Green Commuter, an EV vanpool/car share service, was co-Founder of both a software development company and a consulting firm in Europe and was an investment banker for 8 years. Additionally, Sidles is an industry advocacy and has been serving as a Board member of CharIN North America and participant and presenter at eMobility conferences and ISO 15118 testing symposiums around the world. Mr. Sidles is comfortable in German, Romanian and French languages.

Indran Ratnathicam

Chief Marketing Officer , Uplight

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James Griffin

Chair , Hawaii Public Utilities Commission

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Janet Gail Besser

Vice President , Smart Electric Power Alliance

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Janet Gail Besser Janet Gail Besser oversees the SEPA Pathways – Regulatory and Business Innovation, Grid Integration and Transportation Electrification – and leads Regulatory and Business Innovation. She has broad energy experience as a regulator, clean energy business association leader, utility executive, developer, consultant, and consumer advocate. Previously, she was EVP of the Northeast Clean Energy Council, VP, Regulatory Strategy and Policy at National Grid, Chair and Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, and an executive and expert at Analysis Group and Lexecon. She held senior staff roles at the Massachusetts Energy Office and New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, was policy director for a national IPP association, and worked for a small hydro developer and low-income consumer advocate. She chairs the Power Options Board and sits on the VEIC Board. She has an MPP from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Williams College.

Jared Leader

Senior Manager, Research and Industry Strategy , Smart Electric Power Alliance

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Jennifer Adams

Development Director , Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis

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Jennifer Adams Jennifer has served as the Director of Development at the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis (HACA) since May 2020. In this role, she leads the effort to redevelop and reposition 935 public housing apartment units in nine properties through a variety of HUD funding tools. These HUD programs include the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program, Section 18/Demolition-Disposition, and Choice Neighborhoods and are typically paired with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits with the goal of producing modern, energy-efficient housing for aging public housing portfolios. Prior to her work with HACA, Jennifer spent 7 years with the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) overseeing the development of 8 public housing properties and 7 years with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs drafting architectural policy and providing construction oversight for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Prior to affordable housing, Jennifer worked for a handful of general contractors in the Atlanta area. She has BS in Building Construction from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MA in Architectural History from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Julia Hamm

President and CEO , Smart Electric Power Alliance

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Justin Felt

Manager of Strategic Planning , Baltimore Gas & Electric

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Justin Felt Justin Felt is Manager of Strategic Planning at Baltimore Gas & Electric. In this role at BGE, he supports the Utility of the Future Team in the development and sustainment of programs that integrate distributed energy resources such as storage, solar and microgrid technologies. Felt joined BGE in 2018 with over 13 years of clean energy experience. He most recently advised the Department of Defense on the development of resilient and renewable on-site power systems, as part of the Army’s Office of Energy Initiatives and Air Force’s Office of Energy Assurance. At Thomson Reuters, he acted as Head of Renewable Market Strategy, and consulted with energy and financial companies regarding environmental markets. Felt serves on the Anne Arundel County Community Leadership Board of the YMCA of Central Maryland. Felt earned MBA and MS (Environmental Science) degrees from the University of Michigan, and a BA degree in Economics from the University of Virginia.

Lisa Reed

Energy Programs Manager , Holy Cross Energy

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Marc Campbell

Manager, Sustainability Policy and Programs , SRP

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Marc Campbell Marc Campbell has been with SRP for 23 years. During that time, he has served in a variety of positions, including Historical Analyst, Land Agent, Water Planning Analyst, and Water Rights Analyst. Marc currently manages the Sustainability Policy and Programs Department, a position he has held since October 2014. In that role, Marc is responsible for leading development and execution of SRP’s corporate sustainability strategy, which addresses core components of SRP’s business and key community issues, including carbon emissions reductions, water resiliency, and customer and grid enablement. Marc holds a B.A. in History from Rutgers University and an M.A. in History from the University of Oregon.

Molly Elizabeth Middaugh

Director, Business Development , EVgo

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Molly Elizabeth Middaugh Molly is a Director of Business Development for Fleets and Strategic Partnerships for EVgo, which owns and operates the nation’s largest network of fast chargers and has been at the forefront of fleet electrification for years. Molly works closely with fleets to provide EVgo’s turnkey electrification services, identifying risks early, and delivering reliable and flexible charging solutions. Prior to joining EVgo, Molly led carbon reduction strategy for Puget Sound Energy as it embarked on its path to 100% clean energy. Molly has a decade of experience aligning technology, science, and business to create sustainable solutions to complex energy and environmental challenges. Molly has a B.A. in Environmental Science and Economics from Pomona college and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Natalie M Frick

Energy Efficiency Program Manager , LBNL

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Natalie M Frick Natalie Mims Frick is an Energy Efficiency Program Manager in the Electricity Markets and Policy Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Natalie conducts research and manages projects on energy efficiency technical assistance, policy, program design, implementation and evaluation. Prior to joining LBNL, Natalie was the principal at Mims Consulting, LLC, where she served as an expert witness in demand-side management regulatory proceedings across the country. Before starting her company, Ms. Mims Frick was the Energy Efficiency Director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) and, prior to that, a Senior Consultant at Rocky Mountain Institute.

Natasha Contreras

EV Customer Program Manager , SDG&E

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Natasha Contreras Natasha Contreras is SDG&E’s Electric Vehicle Customer Engagement Manager, focused on generating awareness about the benefits of driving electric and building a pipeline of customers to participate in SDG&E’s infrastructure programs. Natasha’s team manages all the marketing, education and outreach efforts for SDG&E’s Clean Transportation programs, as well as engagement with stakeholders in the region to drive collaboration and innovation. Natasha is a San Diego native and holds a BS in Marketing and Communications from San Diego State University, as well as a master’s in project management from the University of Wisconsin. She has worked at SDG&E since 2009.

Ralph Cavanagh

Energy Co-Director, Climate and Clean Energy Program , NRDC

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Ralph Cavanagh Ralph Cavanagh joined the Natural Resources Defense Council in 1979 and serves now as its Energy Co-Director. He has been a visiting professor at the Stanford and UC Berkeley Law Schools and a lecturer on law at Harvard, and he is a long-time faculty member at the University of Idaho’s Energy Executive Course. He was a member of the US Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board (SEAB) from 1993-2003. He chairs the advisory board of the Energy and Efficiency Institute at the University of California at Davis, and he serves on the boards of the Bipartisan Policy Center and BPC Action. He has received the Heinz Award for Public Policy, the BPA Administrator’s Award for Exceptional Public Service, the Alliance to Save Energy’s Charles H. Percy Award for Public Service, and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Mary Kilmarx Award. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School.

Sharon Allan

Chief Strategy Officer , Smart Electric Power Alliance

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Tyler Rogers

Senior Director of Utility Sales , EnergyHub

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Tyler Rogers Tyler has been working in the utility, energy, and sustainability industries for 15 years. At EnergyHub, Tyler is responsible for creating new business opportunities and partnerships with electric and gas utilities. Prior to joining EnergyHub, Tyler worked at Opower for 3 years where he held various sales and client delivery roles. Tyler supported clients in the United States, Canada, and China. He has also previously held positions with Booz Allen Hamilton and the Department of Energy. Tyler holds a BA in Political Economics from Georgetown University.

Victoria Hackett

Deputy Commissioner for Energy , CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP)

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Victoria Hackett Vicki Hackett is the Deputy Commissioner of Energy at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). She was appointed to this position in August, 2019. As Deputy Commissioner, Vicki is leading DEEP's Energy Branch as Connecticut transitions to a zero carbon electric grid. Her responsibilities include developing Connecticut's Integrated Resources Plan and Comprehensive Energy Strategy, overseeing procurements of clean energy resources, and developing policies and programs in the areas of energy affordability, energy efficiency, and strategic electrification of the transportation and housing sectors to help Connecticut achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals. Vicki has developed broad ranging experience in energy and environmental policy and utility regulation in the state of Connecticut since 2006. She previously served as Chief of Staff, Operations, and Performance at DEEP, where she worked on issues involving energy, environmental quality and environmental conservation. < /P> As the Director of Adjudications at the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Vicki oversaw the legal work of the agency and acted as general counsel to the Commissioners on matters including utility rate cases, mergers and acquisitions, regional and federal matters, and grid modernization. As an attorney at the CT Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), Vicki gained significant experience in utility finance and rate design, integrated resources planning, energy efficiency policy and program review, utility infrastructure planning, and consumer issues related to retail electric supply. Vicki was a litigation attorney in private practice for four years prior to joining the OCC. Vicki earned her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Western Connecticut State University.