Preliminary Agenda

David Terry

President, National Association of State Energy Officials

David Terry is the President of the National Association of State Energy Officials and has worked with NASEO in a variety of capacities since 1996. Mr. Terry leads NASEO's policy actions and programs in support of the 56 governor-designated state and territory energy directors and their offices. NASEO communicates the states' views on virtually all national energy issues. Mr. Terry has participated in governor-led policy meetings, testified before U.S. Congressional Committees and presented at White House and international energy forums.  Mr. Terry has 25 years of experience working on a range of energy issues for such organizations as the Governors’ Wind and Solar Energy and Coalition and Energy Services Coalition. Prior to working in the energy area, Mr. Terry was researcher at the National Academy of Sciences and a statistical analyst for a consumer products market research firm. He received a BA degree from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, and he has completed graduate coursework in statistics and marketing at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Kenya Stump

Executive Director, Office of Energy Policy, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet

Amanda LeMaster

Energy Assurance Coordinator, Kentucky Office of Energy Policy

Amanda LeMaster is the Energy Assurance and Resiliency Coordinator with the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy housed within the Energy and Environment Cabinet. Amanda has extensive experience in hazard mitigation grant writing, project management and community outreach. Amanda serves as the state ESF 12 lead and is responsible for the State’s Energy Assurance Plan update.

Ben Bolton

Senior Energy Programs Administrator, Office of Energy Programs, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

Mr. Bolton serves as the Primary Emergency Services Coordinator for Energy for the State of Tennessee.  In his role as helps administer the Tennessee Office of Energy Programs activities related to energy security/assurance, critical infrastructure, & energy policy. In 2018, Mr. Bolton was selected as co-chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Energy Security Committee & serves on the FEMA's Mitigation Framework Leadership Group. Originally from Mule Capital of the World – Columbia, Tennessee, he has a B.A. in English and B.S. in biology from Birmingham-Southern College. 

Edward O’Brien

Senior Economist, Technology Assessment Division, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

Mr. Edward O’Brien is the Senior Economist for the Department of Natural Resources and State Energy Office, overseeing energy revenue and production projections for the State, as well as spearheading the initiative for data assimilation to benchmark the efficiency upgrades within state buildings in Louisiana. He has over 15 years of experience in energy economics with industry and the State, and managing the Clean Fuel programs in Louisiana. 

He holds a Bachelor in International Economics from the University of Richmond, a Master in Economics from Trinity College, and an MBA with a focus on Strategy and Finance from Louisiana State University.

Lisa Smith

Senior Planner, Maine Governor's Energy Office

Lisa Smith is a Senior Planner with the Maine Governor’s Energy Office.  The Energy Office is responsible for planning and coordinating state energy policy, and serves as primary policy advisor to the Governor.  Lisa manages all federal grants; conducts policy research for the office; is responsible for updating the state’s comprehensive energy plan, and participates on several energy related advisory boards and working groups.   She also represents the Office before the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee in the Maine Legislature.

Lisa’s background is in energy and environmental policy and planning.  Her educational background is in environmental science and economics.  She attended Colby College, where she majored in both economics and biology, and her graduate level work was in natural resource economics at the University of Massachusetts.

Jeffrey Pillon

Senior Advisor, Energy Security, NASEO

Jeffrey Pillon provides states with technical support, training, and exercises for energy emergency planning and helps enhance security and resiliency of critical energy infrastructures, including cybersecurity. Prior to NASEO, Mr. Pillon worked for the State of Michigan for 36 years in the state energy office and Michigan Public Service Commission. He served as an Energy Management Coordinator, ESF-12 lead in the State Emergency Operation Center, and Chaired the state’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee. Mr. Pillon has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Michigan State University.

Megan Levy

State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Project Manager, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Prior to joining The US Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) State, Local, Tribal, Territorial team in September of 2022, Megan spent two decades in energy efficiency, security, and resilience both with the low-income weatherization program and with the Wisconsin State Energy Office as Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinator and Resilience Strategist. From 2017 through 2022, Megan served as the Co-Chair of the NASEO Energy Security Committee. Formerly a member of the Board of Directors, Megan Energy serves on the Midwest Renewable Association Advisory Board.  Megan is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Alex Morese

Manager, Energy Security, Michigan Public Service Commission

Alex Morese is the manager of the Energy Security section of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), where he has worked in various capacities since 2001.  Alex serves as the Energy Assurance Coordinator and ESF 12 representative for the State and is responsible for maintaining and implementing energy emergency plans, such as the Michigan Energy Security Plan and the Michigan Petroleum Shortage Response Plan.  He is a member of the Staff Subcommittee on Critical Infrastructure for NARUC and co-leads a team of MPSC staff who concentrate on cybersecurity issues. Alex oversees the publication of the Michigan Energy Appraisal, a semiannual assessment of Michigan’s energy markets.  Alex previously worked in the Renewable Energy section of the MPSC.  Alex has a Bachelor's in Economics and International Affairs from Florida State University.

Jody Raines

Senior Cybersecurity Policy Specialist, Center for Partnerships and Innovation, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners

Jody Raines is a Senior Cybersecurity Policy Specialist at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' Center for Partnerships and Innovation. She previously served as the Deputy Director of Reliability and Security for the Board of Public Utilities for the State of New Jersey. Jody's real-life experience dealing with cyber threats, a Masters in Technology Management and investigative nature in an evolving cyber environment are well-suited to generating policy to protect the infrastructure.

Catherine Reed

Senior Program Director, Electricity, NASEO

Catherine Reed supports NASEO’s electricity program, which informs and educates the states on issues related to generation, transmission, and distribution. Prior to joining NASEO, she served as Deputy Director of the State Energy Office in the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff.  This was her second tenure with the SC Energy Office, having first worked there between 2007 and 2012, implementing a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs through various federal grants, including the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. She also had experience working in the private sector on the design and implementation of commercial and industrial demand side management programs for an investor-owned utility. She has more than 20 years of combined experience in energy programs, resource conservation and management, public policy and planning, and stakeholder engagement.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Sherri Stone

Vice President, Energy Marketers of America

Sherri Stone, CAE, joined EMA in 2006 as Director of Legislative Affairs. She currently serves as Vice President. Her role is primarily focused on management of EMA’s government relations programs, the SBC Political Action Committee fund, emergency response and disaster reform.

Sherri has 34 years of experience on Capitol Hill and lobbying for trade associations. For ten years, Sherri represented the Manufactured Housing Institute. She also has experience working for the medical device industry and she served seven years on Capitol Hill, first with the House Small Business Committee then as a professional staff member with the House Science and Technology Committee.

She has a B.A. in Political Science from North Carolina State University and a Master’s degree from American University. Sherri was designated as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) in 2013.

Kimberly Denbow

Vice President, Security and Operations, American Gas Association

Kimberly Denbow is the Vice President of Security & Operations at the American Gas Association (AGA). Over the course of her 25 years with AGA, she has served as staff executive for multiple AGA Operations Section technical committees covering security, safety, gas control, underground storage, field operations, and environment. At present, she leads the AGA Board-appointed Cybersecurity Strategy & Regulatory Action Committee. Ms. Denbow built AGA’s cyber and physical security program and helped stand up the Downstream Natural Gas Information Sharing & Analysis Center. She also supports all-hazards emergency preparedness activities and pipeline resilience and reliability initiatives.

Ms. Denbow serves as the industry liaison to numerous U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Energy (DOE) natural gas physical and cybersecurity programs. Ms. Denbow was a voting member of the Transportation Security Administration Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee, in which she helped stand-up and co-chair the Cybersecurity Subcommittee. She continues to serve as a voting member of the DOE Electricity Advisory Committee. Ms. Denbow is an active member of the Oil & Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council (ONG SCC). She has testified before Congress on the matters of cybersecurity incident reporting and the value of the government/industry partnership.

Ms. Denbow holds a Bachelor of Science in marine biology from the University of Florida and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Jeff Morris

Senior Director, State Government Relations, Schneider Electric

Jeff Morris joined Schneider Electric North America in 2019 and is Senior Director of State Government Relations. Prior to that, Jeff worked in cleantech commercialization and policy through his own business, Energy Horizon Corporation, as Director of Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative, and 23 years as a Washington State Representative. He served six years as a USDOE OE Electricity Advisor,  is an Associate member of the Gridwise Architect Council and Chair of The Microgrid Resource Coalition.    While a legislator, he was named one of the most Tech Savvy Legislators in the United States by Governing Magazine, was Chair/President in several national and Regional legislative associations and his public/private energy policy work recognized by the Canadian Government.  Morris co-founded the Northwest Energy Angels now called Element 8 in 2005 & created the Legislative Energy Horizon Institute that has trained over 350 state and local policymakers in Energy 101.

Col. Jeremy Slinker

Director, Kentucky Emergency Management

In March of 2022, Col. Jeremy Slinker was appointed by Governor Andy Beshear to the role of Director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management. Prior to assuming this position Col. Slinker served for over 30 years with the Kentucky State Police and the Kentucky Department of Parks. This experience is the foundation for his citizen-centric approach to response, recovery, and preparedness when dealing with disaster events.

Since joining the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, Director Slinker has coordinated response and recovery missions for five (5) significant disaster events – two of which are the largest disasters in Kentucky history – the western Kentucky tornado event and the eastern Kentucky flooding. Currently, there are two (2) requests for disaster declarations pending presidential approval.

In addition to his role at the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, Director Slinker is chair of the Kentucky Emergency Response Commission, a member of the National Emergency Management Association’s Resilience Committee and Response and Recovery Committee, and he is the treasurer of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium.

Brandi Frazier-Bestpitch

Energy Data Analyst/Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinator, Virginia Department of Energy

Brandi Frazier Bestpitch leads emergency support, energy security and assurance and energy data analytics gathering at the Virginia Department of Energy’s State Energy Office. She joined the State Energy Office in 2019. In her emergency support role, Brandi serves as the Commonwealth’s ESF 12 lead for petroleum emergencies and for energy assurance and resiliency planning as part of Virginia’s Energy Security Plan. She is the Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinator (EEAC) and point of contact for the Federal Government (Department of Energy Office of CYBERSECURITY, ENERGY SECURITY, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE (CESER)), energy industry sector partners,  state, local, tribal and territory governments. She also serves as the Virginia State Energy Office representative on the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Energy Security Committee. In addition to energy security,  she specializes in energy data management and analytics as part of the state's Lead by Example program.  As part of this program, her key focus is to advance sustainable energy practices and energy conservation measures by tracking energy usage and benchmarking for state facilities in support of the State's Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) and Demand Response (DR) Programs.

Alexander Mack

Program Administrator, Office of Energy, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Alexander Mack serves as the Program Administrator for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Energy. Alexander oversees the State Energy Program which includes the planning, development, and implementation of energy programs within the State of Florida.   Serves as liaison with other state agencies, U.S. Department of Energy, institutional administrators, and energy coordinators regarding institutional efficiency programs.  Alexander also supervises the Grants Team. Alexander plays a vital role with Emergency Support Function #12 Fuels (19 in Florida) for the State Emergency Response Team when activated.  He previously served as the Emergency Coordinating Officer (ECO) for ESF-12 Fuels and currently serves as ESF-19 Room Manager and ECO backup. Alexander has served in several capacities during his 25 years with the state’s energy office. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and has more than 30 years of experience in electrical utility regulation and energy conservation and efficiency.

Ashton Raffety

Energy Policy and Strategy Analyst, Decision and Infrastructure Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory

Ashton Raffety is an Energy Policy and Strategy Analyst within Argonne National Laboratory’s Division of Decision and Infrastructure Sciences. His work focuses on energy security programming efforts for SLTT governments, risk analysis studies on critical energy infrastructure systems, and the impact of climate change on utility operations. Prior to Argonne, he worked on critical infrastructure protection issues with the Washington, DC based National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), and prior to that he worked as a consultant supporting industry and SLTT engagement programs within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). Mr. Raffety received a B.S. in Economics from Northwest Missouri State University and holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from the University of Maryland.

Kevin DeCorla-Souza

Senior Director, Energy Markets, ICF

Kevin provides analytical support to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cyber Security, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), including CESER’s State, Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT) and Emergency Response and Restoration programs. Since 2022, Kevin has been working with CESER to develop frameworks, guidance, and other resources to assist states in developing State Energy Security Plans. Kevin holds a B.A. in Economics and Government from the College of William & Mary and a M.A. in Energy Policy and Finance from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Mara Winn

Deputy Director, Preparedness, Policy and Risk Analysis, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Mara Winn is the Deputy Director for the Preparedness, Policy, and Risk Analysis (PPRA) division of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). In this role, Winn leads the division in supporting energy sector security and resilience through strong, two-way coordination and communication with the Department of Energy‘s (DOE) government and industry partners.

Prior to joining the DOE, Winn was the Associate Director for Planning and Coordination at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) National Risk Management Center. She oversaw planning and collaboration activities focused on addressing the Nation's highest priority critical infrastructure risks, originating from cyber-attacks and other hazards. Winn has more than twenty years of experience in all stages of acquisition management, systems engineering, project management, and product development life cycles from analysis through implementation and closeout. She has led teams across the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the areas of risk management, radiological and nuclear detection, transportation security, and immigration, as well as in medical device development in the private sector.

Winn received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Smith College and a Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth College, and is a graduate of the DHS Senior Executive Services Candidate Development Program. Winn also holds a Certificate in Project Management from Boston University, is a certified Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP), and holds several technical certifications.

Nicole Zawadzki

National Programs Manager, HAMMER Federal Training Center, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Nicole Zawadzki serves as the National Programs and Emergency Response Manager for the Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center in Richland, Washington. The HAMMER Federal Training Center is a Department of Energy (DOE) owned training facility that focuses on health, safety, hazmat, and emergency response hands-on training for the Hanford workforce and other federal agencies. Nicole oversees training pertaining to fire, law, tribal, military, hazardous materials transportation, and energy response programs.

Along with her management role, Nicole has served as an active member of DOE’s Emergency Support Function #12 (ESF #12) response team since 2006. HAMMER has supported the DOE Cybersecurity Energy Security and Emergency Response office with training and response expertise since 2003.
Nicole possesses extensive experience in emergency response, training development, exercise design, and she has received multiple federal government distance learning awards.  In 2017 she received an award from the Secretary of Energy for her contributions to energy restoration after Hurricanes Maria and Irma hit the islands of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Prior to HAMMER, Nicole began her career in emergency management with the Alaskan oil industry following the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Maxwell Woods

Assistant Director, Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Oregon Department of Energy

Maxwell Woods is an Assistant Director at the Oregon Department of Energy, and manager of the Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness Division. The ODOE Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness Division has three primary responsibilities: 1) nuclear safety and radioactive waste policy, 2) management of Oregon’s petroleum supply emergency planning and response, including serving as the state’s Emergency Support Function (ESF)-12, petroleum, and 3) development and implementation of Oregon’s Energy Security Plan.

He has worked at ODOE since July 2014; before joining ODOE, he was an environmental consultant working on environmental and energy projects primarily on the US west coast and western Canada. Max has degrees from Claremont McKenna College in California and Washington State University, Pullman.  He is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and lives in Portland with his family.

Aaron Myers

Geospatial Systems Architect and EAGLE-I Project Lead, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Aaron Myers is currently working on various projects for the Geoinformatics Engineering Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research focus ranges from watershed modeling to web-application development and data visualization. Aaron completed his Master’s Thesis on a dynamic rainfall-runoff model building on the South Carolina Synthetic Unit Hydrograph Methodology and researching various rainfall-runoff models. Aaron has helped to bring many of the National Security Emerging Technology Division's research projects to the web using modern tools and scalable architectures. He has also created several Google Earth based web-services; one service returns the population count within the bounds of the view window for any area in the United States. Aaron is also the primary system architect for multiple projects using Open Source technologies such as Drupal (BioenergyKDF and CURIE) and or custom Java and JavaScript Applications (WSTAMP, PDT, TRAGIS, and EAGLE-I)

Paul Holloway

Emergency Planner and Energy Analyst, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources

Paul Holloway is an Emergency Planner and Energy Analyst with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Prior to joining DOER in 2018, Paul spent over a decade as an Emergency Planner, first as a Regional Planner and Project Director for the City of Boston Office of Emergency Management and then as the All-Hazards Planning Manager and Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Paul served as the Planning Section Chief for the Massachusetts State Emergency Operations Center during numerous emergency events between 2011-2018. A Bar Harbor (Maine) native, in the 1990’s he served as a commissioned ranger for the National Park Service.

Brant Mitchell

Chief Operating Officer, Stephenson Technology Corporation

Nick Grinstead

Hazard Mitigation Planner, Kentucky Emergency Management

Nick Grinstead works with Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) through the University of Kentucky Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and its Hazard Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP) Office. He has worked with KYEM for over a decade.
Nick is responsible for the commonwealth’s enhanced state hazard mitigation plan and its content. Nick Grinstead is responsible for editing and writing portions of and is responsible for the review in preparation for formal FEMA review of Kentucky’s local or multi-jurisdictional, multi-hazard mitigation plans. He is responsible for integrating plans and planning mechanisms into local and into the state hazard mitigation plans and is responsible for federal government initiatives regarding hazard mitigation plan integration. He is responsible for the grants that fund local and state hazard mitigation plans and planning-related activities.

Nick Grinstead is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kentucky and expects to receive his degree by the end of 2023.

Colie Smith

Regional Resiliency Coordinator/Economic Development Specialist, Green River Area Development District

Colie Smith is a native of Owensboro, KY and currently holds the positions of regional resiliency coordinator and economic development specialist at the Green River Area Development District (GRADD). Colie is a graduate of Western Kentucky University worked in the private sector for ten years as a special projects consultant and crisis management coordinator before joining GRADD. Colie is in the final stages of a hazard mitigation planning project focusing on the water and wastewater sector and looks forward to applying the lessons he has learned to the energy sector hazard mitigation planning effort later this year. Colie is a veteran of the United State Army and a proud husband and father of three children with a fourth on the way. In his spare time Colie enjoys reading, exercising, cooking, and volunteering with Special Olympics and at Blessed Mother Church. Martha Duggan, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Jeff Blend

Energy Resource Professional, Energy Bureau, Montana Department of Environment Quality

Jeff Blend is an Environmental Resource Professional within the Montana Energy Office.  Over nearly 25 years in state government, Jeff has worked on economics, energy and environmental issues within Montana and the U.S. West.   Projects include the publication of Understanding energy in Montana, annually updated energy statistics, managing petroleum data, working on legislative policy, and studying regional electricity markets.  Jeff has spent nearly 15 years as the Montana lead for energy emergencies, including writing several energy plans, conducting tabletops, regional planning, and training.

Nick Comer

External Affairs Manager, East Kentucky Power Cooperative

Nick Comer is External Affairs Manager at East Kentucky Power Cooperative, overseeing external communications and public relations. He has been with EKPC since 2005.

Prior to joining EKPC, Comer was an account manager at a Lexington, Ky., marketing communications and research firm. Comer also has worked at several daily newspapers in Kentucky and Florida as a reporter and editor.

He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, with an undergraduate degree in Journalism and a masters degree in Business Administration.

Martha Duggan

Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Martha Duggan serves as Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (“NRECA”) where she is responsible for representing the nation’s 900 plus rural electric cooperatives before federal agencies involved in worker safety, emergency management, and transportation.

Ms. Duggan has 30 years of experience in the energy industry working for a variety of organizations and companies. She began her career working at a consulting firm that provided expert testimony in federal and state regulatory proceedings on behalf of cooperatives, municipalities and other intervener interests. She then worked for a regulated natural gas distribution company where she gained experience in finance and accounting, regulatory affairs and operations. Ms. Duggan also worked for an investor owned electric utility and two solar companies. She has extensive advocacy experience in market design and competition issues. Ms.

Duggan has worked on solar policy issues at the state and federal levels. Her peers elected her to serve on the PJM Finance Committee and the PJM Nominating Committee and she has been a member of both the Board of Directors of the Solar Energy Industries Association and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. In 2010 she traveled to China as part of the Obama Administration’s first cabinet level trade mission.

Ms. Duggan is an instructor at the NRECA/NUTSEA Loss Control Seminar. She is also a Certified Loss Control Professional. Ms. Duggan is a member of Quad States Instructors, Inc., Southern Area Instructors Association, the National Utility Training, Safety and Education Association, the National Safety Council, and the National Emergency Management Association. In 2018, she was appointed to the Southern States’ Energy Board Blue Ribbon Task Force on Strategizing an Electric Policy and Regulatory Framework in Puerto Rico.

Ms. Duggan earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University and her Masters degree in Business Administration from The George Washington University.

John Veatch

Disaster and Resilience Programs, American Public Power Association

John Veatch manages Disaster & Resilience Programs for the American Public Power Association (APPA).  APPA is the national trade association for publicly owned electric utilities – over 2000 utilities, operating in every US State and Territory except Hawaii.  Prior to joining APPA, he consulted to Federal Agencies and commercial organizations, including a Fortune 50 company, on disaster response, business continuity, and emergency management.   John is a retired Federal employee with over 35 years of experience including the military (Active Duty and Reserve with the US. Army Corps of Engineers), US Congress (Served as Assistant Sergeant at Arms to both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate), and over 10 years with the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration working on nuclear weapon crisis response, electrical power emergency response, and counter-terrorism programs.   On a two-year project, he managed US emergency preparedness support under US Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversight to Ukrainian and Russian nuclear power facilities in response to the Chernobyl disaster. His final government position was as the Assistant Administrator for FEMA/DHS where he oversaw US executive branch continuity, civil defense programs and served as one of the Chiefs of the National Response Coordination Center during the 2017 hurricane season.

David Batz

Managing Director, Cyber and Infrastructure Security, Edison Electric Institute

Leveraging over 20 years of electric company experience, David Batz brings significant industry knowledge in understanding and applying appropriate security solutions to address emerging threats and issues. In addition, he brings a decade of energy regulatory compliance as well as physical and cyber security policy experience and engagement with multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Energy (DoE), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

David has been with the Edison Electric Institute for over 12 years and has played a central role in developing new programs that aid the EEI membership, and more broadly, has been instrumental in the development and expansion of an industry-wide program called Cyber Mutual Assistance.
He is a member of InfraGard and serves on the SANS Institute Advisory Board. He has authored various articles and presented at numerous events domestically and internationally on securing critical infrastructure, industrial systems as well as security baseline and standards topics for prominent industry associations including NIST, the National Academies of Sciences, United States Energy Association and the World Economic Forum to name a few.

David is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and holds multiple SANS GIAC security certifications.

David McGowan, III

Southeast Region Director, State Government Affairs, American Petroleum Institute

David is the Southeast Region Director for the American Petroleum Institute (API). API represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization and has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

In his role as Southeast Region Director for API, David oversees legislative, regulatory, and public affairs activities on behalf of the natural gas and oil industry in the six southeastern states of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. This includes everything from coordinating with state emergency management officials during natural disasters and other fuel disruption events, to representing the industry before state legislatures and regulatory agencies.

David is a native of Wilmington, NC, and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. David currently resides in Raleigh, NC with his wife and three young children. He is active in the community, serving on several professional association and non-profit boards. He is a Past President of the North Carolina Professional Lobbyists Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Frankie Lemmon School & Foundation, an early education program for special needs children in Wake County, NC.

Megan Culler

Power Systems Engineer, Idaho National Laboratory

Megan Culler is a power system engineer and researcher for the Infrastructure Security group at Idaho National Laboratory. Her background is in cybersecurity and resilience for power systems. Much of her work focuses on integration of inverter-based resources, and she has performed modeling, simulation, risk analysis, and pentesting efforts for wind, solar, and battery projects. Megan’s research interests include distributed energy resource integration, cybersecurity training and risk analysis, and resilience planning for electric power systems. Her work has resulted in numerous conference papers, journal articles, presentations, and media engagements. Megan earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, respectively.

Alex Brickner

Director, Small Business Innovation Research Center of Excellence, Lowell Research Institute, University of Massachusetts

Alex is the Director of the UMass Lowell Research Institute SBIR Center of Excellence (COE), where he coaches small high-tech companies through the SBIR process to optimize the strategy, proposal writing, work plan, and cost plan.  Alex also leads several initiatives to promote digital and cyber workforce development and entrepreneurship within New England. 

During his entrepreneurial career Alex graduated from the MassChallenge Safety and Security program where he won multiple SBIRs totaling $1.85M.  The technology was successfully commercialized in one year through an additional $15M in Air Force mission support data integration contracts.

Prior to his life as an entrepreneur, Alex earned a CPA and served for six years as a financial auditor and subject matter expert on enterprise resource management system implementation projects for a variety of manufacturing companies located around the Midwest. Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Business with a specialization in Accounting from the Ohio State University.

Chad Lloyd

Director, Cybersecurity Architecture and Senior Fellow, Schneider Electric

Chad Lloyd is the Director of Cybersecurity Architecture and is a Senior Fellow with Schneider Electric.  Chad has multiple certifications including CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker).  Chad obtained his M.S. in Computer Science and his M.S. in Computer Engineering from Middle Tennessee State University.  Chad has been with Schneider Electric since 2007 and leads the Schneider Electric Cybersecurity Architecture Team involved with secure solution design and development (primarily for critical infrastructure and specializing in IEC-62443 compliance).  Chad holds numerous patents related to cybersecurity, hardware, and software.

Brandi Martin

State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Project Manager, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Brandi Martin is a new addition to the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) team, bringing experience working with State Energy Offices and a cybersecurity background. Within CESER, Brandi focuses on energy security planning and emergency preparedness with state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments. Brandi joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in 2016 as a Project Officer. In this role, she worked with State Energy Offices on innovative projects to achieve their energy goals. She also serves as the co-Director for a DOE Employee Resource Group, fostering connections for women at DOE and supporting professional growth opportunities for women in the workforce.

Prior to DOE, Brandi served as the Partner Engagement Director at the Smart Cities Council, where she managed industry-leading energy and technology partners, and engaged city government leaders. She also has 7 years of experience at Cisco Systems in engineering, sales and business development roles. Brandi received her B.S. in Information Systems Management from the University of California Santa Cruz and her M.S. in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University.

Sarah Trent

Program Manager, Energy Security, National Association of State Energy Officials

Sarah Trent supports the NASEO’s energy security programs, where she works with states on a number of resilience and energy security issues, including cybersecurity, energy emergency response, resilience funding, and energy emergency exercises. Prior to NASEO, Ms. Trent interned at the Federal Aviation Administration assisting in research and stakeholder engagement. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from James Madison University.

Nancy Ness

Program Manager, HAMMER Federal Training Center, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Nancy Ness is a Program Manager at the DOE Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center in Richland. WA. She has more than 25 years of experience including project management, training, emergency response, and exercises. In March 2022, Nancy assumed the role as the DOE ESF#12 Regional Coordinator (RC) in FEMA Region 5. In the RC role she is the lead DOE representative/liaison for ESF#12 energy response and preparedness activities within the region including Stafford Act activations as well as steady state activities supporting exercises and interagency meetings.

Since 2013 she has supported over 50 federally declared incidents with almost 800 days activated. In 2017 she received the U.S. Secretary of Energy Achievement Award for outstanding support to DOE and the Nation during the 2017 Hurricane Response. In 2018 she was nominated for the Edwin H. Land Industry Award for her significant contributions to U.S. Intelligence and National Security. She is currently enrolled in the FEMA Masters Exercise Practitioner Program.

Chuck Bondurant

Director, Critical Infrastructure Security and Risk Management, Public Utility Commission of Texas

Chuck Bondurant is Director of the Critical Infrastructure Security and Risk Management (CISRM) division at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) where he focuses on cyber and physical security, and emergency management outreach to both electric and water utilities in Texas. He is a native Texan and appreciates the challenge to protect the states’ critical infrastructure. Before joining the PUCT, Chuck served in the Army for 23-years (1995-2018) in several. His final duty assignment before retiring was with the 1st Cavalry Division in Ft Hood, TX where he served as the Division Cybersecurity Chief overseeing network security and incident response management. He received a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from Park University (2005), a Master of Arts in Information Technology Management from Webster University (2014), and an Executive Master of Public Service and Administration (EMPSA) degree with a track in Homeland Security from Texas A&M university (2022).

Dr. Alyse Taylor-Anyikire

Policy Advisor, Office of Policy, U.S. Department of Energy

Kelsey Jones

Senior Program Manager, Electricity, National Association of State Energy Officials

Kelsey Jones supports NASEO’s electricity program, where she conducts research and analysis on a variety of state electricity policy and program issues including energy storage, microgrids, carbon management, and hydrogen. Prior to NASEO, Ms. Jones worked at the Nuclear Energy Institute assisting the political affairs and advocacy programs and as a graduate research assistant studying renewable energy development in Arctic cities. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida and a Master of Environmental Resource Policy from the George Washington University.