THE RESILIENT
RENEWABLE ELECTRIC
PLANET (R2eP) CONFERENCE

Dr Chris Beck

Chris Beck is the Chief Scientist and Vice President for Policy at EIS Council, where he has worked since May 2011. He is responsible for the analysis, design, and promotion of critical infrastructure resilience for widespread, long-duration power outages initiated by Black Sky threats.

Dr. Beck is a technical and policy expert in several homeland security and national defense related areas including critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, science and technology development, WMD prevention and protection, and emerging threat identification and mitigation. Dr. Beck served as the Subcommittee Staff Director for Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Science and Technology and was the Senior Advisor for Science and Technology for the House Committee on Homeland Security (CHS), US House of Representatives, where he worked from May 2005 to May 2011. Prior to CHS, he worked in the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for three years, beginning as a Congressional Science Fellow and then as a legislative assistant.

Before government service, Dr. Beck was a postdoctoral fellow and adjunct professor at Northeastern University. He holds a PhD in physics from Tufts University (2001) and a B.S. in physics from Montana State University (1994). He served in the Marine Corps Reserve for five years (1987 – 1992).

Scott Blevins

Major Scott Blevins (Retired) served nearly 30 years in the Kentucky National Guard. Scott served in the Signal corps throughout his military career and has both hands on and strategic planning experience on a wide array of military tactical and commercial communications equipment. Scott’s assignments included company level command, battalion operations officer, battalion and brigade S6 officer, and communications planner and network operations manager at the Kentucky Joint Forces State Headquarters.
Scott’s expertise in military communications, public safety communications, and commercial data and voice communications makes him an invaluable planner for disaster response planning. During his tenure as the Kentucky National Guard’s Communications Manager, Scott was called upon to assist in planning, providing and restoring communications during numerous floods, tornadoes and other federally declared disasters to include the 2009’s catastrophic statewide ice storm in Kentucky.
In 2016 Scott founded his own Information Technology consulting firm, Leveled Up Inc. to help leaders leverage technology in accomplishing their strategic goals.
Scott holds an MBA from the University of Louisville and a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Administration from the University of Louisville.

Dr. Ehud (Udi) Ganani

Dr. Ehud (Udi) Ganani, as Vice President for Strategic Programs, is responsible for the development, coordination, and management of several key programs: GINOM AI, BSX, Digital Transformation, EIS Academy, and EMP Consulting. All these programs are International.

Udi Ganani is a co-founder of Contguard Ltd., a global maritime container tracking startup. He is also a member of the SPECTRUM Group in Alexandria, VA and a Research Associate in ICT International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at IDC Herzliya.

Previously, Dr. Ganani served in senior management roles in a number of corporations providing high technology solutions for security applications. He was Chief Executive Officer and President of Rabintex Industries Ltd., served as CEO and chairman of TraceGuard Technologies Inc. and chairman of Bird Aerosystems Ltd. He also chaired the public advisory committee for Aerospace, Defense and Homeland Security for the Israeli Export Institute.
Prior to that, Dr. Ganani served as a senior manager in some of Israel’s largest and most important aerospace companies: He served as Chief Executive Officer of Israel Military Industries, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Rafael, and headed Rafael’s rocket motors development group.
Dr. Ganani holds a Doctorate of Science in Chemical Engineering from Washington University, St. Louis, MO and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel.

Lihi Rotem Ganani

Lihi joined EIS Council’s leadership team in 2020, serving as the Director of Digital Transformation. She is responsible for managing all the Council’s digital initiatives with the aim of building and growing the international online community, supporting new programs and initiatives. Lihi leads EIS projects related to marketing and branding, is in charge of social content, CRM implementation and the EIS academy.
Prior to joining the Council, Lihi conducted industry analysis and data strategy projects for FANS-LEAGUE, an Israeli mobile gaming start-up.
While living in Madrid, Spain, Lihi worked at the IE Business School, one
of the world’s top business schools. With a skill for creating partnerships and focusing on innovation, she was involved in organizing yearly programs, designing the startup Lab – a startup acceleration program and the Business Impact Lab – an open innovation program. She ran “Challenge weeks”, one week Design Thinking programs with leading corporates and built a marketplace involving SMEs, corporates, and students for innovation-related consulting projects focused on growth.
In Israel, Lihi served as a judicial advisor in the Israeli circuit court and worked for boutique law firms. Lihi holds a BA in Business, an LLB in Law, a Master of Laws (LLM), and an MA in Digital Transformation and Innovation Leadership

Avi Schnurr

Avi Schnurr is CEO and President of the Electric Infrastructure Security (EIS) Council.
Mr. Schnurr has reviewed severe “Black Sky” hazards to lifeline utilities for a number of state and federal government departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Security Council, Congress, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. He has been a leader in development and coordination of protection strategies for critical national infrastructures, working with senior executives of the nation’s largest power, water, and fuel companies, with other corporate sectors, and with key government and NGO stakeholders.

Mr. Schnurr has provided invited briefings for NATO, the European Union, Parliamentary Committees, government science advisors and energy ministries. He has reviewed U.S. defense policies for the Department of Defense, the White House Homeland Security Council, the National Academy of Sciences, Congress, NATO and a variety of other venues. Until the end of 2004, Avi Schnurr worked for Northrop Grumman’s Space Technology Sector in California, where he had system responsibilities for space payloads and other advanced systems and instruments, and also managed U.S. and international defense programs. He holds a number of patents in laser and optical systems and twice received the corporate Chairman’s Award for Innovation. Avi Schnurr received his M.Sc. Degree in Physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, San Diego.

Manny Cancel

Manny Cancel assumed the role as NERC senior vice president and chief executive officer of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) in January 2020. He is responsible for the management and oversight of the E-ISAC and leading security operations and information sharing, threat intelligence and analysis, and stakeholder engagement initiatives designed to protect critical electricity infrastructure in North America. Mr. Cancel also serves as the E-ISAC’s key representative to important constituencies, such as the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), government partners, and key industry groups and leads the E-ISAC’s strategic planning initiatives. Prior to joining NERC, Mr. Cancel served as Con Edison’s chief information officer (CIO) leading all aspects of information technology, including cyber security initiatives. In this capacity, he also supported various industry initiatives, serving as chair of the sector’s Cyber Mutual Assistance Program and supporting the Member Executive Committee (MEC), an advisory group formed out of the ESCC that provides guidance to the E-ISAC.
Prior to assuming the role of CIO at Con Edison, Mr. Cancel held various roles over his 39-year career, including leadership roles in operations, customer service, audit, and information technology.
Mr. Cancel earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Baruch College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Johnson School at Cornell University.

Scott Aaronson

Scott leads EEI's security and preparedness team where he focuses on industry security and resilience initiatives, establishing collaborative partnerships between government and electric companies—and across critical infrastructure sectors—that enhance security for the energy sector.
In addition to his role at EEI, Scott also serves as the Secretary for the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC). The ESCC is the primary liaison between senior government officials and industry leaders representing all segments of the sector. This partnership is held up as a model for how critical infrastructure operators can work with government, yielding dramatic improvements in security and preparedness for the electric power sector and the nation.
In these roles, Scott has provided testimony before several state legislative and regulatory bodies, both houses of the U.S. Congress, and to the United Nations Security Council. He speaks frequently with national media and has been a trusted source for policymakers on issues of critical infrastructure security, including both the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board and the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory
Council. Prior to joining EEI, Scott was a senior adviser to Members of Congress serving the 12th Congressional District of California, including former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos. From 2001 to
2007, he served as an economic policy adviser to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.
Scott received a Bachelor's Degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder for his undergraduate studies, and a Master's Degree from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. He also has received continuing education in executive leadership from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He lives on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC with his
wife, two daughters, and a not-so-Great Dane.

Laurence Marzell

Laurence Marzell leads Whole System Approach, an operationally focused research and innovation practice he founded in 2022.

Drawing upon his practical experience of leading research and innovation projects for Serco’s UK & Europe division over the last decade, he has deep experience of the practical translation and exploitation of research and innovation outputs into day to day operational needs on the ground.

At Serco, Laurence led the participation in a number of EU Horizon 2020 projects in: Community policing; virtual and augmented reality training of crisis and first responders; the governance, integration and application of Earth Observation data with the wider information and intelligence mix; and resource and energy efficient renovation under the EU’s Green Deal.

Laurence speaks regularly at conferences and events and is a contributor into specialist and subject matter journals and books. He sits on the Centric External Advisory Board and is an Associate Partner of Intensive Engagement, a not-for-profit organisation building stronger and more resilient communities from the grass roots up, with communities, for public safety. Laurence was a contributor and advisory board member of an EU funded consortium of an International Security Management degree course now offered by Erasmus University, Rotterdam to in excess of 15,000 students worldwide.

Paul Williams

Paul Williams is a highly experienced Senior Technology & Operations Resilience Advisor, expert in defining operational resilience strategy that ensures alignment and underpins successful implementation. He currently operates as an Independent Contractor (via Phoenix Resilience Ltd) where he provides Board level strategy, training and advises on cyber and operational resilience, with particular focus on UK Financial Regulations.

Mr. Williams is an industry recognized thought leader in the development of operational resilience strategy. He has held a number of senior Operational Risk & Resilience positions including 8 years at the Bank of England where he established himself as a leading authority in cyber, technology, operational risk & resilience and 3rd party risk management.

Kevin Curtis

J. Kevin Curtis, P.E., Executive Vice President, Quanta Technology, a subsidiary of Quanta Services, a Fortune 300 company. Kevin has developed a broad knowledge of the energy industry through his extensive career. He worked over 36 years at Dominion Energy where he held leadership positions in a variety of areas in transmission, substation, and distribution. Most notably, these included planning, engineering, reliability, project development, construction, operations, maintenance, compliance and renewable energy interconnections. His most recent utility assignment at Dominion was VP – Electric Transmission where he was responsible for a multi-billion dollar business unit, overseeing all aspects of the transmission and substation functions for the company. He also has a thorough understanding of the RTO process having been an integral transmission owner in the PJM RTO.

Curtis received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina and Virginia.

Paul Stockton

Paul Stockton is the managing director of Sonecon LLC, an economic and security advisory firm in Washington, DC. Before joining Sonecon, he served as the assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs from May 2009 until January 2013. In that position, he was the secretary of defense’s principal civilian advisor on providing defense support to FEMA and DHS during Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and other disasters. Dr. Stockton also served as DOD’s domestic crisis manager and was responsible for Defense Critical Infrastructure Protection policies and programs. In addition, Dr. Stockton served as the executive director of the Council of Governors.

Prior to being confirmed as assistant secretary, Dr. Stockton served as a senior research scholar at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation and associate provost of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). Dr. Stockton was twice awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, DOD’s highest civilian award. DHS awarded Dr. Stockton its Distinguished Public Service Medal. Dr. Stockton holds a PhD from Harvard University and a BA from Dartmouth College. He is the lead co-author of “Curbing the Market for Cyberweapons” (Yale Law & Policy Review, 2013) and numerous other studies on cybersecurity issues. Dr. Stockton is senior fellow of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and serves on the boards of Analytic Services, Inc, Idaho National Laboratory, and the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security Studies at the George Washington University.

Stephen M. DeFrank

Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank was nominated by Governor Wolf on September 20, 2022, and confirmed by the Senate on October 19, 2022. He was appointed as Chairman on August 30, 2023, by Governor Josh Shapiro. His term expires on April 1, 2025.

Prior to joining the PaPUC, the Chairman was a principal in the government relations practice at Buchannan Ingersoll & Rooney. He also spent 24 years in state government, primarily in the state Senate, serving in several roles with Senate leadership, including Chief of Staff for two members, Special Assistant for Policy to the Democratic Leader, and Democratic Executive Director of the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee. As Committee Director, the Chairman developed policy initiatives impacting the utility sector, including the creation of the Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC), authorization of Transportation Network Companies, and modernizing the Public Utility Code relative to energy, water, wastewater and telecommunications.

Chairman DeFrank resides in Harrisburg with his family.

Wanda Reder

Wanda Reder is President and CEO of Grid-X Partners, LLC which she founded in 2018 as a woman-owned provider of strategic management consulting and engineering services for electric utility clients. Earlier she was the Chief Strategy Officer at S&C Electric Company and has held leadership positions at two major investor-owned utilities. Her pioneering work has led to smart grid deployments and wind, solar energy, and utility-scale battery storage integration into traditional utility systems. Inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2016 and an IEEE Fellow, Reder was recognized with the 2014 IEEE Richard M. Emerson Award for her leadership in the IEEE Smart Grid program and in the continued growth of IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES), including the creation of its Scholarship Fund program. Reder was the first woman president of PES memorialized by the endowed “IEEE PES Wanda Reder Pioneer in Power Award” created to promote excellency and diversity in the electric utility industry. Wanda is the recipient of the SDSU Distinguished Engineer Award and serves on the Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council. She is also the Chair of the US Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee, a Board Member for Technical Diagnostic Services, recently chaired the NAE PEER Election Committee for Section 6 and serves on the NAE Finance Committee.

Jason Regg

Experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the utilities industry. Skilled in Power Transmission, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Organizational Leadership, and Operating Budgets. Strong leader with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) focused in Environmental Biology from University of North Alabama.

Richard Mroz

Richard S. Mroz, Esq. has a long and distinguished career in law, government, business, and public service. His experiences are as a regulator, lawyer, lobbyist, banker, consultant and thought leader on issues including utility regulation, energy markets & technologies, cybersecurity, water & wastewater policy, and infrastructure development & financing in various industries. He is the Founding Member and Managing Director of Resolute Strategies and is Senior Director at Archer Public Affairs with offices in Trenton, NJ and Washington, DC. Mr. Mroz is also Senior Advisor to Protect Our Power, a national advocacy group for cybersecurity measures in the electric industry. Mr. Mroz is the immediate past President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) serving as chairman and chief administrative officer of the agency and functioned as the chief energy officer for New Jersey. He was appointed in September 2014 by Governor Christopher Christie to be President of the NJBPU from October 2014 until January 2018 and remained as a Commissioner until April 2018. Mr. Mroz has had various national and regional leadership positions in the energy and utility industries. He was Chairman of the Critical Infrastructure Committee for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). He led efforts for state regulators to analyze solutions for utility infrastructure security and resilience. He advanced efforts addressing cybersecurity, workforce development, and infrastructure improvements in the electric, gas, water and telecommunications industries.

Susan Rogers

Susan Rogers is the executive director of cyber resilience at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Americas division, where she is responsible for the Cyber Resilience program to deliver critical operations through cyber disruption.  Areas of resilience strengthening include cyber exercising, cyber (and incident) industry partnership, resilience threat modeling, resilience by design, holistic cloud governance, penetration & application security testing & remediation, management of insider risk program, and specialized playbook development.  She joined SMBC in April 2022.

For 7 years, at the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), Susan served as FS-ISAC government and cross-sector liaison for business resilience, critical infrastructure and 3rd-party planning, crisis response and recovery.  She represented financial sector trusted sharing in exercises such as: the U.S. Treasury Hamilton series, Financial Systemic Analysis and Resilience Center, FEMA National Level, DHS CISA Cyber Storm 2020.  She authored the U.S. Tri-Sector Crisis Response Playbook and the FS-ISAC Crisis Response Information Sharing Framework.

Susan has over 30 years’ experience working in the sector, including, 15 years leading technology and operation risk teams at Bank of America and GMAC.  Her crisis response experience includes leading business and technology response teams during September 11th, the 2003 Northeast Blackout, Super-storm Sandy, 2017 U.S. hurricanes and more recent critical infrastructure physical and cyber threat disruption events. 

Rogers holds an MBA from Holy Family University, a National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) certificate, from Harvard University, a Technology Management certificate from the University of Virginia and a B.S. in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Gwynedd Mercy College.  Susan currently chairs the Institute of International Banking (IIB) Info Security and Operational Resilience Committee and the FS-ISAC Cloud working group.  She participates in the Global Resilience Federation (GRF) Operational Resilience Framework development team. She has served as an Instructor for DRI International certification classes, a Board Chair and co-founder of the regional coalition, DFWfirst, and former board member of ACP NYC Metro chapter.  Susan participates in the Ponemon RIM Council, and she maintains business continuity certifications for DRII MBCP and BCI MBCI.

Ranger Dorn

Ranger Dorn is the Exercise Coordinator for the EIS Council and has helped with the development and delivery of EARTH EX as well as Black Sky Exercises since 2017. He is a founding member and Managing Partner with Utility Response Training Associates, LLC, providing training and exercises to utilities as well as private and public organizations throughout the US.Ranger served on Regional and National Incident Management Teams from 1997 to 2016, in the positions of Operations Section Chief, Deputy Incident Commander, and Incident Commander, responding to several incidents of national significance. Ranger is a Master Exercise Practitioner – MEP and has developed and delivered exercises from Tabletop to Full Scale nationwide, including evaluating a state response for a National Level Exercise. He has provided ICS training and course development to organizations throughout the US for FEMA, EMI, the National Sheriffs Association, the National Domestic Preparedness Coalition Inc, the US Coast Guard, several large electric, gas, and water utilities, as well as state and local government agencies.

Professor Stephen Flynn

Dr. Stephen Flynn is the Founding Director of the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University where he leads a major university-wide research initiative to inform and advance societal resilience in the face of growing human-made and naturally-occurring turbulence. At Northeastern, he is also Professor of Political Science with faculty affiliations in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs.

Dr. Flynn is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on critical infrastructure and supply chain security and resilience. He is co-author of the textbook, Critical Infrastructures Resilience: Policy and Engineering Principles (Routledge, 2018) and has led teams in conducting post-disaster infrastructure resilience assessments, initially with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and then from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2014, Flynn was appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to serve as a member of the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Council (HSSTAC). He also serves as chair of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Security Advisory Committee. Additionally, he holds research affiliations with the Wharton School’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He previously served as Founding Co-Director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University. Dr. Flynn is also the principal for Stephen E. Flynn Associates LLC, where he provides independent advisory services on improving critical infrastructure security and resilience.

Before joining the faculty at Northeastern University in 2011, Dr. Flynn served as President of the Center for National Policy. Prior to that he spent a decade as a senior fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Prior to September 11, 2001, Dr. Flynn served as an expert advisor to U.S. Commission on National Security (Hart-Rudman Commission), and following the 9/11 attacks he was the executive director of a blue-ribbon Council on Foreign Relations homeland security task force, again co-led by former Senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman. He served as the principal advisor to the bipartisan Congressional Port Security Caucus, advised the Bush Administration on maritime and homeland security issues, and after the November 2008 election of President Barack Obama, served as the lead policy advisor on homeland security as a part of the presidential transition team. From 2003-2010 he served as a member of the National Research Council’s Marine Board.

Dr. Flynn has presented expert congressional testimony before the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on 31 occasions. He has delivered keynote addresses at more than one hundred international and national conferences. Dr. Flynn is a frequent media commentator and has appeared on Meet the Press, 60 Minutes, The News Hour, The Today Show, the Charlie Rose Show, CNN and on National Public Radio. He has written two of the most widely-cited books on homeland security: The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (Random House, 2007) and America the Vulnerable (HarperCollins 2004). Five of his articles have been published in the prestigious journal, Foreign Affairs. Excerpts of his books have been featured in Time, as the cover story for U.S. News & World Report, and as the subject of two CNN documentaries.

A 1982 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Dr. Flynn served in the Coast Guard on active duty for 20 years, including two tours as commanding officer at sea. As a Coast Guard officer, he served in the White House Military Office during the George H.W. Bush administration and as a director for Global Issues on the National Security Council staff during the Clinton administration. He was a Guest Scholar in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution from 1991-92, and in 1993-94 he was an Annenberg Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. He received the M.A.L.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, in 1990 and 1991 and in 2009, he received an honorary doctorate of laws from Monmouth University.

Yosi Shneck

Consulting Boards and C-Level management in cyber, IT & OT systems, Critical Infrastructures, and electric utilities. Active in the Cyber entrepreneurship and business development unit at IEC, including R&D, cyber products and services development, support of the IEC's cyber unit, marketing, and deployment worldwide. Leading the R&D projects and activities in the European research programs for more than fifteen years, including the FP7 and Horizon 2020 programs. Energy and Security Coordinator at EIS Council, Special Advisor to Commugen.

More than 48 years of experience in computer systems & technologies in utilities, including information systems, scientific applications, supper computing & communication, control systems, infrastructures & architectures, and cyber. In addition to his duties as ITC leader, he was responsible for readying the Israel Electric corporation against cyber-attack threats, including IT/OT environments. Being accountable for the cyber activity of supercritical infrastructure, Mr. Shneck is involved in many nationwide and international initiatives in this field.

His previous functions in the IEC include SVP Information and Communications and Chief Cyber Officer; Head of Information Systems and Communication Division, CIO; Member of the selection committee for an investor in the new communication infrastructure company; Head of the National Communications and Electronics unit and Deputy of the Information Systems and Teleprocessing Division; Head of R&D computer department, Head of the Cyber entrepreneurship and business development. Head of Cybergym steering committee.

Mr. Shneck has an M.A. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Computer Sciences.

U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke

A Brooklyn native whose roots are firmly planted in her Jamaican heritage and in the neighborhood where she grew up and currently resides, the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, U.S.A., Representative Yvette D. Clarke was first elected to Congress in November 2006 and represents the 9th Congressional District of New York. Rep. Clarke is the Vice Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and is a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Through her leadership, Congress has enacted legislation and conducted oversight on a variety of critical issues, including cybersecurity, biodefense, pandemic influenza preparedness, nuclear detection, mitigating radiological attacks, agro-terrorism, homeland security research and development, and critical infrastructure protection, including most especially protection of the U.S. electric grid.

Importantly for EIS Council, she is the Democratic U.S. Congressional Co-Chair of the EIS Summit Series, beginning with the very first Summit in 2010.

Brig Gen (Ret) Michael J. "Apollo" Lovell

Colonel Michael J. "Apollo" Lovell is the Executive Director for Joint Base San Antonio's Electromagnetic Defense Initiative and Fifth-Generation (5G) Communications Experimentation Site. He leads a task force with over 70 organizations and 330 volunteers for the largest Joint Base in DoD consisting of 11 installations, 266 mission partners, and 80,000 employees to harden utilities from Electromagnetic Pulse effects and implement 5th Generation Cellular technologies. In addition, Colonel Lovell is dual-hatted as the Director of Intelligence, Texas Air National Guard.

DoD recently selected JBSA as one of the bases where it will conduct 5G communications technology experimentation and testing. DoD's efforts focus on large-scale experimentation and prototyping of dual-use (military and commercial) 5G technology that will provide high speeds, quicker response times and the ability to handle many more wireless devices than current wireless technology. JBSA's primary focus in 5G experimentation and testing will be Augmented Reality Support of Medical Training and Telemedicine along with 5G Core Security Experimentation.

Colonel Lovell received his commission, following nine years of distinguished enlisted service, through the Academy of Military Science in 1994. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Science in Executive Leadership from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Col Lovell serves on the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's Power Resilience Workgroup and DoD's Electromagnetic Pulse Executive Order Subgroup.

Thomas O’Brien

Thomas F. O’Brien is responsible for all activities related to PJM’s Information Technology Services Division and its enterprise information security. He sits on the board of PJM Connext, a subsidiary of PJM.

O’Brien is chair of the Eastern Interconnect Data Sharing Network. He also serves on the boards of Mary’s Shelter, the Utility Employees Credit Union and the Management Executive Council under the auspices of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC).

O’Brien is an energy professional with more than 30 years of broad experience in all aspects of the electricity industry. Previously, O’Brien was employed by GPU Energy and FirstEnergy Solutions, leading and participating in deregulation, energy trading and system operations activities.

O’Brien earned his Bachelor of Arts in mathematics with a concentration in computer science from Shippensburg University and a Master of Business Administration from LaSalle University. He completed a certificate program in advanced computer security through the Stanford Center for Professional Development.

Mike Bryson

Michael Bryson is responsible for PJM’s Operations Division, overseeing 24/7 transmission operations for real-time systems. This includes scheduling, transmission dispatch, generation dispatch, reliability coordination, training and all engineering analysis required to run the system and support the critical energy management systems.

Bryson serves on the board of PJM Technologies Inc. and PJM Repository Information Services Inc. He is also currently serving on the board of Women’s Outreach in Phoenixville, PA. Bryson was formerly on the board of directors of the ReliabilityFirst Corporation and the former chair of the board of Pope John Paul II High School. Bryson is a member of the ISO/RTO Operating Committee as well as past member of the Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions.

Bryson has nearly 10 years of military experience as a pilot. His responsibilities in the United States Army included operations planning and support, supervision and training of pilots and mechanics, and training and maintenance of tactical computer systems. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Combat Service in Desert Storm.

Bryson earned a Bachelor of Science in general engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, focusing on computer science and electrical engineering, and has a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Bryson also earned a graduate certificate in power engineering from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Gladys Brown- Dutrieuille

Practicing a fair and balanced approach to managing utility and consumer issues, Dutrieuille promoted the PUC’s work to educate consumers, enhance the safety and reliability of utility services, and explore innovations. Her efforts highlight the importance of bringing public utilities, including energy, water, communication and transportation, to underserved communities.

Prior to joining the PUC, Dutrieuille served as deputy chief counsel for the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic leader. In that role, Dutrieuille addressed numerous major utility issues, including deregulation bills for telecommunications, electricity and natural gas; Act 201 of 2004, which added Chapter 14 to the Public Utility Code and changed the handling of consumer terminations and reconnections; Act 129 of 2008, which addressed energy efficiency and procurement; and Act 11 of 2012, which expanded use of the distribution system improvement charge.

Before her work with the Senate, Dutrieuille served as assistant counsel for the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Pennsylvania Department of State. She also was a clerk for the late Judge Paul A. Simmons, U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania.

A leader in her industry, Dutrieuille is president of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners. Within the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), Dutrieuille is a member of the Board of Directors; Telecommunications and Critical Infrastructure committees; and Emergency Preparedness, Recovery and Resiliency Task Force. Recently, she was nominated to serve on NARUC’s joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission.

Within the PBA, Dutrieuille is a member of the Government Lawyers, Minority Bar and Statutory Law committees. In addition, she is a member of the Dauphin County Bar Association, James S. Bowman American Inns of Court, Keystone Bar Association, and Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Governance and Nominations committees.

Dutrieuille earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh.

John Organek

John Organek is a retired US Army Corps of Engineers Officer who has served a second career practicing enterprise, system and technical architecture for over 25 years in both the private and public sectors. During his two careers he has served in a wide variety of positions and assignments of increasing responsibility, with extensive experience in national-level systems.
John served in the US Army for over 23 years during which time he served in staff and command positions in the Republic of Korea and in the Republic of Vietnam, performing combat, construction and staff engineering duties.
In the private sector John has worked with The NASDAQ Stock Market, National Association of Securities Dealers, First Union Bank and The Federal Reserve, as well as with several startup companies. In the Government sector, John has been the Chief Architect for Army business systems and business architect for an ERP implementation at Department of Homeland Security. He also served as a consultant to the Riga Stock Exchange and to the Consolidated Financial Regulator in the Republic of Latvia, and conducted an evaluation of Communications-Based Train Control systems, for the Federal Transit Agency.
John received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Science in Hydrosystems Engineering, from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois.

Gary F Soto-Fernandez

Gary was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He holds Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Campus.
He has a Professional Certificate in Database and Open Systems Administration from the InterAmerican University - Metropolitan Campus.
Gary started working for the Puerto Rico Energy Power Authority (PREPA) in 1995 as a Generation Shift Engineer at the Energy Control Center (ECC).
He worked in multiple positions under generation and transmission operational areas, until 2017, when he was promoted as System Operations Manager. Worked at the ECC on all storms, hurricanes, and major events since 1996, including the lead for the System Operations team on the restoration process during the Aguirre Plant event (September 2016), and Hurricane Irma and María (September 1997).
On June 2020, PREPA and P3A (PR Public-Private Partnership Authority) signed an O&M Agreement and LUMA Energy (Consortium between ATCO and Quanta Technology) became PR's T&D Operator as of June 1, 2021.
On June 2021, and the LUMA Energy family as Project Director for the System Operations Team and focus on two major projects: a new EMS and two new Control Center buildings.
As of February 27, 2023, He was promoted to System Operations' Energy Management & Transmission Operation Center Director.
Oversee the balancing of the supply and demand of the Puerto Rico Electric System in an economical way.
Gary is managing the real time operations of the Transmission Control Center by ensuring all operational parameters are monitored and controlled adequately to ensure the electric system remains stable and secured.

Thomas J. (Tom) Galloway

Thomas J. Galloway, Sr. serves as the president, CEO, and a board member director for the North American Transmission Forum (NATF). As CEO, Mr. Galloway formulates strategy, leads staff, and facilitates member activities to advance NATF’s mission: to promote excellence
in the reliable, secure, resilient, and safe operation of the electric transmission system. Under Mr. Galloway’s
direction, NATF operates rigorous programs used to confidentially share information on system challenges and associated superior practices to promote continuous
improvement. Program areas include peer reviews, assistance, training, practices, initiatives, operating experience, surveys, metrics, and RESTORE. Mr. Galloway
has promoted NATF’s increasing leadership role on key industry topics including supply chain cyber security, accurate facility ratings, risk-informed approaches to reliability and compliance, and methods to quantify and improve system resilience.
Mr. Galloway began his professional career in 1981 with Northeast Utilities, holding a variety of engineering and managerial roles of progressive responsibility. Mr. Galloway continued his career with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) for the next 10 years, gaining valuable experience and skills related to human performance, organizational effectiveness, operational excellence, and performance improvement. Mr. Galloway subsequently served as SERC Reliability Corporation’s vice president and director of compliance. In this role, Mr. Galloway was responsible for implementation of the NERC Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program (CMEP) within the SERC region. Immediately prior to joining NATF, Mr. Galloway was NERC’s chief reliability officer and the senior vice president for the Reliability Performance organization. During Mr. Galloway’s 12 years as NATF’s CEO, the membership has grown significantly and has made increasingly positive impacts on transmission reliability, security, resilience, and safety.
Mr. Galloway continues to be driven by his passion for electrical system reliability and the recognition of the critical role electricity plays in everyday life.

Adam Ingram

Adam Ingram is the Business Continuity Manager at Duquesne Light Company- overseeing business continuity, emergency management, and incident management. As well, Adam Chairs the Electric Sector Subcommittee of the Pennsylvania Black Sky Steering Committee hosted by the PA PUC and Governor's Office of Homeland Security. He holds a Master of Science in Disaster Medicine, is a Certified Emergency Manager, and remains an active member of FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue team, Ohio Task Force 1.

Budge Currier, ENP

Since 2011 Budge has served with the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). In his current role, Budge is responsible for the statewide public safety radio systems and microwave network that
supports state agencies, the 9-1-1 system that supports 438 Public Safety Answering Points with over 27 million 9-1-1 calls per year, the 9-8-8 system, and the Emergency Communications Division. Budge also
serves as the California Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC).
Budge has over 30 years of communication’s experience and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from University of Michigan and a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.  Budge is a member of NENA, APCO, and NCSWIC.
Budge also serves as the Past President of the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA).

James B. Robb

James B. Robb assumed the role of NERC’s president and chief executive officer
in April 2018. Robb oversees NERC’s mission of assuring the reliability and security of the North American bulk power system. As president and CEO, Robb leads the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) responsible for key programs affecting approximately 1,400 bulk power system users, owners, and operators, including those programs focused on development of mandatory
NERC Reliability Standards, the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program, situational awareness, event and risk analysis, reliability assessments and forecasting, and cyber and physical security. He is also responsible for the performance of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) and key government partnerships. As CEO, he is the chair of the ERO Enterprise Executive Committee, which oversees the operations of the six Regional Entities that support the reliability mission across North America. Robb joined the ERO Enterprise in 2013 when he was appointed the president and CEO of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), the Regional Entity serving the Western Interconnection. Robb has more than 35 years of experience in the energy sector as an engineer, a consultant, and a senior executive. Prior to becoming WECC’s CEO, he held three major leadership roles in the industry as Senior Vice President at Northeast Utilities (now Eversource Energy); Senior Vice President at Reliant Energy (now part of NRG Energy); and as a Partner at McKinsey & Company. During his 15-year career at McKinsey, he worked closely with prominent electric power companies in California, western Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountain states and served clients in Western Europe, South America, and New Zealand. He has been a frequent speaker at industry events on the evolution of the electric power system, cyber security, integration of variable generation, and the increasing interdependency of electric and natural gas reliability. Robb is a member of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) and serves on the United States Energy Association Board as well as a NERC trustee. In 2020 he was appointed Chair of the Group of Experts on Cleaner Energy Systems for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. He has served on the boards of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, the Houston Symphony, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and as a policy advisor to the Bay Area Economic Forum in San Francisco.
Robb earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in Indiana and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Steven Naumann

Mr. Naumann is a retired utility executive and part-time consultant. Until his retirement at the end of February 2019, Mr. Naumann served as Vice President, Transmission and NERC Policy for Exelon. In that role, he provided advice and guidance to the electric delivery utilities owned by Exelon on regulatory issues relating to transmission system planning, design, operation, reliability
and resiliency, as well as rates, terms, and conditions of service that are subject to federal regulation or that concern boundaries and classifications of assets, services, and authority between the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state regulators.
Mr. Naumann received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electric Power Engineering and a Master of Engineering degree in Electric Power Engineering, both from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, as well as a
Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He licensed in Illinois both as a Professional Engineer and as an attorney.

Celeste Fay

Celeste Fay is a Principal at Thorndike Energy, an independent producer of hydroelectric power in Massachusetts. She is part of a team developing the EV Anytime Program, a distributed network of resilient hydropower based EV charging systems with the capacity to microgrid in a utility outage. In addition to engineering support, efforts include work with various political and government entities supporting the project. In 2020 the Thorndike Team worked with the State of MA to complete a six part microgrid study using our black start capable hydroelectric to support critical services in the local area.

In addition to her work at Thorndike, Ms. Fay is responsible for varying aspects of more than 20 hydroelectric projects. She previously was an engineering manager at the Alden Research Laboratory evaluating new technologies and completing hydraulic analysis. She is the Co-Chair of the CT Small Power Producers Association and holds a degree in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Manu Asthana

Manu oversees the largest power grid in North America and one of the largest electricity markets in the world. He has extensive leadership experience across the electricity industry, including grid management, power generation, competitive retail electricity, electricity and natural gas trading, and risk management.

In 2022 President Biden appointed Manu to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. Additionally, Manu serves as a member of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, and as a board member at Texas Children’s Hospital and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

Lauren Wisniewski

As CISA’s Water and Wastewater Sector Liaison, Ms. Wisniewski is the nexus for CISA’s Water and Wastewater Sector efforts. She partners with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Sector Risk Management Agency, as well as private and public stakeholders in the Water and Wastewater Sector. In addition to supporting water efforts across CISA, Ms. Wisniewski, as CISA’s representative on the Water Government Coordinating Council, works with EPA and other government partners, as well as the Water Sector Coordinating Council to address sector priorities and increase the resilience of our nation’s critical water infrastructure.
Prior to joining CISA, Ms. Wisniewski served as an environmental engineer in the EPA Office of Water for over 20 years. For most of her EPA career, she worked on a variety of efforts to increase the resilience of the water sector and address key water sector interdependencies. She led over 40 locally customized workshops and exercises across the country for drinking water and wastewater utilities on resilience, infrastructure protection, and coordination with other critical infrastructure sectors including energy, emergency services, and food and agriculture. She developed numerous EPA publications, including EPA’s Power Resilience Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities. She also staffed the Water Desk in EPA’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC) during several activations and served as a Watch Officer in the EOC. During her tenure at EPA, Ms. Wisniewski received two EPA Gold Medal Awards for Exceptional Service and two EPA Bronze Medal Awards for Commendable Service.
Ms. Wisniewski has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, summa cum laude, in Civil Engineering from Duke University and served as the Engineering Student Government President her senior year. Additionally, she has her Master of Public Health degree from the George Washington University.

Kyle Hannah

Naomi Etzion

Naomi Etzion works in the Planning and Development division at NOGA - the Israeli Independent System Operator company.
She worked at Israel Electric Corporation for more than 30 years, until NOGA was established by the Israeli government at 2020.
Her fields of expertise are power system dynamics and transient phenomena studies, power system survivability, increasing power system efficiency under system development constrains. In this role she also analyzes system resilience after multiple component outages that can cause extensive regional blackouts, using advanced computational methods.
Naomi Etzion is involved in preparing the Israeli system to massive absorption of renewable energy projects. In this context, she is in charge of the dynamic studies regarding the influence of connecting new generation units, and defines the requirements that will ensure the continuity and survivability of the future electric supply.
By leading the resilience team in the planning division she is responsible for planning the electric system such it will withstand diverse events that can widely affect it.
Naomi Etzion holds B.Sc. Degree and M.Sc. Degree in Electrical Engineering, both from the Technion, Haifa, Israel.

Darlene (Tolbert) Phillips

Prior to joining PJM, Phillips was a member of the senior leadership team in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. External Affairs division focusing on supporting engagement efforts with the regions’ regulatory and stakeholder community. Leading the Issues Management, Corporate Communications and External Training Departments, Phillips was responsible for synthesizing MISO’s complex business functions and strategies for decision makers, driving media and other outreach strategies and leading external education efforts. During her 11 year MISO career, Phillips also held leadership roles in the Market Operations, Information Technology and Business Services divisions.
Prior to joining MISO, Phillips spent time as a member of the management teams for both Arthur Andersen and BearingPoint, overseeing numerous projects in both organizations’ National Energy Practice Groups. There she worked on key projects for MISO start-up activities: New York Independent System Operator, ERCOT and many energy related projects.
Phillips began her career in the energy industry as a control room engineer for Michigan Electric Power Coordination Center in Ann Arbor.
Phillips is on the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee where she serves as the Vice-Chair of the Smart Grid Subcommittee. She is President of the Chester County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and a member of the Phi Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Phillips holds a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis (cum laude); a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Phillips is a licensed attorney in the state of Indiana and is a member of the Indiana State and Energy Bar Associations.In her current role, Phillips is responsible for assuring that the reliability systems that the control room uses to manage the grid in a 13 state region and the District of Columbia, remain secure and running at all times for 24x7 operation. This includes monitoring industry federal and state policy changes, such as electrification and green energy goals, and assuring that the energy management systems of the future are equipped to reliably handle the shifting set of diverse energy resources.
Phillips previously served as senior director, Strategic Policy & External Affairs, leading State Government Policy regulatory and legislative efforts and driving strategic communication efforts on key industry matters.

Kenneth S. Seiler

Kenneth S. Seiler leads PJM’s System Planning Division. Seiler is responsible for all activities related to resource adequacy, generation interconnection, interregional planning and transmission planning, including the development of the Regional Transmission Expansion Plan.

Previously, Seiler was the executive director of System Operations and was responsible for the reliable operation and coordination of the bulk power system, including PJM’s real-time dispatch operations and near-term reliability studies.

Seiler is on the board of directors for ReliabilityFirst, which is one of the eight Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-designated regional entities responsible for ensuring the reliability of the North American bulk power system. He is also on the board of PJM Environmental Information Services Inc. In addition, Seiler is an instructor for the Mayfly Project, which is a national organization that uses fly fishing as a catalyst to mentor and support children in foster care and introduce them to their local water ecosystems.

Prior to joining PJM, Seiler worked for Metropolitan Edison Company/GPU Energy for nearly 14 years in various operations and engineering roles. Seiler earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration from Lebanon Valley College.

Davison Scott

High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP/HAEMP) Design, shielding and assessment:
• Power Grid/Substation Hardening
• Military Command and Control Facilities
• Critical Infrastructure/Civil Infrastructure Hardening
• Industrial Infrastructure Hardening
• HEMP hardened Electrical and Backup Power Generation
• HEMP-hardened Generator/Battery/Inverter Systems
• HEMP-hardened Mechanical/Filtration Systems
• HEMP-hardened underground bunker facilities
• Shield Effectiveness Testing

Hospital and Medical Research EMI/EMF Engineering, Shielding, and Assessment Services
Davidson is and has been the EMI Engineer-of-Record for dozens of projects in this domain

EMI/RFI for Nanotechnology/Semiconductor/Research Facilities:
The Next-Generation of Nanotechnology, Semiconductor/Research facilities require new electromagnetic field abatement approaches and mitigation standards to ensure the full-capability of Next-Gen tools is assured.

Radio-Frequency Assessment and Safety Services (RFI/EMI):
Davidson brings vast experience working on this issue, and has been the engineer of record for RFI/EMI for high-profile projects (GSA Rooftop RF Safety Assessments, World Trade Center). Davidson has developed Assessment tools and 3-D modeling to provide state-of-the-art in compliance and RF engineering and RF exposure

Technical Project Management
Davidson is also an experienced project manager. A successful PM knows that project management goes beyond a detailed Gantt Chart – rather it requires a fully-resourced, costed, and accountable process that is constantly updated. With highly technical elements of projects that involve electromagnetic or other abstract physical elements, it is easy for architects and facility designers and planners to lose control over key parts of a project. Davidson can assist in these situations and bring PM plans back into control.

Avner Hilu

Avner Hilu is an experienced project manager with a proven track record of implementing Agile frameworks and leading cross-functional teams.
With a background in IT operations, security, and compliance, Avner brings a strong skill set to his role as a Scrum Master and Product Owner.
He is known for his commitment to delivering high-quality projects on time and within budget.