Senior Ressearch Engineer, MIT Energy Initiative

Howard J. Herzog is a Senior Research Engineer in the MIT Energy Initiative. He received his undergraduate and graduate education in Chemical Engineering at MIT. He has industrial experience with Eastman Kodak (1972-1974), Stone & Webster (1975-1978), Aspen Technology (1981-1986), and Spectra Physics (1986-1988). Since 1989, he has been on the MIT research staff, where he works on sponsored research involving energy and the environment, with an emphasis on greenhouse gas mitigation technologies. He was a Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (released September, 2005), a co-author on the MIT Future of Coal Study (released March 2007), and a US delegate to the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum's Technical Group (June 2003-September 2007). He was awarded the 2010 Greenman Award by the IEAGHG "in recognition of contributions made to the development of greenhouse gas control technologies".

Professor Energy Engineering, Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University

Sally M. Benson joined Stanford University in 2007. She holds three appointments at Stanford: director of the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP), a pioneering university-industry partnership to develop innovative, low-carbon energy supplies to meet global energy needs; professor of energy resources engineering in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences; and co-director of the Precourt Institute for Energy. An internationally recognized scientist with extensive management experience, Professor Benson is responsible for fostering cross-campus collaborations on energy through the Precourt Institute and guiding the growth and development of GCEP's diverse research portfolio.

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Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas-Austin

Gary leads the Texas Carbon Management Program group focusing on carbon capture from coal and natural gas power plant flue gas to help mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The program's primary focus is to investigate post-combustion amine scrubbing, which is a flexible, tail-end technology that can be retrofitted onto existing power plants or be included as part of a greenfield installation.

Co-Founder and CEO OPUS 12

OPUS 12 is developing revolutionary technology that transforms CO2 emissions into cost-competitive liquid fuels and chemicals, using only water and clean electricity as inputs. The technology can bolt onto any existing source of industrial CO2 emissions, from petroleum refineries to fossil fuel power plants. The products generated have a lower carbon footprint than conventional fuels and chemicals, but can be produced at similar cost.  OPUS 12 - transforming CO2 from a liability into an opportunity.

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Former President and CEO, Duke Energy, author of "Lighting the World."

Jim's distinguished career includes positions as  Executive Vice President of Interstate Pipelines for the Enron Gas Pipeline Group and President, Chairman and CEO of PSI Energy. Jim merged PSI with Cincinnati Gas and Electric to become Cinergy, where he served as President and CEO. In 2006 he oversaw the merger of Cinergy and Duke Energy, and became the combined company’s president and CEO. In 2012 Jim merged Duke Energy with Progress Energy to make the largest utility in the United States, and served as President, CEO, and Chairman until his retirement in 2013.

Jim began his career in energy as an Assistant Attorney General of Kentucky, working as a consumer advocate to challenge the rate increases of utility companies, followed by a move to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

U.S. Department of Energy

David Mohler is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Clean Coal and Carbon Management within the Office of Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.  In this capacity, he is responsible for the DOE’s R&D program in advanced fossil energy systems, large demonstration projects, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and clean coal technology deployment. Previously, Mr. Mohler served as senior vice president and chief technology officer for Duke Energy where he was responsible for the development and application of technologies in support of Duke Energy’s strategic objectives.  He also served as vice president of strategic planning for Duke Energy. Prior to the merger between Duke Energy and Cinergy, he served in the same role for Cinergy. Mr. Mohler has operational experience in both nuclear and fossil power generation, as well as experience in corporate marketing, human resources and business development.  

Executive Direcctor, Center for Carbon Removal

Noah founded the Center for Carbon Removal in 2015. Prior to the Center, Noah worked as a management consultant on clean energy and corporate sustainability projects for large companies across North America. Noah received his M.B.A from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.

CEO & Co-Founder, Mosaic Materials

Thomas M. McDonald is the Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder of Mosaic Materials, a Berkeley, California based materials startup. He received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley under the guidance of Prof. Jeffry R. Long and his B.A. in chemistry from Northwestern University. Dr. McDonald is an expert in the design, synthesis, and use of amine-functionalized solid adsorbents and metal-organic frameworks for gas separations.

Center for Innovative Technology

Marco is responsible for sourcing, diligence and closing of seed and early stage investments on behalf of the CIT and serves as a board representative to a numerous portfolio companies. He divides his responsibilities between the GAP Tech Fund and the Commonwealth Energy Fund which he manages for the CIT. He also leads Exoventure Associates, LLC which is primarily engaged in emerging market activity. Marco mentors entrepreneurs and serves as an expert judge in global business plan competitions sponsored in part by the World Bank and/or State Department. Throughout his career, Rubin has invested in over 60 early-stage technology companies throughout his career and has held leadership roles with funds recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Annual VC100list since 2002. 

Senior Development Manager, Apex Clean Energy

Since 2003, Don has actively facilitated collaboration between wind developers, utilities, scientists, environmentalists, permitting agencies, landowners, planners, and local government officials.  His experience in the wind energy field includes employment in the academic, non-profit, and for-profit development arenas, including a faculty appointment as the Director of the Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative at James Madison University (JMU).  

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As Business Development Manager with Chicago based Invenergy, Don focused on developing utility scale wind assets in the Mid-Atlantic region. With Richmond based Timmons Group, Mr. Giecek performed siting, fatal flaw analyses, and due diligence studies on multiple offshore wind turbine sites for Virginia’s Advanced Technology Demonstration Project (VADTP), a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and overseen by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy.     

Senior Engineer, National Energy Technology Lab

Tom is an engineer, thinker, and leader who works on issues related to energy.  His work and career are rooted in a philosophy that we must constantly seek to improve how we develop and use energy, pursuing both incremental and transformational solutions in order "move the ball forward." 

He has worked at or supported the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in various roles since 2003. While his work at NETL is primarily focused on the responsible use and development of fossil energy, his broad interest in how we as a nation use energy has resulted in an in-depth knowledge of energy usage in the United States and abroad. 

Managing Director, KPMG Richmond

Henry is a Managing Director in the Richmond VA, office of KPMG Corporate Finance. He specializes in providing financial advisory and M&A service offerings relating to mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising for energy and industrial companies. Prior to joining KPMG, Henry was a Senior Managing Director with Ewing Bemiss & Co. where he was instrumental in building the firm's energy investment banking effort, a market-leading advisory practice focused on developers of renewable and distributed energy projects, and providers of products and services to the oil and gas sector. Henry was also active in the Ewing Bemiss’ principal investing activities. Prior to Henry’s investment banking career, he was a supervising senior tax consultant in the financial services area with KPMG Peat Marwick LLP in Richmond, Virginia

Interim Director of EPIC, Professor

David Young is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of NC at Charlotte.   For four years he served as the associate director of the EPIC (Energy) Center, the director of EPIC’s Energy Infrastructure Research Cluster, and director of the EPIC Hi-Bay Laboratory. Currently, he serves as the Interim Director of EPIC.  During 31 years at UNC Charlotte, he has held various leadership positions including chairman of the CEE Department, Director of the INES PhD Program, and Director of the IDEAS Sustainability Center. His research and teaching focus on energy infrastructure and failure analysis, and most of his research has been industry-sponsored.  He has published over 100 articles and reports on his work, and he has presented his work at conferences around the world.   

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GE Plastics Material Engineering Professor - Chemical Engineering West Virginia University

Dr. Brian J. Anderson is the GE Plastics Materials Engineering Professor in chemical engineering at West Virginia University and Director of the WVU Energy Institute. A native of Ripley, West Virginia, Dr. Anderson is widely regarded as among the top energy research professionals in the country. He is frequently lauded for his focus on and contributions to richer and cleaner sources of energy, energy security, scientific leadership and research excellence. In 2012, he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the US Government on emerging scientists and engineers. He was also recently featured on the “Inspiring West Virginians” radio series by West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Director, New Technology Development & Policy Support

Matt has more than eighteen years of experience at AEP in power plant equipment engineering and design.  Specific areas of focus have included air quality control systems (AQCS), carbon capture & storage (CCS), and strategic business planning.  In his current role as Director of New Technology Development & Policy Support, Matt leads a multi-disciplined team responsible for R&D and strategic planning around new technologies to enhance AEP’s diverse generating portfolio.  Matt and his team provide technical guidance to both internal and external stakeholder groups to support and assist in shaping government and regulatory policies that impact AEP and the industry.  Matt received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1998, and holds a Masters in Business Administration from Otterbein University.  Matt is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Ohio.

Director of Industry and Innovation, FREEDM Systems Center, NCSU

As Director of Industry and Innovation, Ken’s role is to connect corporate research needs to Center capabilities and expertise. He is responsible for marketing activities and moving FREEDM inventions to commercialization. Ken joined the FREEDM staff in April 2015. He previously worked in industrial energy efficiency and environmental consulting. Ken contributes to work on the Cost Benefit Analysis project and also supports the FREEDM Industry Advisory Board.

Director of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy

John Warren was appointed Director of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy in August 2015 by Governor Terry McAuliffe. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Warren’s career began in industrial construction. But, his mechanical engineering background took him to Henrico County where he served in facilities management and was tasked with reducing the energy footprint of the county buildings. He also served as DMME’s Director of Energy from 2000-2007. 

President, Virginia Coal & Energy Alliance

A former Chief of the Division of Mines within the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals & Energy, Childress most recently served as Director of Government and External Affairs for Alpha Natural Resources in Kentucky.  He has more than 40 years of coal mining experience, including 25 years in mine management.

Holland & Knight

Stephen Robert Bolotin is a public affairs advisor in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Bolotin provides assistance in public policy tasks with respect to federal and state grant, loan guarantee, procurement and partnership opportunities for renewable energy and energy efficiency technology companies.

Mr. Bolotin also has significant experience in the research and coordination of energy policies and government initiatives. His broad knowledge of public policy matters extends to drafting proposals, client alerts and policy papers; conducting market trend analysis and market forecasts; building relationships between industry and government; and frequent participation in industry conferences and client strategy sessions.