Last Updated (Thursday, 13 October 2011 10:40)

Stay Tuned...we'll be announcing 2012 speakers as they come on board.

 

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2011 Keynote Speakers:  Michael Bromwich, Jon Wellinghoff, William Tayler

Jon Wellinghoff

Chairman of the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC)

Jon Wellinghoff was named Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the agency that oversees wholesale electric transactions and interstate electric transmission and gas transportation in the United States, by President Barack Obama on March 19, 2009. A member of the Commission since 2006, the U.S. Senate reconfirmed him to a full, five-year FERC term in December 2007.

Chairman Wellinghoff is an energy law specialist with more than 34 years experience in the field. Before joining FERC, he was in private practice focusing exclusively on client matters related to renewable energy, energy efficiency and distributed generation. While in the private sector, Chairman Wellinghoff represented an array of clients from federal agencies, renewable developers, and large consumers of power to energy efficient product manufacturers and clean energy advocacy organizations.

Chairman Wellinghoff was the primary author of the Nevada Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Act. The Nevada RPS is one of the two states to receive an "A" rating by the Union of Concerned Scientists. In addition, he worked with clients to develop renewable portfolio standards in six other states. The Chairman is considered an expert on the state renewable portfolio process and has lectured extensively on the subject in numerous forums including the Vermont Law School.

His experience also includes two terms as the State of Nevada's first Consumer Advocate for Customers of Public Utilities. While serving in that role, Chairman Wellinghoff represented Nevada's utility consumers before the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, the FERC, and in appeals before the Nevada Supreme Court. While Consumer Advocate, he authored the first comprehensive state utility integrated planning statute. That statute has become a model for utility integrated planning processes across the country.

Chairman Wellinghoff's priorities at FERC include opening wholesale electric markets to renewable resources, providing a platform for participation of demand response and other distributed resources in wholesale electric markets including energy efficiency and local storage systems such as those in plug-in hybrid and all electric vehicles (PHEVs and EVs), and promoting greater efficiency in our nation's energy infrastructure through the institution of advanced technologies and system integration. As Chairman he created FERC's Office of Energy Policy and Innovation (OEPI), which is responsible for investigating and promoting new efficient technologies and practices in the energy sectors under FERC's jurisdiction. Chairman Wellinghoff is co-chair of the Smart Response Collaborative launched jointly by FERC and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and is a member of NARUC's Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Institute for Electric Efficiency and served as an advisor to the Defense Science Board's Energy Policy Task Force. He is also the Co-Chair of the Executive Leadership Team of the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI) Green Transmission Efficiency Initiative. Chairman Wellinghoff also advises the Energy Foundation and the NRDC on China-U.S. energy policy matters. He was designated by the Obama Administration to be a Principal in the Joint U.S./China Strategic and Economic Dialog and recently returned from China where he participated in diplomatic discussions with China's energy leaders including China's Energy Minister, Zhang Guobao.

Michael Bromwich

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

Michael Bromwich, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement will address the Fourth Annual Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference to be held at the Almas Temple in Washington, DC April 28 & 29, 2011. Mr. Bromwich will provide a Keynote speech during the morning session on April 28.

On June 21, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar swore-in former Justice Department Inspector General Michael R. Bromwich as Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement to lead reforms that will strengthen oversight and regulation of offshore oil and gas development. Mr. Bromwich is overseeing the fundamental restructuring of the former Minerals Management Service, which was responsible for overseeing oil and gas development on the Outer Continental Shelf. Mr. Bromwich was previously a litigation partner in the Washington, DC and New York offices of Fried Frank, where he headed the firm’s Internal Investigations, Compliance and Monitoring practice group. From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Bromwich served as Inspector General for the Department of Justice. As Inspector General, he headed the law enforcement agency principally responsible for conducting criminal and administrative investigations into allegations of corruption and misconduct involving the 120,000 employees of the Department of Justice. He was also responsible for conducting independent audits of the Department's programs and operations.

 

William F. Tayler, P.E. CEM

Director for Shore Energy, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy (Energy)

Mr. Tayler is the Director for Shore Energy in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy (Energy). Prior to this he was the Director for Energy Development at Naval Facilities Engineering Command.   He develops energy policy and manages the execution of the Secretary of the Navy’s Shore Energy program.  He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, American Public Works Association and the Association of Energy Engineers.  He is recipient of the 2000 Federal Energy and Water Management Award, and the 2003 Presidential Award for Outstanding Leadership in Federal Energy Management.  The Department of Navy’s Shore Energy Program also received under his leadership the Alliance to Save Energy “Star of Energy Efficiency Award” for 2003 and the Platt’s Global Energy Award for Leadership in 2004 and the Platt’s Global Energy Award for “Green Initiative” in 2009.

Mr. Tayler directs programs that are enabling Navy and Marine Corps installations to exceed the federal goal of reducing energy consumption (MBTU/KSF) by 3%/year.  He also leads the Department’s efforts in complying with the goal of providing 50% of the energy consumed by 2025 from renewable resources.  The Department currently has in place or is working on some of the federal government’s largest geothermal, solar and ocean power projects, including the 270 MW geothermal plant at NAWS China Lake.  Mr. Tayler is a member of the Federal Interagency Energy Management Task Force, The Department of Defense Energy Security Task Force and was an advisor to the Department of Defense’s Defense Science Board.

 

Paul O'Brien




Educated at St Gerard's School and the University of
Strathclyde, both in Glasgow. After leaving university were he studied
Chemistry and Physics he entered a 30 year career in management covering a
number of diverse industry sectors including the Chemical, Manufacturing,
Retail, Automobile and ICT industries.

On joining government economic development agency, Highlands
and Islands Enterprise, in 1999 he was involved in the early work in e-commerce
solutions for companies and communities in rural Scotland. This led to his
involvement in the Scottish Government's Broadband Taskforce and the devising
of strategies for the role out of high speed broadband networks, including
wireless systems, across the highlands and islands of Scotland.
Before being seconded to Scottish Development International
(SDI), five and half years ago, he was also involved in the development of the
renewable energy industry in Scotland at a local level. The area in which he
worked included some of the first wind farms in Scotland and was home to the
first grid connected wave machine in the world.
Since joining SDI, Paul has been involved in promoting
Scottish renewable energy companies overseas in the US, Canada, China, Japan
and Europe. His role also entails dealing with prospective inward investment
companies in the renewables field interested in making Scotland a base for UK
and European activities.
Paul is a member of the Offshore Wind Industry Group for the
Scottish Government's advisory body, Forum for Renewable Energy Development in
Scotland (FREDS) and has also served on their Marine Energy Group and is
currently a member of their Renewable Heat Group. Paul is also a Board member
for the Scottish Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association (SHFCA) and sits on the
Biofuels for Business Programme Advisory Board in Scotland. 
His work has involved all aspects of alternative energy and
includes the wind, wave, tidal, biomass, bio-fuel, solar, geothermal, the
hydrogen and fuel cell sectors as well as waste to energy and carbon capture and
storage systems.

John Huckerby

Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency's Ocean Energy Systems

Dr. John Huckerby is the current Chairman of the Executive of the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems Implementing Agreement (OES-IA). He is NZ’s representative to the International Electrotechnical Commission’s Technical Committee 114 (TC114) and Leader of Working Group 1, which is establishing standards for wave and tidal energy resource characterization and assessment. He is also a Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) “Special Report on Renewable Energy Resources and Climate Change Mitigation”. Formerly he was a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand’s President’s Panel for Energy. In New Zealand he is the founder and current Executive Officer of the Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association (AWATEA), a marine energy industry association formed in April 2006. He is also the director of Power Projects Limited, an energy industry consultancy. Since 2004, Power Projects has been involved in the Wave Energy Technology – New Zealand (WET-NZ) R & D programme, which is developing a point-absorber wave energy converter. John has a Ph.D. from Imperial College in London and an MBA from Henley Management College. He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Energy Institute, the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

Martin McAdam

Chief Executive Officer, Aquamarine Power

Martin McAdam joined Aquamarine Power as Chief Executive Officer in August 2008, bringing with him nearly ten years experience in the renewables industry. Martin joined Aquamarine Power from major renewable energy developer Airtricity. Martin was the founder and CEO of Airtricity's North American operations and managed the sale of the company to E.On for £0.75bn in 2007. A highly experienced business leader, Martin completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School in 2004 and holds a BE (Hons.) in Chemical Engineering from University College Dublin. Martin is a Chartered Engineer, a member of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce. Martin also sits on the council of CBI Scotland.

Louis A. Vega, Ph.D.

USDOE National Marine Renewable Energy Center at the University of Hawaii, Manager

Luis Vega is currently the manager of the USDOE National Marine Renewable Energy Center at the University of Hawaii. He holds degrees in Applied Mathematics, Aerospace Engineering and Applied Ocean Sciences from the US Naval Academy, CALTECH and the University of California. His professional experience ranges from analytical studies to laboratory scale and model basin tests as well as at-sea tests of marine renewable energy equipment. He lead the team that designed and tested an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) experimental plant demonstrating 24/7 production of electricity and desalinated-water and obtaining operational data required for estimating realistic costs of production. He has also worked in electrification of remote villages in South Pacific Island Nations utilizing solar and wind resources and establishing a Rural Energy Service Company in the nation of Fiji.

Doug Heatwole

Principal Environmental Scientist, Ecology and Environment, Inc.

Doug Heatwole has 30 years’ experience in marine research and environmental impact assessment. At E & E, he is the manager of the company’s Gulf Coast Region and helps energy clients to create viable strategies for planning, permitting, and constructing coastal and offshore energy projects. He is a NEPA expert with more than 20 years experience preparing environmental impact statements and environmental assessments. His expertise includes regulatory strategy development, stakeholder engagement, environmental planning, siting, and permitting of marine hydrokinetic facilities, offshore wind farms, subsea electrical transmission lines, LNG terminals, natural gas pipelines, deep-water ports, and offshore oil and gas exploration and production facilities. Prior to E & E, he worked for the State of Florida and Mote Marine Laboratory conducting marine research, assessment, and monitoring. He has a B.S. in biology from Penn State University and a M.S. in marine science from University of South Carolina.

Scott M. Lindsay

SML Constulting, President and CEO

Scott M. Lindsay founded SML Consulting (SMLC) in 2003 to help clients make innovation a reality by providing government relations and strategic marketing guidance in the areas of energy and technology. Scott brings over fifteen years of experience working on congressional campaigns, grass-roots initiatives, and on a range of federal, state, county and local issues. Over the years, he has provided government relations' support for several trade associations, including:

• The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC);
• The Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA);
• The Rural Broadband Coalition (RBC); and
• Various other regional and statewide trade associations.

He regularly contributes to industry publications, speaks at industry events, provides legislative advocacy training, and promotes his clients' interests. Scott is a Washington State native and graduated from the University of Portland before moving to Washington, D.C. He now resides in Vancouver, Wash.

Craig Collar

Senior Manager for Energy Resource Development at Snohomish County Public Utility District

Craig Collar is the Senior Manager for Energy Resource Development at Snohomish County Public Utility District. In this role Craig leads many of the District’s renewable energy efforts including Snohomish PUD’s Admiralty Inlet Tidal Energy Demonstration Project in Washington State’s Puget Sound. Prior to joining Snohomish PUD Craig held a number of engineering/operations leadership positions for Kimberly Clark Corporation and also served as a U.S. Navy submarine officer. Craig holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Montana State University, as well as an MBA from Colorado State University, and is a registered Professional Engineer.

 

Frederick R. Driscoll, Ph.D.

Senior Engineer 
Offshore Wind & Ocean Power Systems

Dr. Frederick Driscoll earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with a business management option from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1994, and PhD degree in the areas of Mechanical Engineering and Physical Oceanography from the University of Victoria in 1999. Rick was president and CEO of Deep Sea Technologies Ltd until 1999 which specialized in the design and operation of remotely operated vehicle systems. He joined the Department of Ocean Engineering at Florida Atlantic University in 1999 where he worked on ocean energy and navy focused project for nearly 11 years. While at FAU, he founded the Center for Ocean Energy Technology, now the Southeast National Marine Energy Center and served on the Florida Energy Commission. Rick joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in March of this year where he is a Senior Engineer and leads several projects in the Offshore Wind and Ocean Power Systems Group.

Derek Robertson

President of Wavebob, LLC

Derek graduated from the US Naval Academy with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and following a career in the Navy as a ship’s officer, he completed an MBA in Trinity College Dublin. Having held management positions in a communications technology company and with the Irish Government’s national energy agency, Derek gained a certification in project management from Stanford University.

Following his return to the US from Ireland in 2005, he provided program management support to the Department of Defense as a consultant before joining Wavebob in 2008 as president of their US operations.

Joel Whitman

CEO of Global Marine Energy, Inc.

Joel Whitman was appointed CEO of Global Marine Energy, Inc. in 2011. Global Marine Energy Inc., is an American-owned company recently founded to address the growing demand for offshore power cable installation in North America.

Joel recently served as the Director Corporate Strategy, Marketing and Communications for Global Marine Systems Limited, the world’s largest independent provider of submarine cable installation and related engineering services, and a pioneer in the field of subsea cabling since the mid-1800’s. Joel joined Global Marine in 2005 and in his years with Global Marine, he has worked alongside his colleagues to solidify the company position in its core markets, such as Telecommunications and to diversify the 160 year old Global Marine business into new and emerging markets.

Prior to joining Global Marine, Joel worked with a wide range of organizations ranging from large blue chip high-tech and retail clients to start-ups. His areas of experience include extensive business strategy and planning, corporate repositioning and turnarounds.

Joel lives with his family on Boston’s north shore and in his spare moments can be found riding motorcycles or watching the Red Sox.

James Brenton ("Brent") Dehlsen

Co-founder and CEO of Ecomerit Technologies, LLC

Mr. Dehlsen is co-founder and CEO of Ecomerit Technologies, with a focus on investments in Clean Technology industries. Ecomerit’s key areas of interest include marine energy technologies, distributed generation, and energy efficiency.

Mr. Dehlsen co-founded Clipper Windpower in 2001 and managed the growth of the Company as COO until 2008 and remained a non-executive Board Member until the Company was sold to United Technologies Corporation in 2010. At Clipper Mr. Dehlsen was responsible for leading all of the operational activities, including technology development and testing of the Liberty 2.5 MW turbine, establishment of manufacturing and assembly facilities, development of the supply chain, and manufacturing startup with production and deployment of the first 230 turbines, totaling 575 MW. Mr. Dehlsen also had operational responsibility for the project development activities which involved assembling an 8,500 MW wind resource portfolio. Additional operational responsibility included initial turbine sales and organizational coordination of the Company’s IPO.

In 1997, Mr. Dehlsen founded Dehlsen Associates, a research and development organization specializing in renewable energy technologies, which originated and patented the D-GEN drivetrain used in Clipper turbines. Mr. Dehlsen is founder and President of Avianda, LLC, a company engaged in the development and construction of sustainable residential properties in Mexico that utilizes an efficient panelized building system.

Currently, Mr. Dehlsen serves on the Board of Trustees for Dunn School and on the Dean’s Council of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB.

Previously, Mr. Dehlsen worked at Zond Corporation. Positions held at Zond included production assessment and reporting for 2,500 wind turbines, plant operations and maintenance, and the commissioning of new facilities. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of San Diego.

Christopher R. Sauer

President and CEO of Ocean Renewable Power Company

Ocean Renewable Power Company is an industry leading developer of technology and projects that generate clean, predictable power from ocean and river currents. Christopher Sauer has more than 30 years of experience in the facility development, power generation, cogeneration, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. He has a proven track record of success in executive management, engineering/construction, technology development, transaction structuring, marketing and sales and start-up company formation and management. He has held senior management positions with two major U.S. corporations and has been President and CEO of three startup energy/environmental technology companies. He has been in the energy transaction business since 1977 and, since that time, has played an instrumental role in the development of more than $2 billion in energy assets and companies. Chris is a registered professional engineer and a lifetime Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Robert Rawlinson-Smith

Head of Marine Renewables

A graduate of Bristol University, Robert completed a PhD in wind turbine rotor aerodynamics before joining Garrad Hassan in 1991. In total, Robert has more than 23 years experience in the renewable energy sector. As a member of GL Garrad Hassan’s Turbine Design group he contributed to the development of the wind turbine design tool Bladed and provided aerodynamic design services. From 2002-07 Robert was leader of the load calculation team and provided certification support to clients in Europe, North America and Asia. Currently, Robert is head of GL Garrad Hassan’s Marine Renewables Group, with responsibility for business development and R&D activities in the rapidly developing fields of wave and tidal energy.

Charles F. Dunleavy

Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Power Technologies, Inc.

Charles F. Dunleavy has over 15 years of experience in the renewable energy industry. His career has encompassed broad experience in international, public companies including those in manufacturing and technology-based sectors. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPT) since 2010 and previously as the company’s Chief Financial Officer, and as Treasurer and Secretary since 1990. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1990.

At OPT, he has played a key role in the company’s progress in expanding its operations in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. In addition, he was instrumental in the company’s raising over $150 million in equity capital from an international base of strategic partners, institutions and individual investors. Following successful initial public offerings in London in 2003 and New York in 2007, OPT is now listed on NASDAQ in the US (symbol: OPTT).

From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Dunleavy served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Whole Systems International Corp., a private company specializing in multimedia instructional systems and information technology. From 1983 to 1990, Mr. Dunleavy was the corporate controller for Intermetrics, Inc., a mid-sized publicly-held software company which provided software engineering services and software development tools to an international client base, and which is now a part of L-3 Communications. He served as general accounting manager from 1979 to 1983 for Plymouth Rubber Company, a publicly-held manufacturer. Mr. Dunleavy began his career in public accounting with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, primarily serving publicly-held companies with multi-national operations across the manufacturing, high technology and banking sectors.

Mr. Dunleavy is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Master of Business Administration degree with honors from Rutgers Graduate School of Business Administration. He received his A.B. degree from Colgate University with Phi Beta Kappa honors. He also studied at the Universite de Dijon, Dijon, France and is fluent in French.

Howard Hanson

Professor of Geosciences at Florida Atlantic University and Scientific Directorof FAU's Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center

Howard Hanson is Professor of Geosciences at Florida Atlantic University and the Scientific Director of FAU’s Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center. His graduate study in meteorology and oceanography at the University of Miami was followed by research at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, after which he joined FAU as the Associate Vice President for Research in 2005.

Howard brings to these roles experience as an active researcher, administrator, and manager from positions at the University of Colorado at Boulder and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. His education culminated with the PhD in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami, and he is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist of the American Meteorological Society. His research contributions include insights into the role of clouds in the climate system, the behavior of the upper ocean as it responds to atmospheric forcing processes, and, more recently, the implications of sophisticated earth systems simulations in policy making, a topic he became interested in through his editorial service to the scientific journals Environmental Science and Policy and TheScientificWorld.
At the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center, Howard’s oversight of the scientific directions for the Center are ensuring that environmental impacts of ocean-energy development are considered carefully and that cutting-edge science and engineering are integrated into a systems approach to the extraction of power from the Florida Current.

Eion Sweeney, M.A. Economics

Head of the Ocean Energy Development Unit, in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Eoin has a Masters degree in Economics from University College Dublin. His work has focussed on
Natural Resource development. He managed the Discovery Programme, a major component of SeaChange, the Strategic Programme for the marine sector 2017-2013, in the Marine Institute, initiating the SmartBay initiative and programmes in Marine Biodiscovery and environmental sensors.

He is currently Head of the Ocean Energy Development Unit, in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. In this role he is responsible for initiating and co-ordinating a wide-ranging suite of measures to realise the objectives of the national Ocean Energy Strategy – developing research and test facilities, funding industry research and prototyping, developing a planning and permitting framework and mobilising the engineering and marine supply-chain.

Matt Dunn

Acting Chief Counsel at ARPA-E

Matthew Dunne, Acting Chief Counsel at ARPA-E  Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) 
and principal author of the Categorical Exclusion Proposed Rule for Marine and Hydrokinetic pilot and 
demonstration projects will discuss the application of the National Environmental Protection Act's (NEPA) 
Categorical Exclusion provisions recently proposed by ARPA-E to make certain MHK pilots and demos are 
deployed in a timely and environmentally responsible manner.
 
Matthew Dunne has been the Acting Chief Counsel for the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) 
since February 2010.  Prior to joining ARPA-E, he focused his practice on intellectual property litigation, 
international trade litigation, and international arbitration.  Mr. Dunne also advised his clients on 
Federal laws and regulations governing imports, exports, and investments.  Previously, he held clerkships 
with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (New Orleans, La.), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 
Armed Forces (Washington, DC), and the World Trade Organization Appellate Body (Geneva, Switzerland).  
Mr. Dunne received a M.A. in History and B.A. summa cum laude in History and French from Emory University, 
and graduated from Georgetown University with a J.D. and a M.S. with distinction in International Affairs.



Cherise Oram

Partner, Stoel Rives

Cherise Oram is a partner in Stoel Rives’ Seattle office. She focuses her practice on federal environmental and natural resources law with an emphasis on endangered species and energy facility permitting and compliance issues.  Cherise has advised developers and owners of wave and tidal energy projects, hydropower dams, wind energy projects, liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities, and oil and gas facilities in complex permitting matters.  Cherise is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) and the National Hydropower Association (NHA) and Chairs NHA’s Legislative Affairs Committee.  Cherise received her J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law, her LL.M. in Law & Marine Affairs from the University of Washington, and her B.A. from the University of Washington.  Cherise formerly worked in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of General Counsel representing the the National California.

Brian Cable

Senior Engineer, Sound & Sea Technology

Brian Cable is a senior engineer at Sound & Sea Technology (Lynnwood, WA). He recently joined SST as part of their Renewable Ocean Energy project team after 31 years with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Engineering Service Center (NFESC) – Port Hueneme. Brian graduated from California State University Long Beach in 1979 with a degree in mechanical engineering and has worked for the Navy on ocean systems development and testing since 1980. While at NFESC, he was responsible for a variety of projects for the Navy including installation of commercial wind turbines at San Clemente Island, offshore fuel terminal installation and repairs, and fiber optic cable shore landing installations and repairs world-wide. Most recently, his project focus has been on renewable ocean energy system evaluations and testing in Hawaii, Oregon, Puget Sound and in the Indian Ocean. The following is a summary of ocean energy projects Mr. Cable was responsible for while at NFESC.

Ron Smith

Co-Founder, CEO; Verdant Power, Inc.

Ron Smith co-founded Verdant Power, Inc. in 2000 to develop and commercialize tidal stream energy systems for power plant installations at tidal and river sites globally. Verdant Power, for it’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project, has submitted a final license application and is working with FERC and state and federal environmental
regulatory agencies to deploy a field of up to 30 grid-connected commercial turbine systems in New York City’s East River.

Mr. Smith has over 35 years of experience and accomplishment as a founder of Verdant Power Inc., as an entrepreneur in an advertising start-up, as a management consultant and as a manager in industry with Booz Allen Hamilton, Bendix Corporation, and the U.S. Navy.

Jocelyn Brown

Senior Analyst, New West Technologies

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino is a Senior Analyst with New West Technologies. In this role, she supports the Water Power Program at the Department of Energy. Jocelyn helps manage the Program’s marine and hydrokinetic environmental research portfolio and advises the program on marine policy issues. Jocelyn came to the Department of Energy as a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow. She holds a Master’s degree in Marine Science from the University of New England and a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Smith College.

Roger Bedard

Consultant, DOE Water Power Program

Mr. Bedard is semi-retired and is currently a part-time consultant to the DOE Waterpower Program. He is also developing an ocean energy curriculum and helping universities offer that curriculum to students. Prior to retiring in April 2010, he was the Ocean Energy Leader at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He has over 40 years of experience developing and leading technology research, development, and demonstration projects.

Mr. Bedard has a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Roger Bagbey

Roger Bagbey has over 30 years of experience in systems engineering and management on programs for Naval ships and submarines, and marine energy generation. As both a government program manager and industry executive, he has led a number of major projects related to survivability and reliability of electromechanical systems subjected to severe marine environments. With an emphasis on conceptual design, R&D programs, and the transition to deployment and operation, Mr. Bagbey has conducted programs combining computational analysis with laboratory and in-situ test demonstrations to bring technology to bear in the achievement of critical national missions. His background is ideally suited to support the burgeoning marine and hydrokinetic energy generation industry in the creation of a new clean energy source. Mr. Bagbey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University.

Lib Butler

Partner, Pierce Atwood LLP

Ms. Butler is a partner in the corporate and international practice groups of Pierce Atwood LLP, a law firm with offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Boston, Massachusetts, Washington, DC and Stockholm, Sweden. She has over thirty years of experience in legislative, regulatory and policy issues controlling marine renewable energy projects. In the public sector, she served as Chief Counsel to the Governor of Maine and as State of Maine Assistant Attorney General. At Pierce Atwood, she assists clients on a broad range of regulatory, economic development and start-up company projects, including marine renewable energy and wind power projects.

Ms. Butler has extensive experience in public-private partnership solutions to support economic development, serving as counsel to the Maine Technology Institute in developing financing for technology R&D activities, to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in developing new marine sector programs. In her international practice, Ms. Butler has worked on energy and water sector projects funded by the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, Rwanda and Kenya.

Bill Staby

Founder, CEO; Resolute Marine Energy, Inc.

Meleah Ashford

Program Manager, NNMREC

Meleah is the Program Manager for the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC). NNMREC is a partnership between Oregon State University (OSU), University of Washington (UW) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), established by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a full range of capabilities to support marine renewable energy development for the United States. It includes nearly 20 principal investigators from OSU,  University of Washington and NREL. Meleah manages the day-to-day operations of NNMREC, including management, planning, communication, coordination across multiple disciplines, overseeing the development of an ocean wave energy test berth for OSU, and environmental studies and compliance. She has over 25 years of engineering and environmental experience in the field of water resources, specifically watershed management and ocean protection.

Andrea Copping, Phd.

Lead Researcher, PNNL

Dr. Andrea Copping leads research efforts on environmental effects of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) waterpower and offshore wind at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Using risk-based approaches, the MHK and offshore wind teams lead by Dr. Copping integrate laboratory, field and modeling measurements into a coherent body of evidence to support siting and permitting decisions. The purpose of this research is to support responsible accelerated development of the MHK industry nationwide.

Andrea holds a BSc. in marine biology from McGill University, and a M.S. and PhD. in biological oceanography from the University of Washington. Although trained as a blue water oceanographer, Andrea has spent most of her professional career on interactions between human activities and the marine environment in coastal and estuarine areas. Andrea joined PNNL in 2006; previously Andrea was Associate Director of the Washington Sea Grant, University of Washington, responsible for research and outreach on a wide range of marine topics. Dr. Copping is an affiliate faculty member in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, and Associate Editor for the Coastal Management Journal.

Neil Rondorf

Vice President, SAIC

Neil E. Rondorf is Vice President of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) where he is presently leader of SAIC’s development efforts in marine renewable energy technologies. Neil is a Director of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) which represents the marine renewable energy industry in Washington, D.C. and he is Chairman of the U.S. delegation to the IEC technical standards committee (TC-114) which is developing international standards for wave, tidal and water current devices. Neil is also serves as a Director of the International Cable Protection Committee and is a Founding Industrial Partner of the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium. Neil received his Bachelor of Science in Oceanography from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1974, a Master’s Equivalent in Nuclear Engineering from the Naval Nuclear Power Program in 1976 and a Master’s Equivalent in International Relations from the Naval War College, Newport, RI in 1997.

Ye Li

Senior Scientist: NREL

Ye Li is a senior scientist at NREL where he leads the ocean energy modeling and design efforts in the offshore wind and ocean power systems group. He has many years’ experience in ocean energy modeling and testing. He severs as member/chair of ocean energy technical committees of many professional societies.  Before coming to NREL, he was a research scientist in the Energy Technology Group at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he focused on energy system modeling and offshore wind/tidal device analysis. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2008 from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. His Ph.D. dissertation focuses on hydrodynamic interaction between multiple tidal current turbine, and his master thesis focused on free surface body motion. Ye Li has many years experience in developing numerical methods, computational programs, and conducting experimental tests to analyze ocean engineering applications, and has published many papers on these topics.

Peter Fraenkel

Founder and Chief Technical Officer; Marine Current Turbines, Inc.

Peter Fraenkel is the Chief Technical Officer (CTO)  and a founder of Marine Current Turbines Ltd., a UK company pioneering the development of subsea turbines for extracting energy from tidal currents.  He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical  Engineers and of the Energy Institute and he is also Visiting Professor at the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.    He has taken a prominent role in the promotion  and development of tidal current power systems for 20 years and has worked on renewable energy since the mid-1970s.  Earlier in his career he worked in aircraft manufacturing, copper mining and processing and as a technical journalist and engineering consultant.

Ana Brito Melo

Coordinator; Wave Energy Centre

Ana Brito Melo initiated her carrier in the wave energy field, in 1993, when a Portuguese team at the Instituto Superior Técnico (Technical University of Lisbon) started building a wave energy pilot plant in the Azores, on the neighbouring island of where she was born.

She concluded her initial research activities on hydrodynamic modelling with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, with the thesis entitled “Modelling and Design of Oscillating Water Column Devices: Application to the Wave Power Plant, at Pico, Azores”, 2000.

In 2002 she was invited to be Executive Secretary of the Implementing Agreement on Ocean Energy Systems of the International Energy Agency (OES-IA) and since then has been involved in the work done under this international collaborative program.

In 2004 she integrated the team of the newly founded non-profit association – the Wave Energy Centre (WavEC), in Lisbon – and since then she has been responsible for the coordination work of services and R&D activities.

Tim Oakes

Renewable Group Leader; Kleinschmidt Energy & Water Resource Consultants

Mr. Oakes leads Kleinschmidt's Marine Renewable Group and is a Principal at Kleinschmidt.  Mr. Oakes has over 20 years of experience in environmental consulting and FERC licensing including extensive experience with preparation of NEPA documents, environmental permitting support documents, and the design and conduct of environmental studies – primarily related to hydroelectric projects throughout the U.S.  He recently helped prepare the first final Pilot License application submitted to FERC for a tidal energy project – for Verdant Power in New York City and is assisting with several early stage offshore wind projects on the East Coast.  Mr. Oakes serves on the Board of Directors of the National Hydropower Association and is past chair of the Research and Development subcommittee of NHA.

 

 

Nick Harrington

Head of Marine Energy SW

Nick Harrington, Head of Marine Energy at the South West of England Regional Development Agency, and managed the Wave Hub project  from 2005 until 2010 when  the operational team  was appointed.   A graduate in mathematics and a Chartered Surveyor by background, his previous roles had been in real estate development including business parks, science parks and tourism and retail projects.  He has found that developing an offshore marine energy project raises many of the same issues, such as gaining stakeholder and public support, construction procurement and financing.  In 2010 he chaired the Environment, Planning & Consenting Working Group of the UK's Marine Energy Action Plan.

Richard Morris

Commercial Director: EMEC

Richard Morris is responsible for maintaining EMEC’s position as the Marine Renewable Test Centre of choice in the world and developing the strength of EMEC’s offering to developers and customers.

Richard joined EMEC in May 2009 as Commercial Director. He has been working closely with Marine Developers who wish to utilise the range of EMEC services including their accredited wave and tidal full and scale test sites.  He is responsible for extending the Consultancy and Services that EMEC offer to countries who wish to set up Test sites and further the industry within their marine boundaries.

Reenst Lesemann

Columbia Power Technologies; CEO

Reenst Lesemann joined Columbia Power Technologies in 2009 and assumed the role of CEO in January 2011.  Before joining Columbia Power, Reenst co-founded Tall Oaks Capital Partners, a seed and early stage venture firm based in Charlottesville, VA. Prior to Tall Oaks, Reenst ran a series of successful businesses including a maritime logistics spin off, TradeSource, Inc., that he created, led and managed. During his career, he has been responsible for all aspects of business management including strategic planning, marketing, and information services.

Mr. Lesemann graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1986 with a BA in History with Honors. He also holds a MBA from the University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business.

Henry Jeffrey

Senior Research Fellow: Institute for Energy Systems

 

Henry Jeffrey is a specialist in low carbon roadmaps, action plans and strategies is responsible for dissemination and internationalisation within Supergen Marine Phase 2. He leads the UKERC road mapping work for the marine renewables sector and the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) marine programme. Additionally, he is the only academic member of the Renewable UK Marine Strategy Group. In 2010 he was appointed to chair the Lord Hunt led DECC Marine Action Plan technology group and has been instrumental in the development of standards and guidelines for the developing marine renewable industry, exemplified by, for example: his position on the International Energy Agency marine vision group; his collaboration in the production of an ETI marine technology road map; his appointment by the International Electrotechnical Commission to convene their standard for the performance of marine energy devices and membership of the group that produced Scotland’s marine energy deployment roadmap. His international collaboration on the production of marine roadmaps and research strategies, includes Canada, the US, Korea and New Zealand. Henry is also the leader of the EU ORECCA marine road mapping work package.

 

 

Before joining CEG, Jessica worked as a clean energy analyst in the World Bank’s central energy unit. Her projects included mainstreaming low carbon analysis into Bank energy projects and improving coordination and knowledge sharing across the Bank’s energy practice and international development partners. Jessica has also consulted with the Natural Resources Defense Council on the Carbon Neutral Costa Rica campaign and worked as the International Fellow at the Pew Center for Global Climate Change.  She received her Bachelors in Environmental Engineering from Dartmouth College, a Masters in International Affairs from American University and a Masters in Sustainable Development from the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica.

 

Jochen Bard

Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technologies; Head of Marine Energy

Jochen Bard is head of the department of Marine Energy at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES). For over 15 years he has been working as R&D project leader for market and technology development in offshore wind and ocean energy technologies such as marine current turbines and wave energy devices. Activities range from feasibility studies to full scale pilot and demonstration projects with a focus on wave and current resources, device performance analyses, power take-off technologies and control engineering. As coordinator of the ORECCA network he is currently developing a European roadmap for offshore renewables including offshore wind and marine hydro kinetics in collaboration with 28 partners. He is a member of the German mirror group of the technical committee TC 114 “Marine Energy – Wave and Tidal Energy Converters” of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and alternate member for Germany in the OES implementing agreement of the International Energy Agency. Further work topics include floating wind turbines, hydrogen technologies and small hydropower. Jochen Bard holds a master degree in Physics from the University of Kalrsruhe (KIT).

 

Tom Davey

Institute for Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh; Research Fellow

Tom Davey is a Research Fellow in the Institute for Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. With a masters degree in mechanical engineering he went on to study for a PhD under the SuperGen Marine consortium examining wave interaction at coastal structures. Since 2008 he has been working on the pan-European EquiMar project with 22 international partners. This project aims to produce guidance and protocols for the equitable evaluation of marine energy converters and deployment sites. Tom’s primary expertise is in defining and examining methodologies for quantifying the wave resource in a consistent, fair and accurate manner. In addition to his role in Equimar, Tom maintains his links with tank testing projects through hydraulic facility management and masters and undergraduate research project supervision.

 

Julia Wood

Van Ness Feldman

Julia Wood has been part of Van Ness Feldman's hydropower and electric practices for the past eight years.  In that capacity, she serves as legal counsel to developers of both hydrokinetic energy and offshore wind projects, focusing on federal energy and environmental regulatory issues.  She holds a B.A. from Dickinson College and received her law degree from American University's Washington College of Law.

Ned Farquhar

Land & Minerals Management: Deputy Assistant Secretary

Ned Farquhar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land & Minerals Management at the U.S. Interior Department, has broad experience in land and resource management.  Previous positions and activities include:  Senior Policy Advisor to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Senior Policy Advocate for Western Energy and Climate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Special Assistant to Alaska Natural Resources Commissioner Esther Wunnicke, staff director to the Alaska House Resources Committee, Western Lands Program Director at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Executive Director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council and 1000 Friends of New Mexico, and adjunct faculty at the University of New Mexico and University of Vermont. (January 2011)

 

Kevin Schmidt

Energy Consultant for California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom

Kevin Schmidt currently serves as the Energy Consultant for California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.   He is presently focused on the field of renewable energy; in order to implement sound policy Kevin consults with government officials, environmentalists, and the business community.

Kevin is currently working with the California State Lands Commission and the California Ocean Protection Council to ensure California establishes the right projects necessary to reach the renewable goals set by the State.

Before joining the Lieutenant Governor, Kevin was the Policy Analyst for California Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez.  In this capacity, Kevin worked on policies addressing air quality bills and regulations that would bring the state into compliance with Title I and V of the Federal Clean Air Act.

Kevin graduated from Santa Clara University, situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, from the Leavy School of Business.  He is currently completing his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

 

 

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