Schedule

Opening and Welcome

Light to-go lunch boxes will be provided in the Grand Ballroom to enjoy during the Leadership Fireside and plenary panel.

Leadership Fireside: Research Institutions and Energy Abundance in the Mountain West

Sponsored by Hi Tech Solutions

Utah and its neighbors are being asked to build more energy capacity in the next decade than the region built in the last seventy years. That build-out depends on things research institutions uniquely supply: the science that makes new generation viable, the testbeds that de-risk first-of-a-kind projects, the workforce that operates them, and the community relationships that let them get built. This fireside brings together the leaders of Utah's two research universities and a senior leader of Idaho National Laboratory to talk about what the region's research enterprise is already delivering — and what it will take to move faster together.

Brian Steed Moderator, Vice President, Government and External Relations, Utah State University

Brad L. Mortensen Speaker, President, Utah State University

Taylor R. Randall Speaker, President, University of Utah

Todd E. Combs Speaker, Deputy Director and Chief Research Officer, Idaho National Laboratory

Plenary Panel: A Field Guide to the Grid

A short primer on how the electric grid balances supply and demand, how energy portfolios contribute to serving demand, and information grounding the rest of the conference. The primer will be followed by an expert panel to discuss the current options and future trends of the electricity landscape.

Tim Kowalchik Moderator, Research Director, Utah Office of Energy Development

James Campbell Speaker, Chief Strategy Officer, ASPIRE Research Center, Utah State University

Masood Parvania Speaker, Director, Utah Smart Energy Laboratory, University of Utah

Jake DeMann Speaker, Strategic Account Executive, Edo

Plenary Panel: Critical Minerals

Sponsored by Utah Inland Port Authority

Three presentations providing overviews of current research in critical minerals plus a discussion about the future of critical minerals and ways to engage with critical minerals research.

Michael Free Moderator, Director, Institute for Critical and Strategic Minerals, University of Utah

Jackson Smith Speaker, Geologist, Utah Geological Survey

Yiming Su Speaker, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Utah State University

Anthony Nickens Speaker, Division Director, Materials and Manufacturing Science and Technology, Idaho National Laboratory

Plenary Panel: Twelve States, One Grid: What the WestTEC Inititative Means for Western Energy Abundance

How twelve states built a working coalition on transmission and resource adequacy, and what it unlocks for the region.

Lindsey Mayer Moderator, Transmission and Distribution Fellow, Utah Office of Energy Development

Vic Howell Speaker, Director of Reliability Assessment and Modeling, Western Electricity Coordinating Council

John Muhs Speaker, Senior Consultant, Energy Strategies

Chris Hayter, President, COO, and Co-Founder, Hi Tech Solutions

Laura Nelson, Regional Engagement Lead for Utah, Idaho National Laboratory

Evening Reception and Student Posters

Hosted by Hi Tech Solutions

Plenary Panel: From Classroom to Control Room: Utah's New Nuclear Workforce Development Partnership

Sponsored by Hi Tech Solutions

Deepak Keshwani Moderator, Associate Dean, College of Engineering, Utah State University

Chris Hayter Speaker, President, COO, and Co-Founder; Hi Tech Solutions

Zac Humes Speaker, Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Utah State University

Zak Konakis Speaker, Vice Provost and Department Head, School of Professional and Technical Education, Utah State University

Dan Black Speaker, Associate Vice President, Brigham City Region, Utah State University

Plenary Panel: Drilling Toward Baseload: How and Why Geothermal is Accelerating in the West

Sponsored by Idaho National Laboratory

Researchers and industry leaders from the Mountainwest Geothermal Consortium discuss how academic research has unlocked the geothermal industry and what the private sector needs to do next.

Mike O'Connor Moderator, Director, Mountain West Geothermal Consortium

Adam Heilbronner Speaker, Geothermal Fellow, Utah Office of Energy Development

Logan Mitchell Speaker, Climate Scientist and Energy Analyst, Utah Clean Energy

Travis McLing Speaker, Chief Geologist, Idaho National Laboratory

John McLennan Speaker, Senior Research Scientist, Energy and Geoscience Institute, University of Utah

Evan Earnest Speaker, Senior Exploration Geologist, Zanskar Geothermal and Minerals

Plenary Panel: Going Critical: Modern Nuclear in Practice

Advanced nuclear is the future of the new fleet of nuclear systems that will provide the capacity to meet our energy needs for years to come. Leaders who are making this a reality today will share insights on the role of nuclear as part of our resilient energy economy, how their companies are leading to build this future, and the role of research to advance innovation.

Charles Musgrave Moderator, Dean, College of Engineering, University of Utah

Timothy Howle Speaker, Director, Nuclear Commercialization, BWXT

Supathorn Phongikaroon Speaker, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Utah

Greg Barnett Speaker, Director, US New Nuclear Development, Aecon

Andy Chrusciel Speaker, Director, Construction, TerraPower

Plenary Panel: Utah Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus

Utah is a finalist for potentially one of the largest energy projects in the nation's history: the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, an initiative to co-locate the entire nuclear fuel cycle on an integrated campus. This generational opportunity would make Utah a cornerstone of the nuclear industry within the US, leaders will discuss the drivers of the Campus concept and the current status of the process.

Tim Kowalchik Moderator, Research Director, Utah Office of Energy Development

Jake Garfield Speaker, Deputy Director, Utah Office of Energy Development

Jeremy Pearson Speaker, Director, Utah Advanced Nuclear and Energy Institute, Utah Office of Energy Development

Jared Hamner Speaker, Chair, Tooele County Council

David Jones, Dean, College of Engineering, Utah State University

Jake Garfield, Deputy Director, Utah Office of Energy Development

Breakout Session 1: Nuclear and Meeting Communities Where They Are

Sponsored by Natura Resources

As Utah explores nuclear energy, the Utah Office of Energy Development is reaching communities across all 29 counties and Tribal Nations to share information, listen to local perspectives, and meet people wherever they are in their understanding of nuclear energy. What does that effort reveal about communities’ questions, concerns, and priorities? Join Tracy Rees, Deputy Director, and Shannon Kang, Program Manager, for an inside look at Utah’s statewide public education and community outreach campaign, including progress, challenges, and lessons for building informed, productive conversations.

Tracy Rees Speaker, Deputy Director, Utah Office of Energy Development

Shannon Kang Speaker, Analyst and Project Manager, Envoy Public Labs

Breakout Session 2: Keeping the Lights On: Preparing the Next Generation of Energy System Operators and Maintenance Professionals

Sponsored by Summit Energy

Rich Walje Moderator, Western Transmission Consortium

Meghan Dovick Speaker, Director, University of Utah Professional Science Masters

Doug Cherry Speaker, CEO, Monterey Technologies, Inc.

Tyler Dunn Speaker, Industry Engagement Manager, Talent Ready Utah

Breakout Session 3: Role of Solar in Utah

Solar resources in Utah have grown rapidly over the past 6 years. Experts will discuss the drivers behind this growth and what it means for Utah customers, policymakers, and regional energy planners and utilities. We will explore the opportunities and challenges ahead for realizing the potential of this abundant, local resource. 

Josh Craft Moderator, Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs, Utah Clean Energy

Cindi Eckhardt Speaker, Senior Data Scientist, Utah Office of Energy Development

Hunter Holman Speaker, Regulatory Director, Interwest Energy Alliance

Justin Owen Speaker, Director of Utilities and Sustainability, Weber State University

Breakout Session 4: Navigating Utah's Energy Tradeoffs

Sponsored by Chevron

Achieving energy superabundance requires strategic planning and a clear understanding of the tradeoffs within Utah’s ‘all-of-the-above’ energy portfolio. This session examines a developing framework for evaluating those tradeoffs as well as current and future strategies the industry is deploying to mitigate impacts on our land, water, and air.

Ty Hosler Moderator, Gigawatt Fellow, Utah State University Institute for Land, Water, and Air and Utah Office of Energy Development

Erik Olson Speaker, Senior Associate, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Zanskar

Theresa Foxley Speaker, Chief of Staff, rPlus Energies

Lauren Vander Werff Speaker, Environmental Team Lead, Chevron

Session 5: Role and Future of Energy Storage

Sponsored by ACES Delta

This session will focus on energy storage for grid support, enabling renewables, long-duration storage, and related technology opportunities and challenges. 

Kody Powell Moderator, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah

Hailei Wang Speaker, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Utah State University

Ty Hosler Speaker, Gigawatt Fellow, Utah State University Institute for Land, Water, and Air, and Utah Office of Energy Development

Ali Khosravani Speaker, Energy Systems Analyst, ENFRA

Jonathan Perry Speaker, President and CEO, ACES Delta

Session 6: Cooperative Federalism in Energy Regulation

Sponsored by Holland & Knight

Tim Davis Moderator, Commissioner, Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Ted Sonnenburg Speaker, Director, Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control, Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Candice Hasenyager Speaker, Director, Division of Water Quality, Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Jalynn Knudsen Speaker, Deputy Director, Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control, Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Session 7: Geothermal Workforce Development: Building Regional Talent Pipelines

Update on Southern Utah University's new partnership with the University of Reykjavik on geothermal workforce development.

Jason Kaiser Speaker, Chair, Department of Geosciences, Southern Utah University

Melynda Thorpe Speaker, Assistant Vice President, Workforce and Educational Opportunity, Southern Utah University

Session 8: Local Engagement in Energy Development

Sponsored by Utah Petroleum Association

Energy development ultimately happens somewhere—near communities, workers, roads, businesses, schools, tribal lands, and other existing uses—and therefore technical feasibility alone is never the whole question. The harder question is how we make good choices about which opportunities fit which places—and how research, industry, government, tribes, and communities make those decisions together.

Rikki Hrenko-Browning Moderator, President, Utah Petroleum Association

Liza Leonard Speaker, Local Government Affairs and Community Engagement Manager, Idaho National Laboratory

Jade Powell Speaker, Deputy Director, SERDA

Seth Lyman Speaker, Director, Bingham Research Center, Utah State University

Jaron Wallace Speaker, Director, San Rafael Energy Lab

Session 9: Two Doors Into Nuclear Deployment: Who Governs Each Step of Utah's Fuel Cycle, and Why

Utah is now pursuing nuclear through two different federal systems at once: NRC-licensed commercial plants outside of Green River and Brigham City and a DOE-authorized lifecycle campus in Tooele County. The two paths differ in who decides, how long it takes, what the state and host county control, when the public is heard, and how fuel comes and goes. Two practitioners who have worked both sides, Myron Kaczmarsky (Holtec, forty years across DOE sites and commercial decommissioning) and Chris Hayter (Hi Tech Solutions, Green River & Brigham City), walk through each path with Utah’s own projects as the examples, moderated by Joel Ferry. Come with questions about what each door asks of Utah.

Joel Ferry Moderator, Government Affairs Lobbyist

Myron Kaczmarsky Speaker, Vice President, Holtec

Chris Hayter Speaker, President, COO, and Co-Founder, Hi Tech Solutions

Laura Nelson Speaker, Regional Engagement Lead for Utah, Idaho National Laboratory 

Session 10: Geology to Gigawatts

Sponsored by Enbridge

The same geology that makes Utah ideal for innovative energy solutions also makes it prone to hazards. To invest responsibly and economically in Utah’s energy future, we have to take the geology and the hazards into account.

Derek McLean Moderator, Dean, Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Utah State University

Alexis Ault Speaker, Professor, Department of Water, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Utah State University

Adam Heilbronner Speaker, Geothermal Fellow, Utah Office of Energy Development

Christian Hardwick Speaker, Senior Geologist and Geophysicist, Utah Geological Survey

Srisharan Shreedharan Speaker, Assistant Professor, Department of Water, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Utah State University

Session 11: Grid Optimization & Building Flexibility: Powering Utah’s Dynamic Energy Future

What if the biggest constraint on Utah's energy future isn't how much power we can generate but how well we use our existing and future power sources?

Jason Grooms Moderator, President, Association of Energy Engineers, Utah Chapter and Director of Energy Storage Design, Torus

Jake DeMann Speaker, Strategic Account Executive, Edo

Addie Wallace Speaker, Demand Flexibility Leader, Kraken

Session 12: From Testbeds to Grids: Energy Product Development at ASPIRE

ASPIRE is advancing the next generation of energy systems by bridging the gap between research, testing, and real-world deployment. This presentation will highlight how ASPIRE's integrated testbeds, industry partnerships, and innovation ecosystem accelerate the development and validation of energy technologies, from distributed energy resources and grid modernization solutions to emerging electrification technologies. Attendees will gain insight into the process of moving energy innovations from concept and experimentation to scalable products that strengthen grid resilience, reliability, and economic impact.