Speakers

Adrian Tuck, Tendril, CEO
As CEO of Tendril, Adrian Tuck focuses on expanding Tendril’s customer base through multiple sales and marketing channels, including alliances with leading companies. He is also the vice-chair of the ZigBee Alliance, an association of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global standard. Prior to Tendril, Adrian Tuck served as both interim CEO and EVP of Ember Corporation, a leading semiconductor provider to the Smart Grid, where he guided the company’s market strategy through its critical early-growth stage. He received his education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the British Army’s prestigious officer training academy.
Al Gore, Former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Former Vice President Al Gore is chairman of Current TV, an Emmy award winning, independently owned cable and satellite television nonfiction network for young people based on viewer-created content and citizen journalism. He also serves as chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm that is focused on a new approach to sustainable investing. Al Gore is a member of the board of directors of Apple, a senior adviser to Google, and a partner with the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. He is a Visiting Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and chairs the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non-profit organization designed to help solve the climate crisis. Al Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982 and the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990. He was inaugurated as the forty-fifth vice president of the United States on January 20, 1993, and served eight years. During the Administration, Al Gore was a central member of President Clinton’s economic team. He served as President of the Senate, a Cabinet member, a member of the National Security Council, and as the leader of a wide range of Administration initiatives. He is the author of the bestsellers Earth in the Balance and An Inconvenient Truth and is the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary. Al Gore is the co-winner, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for “informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change.” He and his wife, Tipper, live in Nashville, Tennessee. They have four children and three grandchildren.
Allan Schurr, IBM, VP of Strategy, Global Energy & Utilities Industry
Allan Schurr is responsible for IBM’s energy and utilities strategy worldwide. Schurr leads IBM’s work with partners, policy makers, and IBM services and technologies focused on solutions in customer management, advanced metering infrastructure, work & asset management, and distributed energy. Allan Schurr is a frequent industry speaker and a 25-year veteran of the energy industry previously holding management positions at Itron, Silicon Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Company, and at PG&E Energy Services. Allan Schurr received his Bachelors in mechanical engineering from University of California, Davis and his Masters from St. Mary’s College. He is a registered engineer in the State of California.
Andres Carvallo, Austin Energy, CIO
Andres Carvallo is currently the Chief Information Officer at Austin Energy, where he is responsible for the technology vision, planning, development and operations across the enterprise. Since February of 2003, Andres Carvallo has been driving a wireless and SOA transformation to deliver a fully-integrated and self-healing enterprise. Andres Carvallo coined the term Smart Grid in April of 2007 and he is the Chief Architect of the first Smart Grid built in the US in 2009. In addition to his responsibilities as CIO, Andres Carvallo is member of the 8 person executive team, and member of the Innovation and Opportunity Development executive board. Outside of Austin Energy, Andres Carvallo is Chairman for the Large Public Power Companies’ Smart Grid Task Force, Chairman of the Operations, Systems Integration and Modeling Group at the Pecan Street Project, a board member of the Center for Commercialization of Electric Technologies, and a technology advisor to GE Energy, AT&T, Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas, and several start-ups.

Andres Carvallo is a requested speaker on CleanTech, Smart Grid, SOA, Wireless, and Running IT as a Business. He is co-author of Information Technology Leadership and CTO Best Practices Collection. And he is an honoree to many awards, including IT Executive of the Year by the Association of Information Technology Professionals in 2005, Premier 100 IT Leader by Computerworld in 2006, Best in Class of Premier 100 by Computerworld in 2006, CIO 100 Award by CIO Magazine in 2006, InformationWeek 500 by InformationWeek Magazine in 2007, 2008, and 2009, Computerworld’s Top 12 Green IT Companies in 2008 and 2009, and Computerworld Honors Laureate, Finalist, and 21st Century Award Winner in 2009, Hispanic Business Top 100 Influentials in 2009, and CIO of the Year by Energy Central in 2009.

Andres Carvallo has over 23 years of experience and great knowledge of the Energy, Software, Computer, and Wireless industries. Prior to Austin Energy, he held senior executive titles at four start-ups and large companies like Philips Electronics, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Borland. Andres Carvallo started his career as at Microsoft. Andres Carvallo received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas, and has completed executive management programs at the University of Idaho, Stanford University, and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Tang, PG&E, Senior Director Smart Energy Web
Andrew Tang joined PG&E Corporation in 2007 in the Corporate Strategy and Development Group focusing on Special Projects. He was responsible for strategy formulation and analysis and support of PG&E’s strategic initiatives. Andrew Tang recently joined Pacific Gas and Electric Customer Products & Services team as Senior Director, Smart Energy Web. In his new role, Andrew Tang has responsibility for Clean Air Transportation (including Plug-In Electric Hybrid Vehicles) and the Energy Information Network underpinning the Smart Energy Web. In addition, he is also responsible for PG&E’s Demand Response Programs. From 2005 to 2007, he was the Director of European WiMAX Solutions Development for Intel Corporation.
Ben Kortlang, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), Partner
Ben Kortlang focuses on growth-stage greentech investing with KPCB. Prior to KPCB, Ben worked at Goldman Sachs for 8 years, most recently co-heading Goldman’s Alternative Energy Investing business, and managed Goldman’s multi-billion dollar portfolio of alternative energy investments including Horizon Wind Energy, SunEdison, First Solar and Iogen. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Ben Kortlang was an Associate with A.T. Kearney and a Business Analyst at National Australia Bank in strategic planning and macroeconomic forecasting. Ben Kortlang holds a Bachelor of Business (Economics & Finance) from RMIT University, a Bachelor of Commerce and an Honors degree in Econometrics from University of Melbourne and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Benno Ritter, ZigBee Alliance, VP Marketing & Business Development
Benno Ritter has more than 17 years of sales, marketing, business development, and operations experience in the semiconductor industry. In the last decade he focused his work in the market for wireless communication technologies like WLAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, cellular, and GPS. He was a founding member of 802.15.4 and the ZigBee Alliance. Benno Ritter joined Philips Semiconductors in 1991 in Hamburg, Germany. In 1995 he transferred to Sunnyvale, CA and was responsible for product marketing and sales of digital video processing products. Starting 1997 he took responsibility for product marketing of WLAN products and was leading the efforts for Philips in creating the activities for development of low-power/low-data rate wireless sensor networks in RF-Lite which later became the ZigBee Alliance and in introducing it into IEEE 802.15.4. From 2002 to 2006 after joining Infineon Technologies North America, Benno Ritter was leading the regional marketing activities for Wireless Connectivity products with specific focus on Bluetooth, GPS, and WLAN. In 2006 he assumed for Infineon the global responsibility to manage the customer relationship with Intel. Benno Ritter holds a Masters Degree in Physics from the University in Hamburg and an MBA from the San Jose State University.
Bradley Williams, Oracle, VP of Utilities Product Management, Oracle Utilities
Bradley Williams is currently Vice President of Oracle Utilities Global Business Unit’s Product Management. He is responsible for Outage Management, Distribution Management, Mobile Workforce Management, and Work and Asset Management utility applications. Bradley Williams had more than 23-years utility technology innovation experience. Prior to Oracle, he was a Research Director in Gartner’s Energy & Utilities Industry Advisory Services focusing on utility applications of GIS, SCADA/EMS/DMS, Outage and Work Management, and Transmission & Distribution Asset Management research. Prior to being a Research Analyst, Bradley Williams directed PacifiCorp’s T&D Asset Management responsible for long-term asset strategies and Business Technology that developed and implemented comprehensive IT investment programs. As Director of T&D Infrastructure Planning, Bradley Williams was responsible for PacifiCorp’s Subtransmission Planning, Telecommunications, and operations Technology Development groups. He also worked at Southern California Edison where he was involved in transmission system planning, distribution automation, and reliability programs.
Brian Bolster, Goldman Sachs, Managing Director
Brian Bolster is Head of Alternative Energy/Cleantech Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs. He is the Renewable Energy Sector captain for the Natural Resources Group and also has coverage responsibility for various utility and power clients globally. Brian Bolster joined the Energy and Power Group in 1999 as an associate in the New York office. Brian Bolster was named managing director of Goldman Sachs in 2007. Brian Bolster serves on the Board of Advisors for the Georgetown Wall Street Alliance. Brian Bolster holds a JD/MBA from Georgetown University and a BA in Government from Georgetown University.
Bryce Lee, Credit Suisse, Managing Director
Bryce Lee is a Managing Director of Credit Suisse in the Investment Banking division, based in San Francisco. Bryce Lee is Head of Global Technology Corporate Finance and Co-head of the Alternative Energy Group. He is a member of the Bank’s Investment Banking Committee and has served as a member on the Managing Director Evaluation Committee (MDEC). In 2008, he was added to the Forbes Midas list, an annual ranking of top dealmakers in the technology sector. Bryce Lee joined Credit Suisse First Boston in 1992 working for seven years in New York primarily in Mergers & Acquisitions as well as Financial Sponsors Coverage and GIS. Bryce Lee holds a B.A. from Stanford University in Economics and Asian Languages (Chinese).
Camille Ricketts, VentureBeat, GreenBeat writer
Camille Ricketts is the green technology writer for VentureBeat. She reports on the intersection of money, policy and conservation in the energy, manufacturing and IT industries. Before joining the VentureBeat staff in 2008, she worked at Google in television and offline advertising tools.

A journalist by trade, Camille Ricketts started her career as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, covering arts and culture in both London and New York. Her interest in technology writing stems from her years at Stanford, during which time she served as editor in chief of the Stanford Daily and received the Daniel Pearl Memorial Internship prize. Camille Ricketts holds a B.A. in women’s history from Stanford University.
Craig Lobdell, KPMG, Director, Venture Capital Practice
As a Director in KPMG’s Venture Capital Practice based in San Francisco, Craig Lobdell has over 18 years of experience in finance and strategy. Craig Lobdell focuses on serving venture capital backed clients: assisting clients with finance and accounting infrastructure planning; financial process improvement/redesign; IPO roadmap development and readiness assessments; cost take-out; strategic business and systems planning; vendor selection; operational risk assessments and contingency planning development; data integrity reviews; revenue enhancement; control transformation; chart of accounts design; customer information systems and energy trading and risk management systems assessments; organizational design and change management; and program and project management.

Prior to joining KPMG, Craig Lobdell provided management consulting services for a significant systems integration firm, a major accounting, tax and advisory services firm, and a reengineering consulting firm. In addition, he has work for GE Capital and the Department of Energy. Craig Lobdell has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Strategy from Yale University’s School of Management, a Masters in International Affairs (MA) from George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science and Economics from Carleton College. Craig Lobdell is also Six Sigma Green belt certified from the University of Michigan.
Daniel Yates, OPOWER, Founder & CEO
Daniel Yates, CEO and Founder, is responsible for the vision, strategy, and leadership of OPOWER. OPOWER is the second company that Daniel Yates has started. Prior to founding OPOWER, Daniel Yates was founder and CEO of Edusoft, the leading educational software company providing assessment platforms to US public school districts. Daniel Yates led the company from inception to national success and recognized leadership in the market and sold the 150-person, $20M revenue company to Boston-based publishing company Houghton Mifflin in 2004. After his departure from Houghton Mifflin, Daniel Yates embarked on a year-long adventure with his wife, driving from the Arctic Sea in Alaska to the southern tip of South America. Over the course of this trip, Daniel Yates became aware of the shocking degradation of the environment, and he subsequently resolved to dedicate his life to sustaining what’s left of our beautiful natural world. In 2009, Daniel Yates was named a “Tech Titan” by Washingtonian magazine and was a finalist for the Ernst and Young 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year award. Daniel Yates received his B.A. in Computer Science, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Harvard University.
David Pacyna, Siemens Energy, SVP & GM, NAFTA Transmission & Distribution
David Pacyna is Senior Vice President & General Manager of the NAFTA Transmission & Distribution Divisions of Siemens Energy Inc (SEI). He has served in this capacity since January 2009, when Siemens formally brought together its power generation, T&D, and oil & gas businesses to form SEI. Siemens is a leading provider of transmission & distribution technology and smart grid solutions, serving electric utility and industrial customers throughout North America and around the world. Siemens maintains over 20 locations throughout the NAFTA region to deliver manufactured product, developed software solutions, systems engineering expertise, T&D network analysis/consulting, turnkey project execution, and complete service capability. Prior to that, David Pacyna served as the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc. (SPT&D). He had served in this capacity since 2002. David Pacyna came to SPT&D from Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation in Orlando, where, he was a member of the senior management team and served as the Vice President in charge of Global Business Strategy.

David Pacyna began his career in the power industry in 1984 at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. When Siemens acquired Westinghouse from CBS in August 1998, he was the vice president of power generation sales for Latin America and Canada and in 1999, was named vice president in charge of global business strategy. He has extensive international experience within the power industry, having led project development, and sales and marketing efforts in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Canada, and Latin and South America. David Pacyna is also currently serving as a member of the U.S. National Executive Committee of CIGRE. He is a Member of the Board of the Power Equipment Division of the National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA). David Pacyna holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, NY. He and his wife, Andrea, reside in Raleigh, North Carolina, with their two children.
Don Von Dollen, Electric Power Research Institute, IntelliGrid Program Manager
Don Von Dollen is a Program Manager at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and is responsible for the IntelliGrid program. This program focuses on accelerating the transformation of the power delivery infrastructure into the Smart Grid needed to support our future society through a unique collaboration of public and private stakeholders. Don Von Dollen is a leader in industry Smart Grid activities, serving as Chairman of the IEEE PES Intelligent Grid Coordinating Committee, a Peer Reviewer for the DOE GridWise Program, a member of the GridWeek Organizing Committee and a Liaison Member of the GridWise Architecture Council. He coordinates EPRI’s Smart Grid activities with DOE, EEI, NIST, NEMA, NARUC, NCSL and other organizations. Don Von Dollen led a team of industry experts to develop a roadmap for the development and harmonization of Smart Grid interoperability standards under contract to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He has worked with utilities on their AMI implementations and on utility-specific Smart Grid Roadmaps.

Don Von Dollen joined EPRI in 1991 and has held a variety of positions including Applications Manager for Power Delivery and Markets, and Program Manager for Underground Transmission. He has also managed EPRI’s superconductivity research program. Before joining EPRI, Don Von Dollen was a Research Engineer with Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Don Von Dollen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the California State University, Sacramento.
Don Wood, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Managing Director
Don Wood leads the DFJ Global Network Funds and is an active member of DFJ’s investment team, with a primary focus on Cleantech and IT investing. His cleantech career began at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. working in the policy planning department. Later he was SVP of Sales and Marketing at International Power Technology which designed, financed, installed and operated gas-turbine co-generation power plants. Don Wood also assisted the founders of SunPower (SPWR) in writing their original business plans and raising capital. He served on the Board and was President of Metricom (MCOM), which provided wireless smart grid systems to utilities and pioneered the first wireless mesh-network Internet service.
Dr. George Arnold, National Institute of Standards & Technology, National Coordinator for the Smart Grid
Dr. George Arnold served as the Deputy Director of Technology Services in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the US Department of Commerce until he was asked to take the lead on NISTs overall effort on smart grid. He joined NIST in September 2006 after a 33 year career in industry. Dr. George Arnold previously served as a Vice-President at Bell Laboratories where he directed the company’s global standards efforts and management of intellectual property. Prior to this role, Dr. George Arnold had a wide range of technical and managerial assignments at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T in research and development, product management, quality management and process re-engineering.

Dr. George Arnold also served as Chairman of the Board of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private, non-profit organization that coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. In addition to his NIST responsibilities, Dr. George Arnold continues to be active in external standards organizations. He currently serves as Vice-President-Policy for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and President of the IEEE Standards Association. Dr. George Arnold received a Doctor of Engineering Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Columbia University in 1978. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE.
Ed Lu, Google, Program Manager in Advanced Projects
Ed Lu serves as a Program Manager in Advanced Projects at Google and leads a team of engineers working to develop an energy information software tool that will enable consumers to make informed choices about their energy use as they browse the web, read email, or use a mobile phone. Prior to his position with Google, Ed Lu served as a NASA astronaut for twelve years. He manned two Space Shuttle missions, a Russian Soyuz mission, and spent a six-month tour on-board the International Space Station. Ed Lu is an electrical engineer with a PhD in applied physics, with a specialty in theoretical astrophysics.
Eric Wesoff, Greentech Media, Senior Analyst
Eric Wesoff is a Senior Analyst at Greentech Media and Author of the Greentech Innovations Report. Prior to joining Greentech Media, Eric Wesoff founded Sage Marketing Partners in 2000 to provide sales and marketing-consulting services to venture-capital firms and their portfolio companies in the alternative energy and telecommunications sectors. Eric Wesoff has become a well-known, respected authority and speaker in these fields. He also was the publisher of the Venture Power newsletter, a subscription-only newsletter covering venture-capital investment in renewable energy.

Eric Wesoff’s expertise covers solar power, fuel cells, biofuels and advanced batteries. His strengths are in market research and analysis, business development and due diligence for investors. He frequently consults for energy startups and Silicon Valley’s premier venture capitalists. From 1988 to 1996, Eric Wesoff served as product marketing manager for Siemens Optoelectronics, where he oversaw complex product lines and managed relationships with global customers. He then became the U.S. marketing and sales manger for Akzo Nobel Photonics, which was acquired by JDS Uniphase. Eric Wesoff later served as the sales director for Dicon Fiber Optics, where he was responsible for selling millions of dollars of fiber-optic telecom-equipment. He has consulted for Merck, JDSU, Coherent, IBM and scores of other firms, governments and organizations.
Frank Magnotti, Clean Energy Solutions, Comverge, President
Frank Magnotti is a founder of Comverge and President of the company’s Clean Energy Solutions Group. Frank Magnotti began his career with Bell Labs, the research and development arm of AT&T, holding research, program management, strategic planning and general management positions during his 14-year term, ultimately founding AT&T Bell Labs’ Utility Solutions Division in 1991. In 1995, Frank Magnotti began his tenure as General Manager of Lucent Technology, Inc.’s (ALU) Utility Solutions Division where he was responsible for worldwide marketing, sales, business development, project management and profit and loss. From there, Frank Magnotti joined Data Systems & Software, Inc. (DSSI), as President and General Manager and founded Comverge as a subsidiary of what is known today as Acorn Energy Group (ACFN). Today, Comverge is the leading full-service demand response firm, serving both the residential and commercial/industrial markets. The Company was the first demand response firm to go public in April 2007. Frank Magnotti has served as both Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Demand Response and Advanced Metering Coalition (DRAM) and holds two patents. He holds B.E. and M.E. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Cooper Union School of Engineering.
Gary Fromer, CPower, CEO
As chief executive officer of CPower, Gary Fromer is responsible for advancing the company’s product portfolio and continuing to expand its presence into new and current markets, as well as running the day-to-day operations of the company. Gary Fromer joined CPower in 2007. Prior to joining CPower, Gary Fromer served as senior vice president of SAP Managed Services, where he oversaw SAP’s Hosting, Application Management and CRM on-demand businesses in the Americas. Gary Fromer also held various other roles at SAP including: senior vice president, SMB and Hosting; chief strategy officer for SAP Markets, Inc.; and vice president, new business and partner solutions for SAP America, Inc. Prior to joining SAP in 1998, Gary Fromer worked at Unisys Corporation. Gary Fromer earned a BS in Economics (Finance) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a BA in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a JD from Columbia University Law School.
James Rogers, Duke Energy, Chairman, President & CEO
James Rogers was named president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy following the merger of Duke Energy and Cinergy in April 2006. Before the merger, he served as Cinergy’s chairman and chief executive officer for more than 11 years. Prior to the formation of Cinergy, he joined PSI Energy in 1988 as the company’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. Prior to his utility career, Duke Rogers served as deputy general counsel for litigation and enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); executive vice president of interstate pipelines for the Enron Gas Pipeline Group; and as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. Prior to those appointments, he served as assistant to the chief trial counsel at FERC; as a law clerk for the Supreme Court of Kentucky; and as assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where he acted as intervener on behalf of state consumers in gas, electric and telephone rate cases. He was also a reporter for the Lexington (Kentucky) Herald-Leader.
Jesse Berst, Global Smart Energy, Managing Director
Jesse Berst is one of the pioneering thought leaders of the smart grid, and head of Global Smart Energy (GSE), an internationally recognized consulting firm. Global Smart Energy is a recognized authority on the smart energy revolution and the market opportunities it represents. Clients include Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Department of Energy, Global Environment Fund, the GridWise Alliance, Avista Utilities, Southern California Edison, the State of New Mexico, the Province of British Columbia, Prize Capital and many others.

Jesse Berst is the Founding Editor of SmartGridNews.com, the Internet’s top-ranked site for information about the ongoing $1 trillion remake of North America’s electric power infrastructure. He is the co-author of the forthcoming book ELECTRONOMICS – Creating Wealth and Prosperity from the Transition to the Electricity Economy.
John Doerr, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer (KPCB), Partner
John Doerr joined Intel in 1974 just as they invented the famous “8080” 8 bit microprocessor. At Intel he held various engineering, marketing and management assignments, and was one of their top-ranked sales executives. In 1980 he joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and sponsored a series of investments including Compaq, Cypress, Intuit, Netscape, Lotus, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, S3, Sun Microsystems, Amazon.com, Symantec and Google. John was the founding CEO of Silicon Compilers. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Amazon.com and Google. The privately-held company boards include Zazzle, Miasole, Bloom Energy, and Spatial Photonics. He holds patents for computer memory devices he invented as a design engineer at Monsanto. His interests include public education, prevention of global infectious disease, and the protection of the environment. John Doerr was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering from Rice University and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
John Gartner, Matter Network, Editor in Chief
John Gartner is Editor in Chief of Matter Network, and a Senior Analyst at Pike Research. He has been covering clean energy and transportation since 2002. He has been an editor at Wired.com and TechTV, and has contributed to leading technology publications including Technology Review, Popular Mechanics, and Inc.com.
Katherine Hamilton, GridWise Alliance, President
Katherine Hamilton joined the GridWise Alliance in October of 2008 as its first full time President. In her tenure, Katherine Hamilton has watched the Alliance membership grow from 70 to over 100 members. In addition to new members, Katherine Hamilton has brokered numerous strategic alliances with key stakeholder groups. Katherine Hamilton has also been instrumental in spearheading the legislative and policy efforts of the Alliance in the past year including developing legislative language and providing testimony for Congress. In addition to her activities to promote the many different initiatives of the Alliance, Katherine Hamilton has participated in numerous conferences as a keynote speaker and on smart grid panels.

Prior to joining the GridWise Alliance, Katherine Hamilton was policy advisor for Good Energies, Inc., a private investment company with a current portfolio in clean energy technologies of more than $6 Billion. In addition, Katherine Hamilton co-directed the American Bioenergy Association, where she worked with entrepreneurs, universities and utilities in developing biomass technologies. As the President of her own company, The Hamilton Group, she worked with the Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, Midwest Research Institute and other organizations to lobby Congress and statehouses on various clean energy policies and funding. Katherine Hamilton also worked for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where she created several programs including federal energy audit and water conservation. Katherine Hamilton also served as NREL’s Manager of Government Relations in Washington, DC, becoming an expert witness on renewable energy for the House Committee on Science and serving as an advisor to Vice President Cheney’s Task Force in developing the national energy plan. Katherine Hamilton apprenticed as a distribution engineer for Virginia Power (now Dominion Energy) and was a senior analyst in commercial energy efficiency. Katherine Hamilton holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Paris, Sorbonne.
Katie Fehrenbacher, Earth2Tech, Editor
Katie Fehrenbacher is the founding Editor of Earth2Tech.com, a site in the GigaOM.com network that focuses on greentech innovation and entrepreneurs. Before she launched Earth2Tech, Katie Fehrenbacher was a Reporter for GigaOM where she covered broadband and mobile technology, a Reporter for Red Herring, and an Editor at Engadget.com. Katie Fehrenbacher began her journalism career as a Reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest daily newspaper, where she covered Silicon Valley. Her work has appeared online for the New York Times, Business Week, CNN, Reuters, the BBC, and the Economist.
Kerry Dolan, Forbes Magazine, Senior Editor
Kerry Dolan, a senior editor at Forbes magazine, is based in the Silicon Valley bureau, where she writes about technology companies, biotechnology and international business. She joined Forbes as a reporter in New York in 1994. For five years she ran Forbes’ annual list of the world’s billionaires. Prior to Forbes, Kerry Dolan worked as a reporter and editor for Market News Service, a New York-based financial news wire. She also worked in Tokyo for the English language publications of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan’s largest business newspaper. Kerry Dolan holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from Amherst College and masters degrees in journalism and international affairs from Columbia University.
Laura Ipsen, Cisco, SVP & General Manager, Smart Grid
Smart Grid is the next multi-billion dollar infrastructure play for Cisco that aims to allow connected utilities to supply electricity in a more efficient and sustainable way, allowing consumers to gain better efficiency and control of their energy consumption. In her role as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Laura Ipsen shapes Cisco’s Smart Grid vision and strategy, builds an extensive product and services portfolio, and drives a strategic plan for communicating to our customers, partners, shareholders, and employees.

Laura Ipsen is also the co-chair of Cisco’s EcoBoard, which leads Cisco’s comprehensive “green” strategy related to the use of information technology to achieve a positive impact on the environment and climate change. In 2008, Laura Ipsen received the Women Making History award from US Senator Barbara Boxer for her work on environmental issues. In addition, Laura Ipsen leads Cisco’s Women’s Advisory Group, which identifies and recommends gender-focused strategies as part of Cisco’s Inclusion and Diversity Council. Previously, Laura Ipsen established and managed Global Policy and Government Affairs (GPGA) division for Cisco and was responsible for developing Cisco’s public policy agenda and advancing governmental policies in support of broadband and IP-based technologies.

Laura Ipsen serves on the boards of the Public Affairs Council, One Economy Corporation, and the Technology Board for Pacific Research Institute. Laura Ipsen is the past president and chair of the board of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) and the past chair of the Board of Directors for the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC). Laura Ipsen holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia and studied Arabic at Yarmouk University in Jordan.
Matt Marshall, VentureBeat, Founder & CEO
Founder Matt Marshall covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News until he left in September 2006 to launch VentureBeat as an independent company. In 2007, he teamed up with Eric Eldon, who became the site’s second writer. In early 2008, VentureBeat hired Anthony Ha and veteran reporter Dean Takahashi. More recently, VentureBeat hired Camille Ricketts and Kim-Mai Cutler. In 2008, the New York Times called VentureBeat one of the “best blogs on the Web,” and now the NYT runs VentureBeat’s articles on its Web site. In March 2009, VentureBeat signed a partnership agreement with IDG to produce DEMO, the leading conference for launching emerging technology products.

Matt Marshall, who serves as Editor-in-Chief, covered the venture capital beat for the Mercury News from 2001-2006. He significantly expanded the newspaper’s coverage of venture capital during that time, in daily articles and a weekly column called the VC Insider, and then online with his blog SiliconBeat from 2004.

Matt Marshall was awarded Journalist of the Year by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists in 2002, and the James Madison Freedom of Information award in 2003. These awards were for a series of articles he wrote in conjunction with two successful Mercury News lawsuits, in part instigated by Matt Marshall, against California’s public pension fund (CalPERS) and the University of California. The lawsuits sought disclosure of the financial performance of venture capital and other private equity funds that CalPERS and UC had invested in, arguing that state taxpayers and retirees had a right to know these results. As a result of these laws suits, public employees now have full access to information on the performance of their retirement investments.

Matt Marshall was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 through 1998. In 1999 he wrote a book while in Germany, “The Bank: the Birth of Europe’s Central Bank and the Rebirth of European Power” (Random House, 1999). He has also written for the Washington Post and several other publications.

Matt Marshall has a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University.
Matthew Trevithick, Venrock, Partner
Matt Trevithick joined Venrock in 2004 after a 4-year investigation of energy-related applications of nanotechnology. He previously co-founded and sold two software companies - LiquidMarket, a product search and comparison shopping service, acquired by NBC Internet in 1999 and Flash Communications, a developer of instant messaging technology, acquired by Microsoft in 1998. In addition to his entrepreneurial efforts, Matt Trevithick worked in project finance and currency trading in Tokyo, London, Singapore and New York. As a co-founder of two acquired companies, combined with his energy and finance background, Matt Trevithick has an in-depth understanding of the entrepreneur and what it takes to get across the finish line.
Michael Kanellos, Greentech Media, Editor in Chief
Michael Kanellos is the Editor in Chief at Greentech Media, where he covers emerging technologies and companies in the green world. Prior to joining the company in 2008, he worked for CNET Network’s News.com for eleven years. Among other jobs at CNET, he launched the company’s push into clean technology. He has appeared on NPR, CBS, CNBC, Fox News and other media outlets and has spoken at CES, the Japan Business Strategy Summit, Ceatec, the Irish Software Association, Stanford, U.C. Berkeley, the Flash Memory Summit and Clean Energy Venture Summit. A graduate of Cornell University and the University of California (Hastings), he has worked as an attorney, a travel writer and a busboy at a pancake house.
Navin Chaddha, Mayfield Fund, Managing Director
Navin Chaddha is a proven serial entrepreneur and venture investor. Navin Chaddha was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2009, ranked on the Forbes Midas List of top 100 dealmakers as #11 in 2009, #10 in 2008 and #58 in 2007. He invests in the energytech, internet/digital media, enterprise, semiconductor, and service provider sectors in the U.S. and leads Mayfield’s investments in India. Navin Chaddha has made over 25 investments in the past, of which 9 have had IPOs and 6 have been acquired. Prior to joining Mayfield, Navin Chaddha was a Partner at Gabriel Venture Partners and EIR at Mobius Venture Capital. He was founder and CTO of VXtreme, a streaming media software company that was acquired by Microsoft and became Windows Media. He served in various management roles at Microsoft after that. Navin Chaddha was also the co-founder of iBeam Broadcasting (NASDAQ IPO) and CEO and founder of Rivio (acquired by CPA2Biz). Navin Chaddha holds an MS degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University (received the Stanford and IBM Graduate Fellowships) and a B.Tech. degree in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi (received the Director’s Medal for being first in his class) and was honored with the prestigious distinguished IIT Alumni Award in 2006. Navin Chaddha is a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs and holds over 35 patents.
Pamela Lesh, Graceful Systems, President
Pamela Lesh offers consulting in business and regulatory strategy and systems approaches to opportunity creation and problem solving through her company, Graceful Systems LLC. She recently completed work as a Senior Advisor to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), on loan to that organization from Portland General Electric (PGE), for which she was Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Planning. At NRDC, she worked on national energy policy issues of importance to electric utilities, including a major review of the results of decoupling policies nationwide. This work supported her focus for the last few years on transforming the means by which United States residents and businesses apply energy to meet personal and economic needs to ones that are sustainable for the country and the world, and ensuring that the current U.S. electric utilities have an opportunity to be full and willing partners in this transformation. She will continue with that focus through Graceful Systems.

Pamela Lesh has worked in the electric utility industry for over 20 years. During this time, her responsibilities included management of all aspects of state and federal economic regulation, resource planning, federal legislative affairs, and corporate communications. Economic regulation spans matters from rate setting to approval of mergers and acquisitions to tariff design. Pamela Lesh also managed strategy development for PGE. She specializes in perceiving the context within which a business or regulatory strategy will exist and developing multiple paths to the objective, and excels at written and oral communication of the ideas, paths, and strategies so developed. Pamela Lesh holds a B.S. from Washington State University and a J.D. from The University of Washington School of Law. She has authored articles on integrated resource planning, decoupling and deregulation and spoken at numerous conferences on regulatory policy and utility strategy. Pamela Lesh also serves as a Board member for the Volunteers of America of Oregon and the Portland State University Institute of Metropolitan Studies.
Paul De Martini, Southern California Edison, VP of Advanced Technology
Paul De Martini is vice president of Advanced Technology in the Transmission & Distribution Business Unit of Southern California Edison (SCE). Advanced Technology is SCE’s R&D organization responsible for SmartGrid development, which includes advanced grid technologies, electric transportation, smart metering and integration of energy smart consumer products. Prior to joining SCE in 2002, Paul De Martini held senior management positions with ICF Consulting, Sempra Energy, Coastal Corporation and PG&E Corporation. Paul De Martini is a member of the California Energy Commission’s PIER Advisory Board, EPRI’s Smart Grid Advisory Committee, the Utility Smart Grid Executives working group and co-chair of the Western Electric Industry R&D Collaborative. Paul De Martini earned a MBA from the University of Southern California and a BS from the University of San Francisco. He also completed the technology management program at the California Institute of Technology. Paul De Martini is currently a Fellow of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Peter Wagner, Accel Partners, Partner
Peter Wagner has worked in technology since the mid-1980’s, as a physicist, line manager and venture investor. At Accel, Peter Wagner focuses in the Information Technology and Energy sectors, investing in start-up ventures as well as growth-stage companies. His interests in IT include digital media, virtualization, computing, storage, networking and mobility. In addition, Peter Wagner also helps lead Accel’s activity in the Energy sector, where his interests include renewable energy, nuclear power, energy storage, “smart grid”, energy management and efficiency, “green”social media and electric transportation.

Since joining Accel in 1996, Peter Wagner has led investments in dozens of early stage companies, many of which have gone on to complete IPO’s or successful acquisitions. These include Acopia Networks (acquired by F5), Airgo Networks (acquired by Qualcomm), Amber Networks (acquired by Nokia), Arrowpoint Communications (IPO 3/00, subsequently acquired by Cisco), Broadjump (IPO 6/04 after merger with Motive, subsequently acquired by Alcatel-Lucent), iBEAM Broadcasting (IPO 5/00, subsequently acquired by Williams), Infinera (IPO 6/07), New Edge Networks (acquired by Earthlink), Northpoint Communications (IPO 5/99, subsequently acquired by ATT), Peribit Networks (acquired by Juniper), Tellium (IPO 5/01), TiMetra Networks (acquired by Alcatel), Topspin Communications (acquired by Cisco), Transitive (acquired by IBM) and Trapeze Networks (acquired by Belden). Peter Wagner was also part of the team responsible for Accel’s investments in Redback Networks (IPO 5/99, subsequently acquired by Ericsson) and Motive (IPO 6/04, subsequently acquired by Alcatel-Lucent).

Peter Wagner currently serves on the Board of Directors at Altor Networks, Consentry Networks, Kickfire, Nimble Storage, Omneon Video Networks, ON Networks and Wichorus (in process of being acquired by Tellabs). In addition to his US-focused investment activity, Peter Wagner led Accel’s original initiatives in India culminating in the formation of Accel India in 2008. He has a deep interest in the region and works closely with the Accel India team on investments and strategy. Peter Wagner is also a member of the investment committee of Meritech Capital Partners, an affiliate of Accel focused on later-stage venture investing. Prior to joining Accel, Peter Wagner was a line manager at Silicon Graphics, responsible for several generations of digital media and graphics workstation products. Before Silicon Graphics, Peter Wagner worked with McKinsey and Company, consulting to market leaders in technology, energy, aerospace and financial services. Peter Wagner began his career as a physicist working in nuclear fusion research and aerospace. Peter Wagner is a Director and past President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists. He holds an A.B. in Physics from Harvard College, summa cum laude, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.
Philip Mezey, Itron North America, SVP & COO
Philip Mezey became senior vice president and chief operating officer for Itron North America in April 2007. Philip Mezey is responsible for the direction and strategy of Itron’s software and hardware solution lines, including the operations of advanced metering, R&D, marketing, and sales. He has served the company in several capacities including vice president and general manager for Software Solutions, followed by senior vice president, Software Solutions. Philip Mezey joined Itron as managing director of Software Development for Itron’s Energy Management Solutions group upon Itron’s acquisition of Silicon Energy in March 2003. He joined Silicon Energy in 2000 as vice president of Software Development. Prior to joining Silicon Energy, Philip Mezey was a founding member of Indus, a leading provider of integrated asset and customer management software. With Indus for 12 years, Philip Mezey’s various responsibilities revolved around product development and services for utility solutions. Philip Mezey holds an associate degree in history from University of California, Berkeley.
Pilgrim Beart, AlertMe, Founder and CEO
Pilgrim Beart is Chief Executive Officer of AlertMe. He is responsible for strategic leadership of the business. Pilgrim Beart has 20 years experience in ground breaking, high-technology companies and has founded three businesses as well as holding senior roles at a number of other companies. Most recently he was Vice President of Research & Development at Splashpower where he was responsible for creating and protecting the core technology of the wireless power company. After graduating with a degree in Computer Engineering from City University, London, Pilgrim Beart began his career in Oxford, designing computer boards for Solid State Logic. After six years working in Silicon Valley in the 1990’s for the likes of Atari and Chromatic Research (now AMD), in 1999 Pilgrim Beart headed back to his home town of Cambridge. Here he founded two companies: activeRF Ltd., an early implementer of asset-location systems, using a variety of short range RF technologies and antenova Ltd., a manufacturer of innovative mass market antenna technology that provides WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity to mobiles and laptops.
Ray Bell, Grid Net, Founder & CEO
Ray Bell is the CEO and Founder of Grid Net, a hardware and software company that provides open, interoperable, policy-based network management software and WiMAX product designs for the Smart Grid. Ray Bell has over twenty-five years of experience from Oracle Corporation, Cisco Systems, SmartPipes (a company he founded) and Computer Power, where he has served in many advanced engineering, product development, product management and senior management roles. He has an extensive technical background and many years of expertise in designing, developing & deploying advanced networking management and control systems, security infrastructures, and distributed computing systems products.

Ray Bell is an expert in the fields of advanced metering, networking, internet protocols, security technologies, relational systems, web services, and he has significant experience in complex object oriented design & modeling and schema development. Ray Bell currently serves as the Chairman of OpenAMI, an open standards initiative in the utility industry for advanced metering and demand response systems. Ray Bell is presently a member of the IEC TC57 WG14 and IEC TC13 WG14 and he has made significant contributions to the DMTF and IETF during his career.
Rich Wong, Accel Partners, Partner
Rich Wong joined Accel in 2006, with a focus on mobile services, enterprise software/SaaS, and energy technologies. Rich currently serves on the board of AdMob, the largest mobile advertising player, Parature, a leader in SaaS based customer support, SunRun, the leading provider of residential solar power, and works closely with the management team of Getjar Networks, the largest mobile development community and open mobile app store. Prior to Accel, Rich Wong also served as a board advisor to Plaxo (acquired by Comcast), Sana Security (acquired by AVG), and Simplicita (acquired by Sandvine). Prior to Accel, Rich Wong was SVP/GM of Products at Openwave and previously GM of Messaging Products, and Chief Marketing Officer at Openwave. While at Openwave, Rich Wong founded and chaired the Messaging Anti Abuse Working Group, a consortium of ISPs and technology providers working together to combat internet abuse. Previously Rich Wong was the Chief Marketing Officer and EVP/GM of Value-Added Services at Covad Communications, the DSL provider. Preceding Covad, he was a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, focusing on software and consumer technology.

Rich Wong remains active as an EVP of the MIT Club of Northern California, Board Member of the MIT CNC - Entrepreneurship Program, and the CTIA Wireless Internet Caucus. At CTIA 2008, Rich Wong was awarded a “Mobile Six” award as one of the 6 most influential individuals shaping the wireless industry by executives in the InMobile.org community. Rich Wong holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Rob Conant, Trilliant, SVP Network Products
Rob Conant is Senior Vice President Network Products at Trilliant. Before joining Trilliant, Rob Conant cofounded and was VP of Marketing and Business Development at Dust Networks, an innovator in wireless mesh networking technology, and the originator of the Wireless HART standard for industrial wireless mesh communications. Among his many accomplishments in his previous role at telecommunications systems provider Onix Microsystems, he invented micromirror technology establishing the company as a leader in MEMS-based fiber optic switches. Rob Conant holds a PhD and MS in electrical engineering and a BS in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley.
Robert Gee, Gee Strategies, President
Robert Gee is President and Founder of the Gee Strategies Group LLC, a consulting firm providing policy analysis, advocacy, and litigation support services for the energy, electric utility and critical infrastructure industries based in Washington, D.C. His diverse client base includes investors, trade associations, utilities, and public sector institutions. He has a thirty-year record of achievement as a seasoned Washington and Texas-based senior public official, attorney, and executive performing complex assignments involving major energy and telecommunications issues at the state, national, and international level. He has testified numerous times before the United States Congress, and quoted by news media, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, National Journal, Energy News Live and CNBC television. His editorials have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News, and the Houston Chronicle.

Robert Gee served as Vice President for Development and Partner Relations for the Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I), an affiliate of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), where he advocated development of the “smart grid” to digitize the electric utility power delivery system. From 1997 to 2000 he served as Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs and as Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He chaired the Energy Department’s Central Asia/Caspian energy strategy, and was responsible for the timely completion of the Department’s 1998 Comprehensive National Energy Strategy. He also oversaw the operation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and the national research program to develop and demonstrate advanced clean coal, natural gas, and petroleum technologies. From 1991 until 1997 he served on the Public Utility Commission of Texas and as its Chairman from 1991 through 1995. During his service, he chaired the Committee on Electricity for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He has served as an Attorney Advisor at the Interstate Commerce Commission and as a Supervisory Trial Attorney at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He held the position of General Attorney at Tenneco Oil Company, and was Of Counsel to the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. Mr. Gee received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in government with honors from the University of Texas and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law. He currently serves on the board of the Northeast-Midwest Institute. He is also a member of the Committee of 100. His past affiliations included serving as a trustee for St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and as a member of the Dallas Regional Panel of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.
Scott Hublou, EcoFactor, SVP of Products
Scott Hublou is EcoFactor’s SVP of Products and Co-Founder. Prior to EcoFactor, Scott Hublou’s most recent work has been as the head of the Sapria Design and Technology Group, a marketing services company specializing in product strategy for clients including BlueShield, Oracle, Peoplesoft, SAP, and HP.

Before heading Sapria, Scott Hublou founded Asimba, a SaaS based Internet-based weight-loss and fitness-provider solution. As CEO, he oversaw both general corporate operations as well as lead the marketing team for the initial 3 years, which included raising capital through partners including 24 Hour Fitness, Disney, and Powerbar. Under Scott Hublou’s leadership; Asimba received more than 16 product excellence awards, and was featured in multiple national publications and TV shows.
Sharon Allan, North American Smart Grid Practice, Accenture, Senior Executive
Sharon Allan is a senior executive and the Smart Grid practice lead in North America. In this role she is leading the practice to help utilities not only with their strategies but also their implementations to modernize their infrastructure. For the past two years, Accenture has conducted global research to understand the business opportunities and challenges related to climate change. Based on interviews in 133 utility, energy and chemicals/natural resources resources companies in 29 countries, the research provides deep insights into the thoughts and plans of company executives on climate change, its anticipated impact on their businesses and they actions that are planned to address the opportunities and challenges associated with climate change. Sharon Allan has more than 25 years of experience in the technology services industry in various executive and management roles. She has focused on smart grid deployment and transformation for the utility T&D industry for the past 12 years. She has worked with organizations around the world in smart grid and smart metering deployment strategy, infrastructure planning, and organizational performance. Prior to Accenture, she served in positions within our industry as President of Elster Integrated Solutions, President of AMCO Automated Systems and Chief Knowledge Officer for Elster Electricity (formerly ABB).
Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group, Managing Director
Sheeraz Haji is based in Cleantech Group’s San Francisco office. Previously, Sheeraz Haji spent eight years co-founding and leading GetActive (merged with Convio), a venture-backed software-as-a-service company providing CRM tools to nonprofits, associations and educational institutions. As CEO, and later as President of the merged entity, Sheeraz Haji built a company with 1,200 clients and 300 employees. He has also worked as a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) for El Dorado Ventures, an operations executive for GMO and a Product Manager for Digital Impact (acquired by Axciom). Sheeraz Haji launched his career as an environmental engineer in the Washington, DC office of Environ International. He has a BS from Brown University and an MS from Stanford University, both degrees in Environmental Engineering. Sheeraz Haji is a U.S. and French citizen.
Steve Westly, Westly Group, Managing Partner
Steve Westly is currently founder of The Westly Group, one of the larger clean tech venture funds in the US. Prior to founding The Westly Group, he served as the Controller and Chief Fiscal Officer of the state of California – the world’s sixth largest economy. As Controller, he chaired the State Lands Commission and served on 63 other boards and commissions, including CalPERS and CalSTRS, the nation’s two largest public pension funds, which together invest more than $350 billion. During his four-year term, Steve Westly spearheaded innovative tax programs that helped close the State’s budget deficit. He also led an effort to commit more than $1 billion to clean technology investments. Before running for office, Steve Westly helped guide the online auction company eBay through a period of rapid growth, serving as the senior vice president of marketing, business development, M&A and international. Steve Westly helped bring eBay to Europe and Asia, and developed the marketing and acquisition strategies that paved the path for the firm’s exponential growth. In 2008 Steve Westly served as the California Co-Chair for the Obama for President Campaign.

He began his career in Washington, D.C., where he worked first on Capitol Hill and later in the Office of Conservation and Solar at the U.S. Department of Energy. Steve Westly then returned to California to become special assistant to the president of the California Public Utilities Commission. While there, he published two books on alternative energy and the utilities. Steve Westly also worked for four years as a program manager for Sprint. Steve Westly has a BA from Stanford University and a MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, where he served on the faculty for five years
Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures, Partner
Vinod Khosla grew up dreaming of being an entrepreneur, despite growing up in an Indian Army household with no business or technology connections. Since age 16, when he first heard about Intel starting up, he dreamt of starting his own technology company. Upon graduating with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, he failed, at age 20, to start a soy milk company to service the many people in India who did not have refrigerators. He came to the US and got his Masters in Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University. His startup dreams attracted him to Silicon Valley where he got an MBA at Stanford University in 1980. Upon graduation he was one of the three founders of Daisy Systems, which was the first significant computer aided design system for electrical engineers. The company went on to significant revenue, profits and an IPO, but Khosla, driven by the frustration of having to design the computer hardware on which the Daisy software needed to be built, started the standards based Sun Microsystems in 1982 to build workstations for software developers. At Sun he pioneered “open systems” and RISC processors. Sun was funded by long time friend and board member John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

In 1986 he switched sides and joined Kleiner Perkins where he was and continues to be a general partner of KPCB funds through KP X. There, through the years, with other partners, he took on Intel’s monopoly with Nexgen/AMD (the only microprocessor to have significant success against Intel, sold to AMD for 28% of AMD), incubated the idea and business plan for Juniper to take on Cisco’s dominance of the router market, to formulate the very early advertising based search strategy for Excite, and to transform the moribund telecommunications business and its archaic SONET implementations with Cerent (sold to Cisco for $7B), and many other ventures. He helped in creating value, having fun, succeeding, failing (remember Dynabook?) and driving impact in partnership with entrepreneur, and the partners at KPCB.

In 2004, Vinod Khosla, driven by the need for flexibility to accommodate four teenage children and a desire to be more experimental, to fund sometimes imprudent “science experiments”, and to take on both “for profit” and for “social impact” ventures, formed khoslaventures, funded entirely with family funds. His goals remain the same - work and learn from fun and knowledgeable entrepreneurs, build impactful companies through the leverage of innovation, and spend time as a partnership making a difference. He has a passion for nascent technologies that can have a beneficial effect and economic impact on society. Vinod Khosla’s greatest passion is being a mentor to entrepreneurs, assisting entrepreneurs and helping them build technology based businesses. Vinod Khosla assists or serves on the boards of a number of the companies including EASIC (programmable ASIC platform), Infinera (optical communications), Kovio (printed electronics), Skyblue (internet PC), Spatial Photonics (Micromirror displays), Xsigo (datacenter switch), among others. Vinod Khosla is a charter member of TiE, a not-for-profit global network of entrepreneurs and professionals founded in 1992 that now has more than forty chapters in nine countries. He is also a Founding Board member of the Indian School of Business. His current passion is Social Entrepreneurship with a special emphasis on Microfinance as a poverty alleviation tool. He is a supporter of many microfinance organizations in India and Africa. He has been experimenting with global housing. Vinod Khosla is also passionate about alternative energy, petroleum independence, and the environment.

GreenBeat 2009, The Conference on the Smart Grid

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