WVPA Member Conference

Bill has more than 20 years of energy-related experience in strategic marketing, new product development, pricing, market research, and demand-side management as well as consumer behavior. He is focusing much of his efforts now on electric vehicle marketing, as well as design thinking. He founded and served for several years as president of the Association of Energy Services Professionals. Bill served in a number of key capacities at E Source, including VP of Strategy, VP of Consulting, and VP of New Product Development. Bill served as a project manager at EPRI, overseeing projects focused on demand management, rates, marketing, and customer behavior. Bill also had stints at Apple and Disney in his early days, and spent time as a stand-up comedian during his midlife crisis.

At EDPR Kelly leads the Origination team for North America. She has over 17 years of experience in the renewable industry. She is responsible for leading the origination team that develops and maintains key relationships with utilities and offtake partners, including commercial and industrial clients. The origination team leads PPA negotiations, develops pricing strategies for renewable projects under development, and analyzes the impact of current and potential renewable market rules. Kelly’s team also examines market trends and identifies new customers within the renewable industry. Her depth of market knowledge spans into the U.S. markets and in Canada and her & her team have executed over 6GW of PPAs at EDPR North America.

Kelly is the Co-Founder of the Women IN Energy Conference which hosted the first annual event in 2017 brining over 250 women in energy together. In addition, Kelly is on the Board of Directors for the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA).

In 2019, the Women in Renewable Energy awarded Kelly with the Wind Power Woman of Distinction for her leadership in the industry. Kelly was also named one of the 10 Most Admired Women Leaders of 2021 by Women Industry Era Leaders.

Before EDPR, Kelly held numerous energy trading roles specializing in renewables and origination at ACES, Great River Energy, and Split Rock Energy.

Dr. Seungjin Kim is a Professor and Head of the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University.  Prior to joining Purdue University, he was a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University.  Dr. Kim’s expertise is in the area of reactor thermal-hydraulics and two-phase flow.  More specifically, he has done research in reactor thermal-hydraulics, reactor safety analysis, two-phase flow experiments, interfacial area transport, instrumentation and diagnostics of two-phase transport, reactor thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes, and computational two-phase flow.  He has actively taken leadership positions in his field of technical expertise and has served as Chair of the Thermal Hydraulics Division of American Nuclear Society (ANS).  Dr. Kim is an ANS Fellow and served on the Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC) in the Office of Nuclear Energy of U.S. Department of Energy in 2018 and 2019.  Currently, he is serving as one of the principals-in-charge for Purdue-Duke Energy joint study to explore feasibility of using advanced nuclear technology for Purdue campus community’s long-term energy needs.

Michael Loenen is the Manager of Renewables Development at NRCO. He joined National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) in December 2016. Michael is responsible for managing the development of wind, solar and battery storage projects, maintaining relationships with industry players, and researching emerging trends in renewable energy. Prior to joining NRCO, Michael worked at ACES from 2000-2016, primarily in the role of Director of Origination. There, he led origination and trading of financial and physical power (short & long-term), as well as generation assets, in ERCOT, SPP, MISO-South & WECC. Michael holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Mathematics from the University of British Columbia (UBC), a Master’s degree in Economics from UBC and a MBA from the University of Alberta with a specialization in Energy Economics.

As CEO of HRD – A Leadership Development Company, Andrea Butcher has a 20+ year career as a business leader, executive coach, and advocate in the talent development and the human resources space. She knows how to lead organizations and leaders from the big picture to execution with a proven track record of growing and strengthening organizations. She has an inherent ability to quickly connect, understand pain points, and offer empathy and support to help others take accountability for making improvements. She also hosts HRD’s weekly podcast, Being [at Work], which highlights stories of executives leading through difficult challenges.

Marine Corporal Josh Bleill is a native of Greenfield, Indiana. After graduating high school, Josh attended Purdue University. Upon completion of his education, Josh decided to serve his country by joining the United States Marine Corps in 2004 and was activated for a tour of duty in Iraq in 2006.

While serving in Iraq, Corporal Bleill was severely injured, resulting in the loss of both of his legs.  After extensive rehabilitation, Bleill returned to Indiana in August of 2008, where he attacked his new life head-on.  This new life included employment as the Indianapolis Colts Community Spokesperson. In 2017, Josh took a new step in his journey by starting his own speaking company, Josh Bleill LLC, to do public speaking independently.  His powerful message of overcoming adversity and taking life one step at a time is inspiring audiences around the country.

Keynote speaker, Josh Bleill, will inspire the audience with the story of his life-changing injuries that ultimately lead to a more purposeful and fulfilling life. He attributes his mission to walk again to his family, his faith, and those who helped his recovery journey. With humor and edge of your seat inspiration, he leaves the audience ready to take on the next challenge, one step at a time. Josh shares how perseverance and determination allow everyone to overcome any obstacle. Josh inspires and motivates, showing that as long as you keep working, there is always a possibility.

Josh is proudly sponsored by DEEM. https://deemfirst.com/