ARPA-E on the Road comes to North Carolina on October 2.
Check out the agenda below:
Interested in hosting an ARPA-E on the Road? Contact us at arpa-e-comms@hq.doe.gov for more information.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, RTI International
Mike Kaelin is executive vice president and chief financial officer for RTI. He is responsible for the leadership and management of finance, IT, contracts, procurement, proposal services, and Corporate Development. Kaelin joined RTI in 2007 and became CFO in 2012. Kaelin has over 25 years of financial management experience, including his prior tenure as vice president of finance for Raleigh-based Misys Healthcare Inc., a leader in the healthcare information technology industry. Kaelin also held a number of senior financial positions in companies such as Channel Master and Productivity Point International, where he was chief financial officer, as well as Coopers & Lybrand.
Secretary, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
As DEQ Secretary, she oversees the state agency whose mission is to protect North Carolina’s environment and natural resources. The organization has offices from the mountains to the coast and administers regulatory and public assistance programs aimed at protecting the quality of North Carolina’s air, land, and water. In 2024, the agency continues to prioritize pollution clean-up, environmental justice, clean energy, and infrastructure improvements. Secretary Kelley recently served as the Executive Director of Hometown Strong, an initiative that connects rural communities with resources needed to advance local priorities.
Director, ARPA-E
Dr. Evelyn N. Wang currently serves as the Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), where she leads the Agency’s development, launch, and execution of high-risk, high-reward energy research and development programs.
Prior to joining ARPA-E, Dr. Wang served as the Ford Professor of Engineering and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During her time at MIT, she focused on thermal management, thermal energy conversion and storage, and water harvesting and purification.
Associate Director for Technology, ARPA-E
Dr. Jenifer Shafer currently serves as the Associate Director for Technology at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Her focus at ARPA-E is developing economic and proliferation resistant technologies to support advanced reactor deployment, as well as manage nuclear waste and used nuclear fuel.
Before joining ARPA-E, Shafer served on the faculty at Colorado School of Mines as a Professor in the Chemistry Department and Nuclear Science & Engineering Program. Prior to that, she worked at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Chief Technology Officer, Imagen Energy
Ezana Mekonnen is the Co-Founder and CTO of Imagen Energy. Ezana has spearheaded the development of compact power converters, creating highly efficient systems for electric vehicle charging. With over 17 years of experience in power electronics, his expertise has been instrumental in advancing Imagen's contributions to sustainable energy technologies.
Renewable Energy & Storage Director, RTI
Sameer Parvathikar is a research chemical engineer in RTI’s Technology Advancement and Commercialization business unit. In this capacity, he leads several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and commercially funded projects and programs on green chemicals production and grid-scale energy storage. As the principal investigator of the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) REFUEL+IT program, he leads a large team consisting of university, non-profit, and industry collaborators in building a pilot-scale clean energy and chemicals hub to produce low- and zero-carbon hydrogen and ammonia from intermittent renewable energy that will demonstrate their use as a fuel and fertilizer.
Director of Industry & Innovation, FREEDM Systems Center
As Director of Industry and Innovation, Ken’s role is to connect corporate research needs to Center capabilities and expertise. He is responsible for marketing activities, maintaining the website, providing most lab tours and moving FREEDM inventions to commercialization. Ken joined the FREEDM staff in April 2015. He previously worked in industrial energy efficiency and environmental consulting. Ken contributes to work on the Cost Benefit Analysis project and also supports the FREEDM Industry Advisory Board.
Associate Professor, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment
Dr. Patino-Echeverri’s research focuses on public policy design for energy systems, with a particular emphasis on managing the risks arising from the uncertainties influencing the outcomes of government actions. Much of her current work focuses on the policies that affect capital investment decisions within the electricity industry, and the corresponding costs to society of electricity and air-emissions levels. Her models explore the effects of different government policies by representing the industry’s decisions under uncertainty on future technological advancements, fuel prices, and emissions regulations.
Program Director, ARPA-E
Dr. Peter de Bock currently serves as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. His focus at ARPA-E includes electronics thermal management and aviation propulsion systems.
Prior to joining ARPA-E, Dr. de Bock spent nearly 18 years with GE Research, holding various research and development positions and recently completing a focus on a system perspective on electrification of aviation.
Technology-to-Market Advisor, ARPA-E
Dr. Xin Wu currently serves as a Technology-to-Market Advisor at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). Dr. Wu brings over 16 years of design and development experience in the areas of power electronics, electrical system integration, advanced sensors, real-time and physics-based system modeling and analysis, and diagnostic, prognostic and health monitoring.
Prior to joining ARPA-E, Dr. Wu served as the Discipline Chief for Integrated Electrical Systems and Architecture at Pratt & Whitney (PW).
Vice President, Innovation Advisors at RTI International
Jason Norman, PhD, leads a division focused on helping clients solve their toughest innovation challenges. He has spent more than 20 years in industry, continually generating greater innovation and sustainable growth for companies by targeting the connections between the core business and regional impact. By understanding a company’s products, markets, value chain, and regional impact, he has identified and implemented shared-value initiatives that have led to improved returns and benefits for all stakeholders.
Program Director, ARPA-E
Dr. Johan H. Enslin currently serves as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). His focus at ARPA-E is on future electrical power system technology and operations. Prior to joining ARPA-E, Dr. Enslin was a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Duke Energy Endowed Chair in Smart Grid Technology at Clemson University.
Program Director, ARPA-E
Dr. Halle Cheeseman currently serves as a Program Director at ARPA-E with a focus on batteries and other electrochemical devices. Before ARPA-E, Dr. Cheeseman served as CTO for two large battery companies, Exide Technologies and Spectrum Brands. As CTO, Dr. Cheeseman directed R&D groups working on cutting-edge lithium ion and zinc-air batteries and re-envisioned lead-acid batteries. Dr. Cheeseman was a thought leader for multiple product categories, including high-power battery packs and chargers.
Deputy Director for Technology, ARPA-E
Dr. Daniel Cunningham is the Deputy Director for Technology at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). Dr. Cunningham was previously the Acting Deputy Director for Technology and the Acting Deputy Director for Commercialization. Cunningham most recently worked at BP Group Technology in the Chief Scientist’s Office evaluating emerging energy technologies such as energy storage and alternative fuels pathways and assessing their impact on future business.
Assistant Secretary of Clean Energy Economic Development, State of North Carolina
In January 2022, Jennifer Mundt joined the Department of Commerce as the Assistant Secretary for Clean Energy Economic Development, a new role in the Department. Since that time, she has led efforts to secure clean energy economic and workforce opportunities for North Carolina, including offshore wind.
Executive in Residence, Duke University Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
Dr. Eric Rohlfing advises efforts by university leadership and faculty to 1) develop and execute a strategy for advancing energy science and technology and 2) cultivate technological innovation and entrepreneurship. He also mentors energy students.
He joined Duke after a distinguished career at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he most recently served as senior technical advisor for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. During his tenure at DOE, Eric also served as acting director for ARPA-E, its deputy director for technology, and the director of the chemical sciences, geosciences, and biosciences division of DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
Executive Director, Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster
Deb Wojcik joined the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster as Executive Director in August 2021. She brings over 20 years of experience in program leadership and development, stakeholder engagement and network building, career and professional development, and environmental education and communication.
Head of Renewables, North America, Hitachi Energy
Dr. Debrup Das is presently leading the Renewables and Hydrogen segments in North America for Hitachi Energy. He has led commercialization of multiple pioneering products both at multinationals (ABB – solid state breaker) and startup (Smart Wires – power electronics-based power flow controller). He has about 20 granted patents and 25 peer reviewed publications.