Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.) - Keynote

Former Commander of the USS Cole

Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.) was the Commanding Officer of the USS Cole when it came under a suicide terrorist attack by Al Qaeda in the port of Aden, Yemen on October 12, 2000. During his command, he and his crew distinguished themselves by saving the American war ship from sinking. A compelling storyteller, CDR Lippold draws upon his Five Pillars of Leadership to offer strategies he learned and applied to instill integrity into his team members and mitigate crises throughout his naval career. With takeaways for organizations on assessing their own successes and failures to prepare for what the future may hold, how to lead teams and manage challenges successfully in the face of financial, national security, and global uncertainties, his lessons learned can make the difference when it matters most.

Tim Street

Director of Cooperative Development, OEC

Street develops and implements marketing strategies, energy efficiency programs, youth development initiatives, work force development training, and Trustee/Director education for Ohio’s electric cooperatives. He is also a regional member of Touchstone Energy. Prior to joining OEC, Street worked at Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative for 10 years.

Dr. John Saxton

Chairman, Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives

Saxton is Chairman of OREC’s Board of Directors. Being elected in 2000 he has served 17 years as chair of Paulding Putnam’s Board of Directors and represented Paulding Putnam on the OREC Board for 10 years serving as Vice Chairman and Secretary-Treasurer, each 2-year terms. Saxton’s maintained a private practice over 40 years.

Pat O'Loughlin

President & CEO, OEC

Since 2002, O’Loughlin has served OEC and Buckeye Power through several roles, including vice president of engineering and power supply, and since 2015, as president and CEO. O’Loughlin worked for Dayton Power & Light for 19 years in various management positions with responsibility for the wholesale power business, and both power and natural gas system operations.

Teri Viswanath

Lead Economist, Power Energy and Water, CoBank

Viswanath is a lead economist in CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division, focused on the energy industry, market intelligence, strategic guidance, and policy assessment. Viswanath’s energy economics expertise spans 20 years with S&P Global, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, and Deutsche Bank. She began her career with Dynegy as a power plant asset manager.

Mark Lauby

Senior VP and Chief Engineer, North American Electrical Reliability Corporation

Lauby is senior vice president and chief engineer at North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Lauby joined NERC in January 2007, holding several senior positions. Lauby serves on numerous Boards, has received many awards, and was named a Fellow by International Electricity Research Exchange. Prior to joining NERC, Lauby spent 20 years at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

Missy Kidwell

Marketing Project & Event Manager, OEC

Kidwell serves as Youth Tour Director and program manager of scholarships, E3 Smart, and Farm Science Review, and provides support for marketing programs, as well as workforce and director development initiatives. Prior to joining OEC in February 2022, Kidwell worked at Consolidated Cooperative for 20 years.

Caryn Whitney

Director of Communications, OEC 

Whitney joined OEC in 2022 as director of communications. Prior to OEC, Whitney was News Director of WHIO-TV (CBS). Whitney has 30 years’ experience in journalism, public relations, brand management, and media consulting in TV, digital, radio and print. Whitney has won multiple Emmy, Murrow, and Associated Press awards for her work.

Justis Clifford

Director of Communications, Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative and North Central Electric Cooperative

In April 2020, Clifford became director of communications for Lorain-Medina and North Central Electric Cooperatives. Clifford has 12 years of communications and public relations experience, holds a master’s degree in mass communications and public relations, and a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Preeti Choudhary

Executive Director, DriveOhio

Choudhary is a senior intelligent transportation systems engineer with a diverse background in systems engineering analyses; connected and automated vehicle (CV/AV) strategic planning and programming; and technology pilot deployments. Choudhary led the Ohio’s CV/AV Systems Engineering Analysis and helped develop the nation’s first statewide systems engineering guidebook for CV/AV technology deployments.

Bethany Schunn

Plant Manager, Cardinal

Schunn is a recognized leader in the power utility-generation industry and speaks at many large-scale utility conferences. At Buckeye Power, Schunn leads a diverse team of more than 300 employees at the Cardinal Power Plant in Brilliant, Ohio. Prior to joining Buckeye Power, Schunn worked at AEP over 10 years.

Dave Richardson

Plant Manager, Greenville & Mone Plant

Richardson has served as plant manager of the Mone & Greenville Electric Generating Stations for 15 years, the last 4 years as a Buckeye Power employee. Prior to joining Buckeye Power, David worked for AEP, Dayton Power & Light, and NIPSCO for 27 years in various engineering and management positions.

Bob Gibbs

U.S. Congressman, 7th District (Northeastern) Ohio

Gibbs is a small business owner, founding Hidden Hollow Farms in 1976, raising hogs in Holmes County, Ohio. In 2010, Gibbs was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, after serving in both the Ohio House and Senate. Gibbs is a strong advocate for private property rights, the agriculture industry, regulatory and tax reform.

Jim Matheson

CEO, NRECA

Prior to becoming CEO in 2016, Matheson had distinguished careers in both the public and private sectors, serving as principal, Public Policy Practice, for the international law firm Squire Patton Boggs, based in Washington, D.C. He was elected to serve as a United States Representative from Utah for seven terms, 2001 to 2015. He was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the Financial Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science committees.

Rich Macke

Power System Engineering

Macke is a vice president at PSE, leading the economics, rates, and business planning department, providing business strategy, economic, forecasting, cost of service, merger-acquisition, and regulatory consulting to clients. Macke holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Macke serves on PSE’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Kyle Hoffman

Manager, COLT

Hoffman manages the COLT Program in OEC’s Safety Training and Loss Prevention Department. Hoffman was a lineman for 16 years with Pioneer Electric Cooperative before following his passion to teach safety and train the next generation of lineworkers. He currently has over 140 apprentices in the program from Ohio’s 24 electric cooperatives.

Kevin Zemanek

AVP, Operations, OEC

Zemanek joined OEC in 2004 and is currently the assistant vice president of operations, overseeing market operations, risk management, field engineering, and facilities management. Zemanek received his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering technology and master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Dayton.

Kara Smith

Manager, Marketing Operations, OEC

Smith joined OEC in 2013 and is Manager of Market Operations. She is responsible for PJM market activities, member billing, and risk management. Prior to joining OEC, she received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and history from Ashland University and her master’s degree in financial mathematics from the University of Dayton.