Agenda
June 2 - 4, 2025
The Ritz-Carlton Bacara
8301 Hollister Ave., Santa Barbara, CA
Agenda
Monday, June 2
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Check-in and group networking activities*
- Golf at The Sandpiper
- Kayaking
- Hiking
- Jeep mountain and wine tour of the Santa Ynez Valley
- Spa appointments (individual)
6:30 p.m. Welcome reception | The Bluff (located on the hotel property)
*Group activity details have been shared in your individual event itenerary.
Tuesday, June 3
8:00 a.m. Breakfast | Santa Ynez Terrace
9:00 a.m. Welcome address | Santa Ynez Ballroom
9:15 a.m. Strategic perspectives and advice for planning the future of customer programs, resource adequacy, and grid modernization
Hear from senior leaders on the issues, opportunities, and challenges utilities face as they navigate rapid load growth, aging infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty, shifting environmental goals, and affordability concerns.
Presenters:
- Gene Rodrigues, Former Assistant Secretary for electricity at U.S. DOE
- Alex Núñez, Baltimore Gas and Electric
- Samuel Hancock, Xcel Energy
- David Pickles, ICF (Moderator)
10:30 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. Powering up: How tech leaders and utilities are partnering to meet the surging grid
Demand for power is surging from AI, data centers, electrification, and emerging technologies. This session explores the scope and attributes of accelerated demand as well as how collaborations among tech leaders and utilities are reshaping innovation and relationships to ensure reliability in an increasingly digital and electrified world.
Presenters:
- Laurent Boinot, Microsoft
- Dmitri Jarocki, Google
- George Katsigiannakis, ICF
- Alison Kaufmann, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (Moderator)
12:00 p.m. Lunch | Santa Ynez Terrace
1:00 p.m. Planning for the future: Scalable solutions to address load growth and affordability
As utilities face growing demand, rising costs, and increasing system pressures, this session will explore how demand-side solutions such as customer-owned resources and virtual power plants can address these challenges. Speakers will examine whether current models are sufficient or if new approaches to program design, risk-sharing, and utility collaboration are needed to support both load growth and affordability.
Presenters:
- Justin Rodgers, ICF (Moderator)
- Kim Winslow, Evergy
- Scott Vogt, ComEd
2:00 p.m. Break
2:15 - 3:30 p.m. Spotlight sessions
- AI to the rescue: Solving grid challenges with the power of AI
- Norma Grubb, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- Haider Khan, ICF
- Building trust amid rate hikes: How PSEG turned a tough year for customers into a brand win
- Karen Cleeve, PSEG
- Matt Silverman, ICF
AI is transforming the utility industry by enabling smarter planning, implementation, and evaluation of customer programs, helping to manage congestion from EVs and heat pumps and increase demand flexibility to support intermittent renewables. While AI drives increased demand, it is also projected to reduce overall energy consumption by 50% by 2050. This session explores utility use cases, adoption challenges, and the opportunities AI creates for improving grid reliability and customer outcomes.
Presenters:
Confronted with a 15%-20% rate increase, PSEG knew it needed more than a standard message to connect with its customers. Hear how the team used the opportunity to humanize PSEG and create a compelling campaign that’s rare for the industry. You’ll also learn how they gained executive buy-in and overcame unexpected hurdles that nearly stopped the campaign from launching.
Presenters:
6:30 p.m. Summer garden soiree | Oval Lawn
Wednesday, June 4
8:00 a.m. Breakfast | Santa Ynez Terrace
8:30 a.m. Better together: How gas and electric utilities can partner and learn from each other to address current priorities | Santa Ynez Ballroom
This panel will explore how gas and electric utilities are working together to address shared challenges and unlock new opportunities. Panelists will highlight what each type of utility brings to the table—from operational strengths to customer engagement strategies—and how collaboration is helping them learn from one another and deliver greater value.
Presenters:
- Jessica Yu, Baltimore Gas and Electric
- Andrew Steinberg, Southern California Gas Company
- Tison Reno, Entergy Mississippi
- Stacy Noblet, ICF (Moderator)
9:30 a.m. Rethinking utility programs for a smarter, more resilient future
Utilities have an opportunity to strengthen resilience not only at the grid level but also by empowering residential homes and businesses through customer programs. Learn how LA County and SoCal Edison are supporting decarbonization retrofits for low- and moderate-income households, municipal buildings, and the broader built environment while also addressing wildfire and other climate risks. These initiatives are helping communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme weather events.
Presenters:
- Minh Le, Los Angeles County Internal Services Department
- Brian Stonerock, Southern California Edison
- Judsen Bruzgul, ICF (Moderator)
10:15 a.m. Closing remarks
10:30 a.m. Activities and departures
Speakers