John Vause,
CNN International, USA
Speech Title: Climate Call to Action: A Practical & Pragmatic Approach
Bioraphy: John Vause is a multi-award winning journalist for CNN International. Based at the network’s headquarters in Atlanta, he currently co-anchors ‘CNN Newsroom’ from 12-2am ET on CNNI.
For the past 25 years Vause has traveled the world, reporting from more than 30 countries, and has been based in Atlanta, Beijing, Jerusalem, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Canberra and Los Angeles.
He has seen firsthand the devastation caused by some of the world’s biggest natural disasters: Earthquakes in Haiti and China, bush fires, floods and typhoons. He was one of the last reporters to interview former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto, returning to Karachi after she was assassinated.
Previously based in Los Angeles, Vause has anchored some of the biggest stories in recent years on both networks including the Arab Spring, the Japan earthquake and tsunami, the death of Kim Jung Il and the U.S. government shutdown. He also continues to report from the field, most notably covering the Israel-Hezbollah war from both Gaza and Jerusalem in 2014. He previously served as CNN’s correspondent in Jerusalem followed by an assignment as senior international correspondent based in Beijing, where he was responsible for covering China and the region.
In the Middle East, Vause reported from the front lines of the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, winning an Edward R. Murrow award. He was the last reporter in Gaza after the Israeli pullout in 2005. He was there in Ramallah when Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat fell ill and later died, and he was there in Jerusalem when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was left incapacitated after suffering a stroke. When Palestinian suicide bombers launched a concentrated campaign against Israel in 2002, Vause was there. He was also in the middle of the Israeli military campaign which followed, and was in Bethlehem for the 39-day long siege of the Church of the Nativity, His reporting of these events earned him the “Journalist of the Year” award from the Atlanta Press club in 2003.
Vause has been there for Presidential inaugurations, Democratic and Republican National Conventions, Bill Clinton’s impeachment, the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr., mass shootings in U.S. schools and gala awards from the Oscars to Grammys. He’s interviewed Presidents and Prime Ministers, movie, music and sporting stars – but mostly ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
Vause holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American history from the University of Queensland.
Prof. Yueyue Fan
University of California, Davis, USA
Speech Title: System Integration And Coordination in The Green Energy Space: Research Challenges And Opportunities
Bioraphy: Yueyue Fan is a professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of California, Davis. She is also a faculty member in the graduate program of Applied Mathematics at UC Davis. Dr. Fan directed the program of Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) program at the Na-tional Science Foundation of the United States between 2020-2023, where she contributed in shaping the nation’s innovation landscape in areas related to physical and cyber infrastructure systems, resilient and smart communities, and climate adaptation. Dr. Fan’s personal research interests span transportation and energy infrastructure systems modeling, with a special em-phasis in integrating applied mathematics and engineering domain knowledge to address fun-damental challenges brought by data and system uncertainty, dynamics, and underdetermined issues.
Prof. Zhixin Wang,
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Vice President of Shanghai Energy-Saving Engineering Technology Association
Speech Title: Green Energy Conservation and Carbon Neutrality, Scientific and Technological Innovation, Transformation and Upgrading Path
Bioraphy: Dr. Zhixin Wang received Bachelor Degree, Master Degree and Ph.D from Zhejiang University, China in 1985, 1988 and 1994 respectively. His research interests are located in the areas of wind power, photovoltaic generation and control technology, distributed generations of smart grid and intelligent distribution system, motor control system and energy-saving system. He has ever hosted more than six Projects, which were supported by China Government, published more 150 SCI/EI Index journal Papers since 2007, such as Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (IF 16.799), PCMP (IF 11.0), IEEE Transactions, ten books/text books, and was granted invention patents about fifty, including one PCT patent, and eight Technical standards, including four GB/T, one NB/T and three Group Standard. He received many awards for research projects, i.e, First Class Award of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Automation Science and Technology Progress Award, 2015, 2016, and also received many honorary titles, i.e Young scientific and technological expert in China machinery industry，former Ministry of Machinery Industry, China，1995, 21st century talents of the Ministry of Machinery Industry, former Ministry of Machinery Industry, China，1995, and Expert in China's power industry, China Electric Power Education Association,2022, etc.
Dr. Igor Mogilevski,
Solis USA Corporation, USA
Speech Title: Solis Product Solutions for Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Market
Bioraphy: Igor Mogilevski has over 20 years’ experience in Power Electronics design and development and 18 years in renewable energy. In his current role as Director of Engineering, Igor is responsible for Product development and solutions for Solis Inverters. His vision is to design and develop reliable, efficient and cost-effective products for renewable energy market and to provide new solutions to constantly evolving renewable energy industry. Igor enjoys world travel and a is a local hiking buff.
Dr. Zhehan Yi
Director of Utility and ESS Product Solutions
Chint Power Systems America, USA
Speech Title: Transforming the Renewable Landscape with String PV and Energy Storage Technologies
Bioraphy: Dr. Zhehan Yi is the Utility & ESS Product Solutions Director with Chint Power Systems America. He focuses his efforts in leading CPS’s Utility & ESS Product Strategy. Dr. Yi graduated from George Washington University with a Ph.D. Degree in Electrical Engineering. Prior to joining the CPS team, he used to work for Delta Electronics Americas and The Smart Grid Research Institute, State Grid Corporation of China. He is an inventor of 6 granted patents and an author of more than 30 peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Yi is an IEEE Senior Member, Associate Editor for IEEE Access, and Co-Chair for IEEE Task Force on Internet of Things for Power Systems. His research interest includes power electronics, Artificial Intelligence in power systems, and renewable energy integration.
Edan Simpson
Director, Business Developments
Siemens
Bioraphy: Edan’s extensive experience spans across diverse technologies in renewable generation, battery storage, demand response, utility programs, and energy efficiency. With 11 years in the industry, his background includes entrepreneurial ventures, starting two companies within the energy and conservation space selling products and services to commercial and government customers. Having joined Siemens Distributed Energy Systems (DES) in 2021, Edan continues to drive business in the Pacific Region. Key projects include range of storage and energy efficiency programs throughout CA.
Jo Tavares
CNN Newsroom, USA
Bioraphy: Jo Tavares (she or they) is a scientist, an educator, and a community organizer who loves to help people find ways to get involved in Climate Action. As the Director for the California Center for Climate Change Education at West LA College, Jo is working with students, faculty, and community members to solve the climate crisis while improving lives by prioritizing projects centered on justice, equity, and economic mobility. Jo holds a PhD in Earth System Science (UC, Irvine), an MSc in Marine Science and Policy (UDel) and a BS in oceanography (FURG, Brazil). She has taught marine science at various community colleges in Southern California. More recently, Jo taught environmental ethics, environmental history, and climate change at CSU Channel Islands. Jo feels the happiest when she is close to nature, so she tries to spend all her free time outdoors running trails, snorkeling, surfing, gardening, composting, and upcycling with her family and friends. Jo also nurtures resilience through art and is keen on street theater, improv, and dancing (her favorite types of dance are “forró” and “samba de roda” which are traditional dances from Bahia, Brazil, where Jo is originally from).
John Sebastian
Vice President for Mission and Ministry
LMU, USA
Bioraphy: John T. Sebastian, Ph.D., became LMU's second vice president for mission and ministry on June 12, 2017, succeeding Robert Caro, S.J. He is also a tenured professor of English. He reports to the president.
Sebastian joined LMU from Loyola University New Orleans, where he also served as vice president for mission and ministry. As the chief mission officer, he developed and executed the university's strategic plan for their Office of Mission and Ministry and served on the president's cabinet and other leadership committees. Sebastian also participated in the effort to build a Jesuit center, was the founding director of the Ignatian Faculty Fellows Program, established a lecture series on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and worked collaboratively with the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Luis Guitierrez
Director of Energy & Water
Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, USA
Bioraphy: As the Director of Energy & Water in the Mayor's Office of Energy and Sustainability, Luis oversees issues related to LA's transition to clean energy and water infrastructure and serves as the primary liaison between the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Water and Power. Before joining the Mayor's team, Luis managed regulatory policy proceedings for Southern California Edison (SCE), focusing on issues related to equity and justice. Before joining SCE, Luis served as the Director of Policy and Research for Inclusive Action for the City, a community development organization dedicated to economic justice in Los Angeles. Luis holds a BA in Sociology and Spanish Literature from Wesleyan University, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal State LA, and is a Doctoral candidate at USC.
Mark Padilla
Project Manager
LADWP, USA
Bioraphy: Mark Padilla is a licensed Electrical Engineer and graduate of LMU, Class of 2003. He has over 20 years of engineering experience working for the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He has worked in multiple projects supporting power generation and transmission of renewable energy. He currently manages the Generation Electrical Engineering Section which supports all the generating stations and hydro and renewable power plant facilities.
Stacey Mahler
US Head of Sustainability for Siemens Smart Infrastructure
Bioraphy: Stacy Mahler is the US Head of Sustainability for Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SI) and is responsible for supporting customers on their sustainability journey through infrastructure and operational enhancements that improve energy efficiency, integrate renewable energy, and enable electrification of fleets and facilities. She also supports the carbon reduction roadmap for Siemens' SI footprint in the US in alignment with their global sustainability goals and commitments. Based in Atlanta, she holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida, an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and has over 15 years of experience in the industrial and energy sectors.