Hydrogen in Focus

Driving the Future: Strategic Planning for ​Public Transportation

Committed to ​building a brighter ​future

Together we are re-imagining our identity as we ​champion zero-emission transportation. We ​believe we must work to protect the future of ​the Pacific Northwest as a clean energy ​epicenter for generations to come, together.

Lodging

Keynote Speakers

Jim Jensen

Washington State University Energy Program

Senior Bioenergy & Alternative Fuels ​Specialist

Opening Remarks

Jim provides up-to-date research and technical assistance about ​bioenergy and alternative fuels to federal and state agencies, local ​governments, and private industry. In a career spanning 30 years in the ​private, non-profit, and university sectors, Jim Jensen has provided value-​added consulting and technical assistance to businesses in many ​commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors. He has supported ​corporate social responsibility programs and innovated new green ​technologies and products. His technical expertise spans battery-electric, ​fuel-cell electric, and other alt fuel vehicles; EV charging infrastructure; ​hydrogen and biofuel production and fueling; renewable energy ​generation; carbon and ecosystem markets; anaerobic digestion at farms, ​wastewater plants, and standalone facilities; solid waste prevention and ​management; recycling; and composting. He is a frequent presenter and ​facilitator for professional and technical symposia and conferences.

Joseph Clark

Lewis County Transit, Executive Director

Speaking On: Introduction to Hydrogen Project Design ​and Management

With over 25 years of experience in the transportation industry, working on ​new and exciting technologies, along with a strong professional leadership ​and consulting career in both government and transportation, my ​background has led to a vast knowledge of various renewable and ​traditional energy solutions. I have had extensive work history developing ​capital facility master plans, operational systems development, grant ​writing and organizational reviews. I spent twenty years traveling the ​nation and the world consulting within the public sector, working to ​improve the leadership of low performing organizations. In my current ​position as the Executive Director of a nationally recognized transit ​agency, I have charted course to be the first fully renewable transportation ​fleet in the state, using renewable energy electrification and hydrogen ​generation and fueling.

Annette McKelvey

FTA, Region 10

Speaking On: Funding and Financing Hydrogen Projects

Annette McKelvey is a Transportation Program Specialist at the Federal ​Transit Administration Region 10 office, where she has worked since ​January 2005. Over the years, Ms. McKelvey has assisted small and large ​transit agencies, ferry systems, states, and tribal governments in over 30 ​FTA discretionary and formula funding programs. Her current grant ​workload totals approximately $500 million dollars annually.

Ms. McKelvey holds a Bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from the University ​of Washington and a Master’s degree in regional planning from Washington ​State University. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer to the Czech Republic in ​the environmental sector from 1995-1997.

Jill Nordstrom

WSDOT, Grants and Community Partnerships

Speaking On: Funding and Financing Hydrogen Projects

Jillian is the Grants and Community Partnerships Manager for WSDOT’s ​Public Transportation Division. She has worked in the grants field for over ​twenty years with WSDOT, Commerce, and the Emergency Management ​Division in all phases of the grants cycle. Her areas of special interest ​include green transit fleet conversion, and rural and special needs ​transportation funding.

Mark Gerboth

AtkinsRéalis, Senior Director

Speaking On: Funding and Financing Hydrogen Projects

Mark Gerboth is a Senior Director with AtkinsRéalis with 40 years of ​experience in engineering, operations, project management and project ​development. Mark’s experience highlights include leading the design and ​permitting efforts for facilities to handle spent fuel from nuclear reactor ​research; managing design and permitting efforts for major infrastructure ​development, including widening and improving I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass; ​and serving as the senior executive responsible for strategic planning and ​the development of more than $800 million in capital line-item projects for ​the US Department of Energy’s Hanford site. Currently, Mark leads the ​Project Management Organization for the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub ​and is responsible for administering a DOE Cooperative Agreement that is ​providing funding towards nearly $6 billion in capital infrastructure projects ​to develop and foster hydrogen as a fossil fuel replacement for hard-to-​decarbonize industries. He is a licensed professional engineer in Washington ​and a registered Project Management Professional, and holds a Master of ​Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington ​and a Masters in Business Administration from the Foster Business School at ​the University of Washington.

Nic Barilo

Hydrogen Safety Program Manager; Director, ​Center for Hydrogen Safety

Speaking On: Hydrogen Safety

As the manager for PNNL’s Hydrogen Safety Program, Nick Barilo has more ​than 30 years of hydrogen safety and fire protection experience. This ​lengthy experience has been recognized by the American Institute of ​Chemical Engineers, which partnered with PNNL in 2019 to form the Center ​for Hydrogen Safety, a global nonprofit resource that promotes the safe ​handling and use of hydrogen across industrial and consumer energy ​applications.

Barilo was named director upon launch of the center, which promotes ​hydrogen safe practices through guidance, outreach, and educational ​materials.

Barilo also lends his expertise to directing activities for the U.S. Hydrogen ​Safety Panel, as well as first responder training. He has authored numerous ​research articles and has presented both nationally and internationally on ​hydrogen safety.

Matthew Potter

Potter Consulting Group LLC, Principal

Speaking On: Construction, Design and Vendor Selection

Matthew Potter is the Managing Principal of Potter Consulting Group LLC ​(PCG), a business advisory firm specializing in new market development, ​project management, and techno-economic analysis of hydrogen and ​hydrogen derived fuel projects. PCG is partnered with multiple global energy ​companies and hydrogen project developers to analyze project feasibility ​and build techno-economic analysis of hydrogen and hydrogen derived fuel ​projects in North America.

Prior to forming PCG, Potter was a partner at Orca East, LLC, a Washington ​State based advisory firm specializing in transportation and logistics ​consulting. During his tenure at Orca East, Potter was the lead business ​advisor to Fortune 100 energy business, World Kinect Energy Services ​(formerly World Fuel Services), to assess opportunities for the company to ​engage in emerging US hydrogen and hydrogen-derived fuel economy. ​Potter also worked coordinated and managed Orca East’s logistics advisory ​business for clients such as Nike Inc among others.

Diane Butorac

Department of Ecology, Clean Energy Manager

Speaking On: Project Permitting and Scheduling

Diane Butorac, Ecology’s Clean Energy Coordination Section Manager, is ​leading work to support Washington’s clean energy transition while ​protecting the environment and communities. Her team is developing three ​clean energy programmatic environmental impact statements, ​implementing Ecology’s new coordinated permit process, and supporting ​the interagency Clean Energy Siting Council.

Diane led the 2022 Low-Carbon Energy Project Siting Improvement study ​with Commerce to develop recommendations to improve clean energy ​project siting and permitting. She was the project manager for several ​environmental impact statements, including the proposed Chehalis dam and ​coal and crude oil terminals. She supervised Ecology’s Southwest Region ​Prevention Unit covering oil-handling facilities and vessel operations in ​Puget Sound, along the outer coast, and on the Columbia River.

Charlie Severs

JSA Civil, Principal

Speaking On: Project Permitting and Scheduling

Charlie Severs is Co-owner and a Principal at JSA Civil. With 15 years of ​experience in the civil engineering industry, Charlie routinely interfaces with ​clients, municipalities, funding agencies, contractors, and other project ​stakeholders. He provides a strong communication style that keeps projects ​moving forward and on-schedule. His project management and design ​experience includes the preparation of construction documents, ​specifications, and cost estimates for public and private clients through the ​greater Pacific Northwest region. Charlie has worked on many successful ​projects with Lewis County Transit including the Mellen Street E-Transit ​Station, Exit 68 E-Transit Station, and the Morton E-Transit Station.

Mindy Brooks

Lewis County, Senior Long Range Planner

Speaking On: Project Permitting and Scheduling

Mindy Brooks is a land use planner with extensive experience writing ​policies, regulations and management plans for rural communities of Lewis ​County as well as addressing natural resources in industrial, commercial, ​residential and semi-rural areas of Portland, OR. Mindy is skilled in ​managing complex and controversial projects and fostering collaboration ​with diverse stakeholders including all levels of government, universities, ​businesses, associations, non-profits, activists, property owners and ​neighbors.

Arne Thompson

PNWH2, Node 8 Project Lead

Speaking On: Production, Sales and Incentives

Mr. Arne Thompson has over 30 years of experience in commercial aviation with ​the likes of top Fortune 50 companies including Boeing, Airbus, Honeywell and ​Zodiac (Safran). With the acceleration of the drone sector, Arne and his company ​AB Aero Partners have produced drone components for Boeing, Amazon and ​other significant players in this space as well as provided drone enabled ​transmission line inspections for Berkshire-Hathaway from Reno, NV to Las ​Vegas. During his career, Arne has generated multiple seven figure contracts in ​aircraft interiors for crew rests, interior refits, structural components and drone ​production. Arne has a Bachelors of Aeronautical Engineering from the University ​of Washington and Masters work at University of St. Thomas for International ​Management. He is a licensed private pilot, Drone Part 107 pilot and 100 ton USCG ​Captain. Past projects Arne has been involved in include: A $10M training program ​and profit center for all of Honeywell Aerospace components, A $2M tooling ​program to create the Boeing 777X carbon wing and was founder of the Electric ​Boat Company on Lake Union, selling and renting electric boats to over 100,000 ​customers. With Arne’s leadership, In June 2024, SRSH2 applied for a $2M SMART ​highway grant in partnership with T-Mobile to create a hydrogen powered cell ​network along the 33 miles from Lookout Pass to St Regis, considered to be the ​most dangerous stretch of highway in the US.

Kate Hickey

Rocky Mountain Institute/H2DI, Sr. Associate

Speaking On: Production, Sales and Incentives

Kate Hickey is a Senior Associate at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in the ​Climate-Aligned Industries program and a member of the Hydrogen Demand ​Side Initiative (H2DI) consortium. At RMI, Kate focuses on connecting suppliers ​with end-users of clean hydrogen and enabling development of the critical ​midstream infrastructure required to unlock investments. Kate supports the ​design of H2DI, a DOE initiative that seeks to promote market certainty across ​H2Hubs to accelerate offtake agreements, unlock private investment, and realize ​the full potential of clean hydrogen on a national-scale. Prior to joining RMI Kate ​held various roles in hydrogen project development and consulting, and she holds ​a degree in Engineering Physics from Queen's University.

Monica Brummer

Center of Excellence for Clean Energy, Director

Speaking On: Workforce Development

Monica Brummer, Director of the Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for ​Clean Energy, pictured sitting in a hydrogen fueled Toyota Mirai. The Center ​convenes the interests of the energy industry, its emerging technologies, ​and labor partners with Washington’s Community and Technical Colleges. ​We exist to narrow the gap between employer demands for a highly skilled ​workforce and the colleges' ability to supply work-ready/apprenticeship-​ready graduates. Monica serves as the co-chair of a global hydrogen ​workforce development taskforce for the Center for Hydrogen Safety; as ​co-chair of the Renewable Hydrogen Alliance’s workforce committee; as ​Career Connect Washington’s Clean Technology/Energy Sector Co-Leader ​with CleanTech Alliance; as co-chair for the Center of Energy Workforce ​Development’s (CEWD) West Coast Coalition; and on several advising ​committees for PNWH2 (hydrogen hub), as well as a member of ​Washington’s Clean Energy Workforce Advisory Group.

Phil Crocker

Teater-Crocker Inc, Principal Consultant

Speaking On: Workforce Development, REVIT

Phil Crocker is a nationally recognized consultant with over 25 years of ​experience in strategic evaluation, guidance, and execution in K-12 ​education at district, state, and federal levels. He is the Principal Consultant ​at Teater-Crocker, Inc., where he blends private sector best practices with a ​deep understanding of public education systems. Phil has a strong ​background in risk management, technology utilization, and facility ​planning. He is an author of the student enrollment projection software ​solution K12enroll, and Principal Risk Manager of K12Risk LLC, a school ​district risk management firm. He holds multiple graduate degrees, including ​a Master of Education in Research from the University of London and has ​been recognized for his contributions to public education. Phil is also actively ​involved in community service, having served on the Board of Directors for ​Friends of Youth and other youth-focused non-profits

Erin Childs

Renewable Hydrogen Alliance, Director

Speaking On: Workforce Development

Erin Childs serves as the Executive Director for RHA, bringing a background ​in energy planning and policy, technology acceleration, and stakeholder ​engagement. Prior to RHA, Erin worked at a clean energy consultancy, ​where she supported clients in navigating the energy transition and ​advancing clean energy technologies. Before moving to the Northwest, Erin ​worked at Southern California Edison on policy, strategy, and planning for ​the implementation of California’s energy and environmental goals. Erin ​joined RHA in 2024.

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