State of the U.S. Electroindustry: Employing a scenario approach, NEMA Vice President and Chief Economist Don Leavens will analyze the economic growth impact of monetary policy, investments, productivity, and trade.  

Modernizing America’s Electrical Infrastructure: A Public-Private Partnership:  Hearing from leaders in government is an important part of our Annual Meeting.  Senator Bill Cassidy and Brian Papp will lead discussions on Modernizing America’s Electrical Infrastructure: A Public-Private Partnership.

The Innovation Drivers: How the Push for Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is Leading to a Richer, Freer, Greener World. Whether the issue is climate change or peak oil, the pessimists have claimed that we humans are heading in the wrong direction. In this provocative presentation, Energy Expert, Veteran Journalist, and Author Robert Bryce will show attendees how ongoing innovation in everything from farming to energy production gives us reason to be optimistic. The inexorable push to make things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper – a stimulant that has been ongoing for centuries – is leading millions of people out of the darkness and desolation of poverty and into the electric-lit world of modernity. He proves why innovation and optimism, not pessimism, are the way of the future. 

Preparing for the Energy Transition: The Utility Perspective. David Porter Sr. Director of Electrification and Sustainable Energy Strategy from the Electric Power Research Institute will address how utilities are planning for increasing electricity use across multiple sectors: transportation, buildings, homes, and industrial.  How much electrification can we expect to see and by when? What electrification challenges keep utility executives up at night, and how can manufacturers help?

Speaker Bios

Dr. Bill Cassidy is a Senator from Louisiana. He is a physician, a teacher, a community leader, a father and a husband. Bill grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and attended Louisiana State University (LSU) for undergraduate and Medical School. For nearly three decades, Bill has provided care for uninsured and underinsured patients in Louisiana’s charity hospital system.

During this time, he cofounded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, a clinic providing free dental and health care to the working uninsured. Bill also created a privatepublic partnership to vaccinate 36,000 greater Baton Rouge area children against Hepatitis B at no cost to the schools or parents. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Bill led a group of health care volunteers to convert an abandoned Kmart building into an emergency health care facility, providing basic health care to hurricane evacuees.

In 1990, Bill joined LSU Medical School following his tenure at Earl K Long hospital, where he taught medical students and residents while treating the uninsured.

Bill was elected to the Louisiana State Senate in 2006. In 2008, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives to represent Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District. In the U.S. House, Bill served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and supported a conservative agenda. Bill is married to Dr, Laura Cassidy and they have three children. Laura is a retired general surgeon specializing in breast cancer. She helped found a public charter school to teach children with dyslexia. Bill, Laura and their children attend church at the Chapel on the Campus.

Brian Papp serves as Staff Director on the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs & Global Competitiveness. He was formerly a Senior Policy Advisor and Professional Staff Member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and as a Senior Policy Advisor in Senator Thomas R. Carper’s (D-DE) personal office. He was responsible for all trade and customs-related issues before the Senate Finance Committee, and developed and executed a trade agenda on behalf of Senator Carper as Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Trade.

Robert Bryce is the acclaimed author of six books on energy and is renowned for his analysis of industrial trends and the future of energy. He skillfully explains the physics and math behind our energy and power systems without resorting to jargon or hyperbole. Bryce offers valuable insight into the enormous scale of global energy use and the innovation that is driving down prices and increasing energy availability to consumers all over the world. He is also a leading thinker on global energy, power systems, and innovation. Bryce is also the producer of a new feature-length documentary: Juice: How Electricity Explains the World, filmed in India, Lebanon, Iceland, Puerto Rico, New York, and Colorado. Bryce’s articles have appeared in many publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to the New York Times and the National Review to the Sydney Morning Herald. In addition, he has given over 300 invited and keynote lectures to groups of all kinds, including the Marine Corps War College and the Sydney Institute.

Donald R. Leavens, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s Vice President and Chief Economist, holds a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University.  He also received a master’s degree in economics from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia. At NEMA, he specializes in the economics of the electrical manufacturing industry, providing analysis and forecasts of the economic forces affecting the industry.  He has provided the economic outlook for the electrical manufacturing industry at numerous business meetings sponsored by manufacturers, electrical contractors and distributors, and engineering societies throughout North America.  He has also written articles on public choice and public finance economics that have appeared in academic journals and has contributed articles to several books.  In addition, he has served as a member of the Governor of Virginia’s Advisory Board of Economists.

David Porter is Senior Director, Electrification & Sustainable Energy Strategy at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In this role, he leads the research and development team focused on electrification, customer solutions, sustainability, ecosystem stewardship and environmental health and safety. EPRI’s work in these areas is key to a decarbonized economy-wide energy future including emphasis on equity and environmental justice as part of the development and deployment of technology.

Porter joined EPRI in July 2009 as a Senior Account Executive and moved to Executive Director Generation in July 2010 before transitioning to Director Strategic Accounts role in April 2012. Most recently, he was Director U.S. Accounts where he led both the U.S. and government account teams dedicated to the technology needs of major electric industry clients and select Federal and State governmental entities, respectively.

With more than 30 years of energy industry and executive leadership experience, Porter has worked across a variety of utility operations including power marketing, transmission, distribution, energy efficiency, customer programs and sustainability. Prior to his current role at EPRI, Porter held a variety of executive and management positions in the energy field at Florida Power Corporation and Duke Power, as well as in telecommunications and management consulting.

Porter holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and is a licensed professional engineer.