Dr. Anna Demeo

Biography:

Dr. Anna Demeo is a dynamic and team-centered leader, who is passionate about the intersection of climate and energy -- and how we all can create a better future. The first patent she received for virtual power plants -- well before that became a hot topic. 

Today, Dr. Demeo is the Chief Product Officer for Fermata Energy, the leader in vehicle-to-grid, bidirectional charging technologies. Fermat Energy is a company of firsts -first to bring V2G to scale and the first to get approval in the US from an OEM for battery warranty. 

In her role, Dr. Demeo works closely with utilities, EV charger manufacturers and auto manufacturers. She oversees the Fermata Energy team that is delivering interesting advances in AI with the Fermata Energy platform that optimizes thousands of rapidly changing data points that sit at the intersection of both energy and mobility. 

Most recently she held the leadership role of Chief Technology Officer of Savant Systems Inc., parent company to GE lighting and Savant Power. 

Carlene Bills

Biography:

Carlene Bills is a Global Leader in Transformation for the World-Renowned Ford Motor Company. She is currently the CEO & President for Ford Component Sales a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company aligned with Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD). Her award-winning professional career has allowed her to work across Ford’s global platform to ensure the continued growth of the organization while maintaining a high-level of excellence.

Carlene holds a BA in Manufacturing Engineering Technology from Western Michigan University and an MBA in Business Technology Management from the University of Phoenix. She holds the IDEO Certification for Storytelling, Creative Collaboration, and Leading for Creativity. Carlene is also a STEM collegiate recruiter. Her passion for the next generation of STEM professionals is unwavering.

Dr. Rita Baranwal

Biography:

As Senior Vice President, Energy Systems, Dr. Rita Baranwal leads AP300™ Small Modular Reactor (SMR) deployment.  She has 25 years of nuclear industry experience and has held this role since May 2023.

Prior to this role, Dr. Baranwal was Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Digital and Innovation at Westinghouse where she led the clean energy company’s global research and development investments and spearheaded a technology strategy to advance the company’s innovative nuclear solutions. 

Previously, Dr. Baranwal served as Chief Nuclear Officer and Vice President of Nuclear at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). She had overall management and technical responsibility for the research and development (R&D) activities conducted by EPRI with its global membership related to nuclear generation, providing support to more than 80 percent of the world’s existing and advanced commercial nuclear fleet.

Before joining EPRI, Baranwal served as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in a U.S. President-appointed and Senate-confirmed role. She led efforts to promote R&D on existing and advanced nuclear technologies that sustain the U.S. fleet of nuclear reactors and enable the deployment of advanced nuclear energy systems.

Prior to the DOE, Dr. Baranwal directed the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative at Idaho National Laboratory.  She was responsible for providing the nuclear industry and other stakeholders access to DOE's state-of-the-art R&D expertise, capabilities, and infrastructure to achieve faster and cost-effective development, demonstration, and ultimate deployment of innovative nuclear energy technologies.  Under her leadership, GAIN positively impacted over 120 organizations.

Before joining the Idaho National Laboratory, Dr. Baranwal served as Director of Technology Development & Application at Westinghouse. There, she led the creation and development of game-changing technologies and managed characterization and hot cell laboratories. Her previous positions at Westinghouse included director of Core Engineering and manager of Materials and Fuel Rod Design. Prior to joining Westinghouse, she was a manager in Materials Technology at Bechtel Bettis, Inc. where she led and conducted R&D in advanced nuclear fuel materials for U.S. Naval Reactors.

Dr. Baranwal is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS). She serves on Advisory Boards for the US Nuclear Industry Council (US NIC) and the Nuclear Engineering departments of the University of Michigan and North Carolina State University.  She also serves as a Commissioner on the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) High Level Commission on Nuclear Energy and Climate Security, the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition, and the Board of Scholars at American Council for Capital Formation (and is the first non-economist selected to serve on this Board).

Dr. Baranwal has a bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in materials science and engineering and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in the same discipline from the University of Michigan.