Brian

Biography:

Brian E. Page is a retired electrical engineer and technology architect with decades of experience designing ultra-high-availability architectures for large-scale communications and computer networks. He has led and advised technology initiatives with multi-billion-dollar projects, where system nor operational failures were not acceptable options.  Projects ranged from DC to Light plus a dabble in Radio Astronomy.

Mr. Page holds a BSc EE with Distinction from the University of Calgary.  Completed graduate-level coursework toward a Master of Engineering degree. 

One of his most significant accomplishments was serving as Technology Architect, Advisor, and Troubleshooting expert for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.  Reported to the Managing Director of Technology. These mission-critical systems operated under global visibility and absolute reliability requirements, with no tolerance for failure or do-overs as Billions of viewers are watching the events.  Value In Kind Program Director for 1996 Olympic Sponsors Motorola, Panasonic, Scientific Atlanta, ATT, and others - Value over $240M. 

Throughout his career, he has contributed to the advancement of emerging technologies, including the development of ethical standards for robotics and artificial intelligence. His work has been recognized with the IEEE-SA P7007 Emerging Technology Award and IEEE/IEC/ISO P23026Systems and software engineering — Engineering and management of websites for systems, software and services information.   He has contributed to numerous IEEE publications, standards activities, and technical workshops.

He has held senior technical and advisory roles—including Trusted Technology Architect, Solutions Engineer, and Business Advisor—with organizations such as Cox, Rogers, Nortel, GENBAND, and Ribbon Communications. His work has directly influenced product and network strategies across cloud NFV, cybersecurity, IoT, and 5G/6G domains.

In addition to his professional career, Mr. Page is deeply engaged in community and educational outreach. He has led STEM robotics and coding workshops in Atlanta-area schools, served as a science fair judge, and participated in disaster-response operations with the IEEE MOVE team.

Mr. Page is keeping his technology skills up to date including participating in AI systems, Communications Networking and Cyber Security workshops.   Guest speaker at KSU on Communications technologies.  

Email:

John

Biography:

John D. McDonald, P.E., is Founder & CEO of JDM Associates, LLC. John has 52 years of experience in the electric utility transmission and distribution industry. John received his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. (Power Engineering) degrees from Purdue University, and an M.B.A. (Finance) degree from the University of California-Berkeley.

John is a Life Fellow of IEEE (member for 55 years), member of IEEE-HKN (inducted 55 years ago) and Tau Beta Pi (inducted 53 years ago), member of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, and was awarded the IEEE Millennium Medal, the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering Award, the IEEE PES Substations Committee Distinguished Service Award, the IEEE PES Meritorious Service Award, the 2024 CIGRE US National Committee (USNC) Philip Sporn Award, the 2016 CIGRE Distinguished Member Award, the 2016 CIGRE USNC Attwood Associate Award, the 2021 CIGRE Honorary Member Award, the 2025 CIGRE USNC VP of Technical Activities Emeritus Award, the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity Career Achievement Award.

John is Past President of the IEEE PES, Past Chair of the IEEE PES Substations Committee, IEEE Division VII Past Director, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. John was on the Board of Governors of the IEEE-SA (Standards Association), is IEEE Foundation President, is Governor At-Large on the IEEE-HKN Board of Governors and is a Founding Board Member of the SECC.

John received the 2009 Purdue University Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award and the 2023 Purdue University Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award. John teaches Smart Grid courses at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Smart Grid courses for various IEEE PES local chapters as an IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer (since 1999). John has published one hundred fifty papers and articles, has co-authored five books and has one US patent.

Email:

LaRhonda

Biography:

LaRhonda Julien has twenty years of experience making high-hazard industries reliable and safe by creating workforce development opportunities for industry professionals, implementing human and organizational performance improvement techniques, overseeing business continuity and change management processes, promoting knowledge transfer, and data-informed strategic planning for capital construction projects and environmental protection activities.  

LaRhonda earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology with a minor in Business Management and Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Phoenix.  She received a Lean Six Sigma green belt from the University of Georgia.  She is a Herrmann HBDI Certified Practitioner.  

LaRhonda has professional memberships with the American Psychological Association (APA), APA’s Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (Eta Kappa Nu, Senior Member; Region 3 Project Coordinator; Power and Energy Society Atlanta Chapter Chair; Sustainable Energy Systems for Developing Communities Working Group, Electrification of Native Lands Task Force Chair; International Smart Village North American Regional Committee Member, Women in Engineering WiE Rise Together Podcast Host; Women in Power Region 3 Representative), CIGRE, the International Erosion Control Association, the Women’s International Network of Utility Professionals, and the American Society of Safety Professionals (Mentoring Program Mentor).  She also serves as a member of the North American Transmission Forum’s Human Performance Core Team, she is a team lead for the Department of Energy Human Performance Improvement Handbook rewrite, and she is on the Industry Advisory Board for Kennesaw State University’s Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering.  She is an inducted member of the National Society of Leadership Success.  

LaRhonda has presented for many organizations via conferences, webinars, and on-site events and she has been featured on podcasts and in magazines and blog spaces discussing how to manage risk and achieve desired results.  

LaRhonda lives in Atlanta.  She is an avid runner, assistant golf coach, and an ambassador for local non-profits.

Email:

Christopher

Biography:

Christopher Saetia (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.C.E. degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2022 and 2023, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering under the advisement of Dr. Gregory D. Durgin. His current research and technical interests range widely in the field of RF, including wireless-power transfer, next-generation RFID and backscatter communications, and wireless receiver design. He received the Best-Paper Award Nominee Recognition for the IEEE International Conference on RFID in 2024 and 2025, respectively. He was the recipient of the William C. Brown Fellowship in 2024. He was also the recipient of the IEEE AP-S Fellowship in 2025. He has been actively involved in IEEE leadership since 2020. He has served as the President of the IEEE HKN Beta-Mu Chapter from 2021 to 2022. He has volunteered for different organizing committee roles for several conferences ran by the IEEE Council on RFID, including IEEE RFID-TA in 2024, IEEE DTPI in 2025, and IEEE RFID in 2026. He is serving as the Current Vice-Chair of the IEEE Atlanta section’s AP/MTT Joint Chapter. Under his leadership, this chapter was awarded the best Atlanta section chapter in 2025 and had won the IEEE AP-S Education Initiative Program grant to organize and host a series of “RF basics” workshops. He is planning to become an assistant professor of engineering at Wake Forest University in Fall 2026. 

Email: