Speakers

Barbara J. Burger, PhD., is a “recent graduate” from Chevron where she ended her time as the Vice President, Innovation and President of Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV). During her career, Burger held management positions across a number of the company’s businesses as well as a wide range of civic and industry board and advisory positions including the MIT Energy Initiative, Houston Symphony Society, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative Climate Investment LLP, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In this new chapter, she remains focused on the big challenges in energy transition, equity, and access to education. She has been recently named as a Senior Advisor to Lazard, to the Heliogen Board of Directors, Emerald Technology Ventures Advisory Council, Greentown Labs Board of Directors, and Advisor to Syzygy Plasmonics and Epicore Biosystems. Burger is a proud alumnus of the University of Rochester where she serves on the Board of Trustees and chairs the River Campus Libraries National Council. She established the Barbara J. Burger Endowed Scholarship in the Sciences and founded the Barbara J. Burger iZone, where students generate, refine, and communicate ideas for social, cultural, community, and economic impact. At Caltech, she supports graduate women in Chemistry who aim to contribute through careers beyond academia and serves on the Strategic Advisory Board for the Resnick Sustainability Institute. Burger holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester, a doctoral degree in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and an academic honor MBA in finance from the University of California, Berkeley.

Corey Thompson is the Chief Executive Officer at CarTwin. He brings over 20 years of executive experience in the operation, management, development and delivery of advanced technology to some of the most demanding locations on earth. Corey’s global experience spans multiple industries including Defense, Automotive, Manufacturing, Construction, Engineering, Energy, Nuclear, Maritime Operations, Oil & Gas, and Medical Services. Prior to this, Corey was the Chief Information Officer for Pacific Drilling where his “Rig First” approach was focused on delivering new capabilities via technology and process improvement directly to the front line of the company aboard the company’s deep-water drill rigs to grow revenue, improve efficiency and safety, and delight the companies end customers. Corey’s career includes 10 years with CB&I as VP of Global Supply Chain and SVP of Technology and CIO where he developed and implemented the digital strategy to consolidate two $6B companies within three years and spearheaded the company’s Customer Centricity strategy and implementation. Corey also led the development of the company’s first mobile application which was a first-of-kind craft labor application directly contributing to the company’s ability to staff major construction projects with quality applicants. Prior to his work in industry, Corey spent 23 years in the US Submarine Force. Corey retired in 2008 at his last duty station in Washing DC as manager and Resource Sponsor of the Submarine Tomahawk Cruise Missile program and the MK48 ADCAP torpedo program. Corey holds a bachelor’s in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Idaho and a master’s in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School where he graduated with distinction as a Conrad Scholar. He is a graduate of the Stanford “Innovative CIO” course as well as the “Disruptive Innovation Strategy” course from Harvard University. Corey is a board certified Naval Nuclear Engineer and qualified for Command at Sea of a Nuclear Submarine.

Dan Pickering is the Chief Investment Officer of Pickering Energy Partners (PEP). PEP is an energy financial services company spanning traditional energy and the energy transition via business units focused on Investments, Insights, Consulting and Advisory. He has spent the past 28 years as an energy portfolio manager, researcher and analyst, first at Fidelity Investments, then Simmons & Company and as the founding partner of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Dan grew up in Missouri, has a BS in Petroleum Engineering from the Missouri School of Science and Technology and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Personal Anecdote/Tidbits Dan is the Board Chair of MERGE Electric Fleet Solutions and sits on the Board of Trustees for Texas Children’s Hospital, the Texas Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Posse Foundation, as well as the Advisory Board of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., Capital Creek Partners, Midway Companies, the Houston CFA Society and Dynamo Energy Hub. He likes being an old dad to a young daughter, traveling, reality TV shows, Twitter and golf.

Ellen Wilkirson is a Managing Director at Freestone, a portfolio company of Tailwater Capital focused on making venture and growth equity investments in companies that specialize in disruptive technologies, infrastructure, manufacturing, and support services that enable the transition to a lower carbon or more circular economy. Since joining Freestone in the spring of 2021, she has focused on the origination and execution of new investments and partnering with management teams and founders to identify and implement long-term strategic and growth initiatives. She serves on the Board of Directors of Momentum Technologies and is a Board Observer for Elemental Recycling and WASTELINQ. Prior to joining Freestone, Ms. Wilkirson served as a Vice President at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, focusing on public and private investments in energy infrastructure and renewable energy. She also served as an investment banker in the Global Energy Group at Credit Suisse. Ms. Wilkirson graduated from the University of Texas and is a licensed CPA.  

As Senior VP, Energy Transition and Executive Director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Jane leads the Partnership’s efforts to leverage Houston’s energy leadership to accelerate global solutions for a low-carbon future. She leads a coalition of industry, academia, and community partners to ensure the long-term economic competitiveness and advancement of the Houston region towards a more sustainable and net-zero emissions future. Prior to joining the Partnership, Jane spent over two decades at bp. Among her many accomplishments, she developed and delivered the 2019 National Petroleum Council study on carbon capture, use and storage in coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy. Her most recent role as Senior Relationship Manager of Regions, Cities and Solutions integrated her as a critical partner to cities and industry to collaborate on low-carbon energy solutions, working closely with the City of Houston to implement their Climate Action Plan. Jane received her MBA from Loyola University in Chicago. She is a contributing faculty member of the University of Houston’s Center for Carbon Management in Energy, Regional Advisory Board member for the Energy Industries Council, and member of the Advisory Board of the Houston Chapter of WRISE – Women of Renewable Industries & Sustainable Energy.

Jared Moore is the founder & CEO of Solid Ox (TH2) Motors as well as the originator of the Thermal Hydrogen economy. He earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy. In March of 2023, Jared will release his debut novel, Greetings Lunar Colonist, a science fiction novel about energy set in the 22nd century.

Dr. Johanna Schmidtke is Managing Partner of Rev Innovations, a public benefit corporation and affiliate of GTI Energy. Rev Innovations was founded in 2022 as a collaborative platform for innovation and investment focused on low-carbon, low-cost energy systems. With over 15 years of experience in investment management and corporate development, from early-stage venture capital to private equity funds, Johanna’s strategy and management experience spans energy and industrial sectors, including renewable and conventional energy, circular economy models, materials and chemicals, and industrial cybersecurity. Most recently, Johanna served as Senior Consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office. Her previous experience also includes roles as an Investment Director at Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, the venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco, and later as Managing Director and member of the investment committee at Ara Partners, a private equity fund focused on industrial decarbonization. Johanna began her career in consulting advisory with Lux Research, later moving to corporate development & strategy at First Solar. Johanna received her Doctorate in Physics from the University of Cambridge and her BS in Mathematics and Biochemistry from the University of Arizona. ​

Melissa Molinski is a partner at Moontower Finance. She is a “Jill-of-all-trades” in the Accounting world. She has over ten years of experience across an assortment of industries and specialties. Her knowledge ranges from early-stage tech startups to established construction firms. Melissa excels in project accounting, taxes and external audit representation, software implementation, and related process automation. She is also highly skilled in complex financial cleanups (including cash to GAAP conversions), and has applied this expertise in the context of several mergers, acquisitions, and restructures. She has some pretty sick tax skills too. Melissa is an alumna of Northern Illinois University. She is a Texas CPA, Certified Management Accountant, and continues to actively pursue opportunities to expand both her knowledge and her network. In addition to her proficiencies, she enjoys bringing her own brand of wit and knowledge to any conversation. Outside of work, Melissa is an aspiring writer, enjoys “Big Mode” Tetris, and will usually say yes to a concert.  

Michele Rossi is the Founder and CEO of MRC, an advisory group that helps organizations create a realistic roadmap for achieving their sustainability targets. Combining over a decade of international sustainability, strategy, and operational experience, Michele brings the necessary knowledge to MRC to help drive the industry transition to a carbon neutral future. Michele enjoyed a successful career with Siemens where he developed expertises in consulting, auditing, business development and strategy, technical sales, and engineering. He supported the creation of multi-million dollar global decarbonization programs for enterprise companies like Ford, Heineken, 3M, and Maersk. He also led multiple national sustainability projects in the Municipal, Federal & Government, K-12, and Higher Education sector. Michele holds degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Kinesiology from Texas A&M University.

Moji is a carbon-negative entrepreneur, and a technology futurist. His mission is to create a sustainable future where humans have applied technology to balance the rate of climate change. A future where humans live in harmony with nature. As an operator, he has a track record of taking a range of multidisciplinary ideas to market. The fruits of this experience became Cemvita Factory, a company that Moji started with his sister Tara. In his role, Moji serves a team of passionate scientists and engineers on a mission to deploy industrial biotech solutions to empower the energy transition and create a brighter future.

Reid leads Global ESG EUR and Global Energy Consulting practices as well as the Fit for Sustainability offering, and is a Principal in PwC's Houston Office. He has 25+ years of experience in the resources industries across oil and gas, power and utilities, chemicals, mining, and bio-fuels both domestically and internationally. His client experience covers strategy, M&A, digital solutions, Net Zero and decarbonization, sustainability, operating models, ESG, and trading.

As Executive Director at Halliburton Labs, he was responsible for launching the organization in 2020. He currently oversees External Engagement and collaborates to build a thriving clean energy community in Texas and around the world. Scott was recognized in 2022 with Hart Energy’s Forty Under 40. Scott serves on the Rice Business Alumni Association Board and on the Energy Advisory Board for the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator. He also serves as an Advisory Board member for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council which represents 600,000 energy jobs. He is a professional voice actor and film investor. He hosts both the Owl Have You Know and Curiosity podcasts. He joined Halliburton in 2014 where he managed multiple strategic efforts taking new technologies from ideation to commercial success at scale. Scott holds a chemical engineering degree from Brigham Young University and is a graduate of Rice Business where he founded the Jones Student Association for Executives and was recognized with the Jones Citizen Award. He actively supports multiple startup organizations as a mentor, advisor, and angel investor. Scott and Nicole, his wife of 16 years, together have four children ages 14, 12, 10 and 7.

Sean Marshall (he/him) is co-founder and CFO of Criterion Energy Partners. He began his career as a technical oil and gas analyst before being elevated to corporate development roles. Most recently, he was a Vice President within the Energy and Infrastructure group at Credit Suisse’s Investment Bank where he coordinated and created extensive technical and economic analysis of oil and gas assets. Throughout his career he has worked on numerous transactions exceeding $80 billion dollars in value. Mr. Marshall holds an MBA from Rice University, and a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from The University of Houston.

Mr. William Hitters is a Founding Partner of Fysikes Biosolutions. Fysikes is in the fast growing, high margin, high ROIC energy and materials transition space seeking to produce Biochar and Green Hydrogen from agricultural and urban-sourced waste organic feedstocks. He is also an early investor in Heliogen (Concentrated Solar Power – formerly Edisun Microgrids) and a partner/advisor at Khepra (Plastic Waste to Fuels Technology – a California startup). Will has 25 years of experience working in the Energy, Materials, Specialty Chemicals and Mining industries at Dow, Honeywell, Tenaris and Danaher. He has participated in the creation of startups in both South and North America, with a successful exit at Advanced Organic Materials, a producer of Tocopherols & Biodiesel (acquired by Glencore – Switzerland). With a BSc in Chemical Engineering from ITBA, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master or Arts (MA) in Global Diplomacy from the University of London (SOAS) with a concentration in ESG and Energy Transition; Will has attended executive programs at MIT and Northwestern. He is an inventor and holder of four USPTO patents and has been recognized as an Innovator in the industries where he has held roles.