The Climate Champions

John McDonald, CEO, JDM Associates, the face, driving force, and long-time Business Development Leader of GE Vernova's Smart Grid Solutions business. 55 years as a member of IEEE,  30 years on the DTECH Conference Advisory Committee, 5 books, and a patent

Congressman Mike Levin, representing California's 49th, which includes North County San Diego and South Orange County, combating climate change, protecting our natural resources, and capitalizing on the economic benefits of a sustainable energy future.

Damien Quentin, Head of Strategy for Engineered Intelligence. Built by power engineers, ENGIN™ unifies real-time asset data into a holistic view so utilities can make smarter, faster, and more strategic decisions about risk, reliability, and ROI.

Jane Chen, CEO & cofounder, StepWise, enabling people to control and profit from their energy use by making it easier, faster, and more affordable for homeowners to electrify, removing the barrier of costly and time consuming electric panel upgrades.

Charles Murray, CEO at Switch Source, discussing Phase-EQ capability to unlock hidden capacity in existing distribution systems, defer infrastructure upgrades, improve voltage stability, and create more flexibility during switching and restoration events.

Kaitlyn Albertoli, CEO & Co-Founder, Buzz Solutions and Tom Lenzen, Infrastructure Industry Team Specialist for Imagery and Remote Sensing, Esri, engage in an in-depth conversation on how to use asset management to drive resiliency across an aging grid.

Special DistribuTECH Episode, including 20% Discount Code, in all caps, D26CMTINV. Catch live episodes of The Climate Champions from the floor of DistribuTECH where I'll be interviewing Jane Chen & John McDonald in San Diego on February 3rd and 4th, 2026!

Rick Cutter, President of the non-profit August Palm Creative, leading the development of media projects that make a difference, focusing on climate change education. Look for his first film - The Grid Unplugged - in early 2026.

Dr. Mani Vadari, President, Modern Grid Solutions, is an IEEE Life Fellow and electric industry visionary delivering next gen solutions for 35+ years. He teaches future students @ multiple universities and published two popular books on the future grid.

Franklin Jones, CEO and Founder, B-Line Urban Delivery, solving the challenges of the “last mile” of a distribution network, reducing congestion, supporting local food producers, and developing green collar job opportunities.