CALSTART Leadership Circle in partnership with DTE

September 20, 2022 | Location TBD

5:00 PM ET       Welcome Reception

The Whiskey Factory - 1000 Maple St Detroit, MI 48207

September 21, 2022 | DTE Energy Headquarters - 1 Energy Plaza | Detroit , MI 48226 

11:00 AM ET       Welcome and Introduction of Opening Keynote

David Chow | Vice President, Chief Operations Officer, CALSTART

Trevor Lauer | President and COO, DTE Electric

11:15 AM ET       Market Trends: How the Utilities are Taking Charge

How are utilities leading the EV market acceleration?

This session will provide an overview of the latest leading EV market trends and how these trends are driving new and innovative solutions for infrastructure deployment/make-ready/transportation electrification programs (i.e., bring your own chargers, TNC incentives).

Moderator: Sean Gouda - Vice President of Infrastructure & Mobility, Future Energy

Kelsey Peterson - Manager, Transportation Electrification, DTE

Jeffrey Myrom - Director of Electric Transportation Customer Programs, CONSUMERS Energy

Gaurav Behal - Manager of Utility Partnerships, ChargePoint

Natalie King - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, LLC

12:00 PM ET        Lunch and Panel: Clean Transportation Solutions Worth Stealing 

Who are the top transportation innovators deploying zero-emission vehicles?

A showcase focused on transportation leaders whose BIG visions have become reality and are propelling the clean transportation industry forward at a national level.

Moderator: Amy Joyce - Director, Fleet, DTE

Matthew Betz - Expert – Fleet Optimization, DTE

Salim Youssefzadeh - CEO, WAttEV

Chelsea Uphaus - Director of Marketing, ROUSH CleanTech

1:30 PM ET            Unexpected Winds – New Supply Chain Opportunities and Meeting Industry Battery Supply Needs

Today’s industry is being affected by unprecedented global events and national needs that are impacting the supply chain and specifically domestic battery availability. How is the industry addressing the impacts of these challenging events?

Take a look inside on how the transportation industry is positioned to overcome the challenges of increasing manufacturing capacities and a steady battery supply chain.

What are the roadblocks that are most pressing and how do we work to remove them? How are we ensuring these industry needs are achieved today and well into tomorrow?

Moderator: Steve Henderson Vehicle Regulatory Strategy & Planning, Ford Motor

Dr. Selden Swain, Sr VP Engineering & Manufacturing, Motiv Power Systems

Nate Baguio - SVP of Commercial Development, Lion Electric

Stefan Suppa  Director, Corporate Strategy, Our Next Energy (ONE)

2:40 PM ET           Transportation Trends, The Impact, and The About Face

How is industry changing the face of transportation from fossil fueled based to zero-emission?

A roundtable discussion on how the entire transportation industry is transforming the market and doing so ‘overnight’ with great success  with a focus on ‘as-a-service’ industry trends.

Moderator: David Chow - Vice President, Chief Operations Officer, CALSTART

Sean Gouda - Vice President of Infrastructure & Mobility, Future Energy

Lexi Wiley - VP of Marketing and Communications, bp pulse fleet

Amy McGuire – Director of Market Development, Highland Electric

Rebecca Saletta - Director of Strategic Partnerships, ZETI

3:30 PM ET           Harnessing the Big Infrastructure Investment Opportunity

What is the best strategy for leveraging today’s clean transportation infrastructure funding?

With the recent passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), States can expect to receive increased funding for transportation electrification efforts. Hear from experts on current funding opportunities, and how public investments in transportation electrification can yield a high return on investments.

Moderator: Carla Bailo - President and CEO, Center for Automotive Research

Jane McCurry - Executive Director, Clean Fuels Michigan

Kwafo Adarkwa - Director of Public Affairs, ITC Holdings

Debbie Swartz - Fuel Transformation Program Coordinator, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

4:30 PM – 6 PM ET         Event Reception sponsored by DTE

CALSTART has partnered with Kayak to provide you with discounted hotel rates. Please CLICK HERE to view the hotel availability within a 5 mile radius of the DTE Energy Headquarters. We highly recommend to pay close attention to the cancellation policy of your selected booking, all hotels and rates are different. 

Kwafo Adarkwa | Director of Public Affairs, ITC Holdings

KwafoAdarkwais the Director of Public Affairs for ITC Michigan. In this role, he is responsible for building equity and trust with our stakeholders who determine policy outcomes affecting ITC Michigan and leads efforts to build a public policy environment conducive to the company’s business priorities.

Prior to his work at ITC, Mr. Adarkwawas a Public Utilities Engineer for the Michigan Public Service Commission. He is a multiple time graduate of Michigan State University holding both a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MBA in Integrative Management.

Mr. Adarkwa is on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council and the East Lansing Educational Foundation. He is also a member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Board of Directors and the Lansing Regional Chamber Policy Committee. Additionally, Mr. Adarkwa is a Commissioner on the Dr. Martin Luther King Commission of Mid-Michigan.

Nate Baguio | SVP of Commercial Development, Lion Electric

Nate Baguio has been working in the transportation industry for over 30 years. His career has taken him from behind the wheel of a school bus to launching the largest deployment of heavy-duty electric vehicles in North America.

Currently, he is working to electrify the transportation industry as Senior Vice President of Commercial Development for one of the nation’s leading EV manufacturers, The Lion Electric Co. Since joining Lion in 2018, he has helped position Lion as the leader in electric school bus deployments across North America. Baguio is leading the Commercial Development team in warming markets in target states across the United States, advocating stakeholders and policy makers to fund more money into the EV industry, and helping Lion attain more of the available funding for both Lion’s bus and truck lines. His work has contributed to Lion’s exponential growth in the market and position as a policy leader in the EV industry.

In 1990, he started in the student transportation industry managing operations for Ryder Student Transportation Services. In this position, he had overall responsibility for the startup and deployment of school bus operations across the State of California. His time in operations was highlighted by the management of over 330 employees and the management of over 300 school bus routes for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Baguio spent time working on various transit projects in Los Angeles County. He was part of the team that opened segment three of the Redline subway to 500,000 riders on opening weekend and worked to complete an $800-Million, 14-mile segment of light rail from Los Angeles to Pasadena (first segment of the Metro Gold Line). He was part of the team that designed and implemented a comprehensive safety project along the Metro Blue Line corridor in response to 16 fatalities in a single year. The first year of project implementation had an immediate impact with zero fatalities that year.

He returned to school transportation in 2005 as Senior Director of Business Development for First Student, Inc., the largest school bus operator in North America. In this role, he worked with school districts across the country to renew their contracted service or start new contracted school bus service. He led efforts that resulted in new contracted service across the U.S. and placed over 1,000 new school buses in service of various types and from most of the major OEMs for these new contracts.

Carla Bailo | President and CEO, Center for Automotive Research

Carla Bailo is the President and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), and is a leader in engineering and vehicle program management with 42 years of experience in the automotive industry. Under her leadership, CAR continues to be a preeminent resource of objective and unbiased research, analysis, and information regarding the North American automotive industry. 

In addition to her role at CAR, Ms. Bailo is currently an Independent Director on the corporate boards for SM Energy (SM) and Advance Auto Parts (AAP).

Prior to joining CAR, she was most recently the assistant vice president for mobility research and business development at The Ohio State University. She also has 25 years of experience at Nissan North America, Inc., where she served as senior vice president of research and development. Ms. Bailo also spent 10 years at General Motors.? She has a MS degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University.

Gaurav Behal | Manager of Utility Partnerships, ChargePoint

Gaurav leads and manages utility partnerships at ChargePoint where he spends much of his time working with North American utilities in driving strategic decisions, developing business models, and in designing & implementing customer-facing EV charging programs with the aim to benefit drivers, site hosts, and the grid.  

Prior to this, Gaurav worked at two of Canada’s largest energy providers. He led the development of Transportation Electrification strategy at Alectra Utilities and held multiple progressive roles in Asset Management, Investment planning, Regulatory Affairs, and Project Management at Hydro One.  

Gaurav holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Windsor and is currently pursuing a Business Management program at the University of Toronto.  

Matthew Betz | Expert – Fleet Optimization, DTE

After spending over 35 years in fleet industry sales roles, Matthew Betz has moved to the other side of the desk, taking a role in fleet management at DTE Energy in Detroit. In this role, he is responsible implementing the DTE Fleet EV strategy. Betz has years of experience working with major fleets across North America and developing solutions to complex fleet problems. In 2008 Betz was awarded NAFA’s Excellence in Education Award, highlighting his involvement in NAFA education. He has been an instructor in the NAFA FMS series, and a frequent presenter at NAFA’s Institute and Expo, as well as at dozens of local and regional NAFA chapter meetings. Betz also currently serves as Secretary of the AFLA Board of Directors where he will go on to take the VP, President and Past President roles.

David Chow | Vice President, Chief Operation Officer, CALSTART

David Chow is the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at CALSTART.  He leads the organization’s operational teams, optimizing the work that supports the clean transportation industry across CALSTART’s matrix of initiatives, activities, and national/international geographies. 

Prior to joining CALSTART, David was a Senior Partner and Mobility Director for an Engineering News Record Top 50 and World Architecture Top 100 consulting firm.  His background includes planning and design of regional transportation infrastructure, master planning of communities and urban development.     

David graduated with honors from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Water Resources.  He is a licensed professional engineer (Civil) in multiple States, and a nationally certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Sean Gouda | Vice President of Infrastructure & Mobility, Future Energy

Sean Gouda is Executive Vice President of Infrastructure & Mobility at Future Energy, a Troy-based diversified technology company with a technology platform that utilizes data to improve people, process and places. As a proficient program and infrastructure development expert in the utility space, Sean oversees large-scale energy programs within the US and Canada.

Leading with Energy, Sean’s team of experts connect key customers and stakeholders to technologies that optimize energy use, decrease operating costs and reduce overall environmental, societal and governance challenges. With a focus on both mature and emerging technologies, Sean’s team provides consultancy services and turn-key solutions to firms in the government, institution, manufacturing and logistics sectors. Future Energy is deploying Electrification programs to drive adoption of technologies in transportation and building electrification through three components, Education & Outreach, Advisory Services and turn-key Infrastructure solutions.

Prior to leading Future Energy’s Electrification business, Sean was Manager of DTE Energy’s Electrification Business Development Department & Business Energy Account Management team responsible for the retention and growth of a $200 million commercial and industrial customer portfolio. 

Sean holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Business Turnaround Management from the University of Detroit Mercy. Sean is a Certified Energy Manager and a Certified Business Turnaround Manager.

Steve Henderson | Vehicle Regulatory Strategy & Planning, Ford Motor, DTE

Steve Henderson leads the Regulatory Strategy & Planning team within Ford Motor Company’s Sustainability, Environment & Safety Engineering (SE&SE) activity.

During his 30 years at Ford Motor Company, Steve has served in a variety of roles, including Engine Design/Release, Powertrain NVH engineering, and Powertrain Purchasing. Over the past 15 years, leadership positions in Product Planning, Corporate Strategy, and Regulatory Compliance have sharpened Steve’s focus on Vehicle Electrification, and on the opportunities and challenges we’ll encounter as EVs replace internal combustion. 

Steve holds BSME and MSME degrees from the University of Michigan.

Amy Joyce | Director, Fleet, DTE

Amy Joyce leads the DTE Energy Fleet Team that specifies, purchases, and maintains approximately 7000 vehicles and equipment on behalf of DTE.  The team has an internal goal to replace 20-25% of the current motorized fleet with newer “green” fuel technologies by 2030. This supports DTE Energy’s overall goals of Net Zero Emissions for internal utility operations by 2050 and being “Best for the World.”

Amy has over 30 years of experience leading teams in Environmental Management in the Automotive sector and Facilities Operations and recently Fleet Operations at DTE, using Continuous Improvement and technologies to make process improvements and advancements. Joyce graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and from Wayne State with a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering.

Natalie King | Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, LLC, DTE

Natalie King is the founder and CEO of Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, LLC, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Dunamis Charge. Under her leadership, Dunamis has grown into a multi-million-dollar corporation with more than 150 workers throughout Southeastern Michigan. Natalie's innovative vision for Dunamis has resulted in creating a diversified portfolio of products and services, including LED lighting and electric vehicle charger manufacturing, as well as energy efficiency and environmental service solutions. King was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Michigan and Northwest Ohio. Dunamis was selected to join the 2021 inaugural cohorts of the Stellantis National Black Supplier Development Program and Apple Impact Accelerator Program. 

Natalie previously operated The Law Offices of Natalie M. King, PLC, where she managed a successful corporate, real estate, and entertainment law practice for 18 years. She also served as an adjunct professor of Contract and Business Law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Liberty University.

A native Detroiter, King earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and juris doctorate from Wayne State University Law School. She is also a graduate of the Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth “Building the Minority Business to Scale'' MBE program. She serves as Board Member of the National Business League (formerly the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce) as well as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Energy & Environment Committee. King has been passionately committed to charitable initiatives and community advocacy for over 25 years. She is the founder of Doing the Work Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on serving poor and disenfranchised communities around the world in the areas of homelessness, hunger, poverty eradication, entrepreneurial education, clean energy resources, and spiritual empowerment. She served as the event organizer for the Annual Detroit Red Carpet Backyard BBQ for the Homeless & Hungry which fed over 5,000 Detroit citizens in need annually from 2012-2017. She also serves as Board Chairperson for Abayomi Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit youth servicing organization, and board member of The Yunion, a nonprofit youth mentoring organization.

Ms. King is a published author of the book “Let There Be Light”, available on Amazon Kindle, proud mother, and a licensed and ordained minister. The EV infrastructure trailblazer is a 2022 TEDx alumni and has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, People of Color in Tech, Black Enterprise, CBS, Michigan Chronicle, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press and more.

Trevor Lauer | President and COO, DTE Electric

Trevor F. Lauer is president and chief operating officer for DTE Electric, an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a subsidiary of DTE Energy. Lauer joined DTE Energy in 2005. Prior to his current position, Lauer was senior vice president of distribution operations. Prior to joining DTE Energy, Lauer was executive vice president at Pittsburgh-based Strategic Energy LLC, a nationwide energy supplier. He also worked in a variety of leadership and general management positions at Honeywell, Inc. in the Washington, D.C. area. 
Lauer earned a bachelor of science degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master of business administration degree from the University of Maryland. He is a 2006 graduate of Leadership Michigan. In 2019, Lauer completed the MIT Nuclear Reactor Technology Course. 

Lauer is active in the community and serves on several boards. He is a member of the Executive Committee for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce and a trustee for the Cranbrook Educational Community and the board chair of the Cranbrook Institute of Science. He is also a board member for the Business Leaders for Michigan and Ann Arbor SPARK. In 2011, Lauer was recognized as one of the Electrifying 100 by Automotive News.

Maureen Marshall | Senior Director, Midwest Region, CALSTART

Maureen Marshall is the Midwest Regional Director at CALSTART, where she is working with the private and public sectors on the development dual-use high efficiency vehicle technologies of value to both commercial and military users.  Maureen leads CALSTART’s work to advance connected and automated vehicle technologies and address cybersecurity concerns, provide clean vehicle purchase incentives to fleets, and support the growth of the supply chain for advanced vehicle components and demonstration of zero and near-zero emissions solutions.

Maureen brings to CALSTART a wealth of experience and knowledge in key technology sectors and with organizations that are important to our work, including with vehicle OEMs, Tier suppliers and consulting work.  She has held engineering positions with both Ford and Chrysler, where she worked on advanced global powertrains and electrical systems. She has worked at Siemens and Harman International, including work on connected car technology. She worked with Booz Allen Hamilton, where she led work with the U.S. Army TARDEC that helped them shape their ground vehicle and connected vehicle strategies.

Maureen holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Auburn University, a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University, as well as a certificate in Strategy and Innovation from MIT.

Jane McCurry | Executive Director, Clean Fuels Michigan

Jane McCurry joined Clean Fuels Michigan in September 2020.?Prior to her role with Clean Fuels Michigan, Jane was the Electric Vehicles Program Manager at RENEW Wisconsin. Jane was the Executive Director of Wisconsin Microfinance for two years and now sits on the board of directors.?She?has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Operations and Technology Management and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin, where she was also a pole vaulter for the Track and Field team. Jane was recently appointed to the Michigan Council on Future Mobility and Electrification to represent technology and policy interests.

Amy McGuire | Director of Market Development, Highland Electric, DTE

Amy McGuire is a clean energy and climate change expert with experience in both the public and private sectors. Over the course of her career, Amy has had the opportunity to lead initiatives in energy resilience, solar financing, energy storage, electric vehicles, and the first-in-the-nation Massachusetts Clean Peak Energy Standard. At Highland, Amy is heading up the Highland Market Development team’s effort to develop and execute strategies designed to mobilize stakeholders within and around a school district to encourage a school district to electrify its bus fleet. This includes community engagement, mass market education, policy research and advocacy, technology and market assessments, and major account political support as well as engaging with utilities, regulators, and legislators around existing and potential future programs designed to support electric school buses.

Amy holds an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a BS in Earth Systems – Renewable Energy Resources from Stanford University.?

Jeffrey Myrom | Director of Electric Transportation Customer Programs, CONSUMERS Energy

Jeff Myrom leads the Consumers Energy team implementing the PowerMIDrive and PowerMIFleet pilots. Over the next two years PowerMIDrive is rebating 100 new DCFC locations, 90 L2s at hotel overnight locations, and 10 L2s at multi-dwelling units. The team has also proposed 25 community charging centers and a permanent residential program in the current electric rate case. PowerMIFleet is working with over 50 businesses and government entities interested in transitioning a portion of their fleet to electric, by completing third-party electrification analyses of their vehicles and use cases. PowerMIFleet is fully subscribed with analyses forthcoming later this year. Jeff is a graduate of Michigan Tech and resides in Haslett with his wife and two sons.

Kelsey Peterson | Manager, Transportation Electrification, DTE

Kelsey Peterson is a manager for DTE (NYSE: DTE), a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services.  

Currently, Peterson leads the team responsible for DTE’s electric vehicle (EV) strategy, from pilot development to program execution. DTE’s EV program, Charging Forward, is designed to encourage EV adoption and fuel EV charger infrastructure growth in Michigan by offering incentives and rebates to Michigan residents and businesses. Previously, she spent three years in the Company’s Leadership Development Program (LDP), working as an Associate and Senior Associate on the company’s Corporate Strategyand Corporate Development teams, respectively. 

Prior to joining DTE in August 2016, Peterson was a quality manager at BMW in Greenville, South Carolina and Munich, Germany. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University.

Rebecca Saletta | Director of Strategic Partnerships, ZETI

Rebecca Saletta is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Zeti, a zero-emission vehicle fintech start-up headquartered in London. Zeti’s new approach to vehicle financing frees up the cost bottleneck of ZEV adoption by introducing a flexible and transparent pay-per-mile solution for fleet operators and OEMs. Unlike traditional leasing, Zeti partners with institutional climate impact funds to deploy projects of clean and connected fleets on a mileage-based rate through their digital platform ZERO. 

Rebecca is based in Los Angeles and leads Zeti’s wider US strategy, supporting solutions for everything from private-hire fleets and heavy-duty trucking, to delivery vans and school buses.  

Prior to joining Zeti, Rebecca worked for the British Government’s Department for International Trade and led their West Coast automotive and future mobility work for 5 years. Amidst coaching numerous UK and US start-ups on their international strategy, she also spearheaded several key initiatives that advanced the UK’s goals on clean transportation ahead of COP26, including the signing of an MoU on Green Transport between the City of Los Angeles and the UK’s Department for Transport.

Rebecca is a San Diego native and received her BA in Communication Studies from UCLA.

Stefan Suppa  Director, Corporate Strategy, Our Next Energy (ONE)