Virtual Happy Hour - bring your favorite beverage
This event is free and limited to 50 NCAC-USAEE members.
The NCAC-USAEE Board misses one of the best parts of our monthly lunch meetings -- in-person networking. To help close this gap, we'll hold our first-ever virtual happy hour. It will be professionally moderated, using Zoom breakout rooms.
You'll have a chance to meet some of the NCAC-USAEE board members along with fellow members. If it proves popular, we may hold future happy hours.
Happy hour registrants will receive a Zoom link the evening before when registration closes. Non-members can join for $35, also entitling participation in NCAC-USAEE throughout 2021. Sign up for membership at: https://www.ncac-usaee.org/membership
Mark your calendars
January 13 at 11 am-12 noon: Pete Speer of Moody's speaks on Uncertain future demand heightens business and credit risks for oil and gas industry.
Feb 10 at 630-815 pm is the virtual NCAC-USAEE "Annual Dinner" with Mark Mills of of the Manhattan Institute speaking on Global Demand for Critical Minerals - Key to "Energy Transition", along with presentation of the Mark Lively Service Award to Peri Ulrey.
February 17 at noon- 1 pm: hear Adam Sieminski, President of King Abdullah Petroleum Studies & Research Center, former administrator of US EIA, and former NCAC-USAEE President, speak on The Role of Circular Carbon Economy.
Bios of participating NCAC-USAEE Board Members
Aaron Annable began his assignment as Energy Counsellor at the Embassy of Canada in Washington DC in September 2016. Prior to this, he was a Senior Advisor for North American energy and environmental issues at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. In 2014-15, he served for 10 months as Acting Consul General of Canada to New England, before which he was Head of Foreign Policy and Diplomacy at the Consulate General in Boston for four years. He has previously held several positions within Global Affairs Canada, where he worked on numerous Canada-US energy and trade policy files. Prior to joining the Department in 2003, he worked for both the Privy Council Office and Service Canada. He graduated from McGill University with a degree in Political Science (International Relations) and is from Montreal, Quebec. He would almost invariably rather be skiing.
Diana Friedman is an energy products analyst at the US International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency. She is currently leading a project on the impact of renewable energy commitments on electricity markets in New England. With over six years of experience researching energy industry and trade policy issues, she has dived into a wide range of topics but maintains a particular focus on explaining annual changes in the trade flows of crude oil, natural gas, and their many midstream and downstream products. She has a MA in International Trade and Investment Policy from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Jonathan Chanis has worked in investment management, emerging markets finance, and commodities trading for over 25 years. Currently he manages New Tide Asset Management, a company focused on global and resource trading. He previously worked at Citigroup and Caxton Associates where he traded energy and emerging market equities, and commodities and currencies. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on political economy, public policy, international politics, energy security and other subjects at several higher education institutions including Columbia University.
At DOE-EIA, Natalie Kempkey is an Industry Economist and has served on the Executive Council of NCAC-USAEE Board for four years, and also is the Membership Chair at USAEE.
Casey Ling is a dual degree MBA/MS Foreign Service student at Georgetown studying international development, finance, and business also the Student Representative on the Board. Before returning to school, he worked for Deloitte helping USAID and the Department of State work with countries around the world develop energy resources and infrastructure. Originally from Orange County, California, an avid fan and player of rugby, Casey has kept sane during quarantine by playing an obscene amount of golf!
Bret Strogen is the Vice President of NCAC-USAEE and is leading planning of the 2021 conference. Since 2018, Bret has served as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. He primarily supports the development of policies and oversight of programs related to third-party financing of energy projects, utilities privatization, operational energy, energy and water resilience, and engagements on these topics with other federal agencies, Congress, industry, and the public. Prior, Bret provided technical and program management support to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for five years on alternative fuels, very small nuclear reactors, and a variety of energy technology research and development efforts. Before moving to Washington, DC, Bret completed a PhD in civil and environmental engineering and a postdoc focused on infrastructure system economics at UC Berkeley.
Mark Finley is the fellow in energy and global oil at Rice University's Baker Institute; he has 35 years of experience working at the intersections of energy, economics and public policy. Before joining the Baker Institute, Finley was the senior U.S. economist at BP, and an analyst and manager at the CIA. He is a USAEE senior fellow and has held leadership roles in the IAEE, the National Association for Business Economics, and the Conference of Business Economics. Finley is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan and holds graduate degrees from Northwestern University (in economics) and the George Washington University (in finance).
Joel S. Yudken is principal and founder of High Road Strategies LLC in Arlington VA, an economic policy research, analysis and design consultancy focusing on manufacturing, energy and workforce issues. Clients include not-for-profit policy and environmental organizations, business associations, labor organizations, universities, and think-tanks. He is past Treasurer of NCAC-USAEE. In prior positions Joel was with AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council, NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, professional staff in US House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs and American Association for the Advancement of Science congressional science & engineering fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA). He holds Bachelor Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Master of Science in engineering-economic systems and PhD in technology and society from Stanford University.
David Givens is Head of Natural Gas and Power Services for North America for Argus Media, Inc., based in Washington, D.C. He is responsible for indexes and editorial coverage in those areas and coordinates Argus efforts across many commodities. David has spoken to industry audiences throughout the western hemisphere on natural gas, electricity, LNG and carbon-related topics. He has worked for many information publishing firms, including Hart Energy Publishing, Io (EYE’ OH) Energy, and BridgeNews. He also worked at Gas Daily and Megawatt Daily throughout the 1990s, becoming managing editor for price surveys. David is immediate past president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the US Association for Energy Economics and a member of the National Press Club and the Washington Network Group.
Aqeel Adenwala is a manager at Energy Ventures Analysis Inc., an energy consulting firm based out of Arlington, VA. He manages the power market advisory team at EVA, providing expert advice and customized consulting services to a wide variety of clients. Aqeel offers insight into the dynamics of commodity prices and their impact on US power markets through publications and consulting projects. Additionally, he analyzes the impact of various regulations on US power markets, guiding clients through the increasingly complex and uncertain energy industry. Prior to joining EVA, Aqeel managed technology projects for GE Energy and Aviation Services at Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (India). He has an MBA from Georgetown University and an engineering degree in Information Technology. Aqeel serves on the board of NCAC-USAEE as treasurer.
Rita Beale's leadership positions have focused on advising and serving Fortune 500 and Global 100 clients in regulated and deregulated energy industries and also direct management of P&L at wholesale and retail energy companies. First Ms. Beale served financial services clients at New York broker-dealer firms, subsequently advising clients on enterprise-wide financial risk management and management consulting initiatives, adding regulatory policy to her focus during the past decade. Currently she is CEO & President of Energy Unlimited LLC and volunteers as President of NCAC-USAEE. She holds Masters Science Economics from Colorado School of Mines. She spends a lot of time in her office at the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River.