WORKSHOP - Energy Edition

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Energy Edition!

Welcoming Remarks: The Dawn of Energy Law Connections!
+ Closing Comments: Keeping the Dream Alive: Energy Law-Tech Connections + Clearing the Air - How Advanced Tech Contributes to Methane Compliance

Dawn M.K. Zoldi (Colonel, USAF Ret.) is a licensed attorney, U.S. Air Force veteran and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of P3 Tech Consulting, connecting people who have a passion for advanced tech platforms with the plans, programs, policies and information they need to succeed. Ms. Zoldi was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1992 and commissioned through direct appointment in the Air Force in July 1993. In her almost 25 years of active duty as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a military attorney, she performed a myriad of duties at various command echelons in the continental U.S. and deployed forward.

Josh Olds (Moderator) is the President, CEO and Co-Founder of Unmanned Safety Institute®. Over the last decade, he has served in a variety of UAS operational, standards development, and training roles managing, flying and maintaining both Groups 1-3 fixed wing and rotorcraft unmanned aircraft systems. Josh earned his master’s degree in aeronautics with a specialty in educational technology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is a commercial multi engine-instrument rated pilot and certified airframe & powerplant mechanic. Josh was awarded the 1st place honor in the individual Airmanship and Contribution to the UAS Industry category of the XCELLENCE Awards by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) in 2018 and most recently honored with the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) 2020 Top 40 under 40 award.

Don Berchoff (Col USAF Ret.+ SES Ret.) is the CEO of TruWeather Solutions, a micro-weather analytics company that is building weather resiliency into UAS and e-VTOLs operations. A highly successful military leader and business entrepreneur, Don has 40 years-experience in weather, aviation and logistics, during which he designed and led regional and global aviation weather operations centers, co-authored the FAA NEXGEN Weather CONOPS and led all ground operations at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan (2007-2008.)  As a Senior Executive Service member, he led the NWS Science and Technology Directorate (2008-2012) and was responsible for the transition of over $500M in new S&T infrastructure and software applications into NOAA operations.  Don and the TruWeather team are delivering on a promise to reduce micro-weather uncertainty for Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations, with a focus on "over-the-horizon" hard-to-detect weather hazards.  TruWeather’s efforts seek to replace the loss of the “human sensor”, the pilot, on board the aircraft and increase airframe revenue generation and effectiveness when weather is marginal for operations.

Mary-Caitlin Ray is Counsel at Crowell & Moring LLP and a former attorney for the Federal Aviation Administration. Clients come to her for practical and strategic advice on navigating complex aviation challenges.  She represents aircraft owners, operators, and manufacturers as well as investors into aviation related businesses, advising on regulatory and transactional matters.  She has significant experience advising clients on the impacts of and solutions for emerging technologies in the aviation sector, including uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.  Mary-Caitlin’s practice spans the crewed and uncrewed side of the aviation world. She has advised Fortune 500 flight departments, high net worth individuals, and manufacturers and suppliers on regulatory concerns related to the operation and production of aircraft, including complex issues related to permitted compensation, pilot licensing, operating structures such as dry leasing, timesharing and fractional ownership agreements, and emergency and Letter of Investigation response related to quality escapes and incidents.  She also represents clients in the acquisition and sale of business aircraft, including cross border transactions requiring the export or import of aircraft. Mary-Caitlin counsels drone and eVTOL manufacturers, operators, and owners on all aspects of FAA regulatory compliance, including the business impacts of the evolving global regulatory framework for emerging aviation technologies.  

Edwin Sanchez is a Software Engineer with an MBA in Entrepreneurship/Marketing, with more than 23 years of worldwide experience in Information Technology, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Software Development, Industries 4.0 (automation and orchestration), and Business Leadership.

Mr. Sanchez has worked for worldwide Software Publishers like Oracle Corporation, Adobe Systems and Microsoft Corporation. Since 2010, he decided to become an entrepreneur and launched several companies. Among the most notable ones are VOTIX, Echez Group, EC-Asia, Complarketing, Echez Solutions, and Cyclopex. Mr. Sanchez has received several recognitions as a leader and technology expert, and has been invited to contribute in worldwide expert discussions and technology and market trends.
Mr Sanchez companies currently operate projects in 46 countries and 20 languages globally, resolving Technology-specific challenges for different industries. These challenges include effectively transform a business into a modern and digital organization, identify and resolve efficiencies and risks associated with software implementations, increase productivity through robotics, automation, analytics and artificial intelligence.

Rob Knochenhauer is the Director of Regulatory Affairs for Censys Technologies and brings a unique array of industry experiences to support Censys’ strategic goals by working in concert with Censys’ engineering team and the FAA to develop the next generation of UAS to perform more complex Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for Censys’ customers. Starting his career as a certificated Airframe & Powerplant aircraft mechanic, Rob transitioned into engineering where he spent fifteen years supporting and ultimately leading the development of numerous UxS (ground, sea & air with Foster-Miller and Aurora Flight Sciences). In recent years, Rob has been on the leading edge of developing pathways to integrate complex UAS operations into the NAS. Prior to his role with Censys, Rob supported MassDOT’s UAS program by developing strategy for complex UAS operations (corridor BVLOS) and started his commercial UAS chapter as the director of flight operations for GreenSight.

Mark LaCour (Moderator) is the Editor-in-Chief of the Oil & Gas News Network. Mark has lived and worked in the Oil and Gas industry for over 25 years. Later he started his own market research company and has a well-earned reputation as an industry “insider” and independent 3rd party researcher. This led to him becoming a part of the new media, where he runs the world’s largest Oil and Gas podcast network, with over 2.7 million listeners from every single county on the planet. He is a sought after public speaker, author, sits on several oil & gas boards and has the record for the most embarrassing mistakes made on social media in the industry!

Craig Husselby is the Senior Project Manager - Corridor Inspections for Synergy Aviation, a Volatus Company. Craig has spent the last fifteen years managing aviation programs for large energy companies. Craig has worked extensively on industry regulations and risk profiles for RPAS systems within the energy sector. While with Pembina Pipeline Corporation, Craig led the development of all fixed wing, rotary, and RPAS policies and regulations for their best in class operations management.

Scott McGowan is the CEO,NetZero Aerial. Scott combined his 40 years of RC aircraft flying experience with his 25 years of Energy Futures and Derivative trading to form Precision Aerial in 2014. As a physical natural gas trader and storage operator, he saw the need for a more efficient and cost effective way to inspect and monitor an aging national energy infrastructure. It has been his dream and mission to bring the expediency, safety and cost effectiveness of UAS based data collection and processing to the energy and engineering services industry. Today Precision Aerial is the leader in UAS LiDAR data collection by UAS in the Oil and Gas and Engineering space. With over 73 successful LiDAR projects completed in 2018 and 43 already in 2019, he has truly seen his dream come to fruition and looks forward to the future of this exciting yet still embryonic industry.

Ms. Suzanne Lemieux has been with the American Petroleum Institute since 2013 and serves as a Director for Operations Security & Emergency Response Policy within the Corporate Policy group of API’s Policy, Economics, and Regulatory Affairs division. Her primary areas of responsibility are cyber and physical security policy, emergency preparedness and response, UAS policy, and stakeholder engagement, both public and private. Ms. Lemieux is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and is a graduate of Harvard University’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative Executive Education. Ms. Lemieux has a Masters of Public and International Affairs from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing Management from Radford University. 

Matthew Decker is a trial attorney, practicing in the areas of complex commercial, consumer class action, healthcare, products liability and mass tort litigation. He represents clients in the transportation and logistics industries in civil litigation, and has extensive experience representing Class I freight railroads in Federal Employers’ Liability Act claims. He also regularly publishes and presents on legal issues relating to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence/machine learning and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Mr. Decker maintains a diverse commercial practice and has experience representing large hospital systems and higher education institutions in business disputes and tort claims.

Mr. Decker is a 2014 graduate of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, where he was a Staff Editor for the Temple International & Comparative Law Journal, and a Fellow in the Rubin Public Interest Law Honor Society. While in law school, he held internships with the Hon. Thomas M. Blewitt of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the Hon. Anne E. Lazarus of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Mr. Decker obtained his undergraduate degree in International Politics from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 2011.

Edgar Valdez (Moderator) is a Senior Consultant in Deloitte’s Emerging Infrastructure Platforms offering with a focus on assisting clients to integrate emerging and transformative aviation technologies such as drones and advanced air mobility (AAM) safely into the National Airspace System through program implementation and operationalization. He also provides technical and strategic insights on policy navigation for the AAM industry. Edgar previously led the regulatory strategy, including coordinating the procurement and legal workstream for UPS Flight Forward. He graduated from University of Louisville with a B.S. in Political Science and subsequently earned a Juris Doctorate degree from NKU Chase College of Law.

Jason Schwartz, Vice President of Corporate Development at Terradepth, Inc. has an extensive history of developing and deploying marine technology with applications in national security, offshore energy, ports and harbors, and the blue economy. He focuses on scaling ocean data collection and dissemination so people can make better decisions about their ocean environment.

Allison N. Skopec, Associate Attorney, at Holland & Knight LLP is a New York-based attorney who is engaged in a broad range of international and domestic litigation, regulatory compliance and transactional matters in the areas of maritime, environment, and technology. Ms. Skopec has secured favorable outcomes for clients in both state and federal court actions, as well as in arbitrations, mediations, and regulatory proceedings.

Timothy “T3” Tenne is a retired military officer, commander, and pilot with over 15,000 world-wide flight hours.  In addition to his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in Economics and Engineering, Tim holds three master’s degrees.  An MBA in finance, an MA in Organizational Management, and an MA in National Security and Joint Studies.  Additionally, he hold a Juris Doctorate in Law and is a licensed attorney.  After retiring from the Air Force, Tim spent time in the airlines, along with general and commercial aviation sectors.  He then went on to serve at the FAA where he facilitated the nation’s first drone, UAS regulations, as well as the standup of the FAA’s first unmanned systems (AUS) office.  After departing from the FAA, Tim went on to rail and transit where he led safety, compliance and innovation at WMATA (DC Metro), Deputy COO-Rail for The Maryland Transit Administration, and then Amtrak.  Tim then worked his way back into aviation by accepting the position as Chief Operations Officer at Easy Aerial, an drone OEM that serves military, government, and commercial clients through their drone-in-a-box solutions.  Now Tim serves as the first CEO of Nordic Unmanned’s North America subsidiary in Baltimore County, Maryland where he leads all aspects of the company’s operations and sales.  Tim is the proud husband of Andrea Tenne of 29 years and their two sons, Alec (28), and Andrew (26).  When not laser-focused on drones, Tim enjoys running, boating, and flying where he is still a current certified flight instructor.

Jonathan B. Rupprecht is a drone lawyer and an FAA-certificated commercial pilot with single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings, who has been cited or quoted by the New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Huffpost, Inc., Politico, NPR, Marketwatch, The Independent, and many other sources. He currently is a contributor to Forbes.com for Aerospace & Defense. The American Bar Association has published a legal book on unmanned aircraft law that Jonathan co-authored with other drone attorneys called Unmanned Aircraft in the National Airspace: Critical Issues, Technology, and the Law. Jonathan wrote two chapters on administrative law, the FAA rule-making process, the special rule on unmanned aircraft, and a brief history of unmanned aircraft. Jonathan also authored another book called Drones: Their Many Civilian Uses and the U.S. Laws Surrounding Them. He was first an advisor for one of the amicus briefs for the highly publicized Huerta v. Pirker case. Jonathan worked with John Taylor on the three Taylor v. FAA cases which in May 2017 resulted in the Federal District Court of Appeals for D.C. striking down the FAA’s registration regulations. He also briefly helped on the Singer v. City of Newton which was the first federal district court case striking down a local drone law as preempted. He was one of the attorneys litigating the RaceDayQuads LLC case in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the FAA remote identification regulations.

Tyler O’Conner (Moderator) is a Partner in the Energy and Government Affairs Practices at Crowell & Moring, where he represents energy and technology companies in regulatory proceedings and before federal agencies on a wide range of energy security and other matters. Prior to joining Crowell, Tyler served as the Energy Counsel to the House Energy & Commerce Committee, in which role he helped draft parts of the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and worked on energy security, reliability and related issues.

Trent Teyema (FBI Special Agent - SES retired) is the founding Principal for CSG Strategies, Inc., who advises governments and companies on national security, cybersecurity, infrastructure protection and policy. Mr. Teyema retired from the FBI as the Cyber Division's Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief of Cyber Readiness.  Mr. Teyema was the Special Agent in Charge of the Cyber and Counterintelligence Division for FBI Los Angeles. Mr. Teyema founded and led the FBI's National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF).  He was twice appointed to cyber security policy roles to include Director for Cybersecurity Policy at The White House during the Bush '43 and Obama '44 Administrations. He served in numerous senior leadership positions since his retirement, most recently serving as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), for a pharmaceutical / bio-technology company; the SVP/ Global Head of Cyber Threat Management in the finance/insurance industry; and the SVP/Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in the defense industrial base. Mr. Teyema is a Senior Fellow at the MobileCoin Foundation which coordinates and encourages a global community of developers working together to co-create the simplest possible encrypted payments network. He is also a Loomis Council Member at The Stimson Center located in Washington, DC. Mr. Teyema is also a doctoral candidate in Information technology and cybersecurity at the Marymount University.  Mr. Teyema holds a master’s degree in forensic science from the George Washington University, as well as several technical and cybersecurity certifications.

Jacob Canter is a lawyer at Crowell & Moring LLP. He sits in the San Francisco office and is a member of the Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group, and also the Litigation Practice Group. Through his privacy and cybersecurity practice, Jacob counsels large and small companies on compliance with state, federal, and international privacy laws; cybersecurity measures to protect against threats; cybersecurity incident best practices; and incident responses. His litigation practice focuses on IP issues, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, state privacy laws, and licensing disputes. He also handles competition issues and founders’ disputes. Before joining Crowell, Jacob clerked in the Southern District of New York.

Tom Adams retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after 20 years of service in 2022. He spent the early part of his federal law enforcement career investigating white-collar crime matters in Florida and Texas. In 2008, Tom completed the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School and became a Special Agent Bomb Technician (SABT), a role in which he served for over 11 years. During his time as a SABT, he deployed to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Southern Asia in support of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts. Tom’s last three years in the FBI were spent as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Counter-UAS Program. In this role, he led the evolution of the team, including developing a training program, policies and procedures, and operational standards. He led numerous high-profile Counter-UAS missions throughout the U.S. at our nation’s highest-profile sporting and cultural events, including the protection of our government’s highest-ranking officials and critical infrastructure. Tom earned a bachelor’s degree from Montana State University in Biomechanics, and a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Unmanned Systems. Prior to serving in the FBI, Tom was a Medical Service Corps Officer in the U.S. Army and worked in the credit card industry. Tom is the Co-Founder of C-UAS Hub (cuashub.com), an online resource for Counter-UAS products, services, news, jobs, and resources. He is also the CEO of AeroVigilance, a Counter-UAS consulting, training, and services company based in Virginia.