Oklahoma's Premier Energy Conference

Managing the Next Energy Frontier:
Roger Farrer Energy Conference

Join Oklahoma's energy professionals for a premier conference dedicated to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the technologies shaping our state's energy future.

Energy Professionals | Industry Leaders | Students & Researchers

7th & 8th

October

2026

Save the Date

Hamm Institute, Oklahoma City

About the Conference

Managing the Next Energy Frontier: Roger Farrer Energy Conference is Oklahoma's premier conference dedicated to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the associated technologies driving our state's energy economy forward.

Named in honor of Roger Farrer for his decades of leadership in energy efficiency and management across Oklahoma, the conference brings together engineers, facility managers, utility professionals, researchers, educators, and students for a full day of technical sessions, peer exchange, and meaningful connections.

Each year builds on the success of the previous, attracting attendees from across the state and region to learn about clean energy topics as they relate to Oklahoma — and to network with peers, businesses, and the next generation of professionals.

HOSTED BY

AEE Oklahoma Chapter

CO-HOSTED BY

Oklahoma State University — GPCOE

Keynote Speakers

John Smegal

Analysis & Strategy Office, Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, US Department of Energy

Mr. John Smegal serves as the university-based Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) Program Manager for DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) and has been responsible for overseeing the ITAC program for more than 16 years. The ITAC program works with small and medium-sized manufacturers to help them identify and implement opportunities to save energy, improve productivity, and reduce waste and water use. At the same time, the ITACs serve as a workforce development program intended to train the next generation of energy engineers/professionals. He is also responsible for overseeing the five regional ITAC Centers of Excellence, as well as the three ITAC Auto Supply Diversification Centers. Prior to joining DOE, he provided strategic and technical support to DOE, EPA, NRC, DoD, and other public and private sector clients. Mr. Smegal has a B.A. in Economics from Carleton College, where he was an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, and an M.A. in Public Policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago. technologies, and the path forward for energy professionals in our region.

Todd McAlister

Chief Executive Officer at SPEER (South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource)

Todd McAlister has been the Chief Executive Officer of SPEER, the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource, since June of 2019. SPEER heads the charge in Texas and Oklahoma as the regional leader in education and promotion of energy-efficient systems, practices, and distributed energy resources that strengthen local economies, improve health and quality of life, and protect the environment.

Prior to SPEER, Todd was the Executive Director of the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association and spent 21 years in the US Navy Reserve, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander in 2024.

Breakout Session Presenters

Industry experts, academic researchers, and practitioners sharing real-world insights on energy efficiency, renewables, resiliency, and workforce development.

Track A — Energy Management

Nilesh Kulkarni

global lead of operational sustainability at PepsiCo Inc

Global Sustainability

Cory Toole

Business Development Executive, Entegrity

The “Gold” Standard in Manufacturing: Achieving LEED Gold in an Oklahoma Industrial Plant

Michael Michaud

Executive Director at Hydraulic Institute & Pump Systems Matter

Hidden Opportunity: How Pump System Assessments Drive Energy Savings, Reliability, and Sustainability

Garen Ewbank

Owner, Ewbank Geo Testing, LLC

FROM GUTENBERG TO THERMAL INFRASTRUCTURE SCIENCE

Josh Wurdeman

Program Portfolio Manager, CLEAResult

Power in Action – Elevating the Impact of Energy Efficiency Beyond Energy Savings

Matthew Derner

Senior Manager, Education and Energy Efficiency Training Resources, Hydraulic Institute

Beyond Efficiency: Building a Resilient Pump System Workforce for Sustainable Operations

Kerry Rowland

Senior Energy Efficiency Principal · Public Service Company of OK

Grid Orchestration - Practical Lessons from Deploying Flexible Load Management Devices

Track B — Energy Program & Workforce Development

Paulomi Nandy

R&D scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Better Plants Program: Resources, Partnerships, and Pathways to Energy Savings

Vatsal Bhuva

Senior Research Associate – HARC

DOE's Onsite Energy TAP Program: No-Cost Technical Assistance for Industrial and Large Energy Consumers

Dr. Hitesh Vora

Dean's Endowed Associate Professor, OSU

Beyond the Energy Audit: Building the Next-Generation Energy Assessment Ecosystem

Abinash Kr. Gupta

Senior Energy Engineer - ES2 / OSU ITAC Alumni

Energy Performance, Operational Correlates, and Retrofit Prioritization in Tribal Casino Facilities: A Multi-Site Field Study

Christina Justice

Secretary of Natural Resources, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

Tribal Nations as Energy Partners: Early Engagement, Stronger Projects, Shared Success

Michael Michaud

Executive Director at Hydraulic Institute & Pump Systems Matter

Hidden Opportunity: How Pump System Assessments Drive Energy Savings, Reliability, and Sustainability

Trent Marlett

Energy Manager, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Tribal Energy as a Strategic Asset: How the Choctaw Nation is building Energy Management Capacity to support Community Priorities.

Track C — Technology & Innovation

Mark Witt

LightWater Advisory LLC

The Impact of Micro Grid Technology on Protecting Critical Facilities

Scott Preston

Founder & CEO, ThermStar

Recovering Waste Heat from Particle-Laden Industrial Exhaust: Lessons from Real-World Installations

Jason Fisher

Technical Director, ICF

Energy Efficiency Back to the Future

Sanjeev Khanna

professor and director of Midwest ITAC, University of Missouri

Research studies in the use of AI in operation optimization of CHP power plants, and developing and analyzing pathways to zero energy buildings.

Zach Dobelbower

Associate Director of Sustainability and Energy for the District of Columbia’s Department of General Services

Flexible Growth: Linking Data Center Expansion to Verified Grid and Community Benefits

Khaled Sallam

Associate Head at Oklahoma State University–Tulsa

Sizing Battery Storage for Off-Grid Wind and Solar Power: A Simplified Method and Its Implications for Oklahoma’s Energy Future

Hemant Tiwari

Senior Energy Engineer, St Jude Children's Hospital

Campus Energy Plant Optimization: Unlocking Low-Cost Opportunities

Why Attend?

Oklahoma-Focused Insights

Hear how energy efficiency, renewables, and resiliency strategies are being applied across Oklahoma utilities, campuses, municipalities, and industrial facilities — by people who work here.

Learn From Practitioners

Real-world case studies and lessons learned from engineers, facility managers, and researchers — actionable content you can take back to your team Monday morning.

Build Your Network

Connect with energy professionals from across Oklahoma — utilities, consultants, manufacturers, students, and faculty — in a full day designed for meaningful conversations.

Advance Your Career

Earn professional development credits, explore certifications like CEM, CEP, and CMVP, and stay current with the trends shaping the next decade of energy work.

What Past Attendees Are Saying

The Roger Farrer Energy Conference is the one event each year that brings Oklahoma's energy community together in one room. The conversations I have here lead to real projects back at the office.

— Past Attendee, Oklahoma Energy Professional