Nuclear Energy & the AI Future

Maryam Brown is president and chief operation officer of Indiana Michigan Power (I&M). Her team is responsible for providing electric service to approximately 600,000 customers in Indiana and Michigan. Brown oversees I&M's distribution operations, safety, customer service, communications, finance, external affairs and regulatory functions.

Brown has more than 25 years of experience spanning utility operations, energy infrastructure development, financial management, regulatory and energy law and federal policy. Most recently, she served as president and CEO of Southern California Gas Company, a Sempra subsidiary serving more than 21 million customers. She led the company through a demanding regulatory and policy environment while driving strong financial performance and overseeing its most significant operational modernization in two decades. Under her leadership, SoCalGas also advanced Angeles Link, a proposal for the largest hydrogen pipeline in the country.

Brown began her career as a maintenance and reliability engineer at Amoco Oil Company before earning her Juris Doctor and building an extensive career in complex energy and regulatory law, including experience as a Securities and Exchange Commission attorney. She also served as senior energy and environment counsel to former Speaker of the House Paul D. Ryan and as chief counsel for the House Energy and Power Subcommittee. She joined Sempra in 2016 as vice president of Federal Government Affairs before rising to lead SoCalGas as president and then CEO.

Brown received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University.

Brendon Baatz supports Google's energy needs for the company's global network of data centers. In his role, he focuses on energy market development, navigating the complex regulatory landscape of energy practice and policy to ensure a reliable and sustainable power supply for Google's critical infrastructure. Brendon is a seasoned expert in the energy sector with a career that spans regulatory bodies, consulting, and advocacy. Prior to his work at Google, he held positions with Gabel Associates, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Maryland Public Service Commission, and the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor.

Guga leads our Utilities businesses to accelerate their growth and transformation goals while continuing to deliver affordable and reliable energy to our customers.

With over a decade of experience at AES, Guga has held several leadership positions, most recently as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AES Indiana and AES Ohio. After joining AES in 2010 through the Energy4Talent trainee program Guga excelled in a multiple of roles across AES, including financial planning, development, investment analysis, risk management and strategic planning in Brazil, Panama and the United Sates.

Additionally, Guga served as the Chief Financial Officer of Vale Base Metals for two years, before returning to work at AES in 2024.

Guga received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from University of Campinas, an MBA from FGV Brazil and is a CFA Charter holder.

Outside of work, Guga enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys. He is a passionate soccer fan and enjoys running. 

Dr. Seungjin Kim is Capt. James F. McCarthy Jr. and Cheryl E. McCarthy Head and Professor of the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University. He is also the director of Purdue University Reactor One (PUR-1) and the Advanced Reactor Thermal-hydraulics Laboratory.  Dr. Kim earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University in 1999. He is recognized as an expert on reactor thermal-hydraulics, reactor safety, two-phase flow, reactor system analysis codes, and computational two-phase flow.  Dr. Kim is an American Nuclear Society (ANS) Fellow and has received Technical Achievement Award from ANS, Thermal Hydraulics Division. He served on the Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC) in the Office of Nuclear Energy of U.S. Department of Energy in 2018 and 2019.  He is the Chair and a founding member of OECD NEA’s Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science, Technology, and Policy. At Purdue, Dr. Kim is serving as one of the principles-in-charge for Purdue-Duke Energy joint study to explore feasibility of using advanced nuclear technology for Purdue campus community’s long-term energy needs. He also led the consortium for ‘Study on SMR Technology and Its Impact for Indiana’ sponsored by the Indiana Office of Energy Development as the Principal Investigator.

Matt MacVicar is Vice President of Government Relations at Rolls-Royce, where he leads federal government advocacy for the Company’s nuclear energy and civil aerospace divisions.

Prior to joining Rolls-Royce Government Relations in 2019, Matt held a series of roles spanning from defense aerospace research to mining—with stops in Australia, Canada, and Latin America.

Drawing on a background in international security and energy science, Matt previously served on the board of directors for the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Washington DC Branch where—as Head of Programs—he led global conversations on the intersection of technology and aerospace.

Matt is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Colin Rusch is Managing Director, Senior Research Analyst and Head of Oppenheimer & Co's Sustainable Growth & Resource Optimization franchise. As a pioneer of Wall Street research on sustainability, Colin has received numerous stock-picking awards from Starmine and TipRanks and is a regular contributor to CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg TV, Fox Business, CNN, Yahoo Finance, NY Times, and Wall Street Journal among others. He started his equity research career at Piper Jaffray and has led research practices at Northland, ThinkEquity and Broadpoint Capital prior to joining Oppenheimer. Colin holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University.

Barry T. Schneider was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2023. Mr. Schneider is responsible for the company’s steel platform, steel fabrication platform, metals recycling platform, and oversees information technology and innovation. Prior to that, Mr. Schneider served as Senior Vice President, Flat Roll Steel Group responsible for the company’s entire flat roll steel operations, including the company’s three flat roll steel mills and numerous flat rolled processing, coating, and distribution operations. Mr. Schneider has been with Steel Dynamics since 1995, serving in various operational and leadership roles within the company’s steel operations, including Engineered Bar Products Division and Butler Flat Roll Division. He was also part of the team that constructed the company’s first steel mill in Butler, Indiana.

Mr. Schneider earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science in engineering management from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He also received an Executive Certificate in Technology, Operations, and Value Chain Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. In addition, Mr. Schneider is the Chairman of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) and served as a past President of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology.

Michelle Linnett Scott is a senior government official with more than 30 years of experience in nuclear energy policy, international cooperation, workforce development, research, and technology commercialization. She currently serves as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Crosscuts in DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, leading programs in nuclear education, workforce development, R&D, and technology commercialization that support universities, national laboratories, industry, and federal workforce initiatives.

Previously, Ms. Scott served as a Senior Nuclear Infrastructure Expert at the International Atomic Energy Agency, where she led global efforts on nuclear infrastructure development and Small Modular Reactor deployment. She also supported emerging nuclear countries through technical guidance and international coordination.

Prior to Ms. Scott working at the IAEA, she served as the lead for engagement with the IAEA and chaired the U.S. interagency civil nuclear energy working group “Team USA,” coordinating policy and international cooperation across federal agencies. She has collaborated extensively with federal partners, national laboratories, universities, and industry on domestic and international nuclear initiatives.

Ms. Scott holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Howard University and served as a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Vanessa became the Indiana Chamber’s first female president and CEO on January 5, 2024.
After 20 years in Washington D.C. at the center of politics and power, Vanessa moved “home” to Indianapolis with her husband, a Clay County native, and their two sons. She founded Green Sinders Consulting, a woman-led firm offering strategic advice, project execution and crisis management, and leadership development and coaching services to clients.

Previously, Vanessa served as senior vice president for government affairs at Charter
Communications/Spectrum, a Fortune 100 cable and broadband company. She was
responsible for directing the company’s strategic policy and political engagement with Congress and the White House, as well as managing a seven-person internal team and 15 external consulting firms. Vanessa came to Charter after a four-year stint as senior vice president and department head for government affairs at the American Hotel & Lodging Association. In that capacity, she oversaw the association’s advocacy work at the federal, state and local levels, and managed the 10-person government affairs team.
Vanessa’s political and policy roots run deep. For a decade, earlier in her career, she held
high-profile positions on Capitol Hill, including chief of staff for then-U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts and policy director for former U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.

Additionally, she was chief of staff for the “Campaign to Fix the Debt,” a nonpartisan issue-based coalition advocating for better national fiscal policies. There, she oversaw the implementation of the campaign’s strategy and directed the activities for its 45-person staff.
Vanessa received a bachelor’s degree in government with a minor in economics from
Dartmouth College.

Brian M. Smith is the Chief Technology Officer for Nuclear Science and Technology at Idaho National Laboratory. He leads the laboratory’s strategy for accelerating the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors and fuel cycle technologies, enabling the nation’s leadership in nuclear innovation. He joined INL after a 20-year career in government in which he served in key positions in the Executive and Legislative branches, with experience in defense and commercial nuclear technology and policy.
A career member of the federal Senior Executive Service, Mr. Smith acted as the Department of Energy’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactors, and as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear 
Energy. Prior to that, he served as a Professional Staff Member on the House Appropriations Committee, with oversight responsibilities for the nation’s nuclear weapons complex, nuclear environmental cleanup, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and various other energy and national security functions. In previous Executive Branch assignments, Mr. Smith 
served as the Acquisition Director for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and as NNSA’s acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Management. He also held executive leadership roles with Naval Reactors, a joint Department of Energy / Department of the 
Navy program responsible for all aspects of naval nuclear propulsion. During his tenure, Mr. Smith participated in multiple interagency reviews to 
scope and execute the modernization of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.
Mr. Smith is a retired Commander in the US Navy, with active and reserve assignments in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, and on the staff of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. He holds a B.A. from the University of Central Florida and an M.S. from the George Washington University.

President and CEO Donna Walker oversees a team of experienced, talented executives who collaborate to manage all elements of the cooperative, including operations, member engagement, technology and cybersecurity, government and community relations, and more.

Dr. Jeff Waksman serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. As the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, he is the principal deputy advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army on all matters tied to policy and oversight for installation modernization, military construction and housing, energy dominance and sustainability, real estate, safety and occupational health, and all environmental matters. Dr. Waksman has a broad range of technical and government experience. Most recently he was a Program Manager at the Strategic Capabilities Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. There he led Project Pele, a transportable nuclear reactor and the first Generation IV reactor to begin construction in the United States, as well as Project Triso. In the first Trump Administration he served as a Policy Advisory to the NASA Administrator. He also served as a Science & Technology Fellow in the office of Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ). Prior to his federal service, Dr. Waksman was on the research staff at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center where he focused on quantum computing and heterogeneous chip integration. As part of his academic career, he performed scientific research at Columbia University, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For this work he was published eleven times and was co-inventor on two patents. Dr. Waksman is a member of the American Nuclear Society. He received a PhD in Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as Masters Degrees in both Nuclear Engineering and Physics. His Bachelor’s Degree was from Columbia University, with a Major of Applied Physics. He lives with his wife, Judit and son, Daniel.

Ben Worrell, MBA, leads the Location Advisory Services practice for McGuire Sponsel’s Indianapolis office. Ben works closely with McGuire Sponsel’s alliance firms and referral partners throughout the United States to identify, procure, and maximize economic development opportunities. He fosters client relationships by guiding clients through the intricate procurement and negotiation process associated with credits and incentives benefits.

Through his time as a small business advocate and advisor across management and economic development roles, Ben understands the value of a strong partnership between the client and the community. Across McGuire Sponsel’s four offices and national client footprint, Ben and the Location Advisory team offer a seamless and integrated approach for clients of all sizes and industries.

Ben graduated from Hanover College with a political science degree and received his MBA from Cedarville University.