AGI DAY 2026

Anamika Dubey – Professor, AGI Co-Director, WSU

Anamika Dubey is currently Huie-Rogers Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering in the School of EECS at Washington State University (WSU), Pullman. She also holds a joint appointment as a Research Scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and currently serves as the Co-director for the WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute (AGI). Her research focuses on the scalable integration of cross-domain models and data to provide better decision support for the increasingly complex electric power grids. She is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2019) and the IEEE PES Outstanding Young Engineer Award (2023).

Jeff Dagle – Electrical Engineer, AGI Co-Director, PNNL

Jeff Dagle joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in 1989, and currently manages several projects in the areas of transmission reliability and resilience for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity and other clients.

Recent project highlights include leading the North American SynchroPhasor Initiative; serving on the leadership team of the Department of Energy’s Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium; leading the team that provides cybersecurity reviews for the DOE Smart Grid Investment Grants and Smart Grid Demonstration projects associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; and co-leading the PNNL Future Power Grid Initiative from 2010 to 2015. In 2014, Dagle was invited to serve on a National Academy committee to provide recommendations for the analytical research foundations for the next-generation electric grid. In 2016, he was invited to serve on another National Academy committee focused on enhancing the resilience of the United States’ electricity system. And in 2019, he was invited to serve on a third National Academies study committee on the future of electric power in the United States.

Angela Becker-Dippmann – Associate Laboratory Director, Energy and Environment

Angela Becker-Dippmann has served as associate laboratory director (ALD) for PNNL’s Energy and Environment Directorate (EED) since September 2025, permanently assuming the position in March 2026. As ALD, Angela leads a broad and impactful portfolio spanning advanced energy systems, nuclear energy innovation, grid modernization, subsurface and environmental engineering, and technologies that improve the production, delivery, and use of energy. She guides EED’s long-term strategy by anticipating emerging mission needs, strengthening relationships with sponsors, and expanding industry and academic collaborations.

Angela’s background combines deep policy expertise with strategic program development leadership. Her experience across federal policymaking and national laboratory leadership gives her a strong understanding of the evolving energy and environmental landscape. Previously, in her cross-cutting role as Director of EED’s Program Development Office, she evaluated emerging national, regional, and state energy and environmental priorities, policies, and programs to focus EED’s strategy on the most impactful outcomes.

Angela rejoined PNNL in April 2019 after previously serving as an EED senior policy analyst from 2011–2015. Between her appointments at PNNL, she served as Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where she oversaw policy and legislative activities related to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, applied research and development programs, Bonneville Power Administration, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Department of the Interior. 

Sandra Haynes – Executive Vice President for Washington State University Statewide Campuses

Sandra Haynes serves as Executive Vice President for Washington State University Statewide Campuses, providing strategic leadership for WSU Everett, WSU Tri-Cities, and WSU Vancouver. In this role, she strengthens coordination and alignment across these campuses to advance student success and regional impact.

Haynes brings more than two decades of higher education leadership experience, with a strong record of building community partnerships, supporting student achievement, and guiding institutional transformation in a range of higher education settings. Known for her clarity, integrity, and people-centered approach, she fosters trust and empowers teams to create environments where innovation can thrive.

Previously, Haynes served as Chancellor for WSU Tri-Cities and Interim Chancellor for WSU Vancouver, where she led efforts to expand access, strengthen academic and student support programs, and align campus operations with WSU’s strategic goals. Her leadership has contributed to enrollment growth, improved student outcomes, and deeper regional engagement across the campuses she oversees.

Haynes holds a Ph.D. in experimental neuropsychology with a respecialization in counseling psychology and is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Washington State University.

Kim Christen – Vice President for Research; Professor, Digital Technology and Culture, Washington State University

Dr. Kim Christen, Professor in and former chair of Washington State University’s Department of Digital Technology and Culture, began as WSU’s vice president for research in 2025. Prior to her appointment as VPR, she served as the associate vice president for research advancement, where, among other duties, she led WSU’s systemwide strategic research planning, oversaw legislative advocacy programming to elevate research priorities, and supported internal funding opportunities to advance high impact research programs.

Dr. Christen is an international leader in information sciences. Her research emphasizes developing culturally responsive software systems for ethical data exchange, and equitable and sustainable models for cultural heritage and traditional knowledge management. She has worked closely with Native American nations across Washington and nationally as well as with Indigenous communities globally to build software systems, digital tools, platforms, and mobile applications as catalysts for social change. She founded Mukurtu CMS, an open-source software platform designed with Indigenous communities to meet their unique information, curatorial, and data sovereignty needs. She is also the founder of the Sustainable Heritage Network, an online platform dedicated to advancing ethical information management practices, and is the co-founder of Local Contexts, a global initiative to provide digital tools and legal frameworks for the management of intellectual property with and by Indigenous communities.

Dr. Christen founded the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation at WSU and has published extensively in top journals. Her research has been funded by federal agencies including NSF, NEH, and IMLS, as well as private funders including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). She has lead partnerships with the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress to advance digital repatriation of heritage materials to Native American nations. She was inducted into the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2024. Dr. Christen holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Cruz and began her career at Washington State University in 2005.

William Pike – Deputy Director for Science and Technology, PNNL

As Deputy Director for Science and Technology, Pike is responsible for stewarding Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)’s research and development strategy to address critical challenges across the Laboratory’s missions in science, energy, and national security. His leadership focuses on maximizing the scientific quality and mission impact of programs and capabilities across PNNL. His office oversees PNNL’s institutional science and technology strategy and investments, technology commercialization activities, strategic partnerships, and institutional planning. Prior to his current position, Pike was the Chief Science and Technology Officer (CSTO) for PNNL’s National Security Directorate. As CSTO, he led organizational strategy to advance fundamental science and applied impact in research areas spanning nuclear science, chemistry, biology, computing, and systems engineering. 

From 2014 to 2022, he was the Division Director for Computing and Analytics at PNNL, where he grew an R&D organization in computer science and software engineering into a nationally distinctive capability of more than 550 staff. He launched new strategic partnerships between PNNL and other leading research institutions and accelerated translation between scientific innovation and operational impact. His research has produced advances in visual data analysis methods and geospatial computing. Since joining PNNL in 2005, he has led computing research in streaming analytics and machine learning, computational knowledge representation for large-scale scientific collaboration, human-machine teaming, and large-scale data visualization. He serves on advisory boards for several academic computer science and engineering programs and has chaired IEEE computing conferences and symposia. 

He holds a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University and earned his Bachelor’s degree at Carleton College in Minnesota. 

Larry Bekkedahl – Retired Senior Utility Executive, Active Member of Boards, PJM, TWTC, PNNL, DOE OE

Larry joined the utility industry in 1981 as a college intern with Montana Power Co. He advanced to PacifiCorp after graduating in Electrical Engineering from Montana State University. Additionally, during his 40+ years in the industry, he had leadership roles with Portland General Electric, BPA, and Clark Public Utilities.

Bekkedahl’s career included foreign utility experience starting with an exchange program with Hokuriku Electric Power Company in Japan, Luzon Power in the Philippines, and visits with USAID to Bangladesh and the Republic of Georgia.

He has also been a long standing member of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Standford Bits and Watts Advisory Council, Grid Forward, and GridWise Alliance.

Following his retirement in April of this year, he continues to be involved in advancing the grid serving on the PJM Board, The Western Transmission Consortium Board, and advisory boards for PNNL and the Office of Electricity for DOE.

Jim Ogle – Electricity Infrastructure and Research Principal, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Jim Ogle is the Electricity Infrastructure director and research principal at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He has  over 30 years industry experience, he leads PNNL’s Grid Research Program to advance solutions that strengthen grid reliability and security, expand transmission and distribution capacity, and lower the cost of grid operations. His expertise spans transmission and distribution operations, communication networks, cybersecurity, and machine learning.

Anjan Bose – Professor, Washington State University

Anjan Bose has over forty years of experience in industry and academia, as an engineer, educator, and administrator. He is well known as a technical leader in the power grid control industry, a researcher in electric power engineering, an educator in engineering, and an administrator in higher education. He is a Regents Professor at Washington State University (WSU), where he also served as the Dean of Engineering and Architecture (1998-2005) and in 2012-13 served as a Senior Advisor to the US Department of Energy (DOE) in the Obama administration.

Mark Rice – Research Line Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Mark Rice is the group leader for the Energy Systems Resiliency group. Prior to serving as the group leader, he served as the team leader for the Cybersecurity Research team for several years and has been a researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the Energy and Environment Directorate since 2011. His research interests include control center applications, wide-area measurements and controls, power system modeling and analysis, and human decision-making.  As a cybersecurity researcher, he has been a principal investigator on power system research for more than 10 years and has conducted cybersecurity for energy delivery systems research for more than six years. He was a technical lead for PNNL’s involvement in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Rapid Attack Detection, Characterization Systems (RADICS) program, where he led efforts in data creation and tested new cyber sensors created by other institutions. He led analytics for the cyber-physical agile initiative, PACiFiC, and led the cyber physical testbed used for PNNL’s Control of Complex Systems Initiative.  Prior to joining PNNL, Rice  worked for Alstom Grid (on the E-terra platform, an energy management software) where he developed network applications (e.g., real-time applications, including state estimation and contingency analysis) for four years. He also was a research assistant at Arizona State University where he was focused on synchrophasor applications to power systems state estimation.

Andy Reiman – Power Systems Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Andy Reiman is a power systems engineer and senior researcher at PNNL with over 15 years of experience in industry and research. He leads the Grid Edge 1 Team and the Advanced Distribution Management Systems Program at PNNL. He is the principal investigator for a portfolio of projects focused on distribution operations and his research interests include system architecture, distributed applications, state estimation, and multi-objective optimization. Reiman received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jana Doppa – Professor & Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Graduate Studies, Washington State University

Jana Doppa is the Huie-Rogers Endowed Chair Professor of Computer Science and Berry Distinguished Professor in Engineering at Washington State University. His research focuses on AI to Accelerate Science and Engineering, spanning foundational AI research and use-inspired innovations in semiconductors, materials science, agriculture, additive manufacturing, and power grids. He is an ACM Distinguished Member and AAAI Senior Member, and his honors include an IJCAI Early Career Award in AI and an NSF CAREER Award. His research has received eight Best Paper Awards from top-tier AI and electronic design automation venues. At WSU, he has received the Faculty Mid-Career Award and the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture’s Anjan Bose Outstanding Researcher Award, Outstanding Junior Faculty in Research Award, and Reid-Miller Teaching Excellence Award.

Bruce Walker – Advisor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

In 2017, Bruce Walker was nominated by President Trump and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity at the Department of Energy (DOE). In this capacity, he provided national leadership to enhance our nation’s security for Defense Critical Electric Infrastructure and led national research to develop technologies and capabilities to meet this responsibility, including the creation of the North American Energy Resilience Model and the establishment of the Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response office.

At DOE, he was also responsible for the four Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs). These four PMAs own and operate the transmission system that connects U.S. federal hydroelectric generation to rural America in 34 states covering more than 2 million square miles.

Robert Echenrode – President/CEO, Umatilla Electric Cooperative

Robert Echenrode joined Umatilla Electric Cooperative (UEC) as engineering manager in 2013 and has guided the Cooperative as President/CEO since 2016. His electric cooperative career began in 1988, and he has previously served other cooperatives, in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Oklahoma State University. Robert has worked to strategically position UEC to support economic growth for our communities with innovative energy solutions. He has led UEC’s members in their expansions in the region’s irrigation, food processing, technology and renewable energy sectors, generating opportunities for increased system facilities, collaboration, and innovation.

As President/CEO, Robert leads UEC’s employees in their dedication to provide service to over 11,000 members in northeastern Oregon. UEC has 131 full-time employees and $559 million in revenues.

Uzma Siddiqi – Principal Consultant, McSid Tech

Uzma is a seasoned utility leader and engineering consultant with over 25 years of experience in transmission and distribution. During her tenure at a large municipal utility, she was the primary author of its grid modernization strategy and later led the team advancing the implementation.

Her experience spans from the design of low voltage circuits in industrial plants to planning for expansion of the high voltage grid in the Pacific Northwest. Her responsibilities included new service interconnections, grid planning, process improvement, and implementing innovative distribution system technologies. She led the utility’s initiative to integrate more DERs into the distribution grid. Now a Principal Consultant, she focuses on collaboration with a particular interest in improving grid capacity utilization so as to enable increased electrification while minimizing new capital expenditures.

As a person who enjoys solving challenging grid problems, she is now engaged in the industry as a consultant and volunteers as Chair of IEEE PES Women in Power. Uzma’s approach is rooted in collaboration and connections.  She defines the problem, solicits or provides analysis, and implements solutions that are feasible for systems and for people. She enjoys open information sharing and fostering strategic partnerships that solve complex grid challenges through data-driven analysis.

She recently founded her own firm McSid Tech, which provides advisory services related to the electric utility industry. She has a MSEE and BSEE from North Carolina State University and is a registered Professional Engineer.

Noel Schulz – Inaugural Director – Institute for Northwest Energy Futures

Noel N. Schulz is the Bob Ferguson Endowed Professor at Washington State University Tri-Cities. In August of 2023, she was named the Inaugural Director of WSU’s new Institute for Northwest Energy Futures (INEF). Dr. Schulz has been active for over 30 years in teaching, research and service at six U.S. universities. Her teaching interests include electrical circuits, power systems and leadership.  She has secured over $41M in external research funding.  Her current research interests include rural electrification and microgrids, AI applications to power systems, and system integration across the energy ecosystem.

She is a Fellow of IEEE and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and a member of the Washington Academy of Sciences.  Dr. Schulz has been an active volunteer leader in the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) serving as PES President in 2012 and 2013.  Currently she is serving as Division VII Director on the IEEE Board of Directors.

Dr. Schulz has been very involved in activities related to engineering education and the recruitment, retention and advancement of students and professionals in STEM fields. 

Srinivas Katipamula – Laboratory Fellow, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Katipamula is a Laboratory Fellow and Senior Staff Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, holding master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University. With over 30 years of experience, his work centers on building controls and building-grid integration. He leads multiple energy efficiency and building-grid integration projects at the lab. Katipamula recently contributed to the AI Data Center Energy Performance Framework, focusing specifically on data centers’ energy use and grid-integration. He is a Fellow of both the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Shuchismita Biswas – Power Systems Researcher, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Shuchismita Biswas is a Power Systems Researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where she leads the Sensing and Measurements Team. Her research focuses on developing methods to leverage power systems measurements for improving grid reliability. She holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Ji Yun Lee – Associate Professor, Washington State University

Ji Yun Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Washington State University, where she leads the Risk-Informed Decision-Making Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2015. She specializes in decision science, integrating stochastic modeling and simulations of natural hazards and engineering risk analysis with human behavioral insights. By applying AI and systems modeling, her work transforms multidisciplinary data into actionable intelligence, advancing fundamental understanding of how both physical systems and human behaviors drive community resilience. She received the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium Outstanding Researcher Award (2025), NSF CAREER Award (2023), and Google Research Scholar Award (2022).

Wei Du – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Wei Du holds a joint appointment between Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, serving as a tenured Associate Professor at WSU and as a Chief Engineer and IESO Grid Stability & Power Electronics Program Manager at PNNL. His main areas of research include control design, modeling, and simulation of power systems with a high penetration of power electronics. He is currently the Principal Investigator of multiple DOE projects that investigate the impacts of inverter-based resources on the stability of power systems. 

Jacob Reidt – Advisor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Jacob Reidt joined the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a Senior Power Systems Research Engineer in 2023. Prior to working at PNNL, Reidt worked for utilities and utility vendors, specializing in smart grid use cases and OT/IT convergence with a focus on aligning technical execution with strategic objectives. He has led multidisciplinary teams in the design, implementation, and commissioning of power generation and technology infrastructure. Currently he is an Advisor for Architecture and Communications Systems research and the Director of PNNL’s Grid Center for Reliable Electricity Delivery, where he leads the implementation of a platform purposed for high-impact research activities at the intersection of advanced analytics, modeling, and policy to enable an affordable and reliable power system.

Xiaoli Duan – Industry Engagement Advisor/Team Leader & Project Manager, PNNL

Xiaoli Duan joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2010 as a research scientist in the electricity infrastructure and building division. Throughout her career here, she has held leadership roles as a project manager, program manager, and team leader. Duan also oversees multi-million-dollar portfolios in energy resilience, building control optimization, grid analytics, and grid AI.

Duan brings over a decade of experience leading large-scale energy initiatives for the United States Army, working closely with the Army Reserve Installation Management Directorate, the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installation Energy and Environment. Duan has a strong track record of translating DOE-developed technologies supporting the Office of Building Technologies, Office of Electricity, and the Federal Energy Management Program into real-world applications. In this space, Duan has led multi-lab and multi-stakeholder efforts with partners across the Army, Navy, state agencies, utilities, and high-tech companies.

Prior to PNNL, she served as an Assistant Program Manager at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, where she led energy and water projects.

Eleanor Ewry – Manager, Transmission Strategy & Markets, Puget Sound Energy

Eleanor Ewry is the Manager of Transmission Strategy and Planning at Puget Sound Energy. In this role, she supports the planning and development of transmission projects to maintain system reliability and resiliency, facilitate resource and load interconnections, and enable the delivery of remote generation resources to PSE customers. With over 16 years of experience in transmission planning, Eleanor has engaged across the industry on technical, regulatory, and financial aspects of transmission development. She has a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on power systems, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Washington State

Prabu Muthu – Chief Technology Officer, Bonneville Power Administration

Prabu Muthu is the Chief Technology Officer at Bonneville Power Administration.  In this role, he is responsible for technology strategy, planning, innovation, and forward-looking architectures that will enable BPA’s strategy and mission.  Some of his biggest priorities at this dynamic moment in the industry are responsible and effective adoption of AI, modernization of data and infrastructure, and an implementation of a programmatic, planned, capability-focused approach to long-term technology service delivery for the region.

He has been at BPA since 2001, working in IT, Finance, and Business Transformation Office, establishing BPA’s first Enterprise Architecture office in support of the Grid Modernization and entry into the Western Energy Imbalance Market.  He holds bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Philosophy from the University of Texas, Austin, (which means he enjoys getting things done as much as talking about different ways or reasons to do so).

Brad Heilman – Regional Technical Manager – NW, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

Brad Heilman, P.E., has a B.S.E.E. degree from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. From 1990 to 1997, he was employed as a system protection engineer for Black Hills Power & Light. His utility work included transmission line and generator protection, power plant and substation commissioning, and SCADA system upgrades. In 1997, he joined Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. as a field application engineer, directly supporting customers with training and the application of SEL products. In 2016, he was promoted to the role of Regional Technical Manager. Brad now manages all of the protection, automation and communications engineers in the Northwest region. The NW region consists of AK, WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, UT, NV and the three western provinces of Canada. He is an IEEE member and licensed professional engineer in the state of South Dakota

William Rambo – Former Director of Technology, POWER Engineers

William began his career as an engineer and has spent over 35 years helping energy companies leverage innovative technology to boost productivity, efficiency, and ROI. After co-founding one of the Pacific Northwest’s first Internet Service Providers in the early 1990s, he built a career spanning tech startup leadership, software solutions, and engineering and technology consulting. Most recently, he led a Digital Transformation practice at WSP (formerly POWER Engineers), driving industry engagement and strategic partner development. William now serves as an advisor to tech startups and consultancies in addition serving on the AGI advisory.

Michael Schleich – Director of Engineering & Operations, Pend Orielle Public Utility District

Mike is Director of Engineering and Operations at Pend Oreille Public Utility District, where he leads the engineering, electric operations, and system operations functions supporting a rural utility in northeast Washington.

His career has spanned several perspectives of the changing energy industry. He spent many years at Itron working in utility technology and grid modernization at the forefront of AMI and the Smart Grid, and is an inventor on seven patents related to energy and water management. He later joined KORE Power, where his work focused on advanced energy storage, EV battery systems, and the rapidly evolving role of batteries in the electric grid. Today at Pend Oreille PUD, his focus has shifted to the practical challenges of operating and modernizing the grid—including reliability, resiliency, wildfire mitigation, system planning, and the integration of new technologies.

Mike has a particular interest in bridging the gap between emerging technology and practical utility application, with a special passion for helping smaller utilities benefit from innovation despite not always having the scale, resources, or budgets of their larger counterparts.

Larry Bekkedahl | Senior Vice President, Advanced Energy Delivery | Portland General Electric

Eleanor Ewry | Supervisor Strategic System Planning | Puget Sound Energy

Greg Zweigle | CTO | Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

Nicole Rutherford | Chief Technology Innovation and Strategy Officer | Bonneville Power Administration

William Rambo | Director of Technology | Power Engineers

Avnaesh Jayantilal | Chief Technology Officer, Grid Innovation | GE Vernova Electrification Software

Mark Lauby | Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer | North American Electric Reliability Corporation

Mike Diedesch | Grid Innovation Lab Manager | Avista