Welcome to Huntsville

Honoring Our Colleagues: Safety Awards of Excellence

Keynote: Leading Through Impossible

Col. Jack “2fish” Fischer is a senior space operations leader, combat fighter pilot, astronaut, and flight test expert with 29 years of experience across the spectrum of operational levels. He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Draper Fellow with bachelors and masters degrees in Astronautics. He is a command pilot astronaut with over 3,000 hours in over 40 aircraft, a Society of Experimental Test Pilots Associate Fellow, and has spent 136 days in space with two spacewalks. 2fish is currently serving as the Chief Integration Officer at Intuitive Machines, managing all production, mission operations, and integrated functions across IM’s enterprise. An active member of the community, he is also a member of the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium Executive Committee as part of the Texas Space Commission.

RP₃ designees and Safety Award honorees can get their photos taken.

Public Power NextTech Expo 
Visit with peers and chat with conference sponsors at this informal breakfast.

Kick off the conference with this opportunity to unwind, network, and build lasting relationships in this relaxed setting. Enjoy live music, food, and drinks while connecting with friends and colleagues. Be sure to get your Rocket Launch Map stamped!

Battery energy storage systems, or BESS, are transforming how utilities manage reliability, resilience, and capacity. Get a comprehensive overview of BESS applications and strategies, including practical use cases and examples from public power. Explore how storage can be deployed for multiple objectives — from improving distribution reliability to supporting bulk supply services — while learning about emerging technologies and safety considerations. Through real-world examples and interactive discussion, gain understanding of the technical, operational, and economic aspects of BESS deployment, all to help you make informed decisions and plan for your utility’s future.

Imagine planning a trip without choosing a destination, mapping an itinerary, or deciding who you’ll travel with. Many of us approach our careers this way — hoping things will work out without ever taking the wheel. This is your invitation to stop wandering and start steering — not just for yourself, but for the teams you lead and influence. Learn how to begin to take ownership of your career and individual leadership development, while also learning how to cultivate accountability, foster a growth mindset, and empower others on your team. First, reflect on your values, uncover your strengths, and learn tools to help you create a personalized roadmap for growth. Then, explore how to effectively encourage your team to adopt a growth mindset, take accountability, and create a team development action plan. Whether you're just starting out or looking to reignite your path, stop waiting for someone else to lead and start practicing how to guide your own journey toward a fulfilling career and culture of results.

A public power utility’s distribution system is its most visible and valuable asset. It is essential to business success and connected to every customer. In addition to delivering energy reliably and safely to a traditional electrical load base, today’s distribution system must be robust in its capacity to support an increasingly electrified economy. This includes connection points and capacity for large data center loads, throughput for distributed energy resources, and infrastructure for communications and information management systems.

Gain the knowledge and tools necessary to conduct thorough incident investigations, including overseeing effective root cause analyses. Truly understanding the underlying causes of workplace incidents creates the foundation for implementing corrective actions that prevent future occurrences. Walk through what to do and expect in the entire investigation process, from initial response and data collection to analysis, reporting, and follow-up. Learn the latest suite of incident investigation techniques and root cause analysis methods and review tools for data collection and documentation.

Topics: 
• How incident investigations happened in the past vs. what they entail now 
• Different types and components of root cause analysis, and how to conduct one properly 
• Metrics driving regulatory and management systems 
• Developing corrective actions 
• Preparing your facility for investigation and analysis 
• How to build a “go kit”

AI, Cybercrime, Identity Theft, and Crimes
Known for his former life as con man, check forger, and impostor between the ages of 15 and 21, Frank Abagnale’s story inspired the Academy Award-nominated feature film, Catch Me If You Can. Abagnale’s unique expertise and first-hand experience now focus on a life of service, and his contributions to the world of cybersecurity are immeasurable. The FBI and more than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations, and government agencies utilize his fraud prevention programs. And although most of his work is with the U.S. government, he refuses to be paid for it. He is a premier cybersecurity speaker, appearing at the FBI Academy and Bureau field offices, a faculty member at the National Advocacy Center, and runs Abagnale & Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company.