Walk through safety incidents that your peer utilities experienced, including findings from their root cause analyses. Look at how data and trends can show you where your safety culture stands and where there’s room for improvement. While you reflect on what you can do to prevent the same kind of incidents from occurring at your utility, get ideas for what works to boost accountability and improve safety performance.

It’s long been said that people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers. Get inspired to transform your leadership style to support the utility culture you want to see. Share experiences for how to effectively move safety from a “program” to a culture of caring, blending both physical and psychological safety. Discuss how leadership can demonstrate commitment, set expectations, build trust, and create a culture of accountability.

Public Power NextTech Expo

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.