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As President and CEO of Santee Cooper, Jimmy Staton is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the state-owned electric and water utility, advancing Santee Cooper?s mission to be the leading resource for improving the quality of life for all South Carolinians. Prior to joining Santee Cooper, Jimmy served for more than five years as the President and CEO of Southern Star Central Corporation, a leading transporter of natural gas, with approximately 5,800 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline in the Midwest and Mid-Continent regions of the United States. He also has served as Executive Vice President and Group CEO for NiSource Inc., one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, with approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across seven states; as Senior Vice President for Dominion Resources Inc.; and as President of Asset Operations for Consolidated Natural Gas (CNG) Company prior to its acquisition in 2000 by Dominion Resources. Jimmy is on the Board of Directors for The Energy Authority (TEA), Southern Gas Association (SGA), Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA), and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He is also an active member of the Large Public Power Council (LPPC), the Trident CEO Council and CRDA's Economic Leadership Council. Jimmy graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering. Jimmy enjoys sporting events, live music, golf and the great outdoors. He and his wife, Karen, have two adult sons, a granddaughter and a grandson. The Statons currently reside in Summerville and have a home in North Myrtle Beach, where they have been Santee Cooper customers for 15 years.

Michael Zenker is a Managing Director with NextEra Energy Resources. His team conducts the firm?s fundamental research on power, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, natural gas liquids, oil, oil products, and related markets. Mike meets extensively with NextEra?s diverse client base. Previously, he was a Managing Director of energy research (oil, gas and power) with the global investment bank Barclays and Managing Director overseeing global gas and global power research with Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA). Prior to those positions, he led the gas and power trading and system dispatch organization for Southern California Edison. He has prepared/delivered written reports and presentations on the natural gas, power, coal, and oil markets to a wide variety of audiences. Mr. Zenker has testified before the US Congress, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the California Public Utilities Commission, and has been a frequent contributor to energy industry publications and events. He has appeared on television, in print media and on radio. Mr. Zenker has a bachelor?s degree in Nuclear Engineering, and an MBA, both from the University of California, and is a registered professional engineer in nuclear engineering.

Carolyn Slaughter joined the Regulatory Affairs group within American Public Power Association, as the Director of Environmental Policy where she provides regulatory, advocacy, technical and compliance assistance to APPA members and staff on federal environmental policies, proposals and programs. Carolyn, beings more than 15 years' professional experience working on environmental and air quality policy issues. Most recently Carolyn was the Director of Strategic Planning for Marsulex Environmental Technologies, where she formulated strategies to improve marketing and business plans, analyzed, and monitored issues from a regulatory perspective that affected profitability, growth, and productivity of MET's core businesses as well as provided M&A valuation support. Prior to MET, she was the Senior Program Development Manager for the Institute of Clean Air Companies. While at ICAC, she developed outreach programs on emission control requirements, analyzed economic, legislative, regulatory and political trends.

Dani Taylor is the Energy Services & Communications Supervisor at Middleborough Gas & Electric Department (MGED), overseeing the utility?s energy efficiency programs, customer-focused initiatives, and strategic communications. In this role, she drives community engagement, promotes energy-saving opportunities, and ensures customers recognize the value and benefits of their locally owned utility. Dani serves as Chair of the MEAM Communications & Energy Services Subcommittee, where she collaborates with Massachusetts public power professionals to advance community engagement strategies and share best practices across the sector. Committed to public power advocacy, she is actively contributing to the Stronger Together Engagement initiative to help amplify a unified voice that highlights the lasting benefits and significance of public power.

Charlie West serves as the General Manager for Lowell Light & Power, a leading utility provider based in Lowell, Michigan. Charlie's career began with the Davey Resource Group, where he specialized in GIS implementations and AMI deployments, collaborating closely with various public power utilities and coops. In 2012, he transitioned to the Paris Board of Public Utilities, where he was elevated to the Vice President of Business and Strategic Development before assuming his current role in Lowell. Charlie continues to drive innovation and excellence at Lowell Light and Power; leading an award winning team committed to enriching the community through the public power model.

Paul joined Coldwater Board of Public Utilities in 2022 as the Utilities Director. He oversees the water, wastewater, telecommunications, and electric departments. Paul holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and an MBA from Ashford University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Paul has been in Public Power for more than 30 years having worked for utilities in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Florida, and Michigan.

Dawn Lund, Vice-President of Utility Financial Solutions, LLC has over 25 years of experience pricing utility services for electric, water and wastewater. She works with utilities across the country on cost of service, financial planning and a variety of complex financial analysis. She also teaches cost of service and financial planning courses for the American Public Power Association and MI-AWWA. She is also a regularly requested speaker for various regional and national organizations.