Meet the Mentors

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  Amy Atchley

  EV Equity Development Manager, Austin Energy

  Amy Atchley is a social impact leader with over 20 years of experience serving vulnerable communities. She bridges Fortune 500 companies and mission-driven community organizations, drawing on a diverse skill set to drive meaningful change. At Austin Energy, she leads efforts in transportation electrification and climate resilience, centering equity and inclusion. Her work is grounded in innovative, human-centered program design that ensures emerging technologies benefit all communities. She has a strong focus on youth empowerment, developing initiatives that build leadership and amplify the voices of the next generation. Amy is regularly invited to share her insights at national and international forums on climate equity, decarbonization, inclusive community engagement, and more. Her nonprofit work includes high impact roles with Meals on Wheels Central Texas and VH1 Save the Music. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at EcoRise and is also a professional Austin-based singer/songwriter.

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  Todd Bush

  COO, Collide

  Todd Bush is an energy entrepreneur and Chief Operating Officer at Collide, leading operations, strategy, and growth initiatives. Collide is the platform transforming how oil & gas and energy professionals connect, collaborate, and solve industry challenges. Todd is also the editor of Decarbonfuse.com, a leading resource on industrial decarbonization serving natural gas, ethanol, and ammonia producers along with low-carbon investors.

  Previously, Todd founded Energent Group, a data-driven SaaS for energy logistics insights, and sold it to Westwood Global Energy, where he led the onshore energy team. He has advised 25+ startups on entering energy, software, oil & gas, solar, utilities, logistics, and rail markets. Todd is an alumni of Texas A&M University and Rice University.

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  Michael Cardenas

  Maintenance Engineer, Phillips 66

  Michael Cardenas is a recent Mechanical Engineering graduate from UTSA and currently works as a Maintenance Engineer at the Phillips 66 Sweeny Refinery. His work focuses on reliability, safety, and continuous improvement. He’s excited to connect with fellow attendees, share his journey into the energy industry, and learn from others’ experiences.

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  Andres Carvallo

  CEO & Founder, 512CMG

  Andres Carvallo is the CEO and founder of 512CMG, a digital transformation company focus on Smart Grids, Smart Utilities, Smart Cities, and Smart Buildings. Carvallo is known as the “Godfather of the smart grid” for designing and building the very first smart grid in the US at Austin Energy, the author of “The Advanced Smart Grid” and has published 48 titles in Power Engineering, Telecom/IoT, and Building Technologies. Carvallo has received 36 industry awards since 2005. Carvallo has held c-suite and senior executive roles at Austin Energy, Philips Electronics, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Borland, six IoT, telecom and Internet startups. Carvallo started his career as a Windows Product Manager at Microsoft in Redmond, WA. At Austin Energy, Carvallo was the CIO/CTO and led a storied $4billion deployment of technology and transformation, in 8 years, 2,500 projects, with a 98% on-time and on-budget from 2003 to 2010. Carvallo is a former fellow and professor of innovation in the College of Science and Engineering at Texas State University. Carvallo received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering degree from The University of Kansas with a concentration in Robotics and Control Systems. And Carvallo also has received post-graduate certificates in Business Management from Stanford University, in Quality Management from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania, and in Power Utility Management from The University of Idaho. Website: https://512cmg.com/
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  Lindsey Ewertsen

  Head of Talent, Base Power

  Lindsey Ewertsen leads Talent at Base Power Company, where she drives the company's recruitment strategy and talent acquisition efforts. Prior to joining Base, Lindsey built a diverse background across the financial services industry, with experience in Venture Capital, Asset Management, and Private Wealth.

  Lindsey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Columbia University in 2019.

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  Carlos Guzman

  Principal, Development Engineering at Avangrid Renewables

  Carlos Guzman is a passionate professional in the renewable energy industry, with a background and education in engineering and with 10+ years of experience in the industry, having worked as a technical advisor, developer and owner of renewable energy plants. Carlos was involved in managing engineering works, providing technical expertise and launching innovative initiatives in over 13,000 MW of projects. Prior to entering renewables, Carlos led offshore geotechnical explorations for the oil and gas industry. 

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  Marilu Hastings

  Executive Vice President of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

  Marilu Hastings is executive vice president of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation in Austin, Texas. Marilu also directs CGMF’s Mitchell Innovation Lab, a varied portfolio of breakthrough sustainability ideas and opportunities that the foundation develops and incubates. She launched the foundation’s most recent philanthropic venture, the Permian Energy Development Lab, a cross-sector consortium bringing advanced energy technology, workforce development, and economic development to enrich the world’s most important energy producing region. Marilu was raised in Midland, Texas.

  Marilu is a member of the National Petroleum Council and co-chaired the Societal Impacts and Considerations chapter of the NPC’s most recent study, Charting the Course: Reducing GHG Emissions from the U.S. Natural Gas Supply Chain. 

  She is chair of the University of Texas’s Energy Institute Advisory Board, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability.

  Marilu earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from Duke University, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.  

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  Brian Korgel

  Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin

  Brian A. Korgel is the Director of The University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute and the Rashid Engineering Regents Chair Professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. He also directs the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for a Solar Powered Future (SPF2050), the Nanotechnologies area of the UT Austin Portugal Program at UT, and serves as Associate Editor of the journal, Chemistry of Materials. He is a former Fulbright Fellow and has been Visiting Professor at the University of Alicante in Spain, the Université Josef Fourier in France and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

  He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from UCLA in 1997 and was a post-doctoral fellow at University College Dublin, Ireland, in the Department of Chemistry. He has given more than 260 invited talks and published more than 280 papers. He is also an artist, exploring language and human/technology cohabitation.

  He has co-founded two companies, Innovalight and Piñon Technologies, and received various honors including the 2012 Professional Progress Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and election to Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

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  Monica Krishnan

  Breakthrough Energy Business Fellow

  Monica is a Business Fellow at Breakthrough Energy, where she supports climate tech startups in the Breakthrough Energy Fellowship program. She previously spent 20 years at Chevron, holding a variety of technical and commercial roles across Upstream, Downstream, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Chevron New Energies.

  She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, an MBA from the Bauer College of Business, and a graduate certificate in Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) from the Colorado School of Mines.

  Monica is passionate about inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM. She currently serves on the Board of Allies in Energy and previously served on the Board of Directors for Girlstart, a nonprofit focused on empowering girls in STEM. She also mentors female founders through the DivInc consortium at the Ion Houston.

  She lives in Houston with her husband and their two children.

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  Ryan Kudva

  Unconventional Technology Integrator, ExxonMobil

  Ryan Kudva received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from NC State University in 1994, and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UT Austin in 1998. After graduating from UT, Ryan joined Exxon in 1999, shortly before the Exxon and Mobil merger. He has held a variety of technical and leadership roles including research & technology development, capital projects, acquisitions & divestments, and supervisory responsibility for assets. During his time at ExxonMobil, he has continued to remain active in the UT community. His prior roles include recruiting at the Cockrell School of Engineering for 8 years and serving on the UT Chemical Engineering External Advisory Council, with stints as vice chair and chair. Ryan now serves as ExxonMobil’s primary contact for the UT Energy Institute. 

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  April Morgan

  Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at RWE Clean Energy

  April Morgan is a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at RWE Clean Energy, with over three years of experience in the renewable energy sector. She specializes in student engagement and veteran recruitment, with a strong focus on building inclusive pathways into clean energy careers.

  Passionate about workforce development and sustainability, April collaborates with universities and veteran organizations to connect emerging talent with opportunities across the clean energy landscape. Her efforts are helping shape a skilled, diverse, and mission-driven workforce prepared to lead the energy transition.

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  Thomas Myers

  Energy Program Supervisor, Texas Army National Guard

  Tom Myers serves as the Energy Program Supervisor for the Texas Army National Guard and holds the rank of Major in the Marine Corps Reserve. He is currently assigned as a Civil Affairs Officer with the 3D Civil Affairs Group. In his role with the Texas Army National Guard, Tom oversees the implementation of energy and water resiliency projects and efficiency initiatives and ensures compliance with DOD, federal, and state reporting requirements. He is also involved in testing and integrating emerging technologies.

  Recently, Tom completed a 10-month deployment to Southeast Asia, focusing on energy and water resiliency programming in the northern provinces of the Philippines. During this time, he collaborated with the Naval Postgraduate School's Energy Academic Group, the Batanes provincial government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and various USG/DOD agencies to lead the first Energy Resiliency Readiness Tabletop Exercise in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

  In addition to his professional and military duties, Tom owns Solar Sno Shaved Ice, a 100% solar- and battery-powered food truck chain based in South Austin.

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  MJ Neely

  Director of Operations for The Defense Threat Reduction Agency Europe, United States Marine Corps

  LtCol Matthew Neely enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1999 and was assigned to Lima Company, 3/25th. He was the Class Honor Graduate of the School of Infantry and designated as a 0331 Machine Gunner. He attended Ashland University, competing twice in the NCAA Wrestling National Championships. Commissioned in 2004 and later assigned a 1302, Combat Engineer Officer. He attended the Marine Corps Engineer School and was the recipient of the Marine Corps Engineer Association’s Cornwall Leadership Award.

  LtCol Neely’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (third award). He is married to Mrs. Kristine Neely from Columbus, Ohio and has three children, Caelan, Stella, and Conor. He is the son of Maggie Neely, and Colonel David Neely USMC (RET). LtCol Neely has two brothers, Columbus Fire CAPT Michael Neely and Major David Neely USMC(RET). LtCol Neely is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and holds a B.S. in Education from Ashland University, Master’s in Military Studies from Marine Corps University, and Master’s in Business Administration from Boise State University.

   

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  Vitaly Sergeev

  Founder, Nanoborne

  Vitaly is a founder of several deep tech startups in upstream oil and gas, including Nanoborne, launched during his master’s studies at UT Austin. He holds a Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering, along with master's degrees in Economics, Entrepreneurial Law, and Technology Commercialization. Since starting his career in oil and gas, Vitalyhas founded multiple successful ventures and continues to drive innovation through ongoing collaborations with leading global corporations.

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  Shannon Strank

  Deputy Director of UT-CEM

  Shannon M. Strank received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, in 2000, and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, in 2011. She joined the University of Texas at Austin Center for Electromechanics (UT-CEM) in 2006 after six years as a support engineer in private industry. Following completion of her M.B.A., she became the Deputy Director of UT-CEM. In addition to program development responsibilities, she provides oversight and guidance the Center’s Grid Solutions program.  Research areas of focus within this program include electric ship design and control, fault prediction and mitigation, fault detection, and lifetime prediction for insulative materials.