The Biltmore Estate (https://www.biltmore.com/) is offering conference attendees a special $10 discount if registering online.

Use promo code "naps2023" to reserve tickets - https://www.etix.com/ticket/c/285F3E94013B82E5BE231F58577CD252/voucher.

This extended tour will visit the Duke Energy Bad Creek Pumped Energy Storage facility. Participants will receive a lunch.

More Information: https://badcreekpumpedstorage.com/

Register: Full, no seats available.

This tour will explore the Duke Energy microgrid in Hot Springs, NC.

More Information: https://illumination.duke-energy.com/articles/how-new-technology-is-keeping-the-lights-on-in-nc-mountain-town

Registration: Full, no seats available

Technical presentation: Michael McGraw, IEEE-WNC

Technical presentation: Prashanth Rajagopalan, Tanzim Jim Hassan, UND Center for Cybersecurity Research (C2SR): Projects & Upcoming Events

Sunday night, from 5:00-8:00 pm near the Burghley room you can meet and network with partnering employers and sponsors of the 2023 NAPS Conference. Check out what job shadowing, internship and job opportunities they have to offer! Stop by and introduce yourself and learn more about what their companies have to offer!

Sam Holeman, Vice President of Transmission System Planning and Operations for Duke Energy

Sam Holeman is vice president of transmission system planning and operations for Duke Energy. He leads the group responsible for the real-time monitoring and control of the company’s bulk electric transmission system. The other functional areas of system planning and operations include operations engineering, operations training, transmission planning, operational technology, operations services, transmission tariff and customer support. He assumed his current position in October 2016.

Previously, Holeman was Duke Energy’s director of engineering and training for the system planning and operations function. During his 37-year career with the company, Holeman has held leadership positions in various areas of system planning and operations, including system operations, engineering and training.

Holeman holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from Clemson University. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Queens University.

Holeman is certified by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) as a system operator and is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina and South Carolina. He is a past chairman of the operating committees for both NERC and the SERC Reliability Corporation. SERC is a nonprofit regulatory authority that promotes effective and efficient administration of bulk power system reliability in all or parts of 16 central and southeastern states.

Holeman grew up in North Augusta, S.C. He and his wife, Jodi, have three daughters and five grandchildren. In addition to spending quality time with his family, Holeman enjoys teaching children’s Life Group at his church.

Please be ON TIME to meet the buses at the front of the hotel (5:15) to enjoy a scenic bus ride through Western North Carolina to Western Carolina University’s Campus in Cullowhee, NC! You will enjoy dinner, views, and a keynote address from Ray Furstenau. Buses will return you back to Asheville after dinner.

Raymond Furstenau, Director of Nuclear Regulatory Research for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Raymond Furstenau has been the Director of Nuclear Regulatory Research at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission since July 2018. Prior to joining the NRC, from 1987 to 2018, he held several leadership positions in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. During most of those years, Mr. Furstenau provided U.S. government oversight of nuclear facility operations, and nuclear energy research & development programs at the Idaho National Laboratory.

Mr. Furstenau holds a B.S. degree in Applied Science and Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy and a M.S. degree in Nuclear Science and Engineering from Idaho State University. He is a registered professional nuclear engineer.

Jordan Ambers, Product Line Manager - Eaton’s Medium Voltage Motor Control line

Jordan Ambers currently serves as the Product Line Manager for Eaton’s Medium Voltage Motor Control product line based in Arden, NC. In this role, he is responsible for marketing, new product development, and support of the product portfolio including medium voltage starters and medium voltage variable frequency drives. He assumed this position in November 2022. Prior to his current role, Jordan was the sales manager for South Carolina. In his 9 years with Eaton, he’s held various roles in the North American Sales organization in addition to leading the Custom Switching Devices Product Line at Eaton’s Cleveland, TN manufacturing facility. Jordan is passionate about aligning market requirements and operational execution to meet customer expectations.

Jordan holds a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from VirginiaTech and is pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Carolina. 

Kevin Landis, Director of Marketing for Eaton’s Power Distribution and Control Assemblies Division

Kevin Landis currently serves as the Director of Marketing for Eaton’s Power Distribution and Control Assemblies Division. In this role, he is responsible for the sales, marketing, new product development, and overall strategic direction of the division’s product portfolio including medium and low voltage switchgear, medium and low voltage motor control assemblies, substation transformers, and integrated power assemblies. He assumed this position in September 2022.

Prior to his current role, Kevin was the Vice President of Eaton’s Project Management Organization. In this role, he led a team that was responsible for the pre-order project configuration and pricing, and post-order project management support for Eaton’s North American Sales Organization.

In his 24 years with Eaton, he’s held various leadership roles in sales, marketing, and manufacturing operations.

Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Business Administration from Temple University.