Monday, October 19

Noon – 5:00 PM | Attendee Check-in

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Meet & Greet Reception

Join us for the Opening Reception, light bites, cocktails and a meet & greet with our vendors. This is a great way to kick off the Conference and see network colleagues!

Tuesday, October 20

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM | Breakfast, Registration & Networking

8:45 AM – 11:00 AM | Innovation Workshop: Turning Ideas into Impact

Every organization has good ideas. The challenge is knowing how to shape them, strengthen them, and move them forward. In this workshop, attendees will explore a simple, repeatable process for identifying opportunities, developing solutions, and building support for innovation within their organizations.

Braden Croy, Program Director, Dominion Energy Innovation Center

11:15 AM – Noon | The Economy We’re Creating: Risks, Opportunities, and Cooperative Growth

Economic change is not something happening to cooperatives—it is something cooperatives are helping to shape through investment, innovation, and community leadership. This session will explore the major forces influencing the economy in 2027 and beyond, highlighting the risks, opportunities, and strategic decisions that can help cooperatives turn uncertainty into long-term growth and impact.

Sam Kem, Economist, CFC

1:00 PM – 2:15 PM | Balancing the Grid: Coordinating Supply, Markets, and Demand in a Time of Growth

Rapid load growth and changing consumption patterns are reshaping how the grid is planned and operated. In this session, leaders from grid operations (PJM), market coordination (ACES), and ODEC will discuss how they are adapting to meet these challenges. Topics will include aligning market signals with system needs, integrating demand-side flexibility, evening price volatility as solar generation declines, and leveraging emerging technologies such as distributed batteries to deliver reliability, efficiency, and cost control.

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM | Weatherization in Action: Delivering Energy Savings and Affordability at the Local Level

How do weatherization programs deliver both measurable energy savings and real affordability impacts? This session opens with a data-driven overview of program performance, followed by perspectives from implementation partners across multiple states. Panelists will highlight program structures, emerging challenges, and innovative approaches to improving affordability for the households that need it most.

Bryan Burris, VP, Energy Conservation Programs, project:HOMES

Neoma Salvaje, Founder & CEO, Eleventh House Solutions

Drew Slater, Executive Director, Energize Delaware

Moderator: Kathleen Ward, Lead Data Scientist, E Source

3:45 PM – 5:00 PM | States Leading the Way: Innovative Programs for Affordability and Grid Impact

Hear from state energy leaders on how they are designing and deploying next-generation energy programs and resources that deliver measurable savings and improved affordability. This session will highlight how states are strategically directing resources to integrate technologies and leveraging data-driven, community-informed outreach for grid benefit.

Kevin Yingling, Vice President – Member Services, DEC

Drew Slater, Executive Director, Energize Delaware

Vince Madden, Virginia Department of Energy

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Dinner & Tailgate

It’s fall in Charlottesville! Join us for an evening under the tent. We will have live music, good food, fun and a few other surprises. An evening that you won’t want to miss!

Wednesday, October 21

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM | Breakfast, Registration & Networking

8:30 AM – 9:45 AM | From Data to Decisions: How Cooperatives Are Building and Applying AI

As artificial intelligence gains momentum across the energy sector, cooperatives are charting their own path to adoption. This session features complementary approaches: one G&T deploying an AI-powered tool to solve operational challenges today, and another laying the groundwork through data infrastructure and AI readiness strategies. This session will share insights into how co-ops can balance near-term innovation with long-term business modeling.

Nate Melby, CIO, Dairyland

Chris Vanlokeren, CIO, NCEMC

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM | Powering More Than Data: Community Benefits from Data Center Investment

As data center growth accelerates across the country, corporate investments are creating new opportunities for electric cooperatives and the communities they serve. Hear from a data center stakeholder, a cooperative leveraging corporate funding for energy efficiency and weatherization programs, and a nonprofit advancing workforce development initiatives to learn how strategic partnerships can deliver benefits that extend well beyond energy infrastructure. This session explores how collaboration can strengthen local economies, support residents, and create lasting community impact.

Will Cleveland, Principal, Lighthouse Policy and Law, PLC

Raye Elliott, Co-Founder & Executive Director, FLIPP, Inc.

Eddie Plowden, Director, Marketing & Energy Services, Berkeley Electric Cooperative

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Resilient Energy for National Security: Partnerships and Cooperative Leadership

As energy resilience becomes increasingly vital to national security, electric cooperatives are stepping up with innovative solutions and strategic partnerships. This session will highlight insights from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association on national defense programming, showcase emerging technologies, and explore how co-ops are working alongside military installations to strengthen energy reliability. A case study perspective will bring these partnerships to life.

Leslie Tate, Associate Project Manager, NRECA

11:45 AM – Noon | CEC 2026 Closing Remarks and Looking Towards 2027