Speaker Biographies
Van R. Johnson II
Mayor of Savannah
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, but with strong Savannah roots, Mayor Johnson is a New York City Public School System graduate who has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Savannah State University and Georgia Southern University.
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As a former radio talk show host, political commentator, and former author of local weekly columns, Mayor Johnson has distinguished himself as an independent, thoughtful, and passionate voice on current events.
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As a nationally certified professional in Human Resources and a Georgia-certified Law Enforcement professional, Mayor Johnson has utilized his unique skill set as a sought-after trainer, speaker, and consultant in these areas. He is a graduate of Leadership Savannah and Leadership Georgia.
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In 2004, Mayor Johnson was elected First District Alderman for the City of Savannah. He was re-elected to 3 subsequent terms by the citizens of the District, averaging more than 75 percent of the total vote. During his tenure as an Alderman, Mayor Johnson served as Mayor Pro Tem and Vice Chairman of the Council. He consistently used this sacred platform to advocate for the least, the last, and the lost; and promote inclusion and equity for all of Savannah's citizens.
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Mayor Johnson also demonstrated leadership nationally as a Board member of the National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors, and the African American Mayors Association.
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Mayor Johnson is nationally recognized as an innovator and thought leader in youth development and engagement through his service of over 27 years as the Director of the Chatham County Youth Commission. Since then, he has assisted cities and counties nationwide in developing governmental youth leadership programs, including co-founding the Savannah Youth Council in 2004.
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Mayor Johnson's dedication to children, youth, and families is evident in our local community. He has served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Wesley Community Centers of Savannah, past Board Chair of the Chatham County Department of Family and Children Services, and numerous local non-profit organizations. He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the International Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, along with countless other social and civic organizations.
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Mayor Johnson's leadership and humanitarian efforts have been recognized with numerous awards, honors, and distinctions, including a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from Savannah State University and recognition as one of Georgia Trend Magazine's 100 Most Influential Georgians for the past three consecutive years.
Tami Maxwell Barron
Senior Vice President of Distribution
Tami Maxwell Barron serves as senior vice president of Distribution for Georgia Power. In this role, she is responsible for leading our core day-to-day Distribution operations. This includes teams focused on distribution, forestry, right-of-way work, the Storm Center, our storm response, our ongoing grid investment projects and more. Under her leadership, Georgia Power reliably serves 2.6 million customers in 155 counties across Georgia with a grid of more than 77,000 miles of distribution lines and over 12,000 miles of transmission lines.
Prior to her current role, Barron served as senior vice president of Supply Chain Management at Southern Company and led the organization’s efforts to provide innovative solutions for supply chain management across the Southern Company enterprise. She managed purchasing of services and materials in excess of $7 billion annually to support the company’s goals to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy.
From 2015 through 2022, Barron served as the President and CEO of Southern Company’s subsidiary Southern Linc. In that role she was responsible for providing mission critical wireless voice and data connectivity within Southern Company operations as well as to mission critical commercial customers across the southeast on the nation’s sixth largest telecommunications LTE network.
Earlier in her career, she served as the vice president of Supply Chain within Southern Company’s shared services organization. Barron’s earlier experience across the company ranges from customer operations, sales and marketing to power delivery having served at two of Southern Company’s regulated electric subsidiaries in Georgia and Mississippi.
Throughout her career, Barron has been active in the community – holding board positions with organizations such as the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Cystic Fibrosis of Georgia, United Way, Cartersville Chamber of Commerce, and the Columbus Symphony. She most recently served on the executive committee of the board of directors for the Competitive Carriers of America, CCA and on the board of directors for the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, CTIA.
Barron holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering from the University of Georgia and has a master’s degree in business administration from Columbus State University. She also has completed the Goizueta Executive Education Program at Emory University and the Southern Company Senior Leadership Development Program.
A native of Tifton, Georgia, Barron and her husband, Alan, have two children, Meghan and Joseph, a son-in-law, Chris and three grandchildren, Liam, Mae Alan, & Beau
Vicki Britt
Senior Vice President, Innovation, Engineering and Flight
Vicki Britt was named senior vice president of Innovation, Engineering and Flight in May 2021. In this role, she is responsible for research and development; new aircraft program initiation; engineering and product development; flight, lab, and structural test; and worldwide Gulfstream flight operations.
Vicki joined Gulfstream in 1996 and has held a number of roles with increasing responsibility in stress, fatigue and damage tolerance; new product development; and airframe engineering. She has also served as staff scientist and director of aircraft structures. Before her appointment to senior vice president, Vicki was chief engineer and program manager of Gulfstream special missions.
Prior to joining Gulfstream, Vicki began her aerospace career at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Vicki holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering from Old Dominion University. She earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University.
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Kenneth Shiver
Chief Economist
Mr. Shiver is the Chief Economist for the Atlanta-based Southern Company. In this role he oversees the demand planning functions of the company, represents the company as a witness in its regulatory filings, and engages with the industry on current issues such as the economic environment, energy efficiency, and decarbonization. He is a graduate of the University of West Georgia (BBA-Economics) and Georgia State University (MS-Economics) and has over 30 years of experience within the industry.
Annemarie Loftus Hitti
Leadership Consulting Executive
Annemarie is a leader in Accenture’s Supply Chain and Operations Management Consulting Practice. She brings more than 30 years of consulting and industry experience in supply chain strategy and execution, including firsthand experience working for major electric and gas utilities.
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Annemarie assists clients with operational and process transformation for supply chain organizations and connected business partners. She has vast experience in working with global companies to successfully enable ERP projects as well as organizational transformation, demand planning, strategic sourcing for indirect and direct categories, and gas & electric utility operations and performance improvement.
Santosh Kumar
Managing Director
Strategy & Consulting
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Supply Chain & Operations
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20+ years of consulting and experience in retail, consumer goods, & technology industries
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Digital supply chain transformation
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Demand planning
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Integrated business planning
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Strategic scheduling
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Supply planning
Howell Conway
Sr. Manager, Supply Chain Strategy & Performance
Howell is the leader of TVA’s Supply Chain (SC) Strategy & Performance team which includes SC Risk & Compliance and SC Analytics & Technology. He brings experience leading utility purchasing and contracts teams across the fleet and continuous improvement events. Howell has been with TVA for over 12 years. He has a strong background in developing and implementing supply chain sourcing strategies, working in diverse groups to solve complex problems, and developing sustainable solutions. Prior to his time at TVA, he worked in various craft labor positions.
Howell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration
Howell’s team is responsible for managing supply chain risk and compliance, emergency management, supplier risk management, performance tracking, developing technology solutions (reporting, analytics, automation), Enterprise and SC technology support and is an integral role is supporting execution of SC strategies.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is the largest public power company in the United States. TVA provides electricity for 153 local power companies serving 10 million people in Tennessee and parts of six surrounding states, as well as directly to 58 large industrial customers and federal installations. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and regional governments with their economic development efforts.
Our mission is just as relevant today as it was over nine decades ago when Congress created TVA: harness the potential of the rich resources in the Tennessee Valley region to make life better for the people who call it home. Learn more about TVA by following the link below: Tennessee Valley Authority - TVA.
Shannon Taylor Harper
Vice President of Procurement
Shannon Taylor Harper was named Vice President of Procurement in 2023. She will lead the Procurement organization alongside Jim Gallagher, Vice President of Procurement.
Shannon joined Gulfstream in 1997 and most recently served as Director, Enterprise Procurement with a focus on Customer Support Supply Chain.
Her previous leadership roles included Director of Initial Phase Procurement and Senior Manager of Procurement.
Shannon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from Georgia Southern University.
Raquel Ruiz-Castaneda
Owner and President of R2C Utility & Energy Solutions, LLC
Raquel Ruiz-Castaneda, was the past 2018 UPMG Chair, and is the owner and president of R2C Utility & Energy Solutions, LLC, a consulting company focusing on supply chain and operational solutions for investor owned utilities, REA electric distribution cooperatives, electric municipalities, and cooperative G&Ts.
Raquel brings over 30 years’ experience with electric utilities, having worked at Florida Power & Light Company, PPL Corporation, and LCEC Cooperative Inc, where she led large departments, and leveraged her IT, business, engineering, and six sigma black belt training to develop various business systems implementations, operational process improvements, and strategic supply chain solutions.
In her most recent role as Director, Warehouse & Inventory Management with PPL, Raquel implemented a large distributor solution for its most recent corporate acquisition, and was the ERP supply chain business lead developing various systematic and business solutions to optimize inventory operations, and fulfill various M&A transitional services agreements.
Raquel has earned both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami, and an MBA from Hodges University.
Sheetal Shah
VP of Supply Chain
Sheetal Shah is an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of experience in global supply chain management. Shah currently serves as vice president of supply chain for PPL Corporation, a Fortune 500 company that provides electricity and natural gas to 3.6 million customers in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia. Prior to joining PPL, she served as the vice president of supply chain for Regal Rexnord, a publicly traded manufacturer of electrical motors and power transmission products.
Shah also oversaw strategic procurement and supplier quality for Danfoss, a global producer of energy-efficient technologies that supports multiple industries including energy and natural resources. During her time with Danfoss, Shah reduced customer claims by 75% by enhancing quality and reliability. She also created an exchange program that delivered a response to customer service/product replacement inside of 12 hours worldwide.
Shah also has experience in the technology and health care sectors, having worked for Apple as their global supply manager, overseeing a spend of more than $1 billion for the iPad enclosure team. At GE Healthcare, Shah delivered annual savings in the $5-6 million range and conducted a financial health risk assessment that identified and mitigated $20 million in risk to GE.
She earned a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Shah lives in Tallahassee, Florida with her family.
Jaspreet Singh
Vice President Corporate Services
Jaspreet Singh is the vice president of Corporate Services for DTE Energy. He is responsible for strategic management of the company’s procurement, supplier performance management, warehousing, fleet, facilities, and real estate organizations. In addition, he leads implementation of environmental sustainability projects within DTE’s buildings, fleet vehicles and supply chain. He is also responsible for the company’s local and diverse supplier initiatives.
Singh joined DTE in 2007. He most recently served as director of Supply Chain Management. Prior to that position, he progressed through various roles in the Supply Chain organization. Before joining DTE, Singh held various roles in Program Management, Supplier Cost Optimization, Finance, and Engineering in the automotive industry.
Singh has played a significant role in helping the company reduce outside expenditures through the successful negotiation of large contracts that included items like external audit services, tree trimming, construction, wire and cable, transformers, and temporary labor.
He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Ross School of Business - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Thapar University in Patiala, India.
Singh is passionate about supplier diversity and serves on the board of directors for Diversity and Inclusion and Global Ties Detroit, a non-profit organization that hosts international exchange programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State and other government organizations, universities and think tanks that promote global exchange and citizen diplomacy.
DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers across Michigan. The DTE portfolio also includes energy businesses focused on custom energy solutions, renewable energy generation, and energy marketing and trading. DTE has continued to accelerate its carbon reduction goals to meet aggressive targets and is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy, emission reductions and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com,  empoweringmichigan.com,  twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.
Craig Dikeman
Vice President of Supply Chain and Property Management
His responsibilities include Procurement, Investment Recovery, Materials Logistics, Material Planning, Facilities, Right of Ways, and Real Estate.
Craig oversees the annual spend of procurement of $5B for goods and services and the storage and delivery of materials and equipment.
In addition, Craig is responsible for Facilities Management and Eversource’s Real Estate portfolio. His scope includes Transmission, Distribution, Gas, Customer Care, Information Technology, Wind and Clean Energy Programs.
Craig serves on the Eversource, ECT (Emergency Coordination Team) as Logistics Lead.
Craig has over 30 years of experience in Supply Chain management, most in the utility sector. Over the course of his career, Craig has primarily held progressive roles in Procurement, Materials Logistics, and Project Management. Prior to joining Eversource, Craig was a Director at National Grid in both the Procurement and Materials Management space. He has broad experience in managing personnel in both union and non-represented roles.
Craig is an active member of EUISCCA (Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance) and EEI (Edison Electric Institute) Chief Procurement Officer Group.
Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire. He also achieved his Certified Procurement Manager (C.P.M.) accreditation from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) in 2004. A Vermont native, Craig resides in Massachusetts.
Joe Adamski
Senior Director
Joe has more than 12 years of advisory and consulting experience centered on strategic procurement and large-scale transformations. He has deep experience in launching and executing programs focused on strategic sourcing, supply chain, procurement strategy, organizational design, and transformations.
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Earlier in his career, Joe was an Air Force pilot before joining A.T. Kearney in their consumer practice. He has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries, including utilities, CPGs, grocery, retail, telecom, apparel, food and beverage, and government.
Joe holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He enjoys boating, hiking, and spending time in the outdoors.
