George Mason University
CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNMENT CYBERSECURITY RISK MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENcE
CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNMENT CYBERSECURITY RISK MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENcE
AI: Redefining the Power Grid
with the Center for Energy Science & Policy
Join us on Tuesday, September 10th at 3:30pm
Virtual (online)
AI: Redefining the Energy Grid
Join us on September 10th
Featuring a presentation by Shannon Maher Bañaga, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Milos Manic, Professor, Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University and President, IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, and J.P. Auffret, Co-director of Center for Energy Science and Policy, Co-director of CRC, George Mason University.
About Shannon
Shannon Maher Bañaga leads the Power & Utilities work within FTI’s Energy & Natural Resources sector. She provides senior counsel for energy clients in the public and government affairs arena, including direct advocacy, issues management, crisis communications, and stakeholder engagement. Most recently, she served as the Spokesperson for the Partnership for Clean Energy Investment advocating for the inclusion of direct pay in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Prior to FTI, Ms. Bañaga lead the Washington office for TECO Energy/Emera Inc. as Director of Federal Affairs, with responsibility for formulating and executing the company’s U.S. federal affairs strategy including tax, national security, environment, trade, markets, and other energy issues within Congress and the Administration.
Preceding TECO/Emera, Ms. Bañaga was Senior Manager, Public Policy and Governmental Affairs, at PSEG where she worked with stakeholders throughout Washington D.C. to formulate and advocate PSEG’s position on environmental & energy policy issues involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other federal statutes.
Before Ms. Bañaga’s tenure in the utilities industry, she represented energy companies, state commissions, and quasi-governmental organizations while she was with the law firm Husch Blackwell LLP.
Ms. Bañaga began her career at the Department of Energy working on energy and environmental matters primarily involving nuclear waste. Subsequently, she joined the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Enforcement as an Attorney-Advisor where she investigated violations of the Federal Power Act, Natural Gas Act, Natural Gas Policy Act, Interstate Commerce Act and the Commission’s regulations.
Ms. Bañaga holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Florida State University, an M.S. in Environmental Law and a J.D. from Vermont Law School.
Prior to FTI, Ms. Bañaga lead the Washington office for TECO Energy/Emera Inc. as Director of Federal Affairs, with responsibility for formulating and executing the company’s U.S. federal affairs strategy including tax, national security, environment, trade, markets, and other energy issues within Congress and the Administration.
Preceding TECO/Emera, Ms. Bañaga was Senior Manager, Public Policy and Governmental Affairs, at PSEG where she worked with stakeholders throughout Washington D.C. to formulate and advocate PSEG’s position on environmental & energy policy issues involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other federal statutes.
Before Ms. Bañaga’s tenure in the utilities industry, she represented energy companies, state commissions, and quasi-governmental organizations while she was with the law firm Husch Blackwell LLP.
Ms. Bañaga began her career at the Department of Energy working on energy and environmental matters primarily involving nuclear waste. Subsequently, she joined the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Enforcement as an Attorney-Advisor where she investigated violations of the Federal Power Act, Natural Gas Act, Natural Gas Policy Act, Interstate Commerce Act and the Commission’s regulations.
Ms. Bañaga holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Florida State University, an M.S. in Environmental Law and a J.D. from Vermont Law School.
ABOUT MILOS
Dr. Manic is a Professor with the Computer Science Department and Director of VCU Cybersecurity Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, He completed over 50 research grants in AI/ML in cyber and energy and intelligent controls. He authored over 200 refereed articles, has given over 50 invited talks around the world, authored over 200 refereed articles in international journals, books, and conferences, holds several U.S. patents and has won 2018 R&D 100 Award for Autonomic Intelligent Cyber Sensor (AICS), one of top 100 science and technology worldwide innovations in 2018. He holds Joint Appointment with Idaho National laboratory, is an inductee of US National Academy of Inventors (senior class of 2023, member class of 2019), and a Fellow of Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (specialty in AI & Cybersecurity).
He is an IEEE IES President, IEEE Fellow (for contributions to machine learning based cybersecurity in critical infrastructures), Senior Inductee of US National Academy of Inventors (NAI), recipient of IEEE IES 2019 Anthony J. Hornfeck Service Award, 2012 J. David Irwin Early Career Award, 2017 IEM Best Paper Award, associate editor of Transactions on Industrial Informatics, Open Journal of Industrial Electronics Society, and Senior Life AdCom member. He served as AE of Trans. on Industrial Electronics, was a founding chair of IEEE IES Technical Committee on Resilience and Security in Industry, and was a General Chair of IEEE ICIT 2023, IEEE IECON 2018 (record breaking, over 1,100 participants), IEEE HSI 2019.
ABOUT JP
Dr. J.P. Auffret is the director of the Center for Assurance Research and Engineering (CARE) in the College of Engineering and Computing and the director of the Research Partnerships and Grants Initiatives in the School of Business at George Mason University.
He was previously director of the business school’s executive degree programs, including the MS in Technology Management; the MS in Management of Secure Information Systems; and the Executive MBA.
Dr. Auffret is also co-founder and vice president of the International Academy of CIO and has served on several recent Commonwealth of Virginia commissions including the Commonwealth of Virginia Health Information Technology Advisory Commission (HITAC) and the Electronic Medical Records Advisory Committee of the Virginia General Assembly’s Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS).
He was previously director of the business school’s executive degree programs, including the MS in Technology Management; the MS in Management of Secure Information Systems; and the Executive MBA.
Dr. Auffret is also co-founder and vice president of the International Academy of CIO and has served on several recent Commonwealth of Virginia commissions including the Commonwealth of Virginia Health Information Technology Advisory Commission (HITAC) and the Electronic Medical Records Advisory Committee of the Virginia General Assembly’s Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS).
