Keynote Speakers

Ann Xu, Ph.D.
​Co-founder and CEO of ElectroTempo

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Talk Title “From engineering excellence to real-world impact - the journey of a technical founder”
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Dr. Ann Xu is co-founder and CEO of ElectroTempo, Inc. ElectroTempo, Inc. is Software-as-a-Service company creating solutions for EV charging infrastructure planning and intelligence for electric utilities, charging site hosts, and fleets. Dr. Xu spun out ElectroTempo from Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), where she led the research and development of large-scale regional electric vehicle charging demand simulators. Prior to TTI, Dr. Xu was Senior Technical Advisor for Impact and Assessment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Dr. Xu received her Ph.D. in Transportation Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she conducted extensive research in transportation and energy. ​​

Adam Birchfield, Ph.D.
​Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Texas A&M University 

Talk Title “Doing Great Research (with Some Pointers from Faraday and Maxwell)"

Adam B. Birchfield is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Prior to this he was a research engineer at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He received the B.E.E. degree from Auburn University in 2014, M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016, and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University in 2018. Dr. Birchfield’s research is in power system modeling, large system transient dynamics, applications of synthetic power grid datasets, and the resilience of power systems to high-impact, low-frequency events​

James Mercier, P.E. 
 ​Professional Engineer at Texas and Ohio   

Talk Title “What Is Engineering and Why Are Engineers Different?”
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James Mercier is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and Ohio, a Texas licensed Master Electrician, and a Life Senior Member of IEEE, as well as a Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), having joined both organizations during college. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated in 1986, and his career spans a wide range of experiences. After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force, James worked in manufacturing, completed a four-year apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and became a Journeyman Wireman in 1999, specializing in industrial and commercial wiring.
James worked as an Environmental Engineer in the private sector before joining the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in 1994. At TxDOT, he contributed to roadway illumination, traffic signals, and hydraulic systems, where his expertise in grounding practices, lightning protection, and design improvements was instrumental. Notably, he designed a bridge collapse detection and motorist warning system following a fatal accident in South Texas caused by an errant barge. He retired from TxDOT in 2015 and has since focused on serving IEEE and his community.
An active member of the IEEE Central Texas Section, James has served as Sr. Member Upgrade Coordinator, Treasurer, and Past Chair of the IEEE joint chapter (PI)² (PES/PELS/IES/IAS/PSES). His dedication was recognized in 2020 when he received the George F. McClure Citation of Honor. In addition to his professional contributions, James is an active member and officer of the Austin Gem and Mineral Society, where he also served as a past President.
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Dan Smith, P.E. 
 ​Vice President of Transmission System Operations  

Talk Title  “Resilient Transmission for the Future Grid”
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Dan joined the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) in September 2019 as the Vice President of Transmission System Operations where he leads the Operations, SCADA EMS, System Control, and Resiliency teams for the 2nd largest transmission company in Texas.  Prior to joining LCRA, Dan was the Vice President of Electric Service Delivery with Austin Energy responsible for leading the Transmission & Distribution business unit.  Other prior roles at Austin Energy included the Director of Smart Grid & System Operations, the Director of Transmission & Substation, and the Engineering Manager of Substation and Relay Engineering.  Prior to joining Austin Energy, Dan worked for Advanced Micro Devices in Austin, Texas and Dresden, Germany leading Site Electrical & Mechanical Engineering.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A & M University, has completed a number of graduate and post graduate courses, is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas, a Member of IEEE, and has presented and authored numerous papers at technical conferences and educational venues.  Dan is passionate about company transformation that starts and is rooted in safety.

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