Keynote speakers

Chairman

House Committee on Energy Resources

Representative Drew Darby serves House District 72, representing ten counties across West Texas, including the Big Country, Concho Valley, and Permian Basin. A San Angelo native, he earned his BBA and JD from the University of Texas at Austin. He chairs the House Committee on Energy Resources and serves on multiple legislative committees. A businessman and attorney, he and his wife Clarisa have five children and twelve grandchildren.

Chairman

House Public Education Committee 

State Representative Brad Buckley is serving his fourth term in the Texas House, representing House District 54 in Bell County, including Fort Hood. He chairs the House Public Education Committee and serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Select Committee on Civil Discourse and Freedom of Speech in Higher Education. A veterinarian and partner at Killeen Veterinary Clinic, he lives in Salado with his wife Susan and their family.

Co-Founder

Texans for Reasonable Solutions
 

Nicole Nosek is the co-founder of Texans for Reasonable Solutions, a statewide organization advancing housing and energy affordability for Texas families. She has helped pass seven state and local laws improving housing outcomes and drives data-driven policy, grassroots engagement, and legislative strategy. Nicole also chairs the Austin Habitat for Humanity Advocacy Committee.

CEO

Cholla Inc
 

Gideon O. Powell is the CEO of Cholla Inc., leading the company’s expansion from oil and gas exploration into Bitcoin mining, data centers, and flexible-load power innovation. He focuses on strengthening energy markets, advancing grid reliability, and driving bottom-up innovation. Gideon also advises national justice-reform initiatives and serves on the MIT Energy Club Advisory Board.

 Vice President

Stand Together
 

Kathleen O’Hearn is the Vice President of Issue Education at Stand Together, where she leads national strategies to advance human flourishing and freedom. She previously directed economic policy grant making at Stand Together Trust and held senior roles at the State Policy Network and the Mercatus Center, building coalitions and connecting research to policymakers across the country.

President

McWilliams Governmental Affairs

Andrea McWilliams is an Austin-based lobbyist, political fundraiser, and national commentator, known for strategic, detail-driven advocacy across public and private sectors. She leads McWilliams Governmental Affairs and has been featured by outlets including FOX News, CNN, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal. A Texas Businesswoman of the Year and Texas Monthly “POWER” honoree, she became the first Texas recipient of the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics “Top Lobbyist” award.

Former President and CEO

PJM 

Experienced energy executive with proven strategic and operational leadership in the industry. Recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in wholesale/retail power markets, modern utility models, grid operations, fast-acting HVDC devices, smart grid innovations, and renewable energy development. Skilled at growing and motivating organizations in complex, evolving environments while championing institutional innovation and excellence.

President 

American Energy Leadership Institute 

Chris is a GOP Energy and Environment Strategist who advises elected Republicans on key policy issues affecting the America First agenda. A frequent guest on Fox Business and Fox News, he also writes for major outlets and works with energy organizations to mobilize conservative grassroots. Chris serves as a Senior Advisor to the College Republicans.

Chief Construction Officer

 Cipher Mining 

Chris Totin is an engineering and construction professional with $23B+ in global infrastructure experience. He has led project management, controls, and construction teams on complex developments, bringing hands-on execution insight to the future of power and industrial infrastructure.

Former Vice President AI & Data Center

Intel 

Jose Rios is a leading Bitcoin advocate and former VP of Intel’s AI and Datacenter group, where he led the development and launch of Intel’s Blockscale Bitcoin mining ASIC. He now runs a startup focused on decentralized AI, advises Bitcoin ecosystem ventures, and supports open-source nonprofits. He holds a Computer Engineering degree and an MBA, with research interests in GPU architecture and applied machine learning.

Vice President Energy

Cholla Inc

Clayton Greer is the Vice President of Energy at Cholla Petroleum, leading the integration of cryptocurrency mining, data centers, and grid operations. With 30+ years in the electrical power industry—including key roles shaping ERCOT’s market design—he brings deep expertise in power distribution, system reliability, and emerging flexible-load technologies.

 Head of Policy & Government Relations  

Cipher Mining
 

Lee Bratcher is Head of Policy and Government Relations at Cipher Mining, focusing on regulatory engagement with ERCOT and Texas utilities. He previously founded and led the Texas Blockchain Council, helping advance multiple state blockchain laws. A former political science professor and U.S. Army Reserve Major, Lee holds a Ph.D. focused on blockchain land registries.

Vice President of Data Center Delivery

Quanta

Colton Austin is Vice President of Operations at Quanta Services, leading Data Center Operations across North America. He oversees delivery of critical power and infrastructure supporting hyperscale data centers, advanced manufacturing, and AI-driven facilities. With expertise in grid interconnections, substations, transmission, utilities, and integrated delivery, Colton focuses on executing large-scale energy projects that enable reindustrialization, electrification, and next-generation digital infrastructure.

Founder & CEO 

Crunch

CEO and Founder of Crunch, a pioneer in decentralized AI. Crunch is a global AI research lab powered by 11,000+ quants and 1,200+ PhDs across 100+ countries, forming a distributed “global brain.” The network develops high-impact predictive models across quantitative finance, genomics, supply chain, and energy, solving complex algorithmic systems at scale.

Founder & Managing Director

Energy Innovation Hub TX  

Sean Voigt is a 20+ year veteran of the energy and climate sector, trained in applied science and engineering. His career spans early Greentech startups, helping build McKinsey’s Sustainability Practice, and leadership roles as both an investor and founder. In 2023, he founded Energy Innovation Hub TX to unlock Texas’s potential through capital access, streamlined market pathways, and hands-on founder support.

Co Founder & CEO

Cormit Data Systems 

Jamie is the co-founder and CEO of Cormint, a data center developer and operator with 130MW of Bitcoin mining capacity live in Fort Stockton, Texas, and additional Texas expansions underway. Since 2018, Cormint has specialized in power procurement, construction, and optimization, ranking among the lowest-cost Bitcoin producers from 2023–2025. Jamie previously built a successful energy derivatives trading firm and helped scale SaaS company Knock, Inc. from startup to a major exit. 

Founder and Chief Advocate

 Advocates for CRE

Glen Lyons brings over 40 years of energy industry experience to ACRE. He retired from Exxon Mobil in 2022 after serving in multiple leadership roles, concluding his career as head of electricity policy and regulatory advocacy. Glen also served three years on the ERCOT Board of Directors. In 2023, he co-authored In Search of a Market to Improve Reliability in the U.S. Electricity Sector, outlining the vision for Consumer Regulated Electricity (CRE).

Managing Partner 

Martin Legal Group

Brandon focuses his legal practice on oil and gas title examination, transactions, and lease drafting, representing clients across all phases of upstream development. Since 2017, he has advised bitcoin mining clients, including work on North America’s first 50+ megawatt mining site in Texas, and now supports both on-grid and off-grid mining projects. Brandon is committed to delivering strategic counsel with an entrepreneurial, client-focused approach.

Partner

Nelson Mullins, Special Legal Counsel, Ion Strategies

Paula Pendley is a Partner at Nelson Mullins and Special Legal Counsel to Ion Strategies, advising Bitcoin miners, data center operators, and emerging technology companies on regulatory risk, litigation, and community-facing challenges. A seasoned trial lawyer, she translates complex energy, infrastructure, and digital-asset issues into clear, actionable guidance for operators and policymakers.

 Director of Solutions Engineering 

Enchanted Rock

Kosta Papasideris joined Enchanted Rock in 2017, bringing more than sixteen years of electrical and project engineering experience. As Director of Solutions Engineering, he develops large-scale power systems for data centers and mission-critical customers, specializing in AI-driven load growth, generation plant sizing, and availability modeling. His work integrates onsite generation with utility infrastructure, deploying 10–500+ MW behind-the-meter systems to accelerate energization and enhance reliability. He holds a B.S. from Texas A&M University and is a U.S. patent holder.

  Former Director Grid Coordination

ERCOT

A native Texan from the Coastal Bend, he returned home after serving in the U.S. Navy to begin his energy career at the South Texas Nuclear Plant with Houston Lighting & Power. He later held roles at Duke Energy and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation before returning to Texas and joining ERCOT, where he has served for nearly 20 years. At ERCOT, he led system planning, operations support, and large load interconnections, and most recently served as Director of Grid Coordination. He chaired the Large Flexible Load Task Force and now remains as Principal, supporting ERCOT during his transition toward retirement.

Associate Professor 

Texas A&M University 

Korok is an Associate Professor at Texas A&M’s Mays Business School and a game theorist specializing in Bitcoin. His research explores the intersection of Bitcoin and AI, including AI-driven transaction design. He holds degrees from the University of Chicago and Stanford and previously served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

 Electricity Trading and Consulting

ERCOT  

An experienced electric market consultant specializing in deregulation within Texas’ ERCOT region, he has represented municipalities, cooperatives, and millions of residential customers in stakeholder and rate proceedings. His career spans roles at LCRA, Pan Canadian Energy Services, and independent consulting, with expertise in power production, market restructuring, risk mitigation, solar and load participation, and balancing ratepayer interests with sound business strategy.

Engineering Professor

TAMU

Dr. Ivan Damnjanović is a professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University and Director of Engineering Project Management. His work focuses on project risk management, public–private partnerships, and production system modeling for complex capital projects. Integrating operations science, data analytics, and finance, his research improves planning and execution under uncertainty while advancing productivity and predictability across infrastructure and energy developments.