SUMMIT DAY 1 — April 14th – Industry & Policy Summit
8:30–10:00 AM
Breakfast Networking + Posters
9:00–9:45 AM
GNEM Partner Group & Board Meeting – Closed Door session; By Invitation Only
10:00–10:10 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks:
- Alton Standifer, Vice Provost, Chair UGA E-mobility Executive Council
- Jaime Camelio, Executive Director, GNEM
10:10–10:35 AM
Plenary – GA State of e-Mobility 2026:
- Gaby Pierre, Director of Strategy & Partnerships, Editor in Chief, GNEM
10:35–11:15 AM
Panel – From Mine to Motor: Critical Minerals, Recycling & Securing the Battery Supply Chain:
- Moderator: Ryan Powers, UGA School of Public and International Affairs Professor and CITS Director; GNEM Research Partner Group Lead
- Speakers:
- Lea Malloy — Head of EV Battery Solutions, Cox Automotive
11:15 AM- 11:55 AM
Networking Salons
12:00–12:15 PM
Lunch Keynote:
- Arthur Tripp Jr. — Vice President, Economic Development, Georgia Power
12:30–1:00 PM
Lunch Fireside Chat – Market Shifts & Dealerships
- Moderator: Stephanie Valdez‑Streaty — Director of Industry Insights, Cox Automotive
- Speakers:
- Lea Kirschner — President & CEO, Georgia Automobile Dealers Association or Ben Jordan — Senior Director of Governmental Relations, Georgia Automobile Dealers Association
1:05–1:50 PM — Concurrent Panel Sessions
Fleet Electrification Across Sectors
- Moderator: Asher Dozier, Energy Lead, CVIOG
- Speakers:
- Jenna Van Harpen — Vice President of National Fleet Sales, Blue Bird Corporation
- Jonathan Colbert — Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, Voltera
- Justin Ellis — Sustainability Program Manager, University of Georgia Facilities Management Division
- Eric Smith – Fleet Sales Lead, Alpitronic
Innovation in EV & Battery Fire Safety
- Moderator: Cynthia Curry, Senior Director, Clean Tech Ecosystem, Metro Atlanta Chamber
- Speakers:
- Brian Morin — CEO & Founder, Soteria Battery Innovation Group
- Ron Butler – CEO & Founder, ESSPI
2:05–2:55 PM — Concurrent Panel Sessions
Fuel Stops & Power Plazas: Rethinking Convenience Infrastructure
- Moderator: Ryan Kerzner, Senior Associate, Merlin Group
- Speakers:
- Jason Powers — Senior VP of Sales Programs & Emerging Technologies, EVerged
- Jessie Hensley — President, PowerUp America
Autonomous Mobility: The New EV Frontier
- Moderator: Emily Heintz, Executive Director, Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners
- Speakers:
- Prashant Doshi — Executive Director, Institute for AI, University of Georgia
- Tejas Santanam — Head of Research and AI Product Manager, Beep Inc. or Alex Poirot — Vice President, Public Policy, Beep Inc.
- Justin Hatch — Assistant State Traffic Engineer, Georgia Department of Transportation
- Gemma Wang – Lead Autonomy Engineer, May Mobility
3:00–4:00 PM
C-Suite Power Panel: EVs & the U.S. Future Mobility Landscape
- Joe George — President, Cox Automotive Mobility Group
- Stuart Countess — President & CEO, Kia Georgia
4:00–5:00 PM
Reception + Posters + Exhibitors
SUMMIT DAY 2 — April 15th – Workforce & Technology Demo Day
9:00–9:10 AM
Welcome Back + Overview:
9:10–9:30 AM
GNEM Partner Groups Lightning Updates
9:30–10:15 AM
Factory of the Future: AI & Automation in Automotive Manufacturing
- Moderator: Beshoy Morkos, Director, Manufacturing Living Labs
- Speakers:
- Dr. Stephen Durham, Assistant Dean, CENGR, GNEM Academic and Workforce Partner Group Lead
- Manash Saha, Head of IT Solutions, Kia Georgia
10:15–11:30 AM
Live Tech & Testbed Demos
AI & Manufacturing Living Labs Tours
Fire Safety Hardware Showcase
11:10–11:30 AM
Poster Awards & Closing
Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel
1197 South Lumpkin Street
Athens, GA 30602
Hotel block details: Individuals are responsible for making their own hotel reservations and paying for their own room, tax, and incidental charges. Reservations may be made by telephone (1-800-884-1381 or 706-542-2134), or through the Georgia Center website using group code 56181. Our guaranteed rates are $149.00 for a classic king/queen and $179.00 for a double queen/king.
Premier – $25,000
All recognition benefits of leadership level, plus:
- Top billing for logo recognition
- Option to display company product at event (non-competitive)
- 15 complimentary registration tickets
Leadership – $10,000
All recognition benefits of partner level, plus:
- Logo recognition in event materials
- 10 complimentary registration tickets
Partner – $5,000
- Logo displayed on-screen during event lunch
- Company name included in the printed program
- 5 complimentary registration tickets
*Individual tickets are valued at $50 each
Contact Jordan DeRosa if you are interested in being a sponsor.
