New names for GreenBeat’s all-star lineup: Bell, De Martini, Fromer, Reed and Williams

We have added a new group of Smart Grid leaders to the agenda for GreenBeat 2009, the seminal executive conference on the Smart Grid, on Nov. 18 and 19. The new names add political insight, utility expertise and more entrepreneurial ideas to our holistic program.
Before we introduce the new speakers, remember to register for your GreenBeat ticket today, while you can still get it for $525 — the offer expires on Nov. 5. Sign up and find out more information on the conference, located at the San Mateo Marriott, here. or follow us at @greenbeat2009 for all the breaking news on the event.
We’re also very pleased to announce support from the following industry leaders as sponsors: Southern California Edison, Cisco Systems, Oracle, Mayfield Fund, and CPower.
Joining our prestigious lineup — which includes former vice president Al Gore, leading investor John Doerr and now Google CEO Eric Schmidt — we have:
Ray Bell — Founder and CEO of Grid Net. While most of the Smart Grid industry turns to wireless mesh networks to channel energy consumption data, Bell and his company Grid Net are offering unique WiMax-based products for improving the grid. Having spent many years at two of the top corporations jockeying for position in the Smart Grid space — Oracle and Cisco Systems — Bell has served in engineering, product development and senior management roles. During this time, he gained extensive experience in advanced metering, internet protocols and security technologies that have suddenly become very relevant to the new, revamped grid. He also brings this knowledge to his post as chairman of OpenAMI, an open standards initiative in the utility industry that encourages interoperability between meters and demand response systems.
Paul De Martini — Vice president of Advanced Technology at Southern California Edison. Overseeing the transmission and distribution business unit of the utility, De Martini is deeply involved in research and development of new Smart Grid technologies, electric transportation solutions, smart meters and mechanisms for hooking smart appliances into the grid. Before arriving at SCE, he worked at Sempra Energy, the Coastal Corporation and Pacific Gas & Electric. he also served as a senior manager at ICF Consulting. Immersing himself even more in the concerns and opportunities posed by the emerging Smart Grid, De Martini sits on the California Energy Commission’s PIER Advisory Board, the Utility Smart Grid Executives working group, the Western Electric Industry R&D Collective and the Electric Power Research Institute’s Smart Grid Advisory Committee.
Gary Fromer — CEO of CPower. Now leading one of the top demand response companies the nation, Fromer first joined CPower two years ago to grow the company’s product offerings and recruit new customers into its fold. Previously, he served as senior vice president of managed services at SAP, where he worked his way through the executive ranks. CPower is one of a growing number of companies providing turn-key demand response services. It offers ways for businesses to cut down on the amount of energy they use (and their bills) to meet regulations and manage energy loads during peak demand periods. Participating companies that cut down on their usage are granted white certificates that can be used to compensate for future overages or sold to other businesses that miss their energy reduction targets. It’s a novel idea that is only beginning to take off.
Chuck Reed — Mayor of San Jose. Spearheading San Jose’s Green Vision initiative — cleaning up emissions and waste while creating thousands more green collar jobs — Reed has served as mayor of one of California’s largest cities for three years. He has been deeply involved in environmental issues since graduating from Stanford Law School, when he took a job as an attorney handling San Jose’s environmental, land use and real estate matters. During his private-sector career, he had a very public presence, serving on 20 city boards, commissions, committees and task forces. He first ran for City Council in 2000, and won, representing Berryessa, North San Jose and Alviso. As mayor, he has cultivated technology with environmental applications, championing Smart Grid innovations, as well as LED lighting and advanced vehicle developments.
Bradley Williams — Vice president of utilities product management at Oracle Utilities. In his current role, Williams is responsible for managing power outages, distribution and assets for utility applications. Before joining the team at Oracle, he directed research for Gartner’s Energy & Utilities Industry Advisory Services, and ran IT investment programs for PacifiCorp, focusing particularly on telecommunications and operations development. He gained experience working with utilities by working at one himself — Southern California Edison, where he was involved in planning transmission systems, distribution automation and enhancing system reliability.
VentureBeat is hosting GreenBeat, the seminal executive conference on the Smart Grid, on Nov. 18-19, featuring keynotes from Nobel Prize winner Al Gore and Kleiner Perkins’ John Doerr. Get your discounted early-bird tickets before Nov. 5 at GreenBeat2009.com.