Agenda
Tuesday, May 26
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Kick off the Utility User Conference at the Limelight Hotel with an evening of drinks, a full dinner, and networking with fellow attendees, speakers, and the Technosylva team.
Wednesday, May 27
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
Breakfast
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
Mission in Practice
Begin the conference with a reflection on why this work matters, the responsibility behind it, and why coming together as an industry to share ideas, challenges, and progress is so important.
Bryan Spear
Chief Executive Officer, Technosylva
Joaquin Ramirez
Chief Technology Officer, Technosylva
8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
Keynote Session - Sunny Wescott
Sunny will explore how utilities can rethink resilience in a more practical and modern way, including how new frameworks, adaptive technologies, and predictive analytics can help teams strengthen readiness and improve response in an increasingly volatile environment.
Sunny Wescott
Chief Meteorologist, Emergency Response and Operations
Executive Director, Geospatial Intelligence ISAC
9:45 AM - 10:30 AM
From Start to Scale: Xcel Energy’s Wildfire Program Journey
Xcel Energy shares how it built its wildfire program from the ground up, evolved its approach across diverse operating companies, and advanced toward a more mature, operational model. Attendees will hear practical lessons from that journey, including the role of new tools, shifting priorities, and the development of its Wildfire Command Center.
Michael Haydon
Director, Wildfire Mitigation - Situational Awareness, Xcel Energy
Caitlyn Clark
Manager, Data Science and Analytics
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Morning Break
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Using Wildfire Operations in Major Events
A practical walkthrough of how utilities can use Wildfire Operations with confidence to support decision-making before, during, and after major wildfire events.
Steve Vanderburg
Vice President of Weather and Risk Solutions, Technosylva
Cynthia Kobold
Supervisor, Fire Science & Meteorology, Arizona Public Service
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Wildfire Modeling 101: Unpacking the Complexities of Fire Science
A foundational overview of how fire science and the core drivers of wildfire behavior are translated into model outputs - and ultimately metrics for operational decision-making.
Scott Purdy
Director of Fire and Weather Intelligence, Technosylva
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Wildfire Operations: What's New and What's Ahead
Get hands-on with the new Technosylva web platform for Wildfire Operations - see what's live today, what's coming next, and how we're supporting the transition from desktop.
Brandon Hertell Director, Product Management, Technosylva
Michael Sweat
Senior Product Manager, Technosylva
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
From Physical to AI: A Deep Dive into Technosylva's Weather Modeling
A deep dive on Technosylva's weather forecasting capabilities, from our physics model to our recent investments in AI and machine learning. Learn more about how these advancements are improving prediction capabilities to enhance metrics, lead time, and accuracy for decision-makers.
Brent Shaw
Senior Numerical Weather Architect, Technosylva
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
Lunch
1:15 PM - 2:00 PM
Purpose and Progress
A look at how Technosylva has evolved over the past 18 months, highlighting key innovations, major advancements, and the progress made to better support utilities facing growing wildfire and extreme weather risk.
Joaquin Ramirez
Chief Technology Officer, Technosylva
David Schoenberg
Chief Operating Officer, Technosylva
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
Building a Wildfire Program: Common Patterns, Unique Paths
This fireside chat explores how utility wildfire programs are built from the ground up and how they evolve over time, combining AEP’s early-stage experience with broader industry perspective. Attendees will gain practical guidance on where to start, the common patterns that shape program development, and how organizations adapt and innovate based on their unique circumstances.
Justin Turner Managing Director - Wildfire Mitigation & Response, AEP
Daniel Zaragoza Advisor/Consultant to Technosylva, Zaragoza Consulting, Inc
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Using Technosylva Wildfire Planning (aka FireSight) to Prioritize Investments
Learn how utilities use FireSight's consequence modeling and composite risk metrics to prioritize mitigation approach and build defensible Wildfire Mitigation Plans.
Kevin Benson
Managing Director of Asset Risk and Performance, PacifiCorp
Nik Philipsen
Principal Product Manager, Mitigation Planning, Technosylva
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Building the Common Operating Picture - Integrations with Pano, AiDash, and More
See how Technosylva integrates with best-in-class partners to build your common operating picture — featuring Pano's early wildfire detection and AiDash's satellite-powered vegetation analytics.
Nicolas Cavallo
Senior Manager, Partnership, AiDash
Lauren Bevington Director of Solutions Consulting, Pano AI
Justin Beynon
Senior Product Manager, Technosylva
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Afternoon Break
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Building a Strong Wildfire Mitigation Plan: Lessons Learned from Across the Country
Wildfire Mitigation Plans have evolved from compliance filings into operational roadmaps grounded in risk analytics, strategy, and field execution. This session will explore how utilities develop WMPs that support real-world risk reduction, connect modeling outputs to operational decisions, and deliver value beyond regulatory requirements through discussion and live Q&A with utility panelists.
Joshua Grelle
Senior Associate, The Ad Hoc Group
Melissa Semcer
Chief Strategist, CWE Strategies LLC
Scott Bordenkircher
Director, Forestry & Fire Mitigation, Arizona Public Service
Jerry Tagestad
Senior Geospatial Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM
From Theory to Practice: Technosylva’s Wildfire Behavior Validation Process
Learn about Technosylva's rigorous approach to confirming that the models found in our products translate into reality - an examination of our nationwide validation of our fire behavior models and danger metrics through peer review and with agencies in the field.
Adrián Cardil Forradellas
Director of Fire Science, Technosylva
4:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Wrap and Discussion
Close out the day with a guided discussion that brings forward key themes, practical takeaways, and reflections from the sessions.
Bryan Spear
Chief Executive Officer, Technosylva
5:15 PM - 6:00 PM
Break
Take time to check in, get settled and refresh before the evening’s activities begin.
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Offsite Event
Join us at Denver Beer Co for a relaxed evening of local flavor, featuring a brewmaster-led tasting, custom trucker hats, signature cocktails, dinner, and live music..
Thursday, May 28
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
Breakfast
8:00 AM - 8:05 AM
Day Two - Opening Remarks
Start Day two with a brief moment of reflection on the conversations so far and a look ahead at the opportunities in front of the industry.
Indy Ratnathicam
Chief Growth Officer, Technosylva
8:05 AM - 9:00 AM
New Innovations and New Capabilities: Building the Next Generation of Technosylva Products The Technosylva platform is evolving fast. Hear about the vision driving our recent releases and informing what comes next. Join a conversation with our CTO and SVP of Product about where Technosylva's products are going and how we will continue to lead with innovation.
Joaquin Ramirez
Chief Technology Officer, Technosylva
David Zipkin
Senior Vice President, Product, Technosylva
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
From Research to Readiness: Applying Wildfire Science in Utility Decision-Making
Join PG&E for a main stage discussion on how advanced wildfire science moves from research into real-world utility decision-making. Through the lens of Urban Conflagration modeling, PG&E will share how new insights around encroachment distance, building loss, consequence modeling, and historical fire analysis are informing both long-term planning and operational readiness.
Manuj Sharma Senior Manager Consequence Data Science, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Sean Gilleran Chief Machine Learning Scientist, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
9:45 AM - 10:30 AM
Keynote Session: Advancing Wildfire Readiness Through Utility–Agency Collaboration Explore how utilities and state fire agencies can work together to strengthen wildfire mitigation, improve operational readiness, and protect communities through shared data, technology, and coordinated response.
Chief Phillip SeLegue
Staff Chief of Intelligence - CAL FIRE
Joaquin Ramirez
Chief Technology Officer, Technosylva
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Morning Break
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Inside the Mind of an FBAN: Expert Q&A and Applied Fire Behavior Insights
Join Technosylva’s fire behavior analysts (FBANs) for an interactive, session that brings you closer to the real-world application of fire science. These are the experts actively supporting crews in the field—translating data into decisions under pressure during active incidents. In this open, discussion-driven format, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, explore how FBANs interpret landscapes and run simulations in operational contexts, and learn the practical rules of thumb that come from experience translating data into the field.
Chris Waters Fire Behavior Analyst, Technosylva
Tim Chavez Fire Behavior Analyst, Technosylva
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Modeling the Worst Day: How Catastrophe Science Informs Grid Investment, Emergency Planning, and Insurance Negotiation
Catastrophe models quantify the events utilities hope never happen — events whose rising frequency, severity, and cost are putting real pressure on affordability. Cat modeling gives utilities a quantitative basis for difficult decisions: what to harden, how to defend those choices to regulators, and how to right-size insurance coverage. Join us for a plain-language tour of how cat models work, the questions they answer, and how leading utilities are applying them across capital planning, emergency operations, and insurance strategy — with examples drawn from recent storm events.
Brandon Katz
EVP, Product and Strategy, Technosylva
Jess Alcorn
Product Marketing Director, Technosylva
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
The Next Evolution of Utility Resilience: An All-Hazards Approach
A strategic, practitioner-focused session on how CenterPoint is evolving from a hazard-specific approach to a broader all-hazards emergency management model.
Don Daigler
SVP Emergency Preparedness and Response, CenterPoint Energy
Cullen Armet Director of Situational Awareness Technology, CenterPoint Energy
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM
Storm Readiness and Preparation with Extreme Weather Outage Operations
Beyond wildfire: how Technosylva's Multi-Hazard platform turns extreme weather forecasts into grid-level impact predictions so utilities can staff, stage, and respond faster.
Cullen Armet Director of Situational Awareness Technology, CenterPoint Energy
Jason Zumstein
Senior Product Manager, Technosylva
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM
Quantifying the Impact of Fuels Treatments: From Acres Treated to Risk Reduction on Utility Assets
Fuels treatments don't stop fires - but they can dramatically reduce the consequences. Learn how we quantify that impact, asset by asset, to make actionable vegetation management recommendations for utilities.
Adrián Cardil Forradellas
Director of Fire Science, Technosylva
Nik Philipsen
Principal Product Manager, Mitigation Planning, Technosylva
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wrap and Final Questions
Close out the conference with a recap of key takeaways, final reflections, and an opportunity to ask remaining questions before the event concludes.
Bryan Spear
Chief Executive Officer, Technosylva
Indy Ratnathicam
Chief Growth Officer, Technosylva
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Lunch