Ann Garth

Clean Air Task Force

Ann Garth is the Senior Geothermal Associate for the Superhot Rock Geothermal program at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). She develops and advocates for policies to promote next-generation geothermal, including superhot rock geothermal – working towards efficient, safe, and widespread adoption of this transformational energy source. Her work includes initiatives at both the federal and state levels, and she also leads CATF’s research into the social science of geothermal energy. Prior to joining CATF, Ann worked at a nonprofit consulting firm. She holds a BA with Honors in Systems Change and Environmental Policy from Brown University.

Dave Gallagher

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Dave Gallagher is the 11th Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Prior to his appointment, he served as JPL’s Associate Director for Strategic Integration.

Earlier in his career at JPL, Gallagher held senior leadership roles including Director and Deputy Director for Astronomy, Physics, and Space Technology, and Manager of the Advanced Optical Systems Program Office. He led the team responsible for correcting the optical flaw in the Hubble Space Telescope through the successful development, integration, and testing of the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. He also served in key leadership roles on major NASA missions, including the Spitzer Space Telescope and other flagship astrophysics and space technology programs.

Gallagher earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 1982. He began his career at IBM and later founded and led a software consulting firm before joining JPL in 1989.

David Yellen

Clean Air Task Force

David W. Yellen is the Director of Climate Policy Innovation at CATF. He leads CATF’s work analyzing the global impacts of new and emerging climate policies, and how energy transition strategies intersect with geopolitical and economic imperatives across regions. David investigates and advocates for solutions to critical issues at this intersection, such as climate and trade, industrial policy and competition, and maintaining climate and technology collaboration in an era of geopolitical fragmentation. In this role, he works closely with CATF’s regional teams to identify cross-cutting issues, provide industrial and geopolitical analysis for guiding strategy, and develop opportunities for international coordination that would advance decarbonization and development.

Previously, David was an associate director at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, where he was responsible for Asia-Pacific research and programming, as well as the Center’s hydrogen work, and he contributed to energy security and markets research. His work has focused on China’s industrial strategies and policies in energy industries, hydrogen markets and deployment policies, energy innovation infrastructure and competition, and energy transition policies in developing countries. David also previously worked at the Council on Foreign Relations on clean energy economics and in Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office, and he has contributed pieces to Scientific American and the Economist, among other publications.

David has a Master of Science degree in Environment and Sustainability Management from Georgetown University, from which he also graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Government, with a focus on energy markets and policy and a minor in economics. He is also a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.

Guðjón Helgi Eggertsson

Baseload Capital and E-Lísa

Guðjón Eggertsson is Director of Resource Management & Strategy at Baseload Capital and Founder of E-Lísa, a software platform focused on improving the performance and predictability of geothermal wells. His work combines advanced subsurface modelling with practical applications to better understand and design the conditions that control permeability and flow. His background includes research on the Krafla geothermal system and the IDDP-1 well, as well as hands-on experience from geothermal drilling projects, including work on IDDP-2 at HS Orka and participation in the Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT). His current focus is on translating advanced modelling into practical decision-support tools for geothermal operations, including superhot and next-generation systems.

Jason Lipton

Clean Air Task Force

Jason is the Senior Manager, Strategic Finance for the Superhot Rock Geothermal program at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). In his role, Jason leads CATF’s geothermal investment analysis, advocacy, and engagement with the full spectrum of financial stakeholders.

Before joining CATF, Jason served as Managing Director of Data Analytics & Content Services at Energy Intelligence, a leading energy information provider. He also held several analyst, project, and executive roles at S&P Global Platts, including as Global Director – Data & Editorial Operations. In addition, Jason is the founder of Boulder Energy Advisory, a data, strategy, and management consultancy.

Jason holds a Master’s in Sustainable Energy Science from Reykjavik University, where he focused on geothermal policy, finance, and technical innovation. He also holds a BA from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Joseph Bonafin

Turboden

Joseph Bonafin holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in power generation systems. He joined Turboden, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group company, in 2009 and has since accumulated extensive experience in business and product development. As Director of Next-Generation geothermal, Joseph leads global projects, overseeing every phase – from early technical development to the finalization of commercial negotiations. A strong advocate for innovation, Joseph has played a pivotal role in implementing some of the world’s first advanced and enhanced geothermal projects. His expertise in geothermal power plants and turnkey projects has contributed to groundbreaking advancements in the industry on a global scale.

Katerina Yared

3M

Katerina Yared, P.G., PMP, CDI.D, is a prominent leader in the energy science and sustainability sectors, merging extensive geoscience expertise with a steadfast commitment to sustainable energy. As the Global Energy Portfolio Leader at 3M for Oil and Gas, Geothermal, and Carbon Capture she currently leads the charge in driving innovation in sustainable energy solutions, establishing herself as an essential “energy transformer” in the industry. Her diverse career in the energy sector includes roles ranging from field and applications engineer to geoscience manager at Baker Hughes, geoscientist at NEOS GeoSolutions, and petrophysicist at Apache Corporation, QEP Resources, and SM Energy. She also served as a Project Manager for Projeo Corporation, leading Class VI well permitting and operations efforts. Katerina’s significant impact extends to consulting for new energy ventures in the geothermal, hydrogen, and carbon management startup space as the owner of Orka Switch Solutions LLC. Katerina’s robust academic background includes Master of Science degrees in Sustainable Management from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and in Geology from RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

In addition to her professional contributions, Katerina’s leadership extends to key roles within the industry. She is the 63rd president and an honorary member of the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA), past chair of the Women’s Network of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), and a director-at-large for the Energy Leadership Institute. She holds lifetime memberships in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA). Outside of her professional endeavors, she serves as co-CEO of her family in Colorado, raising three boys with her husband. Katerina Yared’s blend of career success and personal dedication showcases her as a leader with a visionary approach to promoting sustainable and inclusive energy solutions for the future.

Kyosuke Okamoto

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Kyosuke Okamoto is a Senior Researcher in the Geothermal Energy Research Team at the Renewable Energy Advanced Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan. His research aims to elucidate subsurface processes associated with underground resource development, particularly geothermal energy, as well as natural phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanic activity. Using microseismic monitoring and seismic exploration techniques, combined with other geophysical methods, he investigates fluid flow, fracture systems, and time-dependent reservoir behavior, with the goal of supporting the sustainable and effective use of geothermal energy.

Meng Meng

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Meng is a staff scientist at LANL with expertise in well integrity and multiphysics geomechanics testing. He has led or contributed to more than 10 geothermal energy research projects supported by the DOE, the U.S. EPA, industry partners, and LANL’s LDRD program. He is currently leading or contributing to seven DOE-funded projects focused on well integrity and geothermal energy development, including one supercritical drilling material analysis project. Meng co-leads LANL’s Fractured Earth Lab and Microfluidic Lab and is a 2022 ARMA Future Leader. He also serves as an associate editor for SPE Journal and Geoenergy Science and Engineering.

Nicole Iseppi

Bezos Earth Fund

Nicole Iseppi is the Director, Global Energy Innovation at the Bezos Earth Fund. Nicole was previously at ENGIE, a leading global energy company, for over 12 years where she was a Senior Executive Advisor and Managing Director for Operations & Performance for Global Transformation. Before ENGIE, Nicole was a Senior Advisor and Project Manager for Global Energy Infrastructure at Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). During Nicole’s time in Japan, she was also appointed as adviser and coordinator for the creation of the green financial institution, Japan Carbon Finance (JCF), launched by the Japanese Ministry of Finance. Nicole has previously been appointed both by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to co-lead a global renewable initiative for the industry and as a member of the Management Committee of Terrawatt Initiative (TWI), an independent global non-profit foundation established from the COP21 Paris Agreement.

P.V. (Suri) Suryanarayana

Blade Energy Partners, Ltd.

P.V. (Suri) Suryanarayana has over 34 years of professional experience as a practicing engineer in upstream energy. The underlying theme of his career has been solving unique engineering problems and developing new technologies in the energy industry with a focus on well integrity, thermal problems, multiphase flow modeling and probabilistic design. Suri started in the oil and gas industry in Mobil’s research center in 1991, with a focus on well engineering and well integrity. In 2000, Suri co-founded Blade Energy Partners, where he currently serves as CEO. His current interests include carbon sequestration, alternative energy engineering, thermal and geothermal well engineering, and reliability-based design. With over 100 archival publications and five patents, Suri has made several fundamental contributions to the energy industry, including the application of reliability-based design to complex wells, strain-based and low-cycle fatigue design for thermal and geothermal wells, well design and thermal performance analysis for superhot rock geothermal, and well integrity and leak risk assessment for carbon sequestration projects. Suri has also co-developed and taught several advanced courses, in advanced casing design, geothermal and thermal well design, and carbon sequestration.

Rebecca Pearce

Cascade Institute

Dr. Rebecca Pearce is a post-doctoral research fellow and science lead for the Ultradeep Geothermal program. Her role involves identifying technology gaps for deploying next-generation geothermal in Canada, and closing these gaps in collaboration with global geothermal actors. She is a geophysicist with a specialty in magnetotellurics, a geophysical technique that measures the electrical conductivity structure in the subsurface of the Earth. Her PhD research at University College London focussed on tectonic conditions that facilitate geothermal fluid transport and storage in the Chilean Andes. Soon after, she worked in academics and industry to explore for geothermal resources across BC, and lead a magnetotelluric study on a three-month geophysical campaign in West Antarctica.

Tom Taylor

Bezos Earth Fund

Tom Taylor is the President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund. Prior to this role, he retired from Amazon after 22 years as a Senior Vice President and member of the CEO’s Senior Team. During his tenure, he led some of the company’s most transformative and impactful initiatives, including global operations, e-commerce services, and artificial intelligence (Alexa).

Tom has a proven track record of growing organizations—from a small team of five engineers brainstorming around a whiteboard to overseeing P&Ls worth hundreds of billions of dollars and managing teams of over 10,000 employees. He is known for tackling complex challenges with creativity, curiosity, operational excellence, a deep focus on customers, empathy for employees, and a wry sense of humor.

He holds a dual master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning both a master’s in management and a master’s in mechanical engineering. He also holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech. In 2022, Tom was inducted into the Academy of Engineering Excellence at Virginia Tech.

Tony Pink

Pink Granite Consulting and Mazama Energy

Tony graduated with a BSC in Geology from University College of Wales Aberystwyth in 1990 and has a postgraduate diploma (GMP) from Harvard Business School. In March 2022 Tony moved into a corporate VP role responsible for Subsurface Energy Technology particularly focused on Geothermal and Carbon Storage. In October 2023 Tony started a UK registered company “Pink Granite Consulting”. PGC provide consultancy and training services in drilling, drilling technology and drilling optimization to the Geothermal industry. In June 2024 Tony was appointed as the Task Force Chairman for Drilling for the DOE, GEODE project. He has published and presented 13 SPE/IADC papers and has 5 US and EU Patents on Closed Loop Drilling Automation, Automated Directional Drilling, Early Kick Detection Particle Drilling and Insulated Drill Pipe. Most recently he presented a paper commissioned by CATF at the Iceland Geothermal Conference (IGC) Title “Technology Gap Analysis for Super Hot Rock Drilling”. This was also presented at Stanford in 2025.

Torsten Kolind 

Underground Ventures  

Torsten is Managing Partner of Underground Ventures, a specialized geothermal tech venture firm. Prior to UGV, Torsten co-founded grant evaluation platform YouNoodle in San Francisco, and serves as an expert evaluator for Innovation Fund Denmark, collective member at Nordic VC fund byFounders, and an advisor to early-stage VC fund Antler. Torsten is also an angel investor in multiple women’s health companies, and startup advisor for the Alliance of Democracies. 

Trenton Cladouhos

Quaise Energy

Trenton is a structural geologist with 30 years of experience, the most recent 17 years in the geothermal industry. At AltaRock Energy and then Cyrq Energy, he worked on engineered geothermal systems and conventional geothermal projects around the world with a focus on the western US. At Quaise, Trenton leads the team developing and testing technologies to create the world’s first superhot rock Engineered Geothermal System (EGS) at the Obsidian project on Newberry. Through Department of Energy and commercial projects, Trenton has extensive experience bringing national labs, universities, service companies, technology startups, and geothermal operators together to demonstrate new technologies in geothermal fields.

Zachary Frone

U.S. Department of Energy

Zach Frone is a geoscientist with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Geothermal, where he is a technical project manager. In this role he is involved in designing federal research programs aimed at addressing key challenges in EGS development, including subsurface resource characterization, drilling, reservoir creation & management, and wellbore integrity. He received his doctoral degree from Southern Methodist University where his focus was on models for the Newberry volcanic system as well as continental heat flow and thermal resource mapping. He also holds a BS in Geology from Binghamton University.