Technical Advisory Board
Sidebar
The Conn Center Technical Advisory Board ensures that the efforts of the center remain congruent with the legislative mandate from the state, accomplish the goals set forth by the university, and are responsive to the current state-of-the-science for renewable energy research, environmental stewardship and public energy policy.
This board meets formally twice a year to set the center's short-term and long-term strategies, monitor progress toward established goals and advise on specific issues.
Current Members
Past Members
John Angus
Professor Emeritus of Engineering
Case Western Reserve University
John Angus is the Kent H. Smith Professor Emeritus of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. Professor Angus received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. After receiving his PhD, he worked for the 3M Company on thermoelectric materials. He joined the faculty of Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) in 1963. He has been a Visiting Professor at both the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and at Northwestern University. At Case, he served as Interim Dean of Engineering and as Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering; he retired from Case in 2004. Angus' major research interests include metastable diamond synthesis, bulk growth of group III nitrides, applied thermodynamics, and electrochemical charge transfer to semiconductors. In 1968, Angus published the first paper on the low-pressure growth of diamond. Angus was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1995; he is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Electrochemical Society. With Boris Spitsyn and Nobuo Setaka, he is the recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Electrochemical Society, and he has received an honorary ScD from Ohio University.
Technical Advisory Board member 2009 - 2011
Henry "Hank" Conn
Center Benefactor
University of Louisville Alumnus ('64, '69, '72)
Hank Conn was the 2009 UofL Alumnus of the Year, a senior executive advisor for corporations worldwide and guides chief executive officers and executive teams in leading their organizations through complex changes. He was the former vice president of the global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, Inc. Conn received his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the Speed School in 1964 and 1972, respectively, and his MBA from the UofL College of Business in 1969. Conn held top executive positions at Ford, Allis-Chalmers Corp., Siemens-Allis Inc., and TRW Inc. He was the 2002 Alumni Fellow for the Speed School of Engineering, received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Speed School in 2006, and was a member of the Speed School's Industrial Board of Advisors. Conn co-wrote "Maximum Performance Management," a best-selling guide to innovative management and compensation practices. He also co-wrote Fortune's 1991 Book of the Year, "Workplace 2000," a view of the achievable successes necessary to compete in the new millennium through the principles outlined in MPM. In 2009, Conn and his wife, Rebecca, pledged more than $20 million to the UofL Speed School of Engineering to support the center's work; the center is named in their honor.
Technical Advisory Board member 2009 - 2023
Burtron Davis
Associate Director, Center for Applied Energy Research
University of Kentucky
Burtron Davis was the Associate Director of the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) at the University of Kentucky. He obtained his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Florida and was a research associate under professor Paul H. Emmett at Johns Hopkins University. Davis was responsible for catalysis, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and direct coal liquefaction research at CAER. He developed a program that involved both academic research and cooperative research with industry. He developed a laboratory with extensive capabilities in the use of radioactive and stable isotopes in reaction mechanism studies and materials characterization. He developed research programs in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, surface science studies, heterogenous catalysis, materials science, organic analysis, 1/4 ton per day direct coal liquefaction pilot plant operation, liquefaction mechanistic studies, clean gasoline reforming with superacid catalysts, and upgrading napthas. Davis held various offices and membership in several professional societies including the American Chemical Society, the Catalysis Society, and the Materials Research Society. Davis was the recipient of the H. H. Storch Award for 2002. He was the author of more than 600 technical publications.
Technical Advisory Board member 2009 - 2014
Gail Depuy
Interim Dean, J. B. Speed School of Engineering
University of Louisville
Gail W. DePuy is the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs for the J.B. Speed School of Engineering and Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. She served as Interim Dean of the Speed School of Engineering from 2017 to 2018. Her research focus lies in the areas of production planning, healthcare engineering, and operations research. She received her PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology, her MSIE with a concentration in Human Factors from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and her BS in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University. DePuy has authored over 80 technical papers and has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on over 2.3 million dollars of funded research. DePuy is a professional engineer and a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, Institute of Operations Research and Management Science, and American Society for Engineering Education.
Technical Advisory Board member 2017 - 2018
Terry Gill
Cabinet Secretary for Economic Development
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Of all the words that can be used to describe Terry Gill, the one word that cannot be used is “politician.” Gill is a businessman who was chosen by former governor Matt Bevin to bring a fresh pro-business perspective to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Along with the Cabinet’s co-leader, Vivek Sarin, Terry traveled the nation and the world to recruit new industry to the state, expand existing Kentucky operations, and promote entrepreneurship and small business development. Before joining the Governor’s Cabinet, Gill served as the CEO of several companies and was most recently in Cincinnati, Ohio, leading the turnaround of a private equity-owned company. He also served as Vice President of EnterpriseCorp, the arm of Greater Louisville Inc. that is focused on increasing the number high potential early and second stage companies headquartered in the Louisville and Southern Indiana market. Gill holds a BA degree in Marketing with a Minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. He serves the community through various charitable organizations and civic involvement.
Technical Advisory Board member 2017 - 2019
Tony Hancock
President, MEC Ltd.
Tony Hancock is the president of MEC Ltd., an engineering and consulting firm that performs product development for a number of US and international companies in various fields. He was born in Cleveland, TN. His parents were educators and encouraged his thirst for knowledge. He earned the BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee with a specialty in polymers and polymer processing. Hancock has worked for a variety of companies in various engineering and managerial roles, including at E. I. duPont, IBM, Remington, and Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice. He served as adjunct professor of chemical engineering at the University of Kentucky. He holds two US Patents and has numerous publications. He serves on the Board of Industrial Advisors for Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville and the board of trustees at the University of the Cumberlands.
Technical Advisory Board member 2014 - 2017
Larry Hayes
Cabinet Secretary for Economic Development
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Larry Hayes currently serves as Secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development where he is responsible for the development and administration of executive policies designed to support and promote economic development within the Commonwealth. Hayes was appointed Cabinet Secretary after serving in a dual role as Governor Steve Beshear’s Executive Cabinet Secretary and Interim Secretary for the Cabinet for Economic Development. Prior to joining the Beshear administration in December 2007, Hayes served as both deputy mayor and Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet in the city of Louisville. Hayes’ extensive career also includes experience in the private sector including ownership of Midwest Construction, Inc. in Lexington, KY, and partial interests in a warehousing and distribution business in Elizabethtown, KY. Additionally, Hayes was involved in the creation of what is now known as Greater Louisville Inc., the state’s largest regional economic development partnership, serving as its first President from 1987-1988. Prior to his work in Louisville, Hayes was the Executive Assistant to the Kentucky State Senate President for six years before joining Governor Martha Layne Collins’ administration as both Secretary of the Executive Cabinet and State Budget Director from 1983 through 1987.
Technical Advisory Board member 2020 - 2022
David Huff
Director of Advanced Meter Initiatives
Louisville Gas & Electric/Kentucky Utilities
David Huff was named to his current position in March 2010. He has nearly 35 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Huff joined LG&E and KU in 1983 as a mechanical engineer in power generation. In this role he worked on a myriad of priorities including system performance, reduction of maintenance costs, plant safety improvement and a plant rehabilitation plan. Through the years he has held many roles in the company, including Operations Manager at the Mill Creek Generating Station and Division Manager at Trimble County Station, both of which involved managing more than one hundred employees. He was then promoted to Wholesale Excellence Team Leader where he developed a management-union partnership and oversaw a significant change management project that effectively reduced unit costs by 30% over two years. In 1997, he became a director and advanced through several leadership positions within LG&E and KU, including Revenue Collections and Distribution Operations. In these roles he managed hundreds of employees and oversaw distribution substation operations, design engineering, outdoor lighting. He also worked as incident commander and planning section chief for several restoration efforts. Huff actively led state-wide utility collaboration on the Consideration of Federal Standards of the Energy Independence and Security Act over a period of several years. He facilitated responses from 16 Kentucky utilities to the Kentucky PSC Case 2008-00408 and 2012-00428 on Smart Grid resulting in a comprehensive document on Smart Grid and Smart Meters for the Kentucky Public Service Commission. During this time he was responsible for the coordination of Smart Grid and Smart Meter strategy across LG&E and KU service territories. This includes the planning and implementation of Advanced Metering Services.
Technical Advisory Board member 2012 - 2022
Kimberly Kempf-Leonard
Former Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
University of Louisville
Kimberly Kempf-Leonard was the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences from 2014 through 2019. She earned her PhD from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Social Systems Sciences. She has applied her social science and policy expertise to the field of criminology, helping to advance measurement and understanding of crime patterns and to improve criminal justice procedures. She is a leading scholar on juvenile justice, and ways to identify and reduce minority overrepresentation and gender bias in criminal justice. She's published 6 books, over 40 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and received over $600K in competitive grants and contracts. Her work has been supported by the National Institute of Justice, the US Office of Juvinile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, the MacAurthur Foundation, the Kellog Foundation, and several state agencies. Leonard supervised over 30 academic departments and programs covering the natural and physical sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and the arts and humanities.
Technical Advisory Board member 2015 - 2019
Kris Kimel
President & Founder
Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation
Kris Kimel is the President and Founder of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), a non-profit company with an international reputation for designing and implementing a range of innovative initiatives. Over the 21-year life of KSTC, dozens of projects have been funded by diverse supporters involving corporations, private foundations, and state and federal government agencies. KSTC funds important R&D and technology commercialization projects at Kentucky universities. It also designed and manages the Kentucky Enterprise Fund (KEF), which is an early stage venture fund that currently holds over 60 equity positions in innovation-driven Kentucky companies. Kimel is also a leader behind the vision and implementation of Kentucky Space, a non-profit enterprise focused on the design, development, and application of entrepreneurial and educational space platforms. He is also the founder of the international Idea Festival (IF), a world-class event that attracts leading and highly diverse thinkers from across the nation and around the globe to explore and celebrate innovation, imagination, and game-changing ideas.
Technical Advisory Board member 2009 - 2011
Todd Mooradian
Former Dean, College of Business
University of Louisville
Todd Mooradian served as the Dean of the University of Louisville College of Business. He holds a doctorate in marketing from the University of Massachusetts, an MBA from Wake Forest University and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of New Hampshire. Before joining the University of Louisville, Mooradian spent 27 years at the College of William & Mary Mason School of Business Administration in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he was the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and the William J. Fields Professor. Mooradian is an expert in marketing strategy and consumer behavior. Much of his research focuses on the psychology behind consumer satisfaction, loyalty and branding. He has published two books and over 20 book chapters and articles in academic journals, including the Journal of the American Marketing Society, Management Learning, the Journal of Business Strategy, and the Journal of Economic Psychology. During his tenure, Mooradian launched many College initiatives, including the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA), a revamped Master of Accountancy (MAC) emphasizing accounting analytics, a revised Entrepreneurship MBA and PhD, integrated executive education programs and an expanded complement of online programs including specialized certificates in Franchise Management and Distilled Spirits. Mooradian also helped clarify the college’s differentiating qualities, summarized in the acronym LEAP (of Louisville, Entrepreneurial, Accelerating and Principled) with the goal of transforming the college into one of the top business schools in the country.
Technical Advisory Board member 2019 - 2022
Len Peters
Cabinet Secretary for the Energy & Environment
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Leonard Peters was the Commonwealth of Kentucky Cabinet Secretary for Energy & Environment. Former governor Steve Beshear's choice to oversee Kentucky's energy and environmental protection program was an internationally renowned chemical engineer with demonstrated leadership in research, academia, and management. Peters served for five years with the Battelle Memorial Institute, a leading non-profit applied science and technology development company. During his tenure at Battelle, Peters was senior vice president and director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he oversaw a staff of 4,200. Under his leadership, he realigned the laboratory's research priorities to meet the needs of its diverse customer base. Peters held senior academic and administrative positions at leading universities, including Virginia Tech and the University of Kentucky. He held a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and was a prolific author and lecturer. Peters was recognized for his achievements with honors ranging from the National Science Foundation Award to the Oak Ridge Associated Universities' Outstanding Leadership Award.
Technical Advisory Board member 2009 - 2016
Neville Pinto
Former Dean, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
University of Louisville
Neville Pinto served as dean of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville, then as provost, and finally as president. He is a Professor of Chemical Engineering. He received the BTech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, and MS and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to his appointment at UofL, he served on the faculty of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati for 26 years. While at UC he held a number of administrative posts; most recently he was Vice Provost & Dean of the Graduate School. Pinto is currently the President of UC. He is a lifetime Fellow of the University of Cincinnati Graduate School for outstanding scholarly attainment. He has mentored over 50 MS and PhD students, and is the recipient of outstanding teaching and service awards from ABET, BP and Tau Beta Pi. He has also served on the Editorial Board for Separation Science & Technology since 1997.
Technical Advisory Board chair 2013 - 2015
Chandra Ratnasamy
Head of R&D
Clariant Corporation
Chandra Ratnasamy was the Head of R&D for Louisville (USA) and Suzano (Brazil) in the Business Unit Catalysts.
Technical Advisory Board member 2015 - 2019
Charles Snavely
Cabinet Secretary for Energy & Environment
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Charles G. Snavely was appointed by former governor Matt Bevin as Cabinet Secretary for Energy & Environment in December 2015. Snavely is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a B.S. in Mining Engineering and completed the Executive MBA Program through a joint program of the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Snavely retired from the mining industry after more than 35 years, having served as a mine engineer and later president of several large coal companies in southeast Kentucky. He was Executive Vice President of Operations for International Coal Group and President of Eastern Operations for Arch Coal, Inc. He is past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Coal Association. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Virginia Tech Department of Mining Engineering.
Technical Advisory Board member 2016 - 2019
Helge Toufar
Head of R&D Center Louisville
Clariant Corporation
Helge Toufar was the Head of R&D Center, Louisville Clariant Corporation. He graduated in Technical Chemistry with focus on Heterogeneous Catalysis from the Technical University of Merseburg, Germany, and obtained a PhD for work on isomophous substituted zeolites in 1992. He worked in academic positions at the Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max-Planck Gesellschaft in Berlin, Germany, the Martin-Luther University in Halle, Germany, and the Center for Surface Science and Catalysis of the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. Through a cooperation between the University of Halle and the US-based company Tricat Industries and its subsidiaries Zeosorb and Tricat Zeolites, he became involved in process development and plant design for a new zeolite manufacturing plant in Bitterfeld, Germany. He joined the company as Head of Research & Development and oversaw design, construction, and startup of their new facility, which was completed in 2000. In 2003, he assumed additional responsibility for zeolite sales and marketing in Central and Eastern Europe. After acquisition of Tricat Zeolites by Sud-Chemie in 2006, he coordinated the implementation of new products and processes. From 2009-2012, Toufar oversaw Research & Development activities as well as analytical services for Sud-Chemie’s catalyst business in the Americas. In 2013, Toufar was named Head of R&D Center, Louisville, for Clariant Corporation. He is currently the Site Manager for Clariant's facility in Bitterfeld, Germany.
Technical Advisory Board member 2010 - 2015
John Usher
Former Dean, J. B. Speed School of Engineering
University of Louisville
John Usher was the Acting Dean at the JB Speed School of Engineering from 2015 - 2017. He served as Associate Dean for Administration, Planning, and Faculty Affairs since 2012. From 2005 - 2012, he served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering. He received his BS and MEng degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Louisville in 1980 and 1981, respectively. He received his PhD in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1987. While completing this degree, he was employed by IBM in Research Triangle Park, NC for two years as a reliability engineer. After receiving his doctorate, he joined the faculty at the University of Louisville. Since then, Usher has been actively involved in teaching, consulting, scholarly research and service to the fields of quality control, reliability engineering, material handling systems and facilities planning.
Technical Advisory Board member 2015 - 2017