EU & US Perspectives on Clean Tech and Energy Security

March 16, 2024 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM (CDT)

Description

We regret to announce that the event has been canceled. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Your interest in participating is highly valued.

While we must cancel this discussion for now, we hope to reschedule it in the future. 

We also wish to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to our distinguished speakers and moderator for their involvement, Austin Energy for their kind hospitality, the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center, McCombs School of Business, The Center for European Studies, Opportunity Austin, and The Texas Association of Business for their support and active participation in this program.

Thank you for your understanding.

A distinguished panel of policy leaders will provide unique insights from both sides of the Atlantic on clean technology and energy security on March 16 in Austin. During a discussion titled “EU & U.S. Perspectives on Clean Tech and Energy Security,” these policy leaders will shed light on the key strategies, challenges, and opportunities in advancing sustainable energy.

The esteemed speakers for the evening include:

• Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director General for Energy of the European Commission.
• Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and namesake of the KBH Energy Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
• Dan Brouillette, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, member of the KBH Energy Center Executive Council.

The discussion will be moderated by UT Professor Michael Webber, John J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair in Engineering, ensuring a dynamic and informative exchange of perspectives.

This event offers a rare opportunity to gain valuable insights into the policies, innovations, and collaborative efforts driving clean tech and energy security agendas on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Don't miss out on this enlightening discussion!

Date: Saturday, March 16th

Time: 

5:00 PM Registration

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Program

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Reception 

Location: Austin Energy | 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Austin Energy for graciously hosting this event.

Also, consider signing up for UT Energy Week, from March 26-29, and the KBH Energy Center 2024 Spring Energy Summit on March 29. Follow this link to register for Energy Week andthis link for the Spring Energy Summit.

Speaker Bios:

Mrs. Ditte Juul Jørgensen took up the position of Director General of DG ENER on 1 August 2019. She joined DG ENER from a position as Head of Cabinet of Competition Commissioner Vestager, which she held from 1 November 2014 until 31 July 2019.

Ditte Juul Jørgensen has 27 years of experience in the European Commission. Before being Head of Cabinet she was Director for WTO, Legal Affairs and Trade in Goods in the Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade, where she managed the EU policy and negotiations in the World Trade Organization, legal issues and the EU’s involvement in WTO dispute settlement as well as the EU policy on trade in goods.

Before being appointed Director, she was Head of the Unit for dispute settlement and legal issues and Acting Director. She has also been Head of the Unit for Trade and Sustainable Development and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Issues and is responsible for EU bilateral trade relations.

Her previous experience includes a posting as Head of the Economic Section of the EU Delegation to the United Nations in New York, as well as work at the European Court of Justice and at the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition. Mrs. Ditte Juul Jørgensen is a graduate in law of the College of Europe, Bruges, and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She is married and has three children.

Dan Brouillette is currently the President and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), representing all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. His leadership at EEI encompasses a membership providing electricity to nearly 250 million Americans across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with additional international electric companies under its umbrella.

Before joining EEI, Brouillette served as President of Sempra Infrastructure (SI), leading its growth to become a prominent LNG exporter. Prior to SI, he served as the 15th United States Secretary of Energy, where he made significant strides in supercomputing, AI, quantum information science, and energy storage. Notably, he initiated diplomatic dialogues between energy ministers of Israel and Muslim nations, contributing to regional diplomacy.

Brouillette's exemplary service earned him Distinguished Public Service medals from the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Secretary of State. He holds leadership roles in various organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Council on Foreign Relations. With a background in military service and academic achievements, Brouillette continues to contribute as a distinguished advisor and scholar in the energy sector.

For over three years, Kay Bailey Hutchison served as the United States Ambassador to the National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in Brussels, Belgium. During her term, she focused on the importance of U.S. leadership in the Alliance and strengthening the transatlantic bond that provides the security umbrella for Europe and North America. 

From 1993 to 2013, Kay represented the State of Texas, in the U.S. Senate. She was elected, by her peers, to chair the Republican Policy Committee, making her the fourth-ranking member of the Republican Leadership in the U.S. Senate. She was the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Chair of the Military Construction Subcommittee on Appropriations. 

Kay served two terms as Chair of the Board of Visitors at The U.S. Military Academy at West Point. While in the Senate, she co-authored significant legislation, including the Reauthorization and Reform of NASA, with Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), and the Hutchison-Mikulski legislation, establishing a new retirement vehicle called the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA. 

From 1991 to 1993, Kay was the Texas State Treasurer, where she proposed limits on State debt, which the State Legislature adopted. She also led the effort to successfully defeat a State Income Tax. Currently, Kay serves on the Bank of America Global Board, the LBJ Foundation Board, and the NASA Advisory Council. 

She is the author of three books, including the bestseller, American Heroines, (William Morrow, 2004). 

In 2013, the Dallas City Council named the City’s Convention Center in her honor. 

Her alma mater named its Energy Center, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center at The University of Texas at Austin. It is a collaboration between the McCombs School of Business, the UT School of Law, and the Cockrell School of Engineering. Kay earned a B.A., from The University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law.

Moderated by:

Dr. Michael E. Webber is the John J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and CTO of Energy Impact Partners, a $3 billion cleantech venture fund. 

From September 2018 to August 2021, Webber was based in Paris, France where he served as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, one of the world’s largest energy companies. Webber’s expertise spans research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization on topics related to innovation, energy, and the environment. 

His book Power Trip: The Story of Energy was published in 2019 by Basic Books with an award-winning 12-part companion series spread out over two seasons that aired on PBS, Amazon Prime, AppleTV, and in-flight entertainment on American Airlines. The series had more than 10,000 broadcasts in the United States and has been distributed in dozens of countries, ultimately reaching millions of viewers. 

He was selected as a Fellow of ASME (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and as a member of the 4th class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars, which is a leadership training program organized by Presidents George W. Bush and William J. Clinton. 

Webber has authored four full-length general interest books, created two interactive textbooks, written more than 500 publications, and been awarded 6 patents. 

He serves on the advisory board for Scientific American and GTI Energy (an industry consortium formerly known as the Gas Technology Institute). 

A successful entrepreneur, Webber was one of three founders in 2015 for an educational technology startup, DISCO Learning Media, which was acquired in 2018.  

Webber holds a B.S. and B.A. from UT Austin, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.  He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and on four separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.