Speaker Bios

Full NameCompany or OrganizationJob TitleSpeaker Bio
Fredie CarmichaelSouthern Company GasVice President, Corporate CommunicationsFredie Carmichael serves as vice president of corporate communications.He leads public and media relations, employee and customer communications and creative, digital and social media initiatives for the business's four natural gas distribution companies, as well its nonutility holdings. A veteran of the Southern Company system with more than 20 years of communications experience, Carmichael previously served as director of strategic communications for Southern Company Gas, where he led CEO communications, digital strategy and corporate sponsorships. He began his career with Southern Company in 2013 with a role in marketing at Mississippi Power, followed by various roles in economic development and communications at Georgia Power and Southern Company. Carmichael joined Southern Company after more than a decade in journalism, working as both an investigative reporter and executive editor for daily newspapers in Florida and Mississippi. Active in the community, Carmichael serves as a volunteer coach for local sports organizations in Fayette County. Previous roles have included serving on the board of directors of the Flint River Council of the Boy Scouts of America, founding and chairing the Mississippi Young Professionals and being elected to serve on the Lauderdale County Board of Education. A native of Mississippi, Carmichael earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Mississippi State University and completed a master's certificate program in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Stan ConnallySouthern CompanyExecutive Vice President of Operation Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Southern Company ServicesStanley W. (Stan) Connally Jr. is executive vice president of operations at Southern Company – one of the largest producers of energy in the United States - and chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Southern Company Services (SCS). Connally oversees Southern Company’s systemwide operations, based in Birmingham, Alabama. This includes generation, transmission, engineering and construction services, commercial operations, supply chain management, system planning and environmental affairs, as well as Southern Wholesale Energy and the company's Southern Linc and Southern Telecom telecommunications businesses. As CEO of SCS, Connally is responsible for the primary shared services activities, administrative functions, and budget management for SCS. He is responsible for ensuring the alignment of information technology and operations functions to create strategies that deliver increased value to customers. He is dedicated to helping ensure employees under his leadership are able to work safely, provide value and continuously improve through a shared-services model to serve all Southern Company subsidiaries and their customers. Prior to his current role, Connally served as the chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company’s subsidiary Gulf Power from 2012 through 2018. Earlier in his career, he served as senior vice president and senior production officer for Georgia Power, where he was responsible for fossil and hydroelectric generation. Connally’s earlier experience across the company ranges from customer operations, sales, and marketing to power plant leadership, serving across all of Southern Company’s regulated electric subsidiaries in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.Connally earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has completed the Goizueta Executive Education Program at Emory University and the Southern Company Senior Leadership Development Program. A native of Newnan, Georgia, Connally and his wife, Amy, have two sons – Cade and Court.
Shan CooperJourney Forward StrategiesFounder and Chief Executive Officer, Journey Forward Strategies, LLCJourney Forward Strategies is a solutions-focused consulting firm that specializes in leadership development and organization effectiveness. Working with Fortune 500 corporations, private companies, and the not-for-profit sector, Shan leverages over 30 years of diverse experience and expertise to deliver sustainable results for her clients. She excels in the areas of executive coaching, talent development, organization cultural assessments, DEI strategies, as well as business process design and technology transformation. Shan works at the intersect of the business and people strategies. She believes successful business strategy is most effectively executed when a sound people strategy exists. In essence, people matter. Shan is the former Executive Director for the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP). Shan is the former Chief Transformation Officer of WestRock and was responsible for developing infrastructure capabilities and system processes needed for business growth in a fast-paced merger and acquisition environment. She also led the Recycling and Waste Services Division comprised of 22 recycling plants across the U.S, supplying materials to a diverse customer base and international markets. In addition, Shan led the Enterprise Logistics, Global Procurement, and Information Technology organizations. Prior to joining WestRock, Shan served as the Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. In this role, she was responsible for the 6,000 employee operations in Marietta, GA; Meridian, MS; and Clarksburg, WV, which designs, produces, modifies, and maintains military aircraft for the United States and countries around the world. Marietta programs included the C-130J Super Hercules, F-22 Raptor, P-3 Orion, C-5M Super Galaxy and the F-35 Lightning II. During her tenure, Shan simultaneously served as the Vice President of Business Ethics for the Aeronautics Division. Prior to her role as a General Manager, Shan served as Vice President of Human Resources for Lockheed Martin Corporate, as well as the Aeronautics and Information Systems & Global Solutions Divisions. In addition, she served as the first Corporate Vice President of Diversity and Equal Opportunity Programs for Lockheed Martin. Shan currently serves on the corporate Board of Directors for Georgia Power Company, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., South State Corporation, the parent company of Southcottian, N.A., and Veritiv Corporation. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors for Grady Health System and the Board of Trustees for Emory University. Shan is also on the Board of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), Georgia Historical Society, Georgia Music Accord, and Zoo Atlanta and is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club and a Life Member of the Board of Councilors for The Carter Center. Shan was awarded the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2021 Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award; named Georgia Trend Magazine’s2015 Most Respected Business Leader; the 2015 Woman of the Year by American Association of University Women; as one of Georgia Trend Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Georgians in 2012-2016, 2020and 2021; and as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Power 100 in 2019–2021. She was also named one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America in 2017.Shan earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Religion from Emory University and a Master of Business Administration from the Roberto Goizueta Business School of Emory University. In addition, she holds an Executive Master’s Degree in Global Human Resources from Rutgers University.
Sarah GainerSouthern CompanyDirector, Federal AffairsSarah Gainer is a director of federal affairs at Southern Company's Washington, D.C. office for Southern Company Gas. Prior to joining Southern Company in March 2021, Gainer spent 14 years at Chesapeake Energy Corporation, once the largest independent producer of natural gas and oil, leading their federal affairs office in Washington, D.C., as well as managing a number of Midcontinent states for seven years. She also served as a manager of federal affairs for El Paso Corporation, at the time, the largest interstate natural gas pipeline company. Prior to her corporate work, Gainer spent four years on Capitol Hill, working on energy and environment issues for Senators George Voinovich (R-OH) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), who represents her home state of Oklahoma. She has undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and completed her master's coursework in International Trade & Investment Policy from The George Washington University.
Kim GreeneSouthern Company GasChairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive OfficerKim Greene is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Southern Company Gas, the leading natural gas company in the industry. Greene is a strong voice in the energy sector, especially on issues related to safety, America’s clean energy future, emerging technologies, innovation, and STEM-related education. She currently chairs the American Gas Association, which represents companies delivering natural gas safely, reliably, and in an environmentally responsible way to help improve the quality of life for their customers every day. She also serves as an Oil & Natural Gas Liaison Co-Lead for the Electric Subsector Coordinating Council, which is the principal liaison between the federal government and the energy sector on security issues. Additionally, Greene serves on the boards of directors of Valero Energy Corporation, Gas Technology Institute, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Morehouse School of Medicine. Previously, she served on the board of directors of the Electric Power Research Institute, including serving as Chair. Greene is a distinguished member of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame, a recipient of the University of Tennessee’s Distinguished Alumna Award and the Nathan W. Dougherty Award, the highest honor bestowed by the UT Tickle College of Engineering. She earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering science and mechanics from the University of Tennessee, a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a master’s degree in business administration from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
First Name Last NameCompany/OrganizationJob TitleSpeaker Bio
Joe LeeSouthern Company GasDirector, Diversity/Equity/InclusionJoe Lee has over 10 years of experience as a multi-state licensed attorney and leader specializing in human resources, DE&I, compliance, contract management and negotiation, and Employment Law. He started off his career in immigration law where he had the opportunity to meet people all over the world. Through this unique experience of being introduced to different cultures, backgrounds, languages, and perspectives from all over the world, he developed a professional passion for DE&I. He is skilled in leading cross-functional teams focused on change management, DE&I metrics and goal setting, process improvements, systemic impact, and coaching all levels of staff on the personal and organizational benefits of DE&I. Joe was born and raised in Atlanta, GA to first generation Korean-American parents. His personal commitment to DE&I stems from growing up in a diverse community of friends and peers and enjoying soul food from his parent’s soul food restaurant. Joe earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Georgia and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Alabama.
Jim MazurekAccentureManaging Director, Accenture StrategyJim Mazurek is a Managing Director leader of Accenture’s North American Utilities practice, working with leading gas and electric utilities to address the critical issues facing their businesses. Jim has more than 25 years of experience and has been most recently focused on driving company growth during an era of evolving policy changes, rising expectations of customers and communities, and advancing the clean energy transition. Jim serves on the senior advisory boards of Evergreen Climate Innovations and IEEE Power and Energy Society. Prior to joining Accenture, Jim was a leader in Sargent & Lundy’s asset performance team and served as a U.S. Army officer. Jim has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame. MS in Environmental Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Northwestern University
Mei ShibataEssense PartnersChief Executive Officer, Essense PartnersMei Shibata is CEO of Essense Partners, where she leads the development of creative and communications strategies for utility clients. Having worked in management roles at Fortune 500 companies, as well as served as strategy consultant, marketer and technology entrepreneur over a 20+ year career, Mei brings a wide range of experiences to Essense Partners. An entrepreneurial strategist at heart, in 2008 Mei co-founded ThinkEco, which combined consumer product development with cloud-based energy efficiency and demand response. Her leadership role at ThinkEco turned the ThinkEco modlet® into a very consumer-friendly product, and it led to the creation and success of the CoolNYC residential demand response program, which Mei successfully led with strategic partner Consolidated Edison of New York. Mei was recognized as one of New York’s Top 10 Energy Entrepreneurs in 2013, and was also selected as an NYC Venture Fellow by the New York Economic Development Corporation. Mei has also held numerous marketing and advertising roles. She was Managing Director of Strategy and North American Executive Committee Member at advertising and communications agency Havas Life, Senior Director of Strategy with Interbrand, a premier brand consulting firm, and Worldwide Marketing Manager at Pfizer. She also served as Engagement Manager at Boston-based consultancy Vertex Partners and Senior Consultant with Oliver Wyman & Company, where she worked with multiple Fortune 500 clients on strategy consulting and market research engagements over a 5-year period. Lastly, Mei honed her financial analysis skills as Equity Analyst with Smith Barney Citigroup, where she initiated research coverage of a new technology sector. Mei holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard, a master’s degree in medical engineering from the joint Harvard/MIT HST program, and an MBA from Harvard Business School."
Nick SlappySouthern Company GasVice President, Safety & Resource ManagementNick Slappy is vice president of safety and resource management for Southern Company Gas. In this role, he is responsible for leading safety, resource management, contractor management, operations effectiveness and forecasting efforts across the company’s footprint. Nick joined Southern Company Gas from Georgia Power, where he was plant manager for Plant Wansley and Plant Yates. In that role, he was responsible for leading strategic initiatives and oversight for both plants. He has more than 20 years of experience within the Southern Company family of companies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. He has served in multiple positions with increasing responsibility in areas of compliance, engineering, and contractor oversight, as well as outage planning and execution within the distribution, generation, engineering, and construction business units. Nick has been active in the industry and the community during his career. He has served as a board member of the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Alabama, Central Gulf Industrial Alliance, and Development Authority of Douglas County. He also has served on the Edison Electric Institute Occupational Safety & Health Executive Advisory Committee, Experience Power’s Advisory Board, and he founded the B2B Minority Advisory Board at Georgia Highlands College. In addition to participating in several company mentoring programs, Nick served on the board of directors of L.E.A.D, a youth development organization in Atlanta, and he has been a community sports coach. Originally from Anderson, South Carolina, Nick earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee. Nick and his wife live in the Atlanta area with their three children.
Jenny TaylorGoodwill of North GeorgiaVice President, Career ServicesJenny has more than 18 years of successful leadership experience in workforce development for people with significant barriers to employment. She joined Goodwill of North Georgia in July 2005 through a merger, where she served as executive director of Kelley Diversified, Inc. in Athens, Georgia. Jenny is now Vice President of career services with Goodwill, managing a department of more than 160 staff, serving more than 50,000 individuals annually, including more than 2,000 in workforce development programs for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Jenny has been in key leadership positions for several large federal and private foundation grants and currently administers the largest contracts in the state of Georgia for Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and many county WIOA-funded contracts for youth and adults. She holds a Master of Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She serves on the board of directors for the Metro Atlanta eXchange (MAX) for Workforce Solutions and is past chair of the statewide Georgia Association of Rehabilitation Managers. She is a member of the National and Georgia Rehabilitation Associations, and Mensa.