July 14-16, 2025 | Minneapolis, MN
Become a Sponsor
Register Now
Topics

Get inspired. Experience transformation. Discover more at DTECH Midwest, where industry innovation takes center stage. Our keynotes deliver a daily dose of cutting-edge ideas.

Meet the 2025 DTECH Midwest keynote speakers!

Katie Sieben

Chair, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission

Katie Sieben has served as a Minnesota Public Utilities Commissioner since January of 2017. In 2019, she was appointed to serve as Chair of the Commission by Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. She was reappointed to a second term in 2023.

Chair Sieben is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) where she serves on the Gas-Electric Alignment for Reliability (GEAR) Working Group, the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment, the Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues ─ Waste Disposal, and the Washington Action Committee. Chair Sieben previously served as a Minnesota legislator, representing a district southeast of the Twin Cities and along the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. In her fourteen years in the House and Senate, she championed causes related to the environment, public education and infrastructure, served as the Assistant Majority Leader and chaired the Election Committee.

Chair Sieben has taught as a community faculty member and adjunct professor at Metropolitan State University’s Masters in Advocacy and Public Leadership Program. She earned her B.A. from Colorado College, was a Policy Fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, and earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.


Katie Sieban
Chair
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission

Dan Scripps

Chair, Michigan Public Service Commission

Dan Scripps was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Public Service Commission in February 2019 and named Chair in July 2020. His term expires July 2, 2029. As a Commissioner, Mr. Scripps has been an active participant in multiple state energy advisory groups, including the Michigan Council on Climate Solutions, the Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force, the Michigan Dam Safety Task Force, and an Interdepartmental Workgroup on Propane Security.

Chair Scripps is the immediate past president of the Organization of MISO States and the Mid-America Regulatory Conference. He previously chaired the Regional Expansion Criteria and Benefits Working Group for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), helping to develop consensus around cost allocation for the largest-ever portfolio of electric transmission projects in U.S. history. 

Mr. Scripps is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and serves on the Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission; the Task Force on Emergency Preparedness, Recovery, and Resiliency; and the Gas-Electric Alignment for Reliability. He is a member of NARUC's Committees on Critical Infrastructure, Gas, and International Relations, and the Washington Action Program. He's also been an active participant with NARUC's international programs, participating in regulatory engagements on four continents. 

Mr. Scripps previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives, where he chaired the Banking and Financial Services committee and served on committees dealing with energy, telecommunications, and environmental protection. He has also worked with state and national clean energy trade and philanthropic organizations and practiced law in the Washington D.C. office of a leading global law firm, where he advised regulated utilities, project developers, and financial institutions on cutting edge domestic and international energy projects.

Mr. Scripps is a graduate of Alma College and the University of Michigan Law School. He lives with his family in northern Michigan


Dan Scripps
Chair
Michigan Public Service Commission

Doug Scott

Chair, Illinois Commerce Commission

Doug P. Scott was appointed Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission by Governor J.B. Pritzker on June 17, 2023 to serve out the remainder of former Chair Carrie Zalewski’s term. Scott previously served as Chairman of the ICC from 2011 to 2015, helping Illinois expand its renewable energy usage and saving consumers hundreds of millions of dollars on their utility bills.

Before rejoining the ICC, Scott was Energy Systems Vice President for the Great Plains Institute, where he worked on decarbonization efforts with states, utilities and other interested parties. His team at GPI focused on utility business models, transmission, and clean energy and climate plans. As part of that work, Scott served as an advisor to the Illinois Governor’s Office on energy and environmental issues, including development of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.

Before his first session with the ICC, Scott served in a variety of public sector positions for over twenty-five years, including Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Mayor of the City of Rockford, State Representative and City Attorney for Rockford.

A native of Rockford, Scott received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Tulsa, and a Juris Doctorate with honors from Marquette University.

Doug and his wife Tammy have been married since 1985 and reside in South Beloit, Illinois.


Doug Scott
Chair
Illinois Commerce Commission

Dan Gearino

Reporter, Clean Energy, Inside Climate News


Dan Gearino
Reporter
Inside Climate News

Jimmy Lovrien

Environment Reporter, Duluth News Tribune


Jimmy Lovrien
Environment Reporter
Duluth News Tribune

Garrick Rochow

CEO, Consumers Energy


Garrick Rochow
CEO
Consumers Energy

Ken Zagzebski

Senior Vice President and President, Utilities, AES

Ken leads our Utilities’ business to accelerate its growth and transformation goals while continuing to deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable service to our customers. He is a seasoned energy executive with a 30-year career marked by operational, financial and executive leadership, both domestically and internationally.

Since joining AES in 2007, Ken has held a variety of roles across the company. Most recently, Ken served as the Chief Operating Officer of AES Clean Energy, where he focused on global execution, engineering and construction integration. Ken has been President of AES Southland Energy and President of AES’ former U.S. Strategic Business Unit. He previously held senior roles at Indianapolis Power & Light (now AES Indiana) and Dayton Power and Light (now AES Ohio) as President and CEO.

During his tenure, Ken has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to innovation and transformation. He oversaw the expansion of the solar and grid-scale battery business, successfully contracting over 200 MW, including the nation's largest solar + storage project. He also played a pivotal role in executing a strategic exit from fossil-based generation in Ohio. Under his leadership, Indianapolis Power & Light Company achieved the distinction of being among the top five per capita in the nation for solar capacity.

Ken received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. 


Ken Zagzebski
Senior Vice President & President
Utilities - AES

Priti Patel

Chief Transmission Officer, Great River Energy


Priti Patel
Chief Transmission Officer
Great River Energy

Sara Patrick

President and CEO, Midwest Reliability Organization

As president and chief executive officer, Sara Patrick leads MRO in carrying out its critical mission to identify, prioritize and assure effective and efficient mitigation of risks to the reliability and security of the North American bulk power system within the organization’s regional footprint. Patrick is credited with developing and strengthening MRO’s leadership structure and culture to align with the organization’s vision, mission, strategy, and four keys to sustainable success: Connection, Curiosity, Commitment and Competency.

Patrick joined MRO in August 2008 as director of regulatory affairs and enforcement. In 2011, she was promoted to vice president of enforcement and regulatory affairs, and in 2016 she became the vice president of compliance monitoring and regulatory affairs. In June 2018, the board of directors named Patrick president and CEO.

Prior to joining MRO, Patrick served as the director of government affairs for Explore Information Services, LLC, a leading service provider to the property and casualty insurance industry. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona under both the administration of Janet Napolitano (D) and Grant Woods (R). Early in her career, she honed her legal research skills at Thomson West, a leading provider of legal reference materials.

She is a graduate of the Lee Honors College of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from the Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington, IN. Patrick is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Arizona, and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional, Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional, and a member of the Energy Bar Association. She has also completed the University of Idaho Utility Executive Course.


Sara Patrick
President & CEO
Midwest Reliability Organization

Loading
8:30 AM
  1. Opening Keynote
    Nicollet Ballroom A-C
    60 mins
3:50 PM
  1. Keynote: Midwest Utility Executives on Reliability, Resilience & the Road Ahead
    Nicollet Ballroom A-C
    60 mins
    With the Midwest grid facing unprecedented demands, utility executives must navigate evolving energy policies, extreme weather events, and the transition to a cleaner, more resilient power system. In …
    Speakers
    Garrick Rochow
    Garrick Rochow, CEO - Consumers Energy
    Ken Zagzebski
    Ken Zagzebski, Senior Vice President and President, Utilities - AES
    Priti Patel
    Priti Patel, Chief Transmission Officer - Great River Energy
    Sara Patrick
    Sara Patrick, President and CEO - Midwest Reliability Organization
8:45 AM
  1. Keynote: Midwest Utility Regulators on Policy & Progress
    Nicollet Ballroom A-C
    60 mins
    As the Midwest energy landscape undergoes rapid transformation, utility regulators play a critical role in shaping the region’s energy future. In this keynote panel, utility regulators from Minnesota, …
    Speakers
    Katie Sieben
    Katie Sieben, Chair - Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
    Dan Scripps
    Dan Scripps, Chair - Michigan Public Service Commission
    Doug Scott
    Doug Scott, Chair - Illinois Commerce Commission
3:10 PM
  1. Keynote: The Midwest Energy Beat: What Journalists Are Covering and Where the Region Is Headed
    Nicollet Ballroom A-C
    60 mins
    The Midwest is at the center of some of the most significant energy transformations in the country, from grid modernization and renewable expansion to climate resilience and shifting regulatory landsc …
    Speakers
    Dan Gearino
    Dan Gearino, Reporter, Clean Energy - Inside Climate News
    Jimmy Lovrien
    Jimmy Lovrien, Environment Reporter - Duluth News Tribune