Presenter Information
Jacob Boeschen, Energy Services Specialist, Cedar Falls Utilities
Jacob Boeschen ("B-Ocean") is an Energy Services Specialist at Cedar Falls Utilities. He brings eight years of combined experience in utilities and construction. As an Energy Services Specialist, he serves as the Energy Code Official for the City of Cedar Falls, promotes and develops energy efficiency programs, and provides energy auditing/consultation services to the Cedar Falls community.
Sarah J. Gardner, Climate Action Coordinator, City of Iowa City
Sarah J. Gardner is the Climate Action Coordinator for the City of Iowa City. An urban planner by training, Sarah has led projects focused on alternative energy, electric vehicle readiness, transit and active transportation, recycling, and climate preparedness for municipalities and counties in both Iowa and Illinois. She has authored many articles on climate resilience and is a dedicated advocate for creating communities that are healthy, equitable, and engaging places to live.
Amber Lindh-Porcaro, Program Manager, Franklin Energy
Amber Lindh-Porcaro is a Program Manager at Franklin Energy. For the past 8 years she has built, designed, managed, and consulted on 10 residential retail programs and has dabbled in small commercial, demand response, and trade ally management. In her free time she is attempting to read 40 books before her 40th birthday in November and trying to survive raising a three year old.
GT Karr, Owner, Sueppel's Building & Remodeling
Sueppel’s Building & Remodeling, founded in 1995, is a small, family-owned construction and remodeling company based in Iowa City. Second-generation owner GT Sueppel grew up around the business and now leads it with a passion for both quality craftsmanship and community connection. The third generation is already in the field, learning the ropes and carrying on the family tradition. GT is dedicated to introducing young people to the skilled trades, serving as the general contractor for the Iowa City Community School District’s Student Build program, where students work side by side with construction professionals to gain real-world experience building a house. He also teaches Intro to ACE classes at City High, guiding students as they explore architecture, construction, and engineering while opening doors to future careers in the trades.
Dustin Schneider, Principal Engineer at Resource Innovations
Dustin Schneider is a Principal Engineer at Resource Innovations, where he helps large energy users cost-effectively reduce energy impacts and drive long-term performance. Dustin has over 15 years of experience in Strategic Energy Management and optimizing systems including compressed air, industrial refrigeration, process heating and cooling, and building controls. He strives to make energy management more actionable by seeking energy awareness in everyday decisions.
Wesley Whited, Principal Consultant and Director of Program Design, DNV
Wesley Whited is a Principal Consultant and Director of Program Design at DNV. Mr. Whited leads a cross-functional team of engineers & consultants who design utility clean-tech programs around internet-enabled technologies. Mr. Whited is a recognized thought-leader in the field of Networked Lighting and IoT technologies and sits on technical committees for the Design Lights Consortium (DLC), and ANSI. He has published three papers in academic journals and has presented on behalf of DNV at multiple conferences, frequently speaking about integrating customer devices onto the electric grid to build Virtual Power Plants. He holds a BA from West Virginia University (WVU) and an MBA from Capital University. He lives outside Asheville, NC with his wife and two dogs.