PA Nuclear Summit Agenda
Registration for this event has closed
Friday, October 3, 2025
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Acrisure Stadium | UPMC Club | Pittsburgh, PA
8:30 – Registration and Breakfast
9:00 – Opening Remarks by Stefani Pashman (Allegheny Conference on Community Development) and Darrin Kelly (Allegheny-Fayette Labor Council)
9:15 – Morning Keynote: The Essential Role for Advanced Nuclear for Energy Future, featuring Jacques Besnainou, Executive Vice President, Global Markets and Chief Commercial Officer, Westinghouse
9:30 – Industry Perspectives: Readiness of Advanced Nuclear Technology and Opportunities for Manufacturing and Supply Chains
- Moderator: Alison Hahn, Nuclear Energy Institute
- Tim Mediate, Global Project Procurement Director, Westinghouse
- Sandeep Dudhwewala, SVP of Corporate Strategy, Vistra
- Robert Visalli, CEO & Chairman, Kerotest
- Brian Hoover, President, North American Forge Masters
11:00 – Policy perspectives: Overcoming Siting, Policy and Regulatory Challenges to Build New Nuclear in PA
- Moderator: Christine King, GAIN, Idaho National Lab
- Femi Omitaomu, Ph.D., Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Representative Robert F. Matzie, PA House of Representatives, Nuclear Caucus Co-chair
- Zachary Koshgarian, Nuclear Innovation Alliance
- Rob Bair, PA State Building and Construction Trades
12:00 – Lunch
1:00 – Market perspectives: Staying on Time and On Budget: Managing Financial Risk to Deployment of Advanced Nuclear Reactors
- Moderator: Franz Litz, Litz Energy Strategies
- Chris Lohse, Idaho National Laboratory
- Sola Talabi, Ph.D., Pittsburgh Technical
2:00 – Coffee Break
2:30 – Workforce Perspective: Readying the Workforce for New Nuclear
- Moderator: Gabriella Gonzalez, Ph.D., RK Mellon Foundation
- Sola Talabi, Ph.D., Pittsburgh Technical
- Rachel Hienz, IBEW Local 5
- Colby Hall, SOAR Kentucky
- Douglas E. Wolfe, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
3:30 – Looking Ahead: Making Advanced Nuclear Reality in Pennsylvania through Public-Private Collaboration
Closing remarks on future actions by Vera Krekanova (Allegheny Conference on Community Development) and John Walliser (Pennsylvania Environmental Council)
