UT Energy Week



UT Energy Week 2026

Andrejka Bernatova

Andrejka Bernatova

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Dynamix Corporation
Bio

Andrejka Bernatova is Founder, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of a publicly traded company, Dynamix Corporation (NASDAQ: DNMXU), focused on acquisitions in the energy, infrastructure, and power industries. She is a seasoned investor and operator who has raised over $35B globally across sectors spanning oil & gas, water, midstream, and clean power.

Earlier this year, Andrejka led the Dynamix team in a merger with The Ether Machine, an institutional-grade Ethereum investment vehicle, in an approximately $2 billion public debut. Prior to Dynamix, she held CFO roles at leading water and power infra firms like Goodnight Midstream and Enchanted Rock, served as CEO of ESGEN (which merged with Florida’s largest residential solar installer to form ZEO Energy), and held investing roles at Blackstone and Mubadala. She currently leads Dynamix Capital Partners, an energy and infrastructure-focused private investment platform.

Earlier in her career, Andrejka served as CFO of Enchanted Rock Energy, Goodnight Midstream, and Core Midstream (which she co-founded), and held finance leadership roles at PennTex Midstream Partners (NYSE: PTXP). She also worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, and held investment roles at The Blackstone Group, Mubadala / Masdar Clean Energy in the UAE, and the World Bank. Andrejka holds an A.B. in Government with a Citation in Spanish from Harvard University.


Michael Baldea

Michael Baldea

Professor, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, UT Austin
Chief Technology Officer, EPIXC
Bio

Michael Baldea is the Kenneth A. Kobe Professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, and a core faculty member in the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES) at The University of Texas at Austin. He serves as Chief Technology Officer for EPIXC, a DOE-sponsored Clean Energy Manufacturing Institute focused on process electrification and is the Editor in Chief of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, the oldest general chemical engineering journal in print. He obtained his Diploma and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from “Babes-Bolyai” University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining The University of Texas, he held an industrial research position with Praxair (now Linde) Technology Center in Tonawanda, NY. He has received several research and service awards, including the AIChE Institute Award for Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology, the Outstanding Young Researcher Award from the Computing and Systems Technology Division of AIChE, the NSF CAREER award, the Moncrief Grand Challenges Award, the ACS Doctoral New Investigator award, and the Model-Based Innovation Prize from Process Systems Enterprise (twice). He was also recognized with referee awards by the Journal of Process Control and Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. His research interests include the dynamics, optimization and control of process and energy systems, areas in which he has published three books and over 200 peer-reviewed journal and conference articles. Dr. Baldea served on the advisory boards of several commercial and non-profit entities.


Jason Cooper

Jason Cooper

Chief Executive Officer, Advanced Nuclear, GE Vernova Hitachi
Bio


Chris Crosby

Chris Crosby

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Compass Datacenters
Bio

After years of working at the intersection of tech and real estate development, Chris Crosby set out in 2011 to take a new approach to data center development. His vision was to focus on greenfield projects and deliver customizable, scalable, sustainable and low-cost data centers in an expedited time frame.

A testament to Chris’ bold vision and a solid culture centered around four core convictions from which the company has never wavered, Compass has grown at a remarkable rate. From completing its first 1.2 MW data center in 2012 to serving the campus-level hyperscale market with developments underway across the globe less than a decade later, Compass’ success is the result of Chris’ vision, a strong foundation and a talented team of innovative thinkers.

Beyond his role at Compass, Chris is dedicated to shaping the future of the industry’s workforce through education. He serves as a member of the SMU Lyle School of Engineering Datacenter Systems Engineering Advisory Board, where he was instrumental in developing the Master of Science in Datacenter Systems Engineering curriculum. The first degree of its kind in the United States, the interdisciplinary curriculum blends engineering, computer science, business management and finance to prepare students for leadership roles. Additionally, Chris launched the MEI Data Center Pathways Program at Texas State Technical College (TSTC) to bring more workers into the “new-collar” jobs created by the data center industry.

In 2025, Compass was recognized by the Financial Times as one of the Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies. Since 2020, it has consistently appeared on Inc. Magazine’s 5000 fastest-growing companies list. In 2024, the Dallas Business Journal named Compass among the Best Places to Work, a ranking determined by employee feedback. Additionally, in 2023, Chris was honored as EY’s Southwest Area Entrepreneur of The Year®. Under Chris’ leadership, Compass continues to drive industry-leading sustainability practices, making a lasting impact on the data center industry.


Rudy Garza

Rudy Garza

President & Chief Executive Officer, CPS Energy
Bio

Rudy D. Garza is the President & CEO of CPS Energy, the nation’s largest municipally owned electric and natural gas utility. He is the first Hispanic leader to hold the position. Rudy has more than 25 years of experience as a leader in the utility industry and has served in both the public and private sectors over the course of his career.

To deliver on CPS Energy’s mission to serve our community and in collaboration with his Board of Trustees, Rudy developed a strategic plan called Vision 2027, a roadmap to guide CPS Energy through the rapid transformation of the utility industry. As part of Vision 2027, Rudy and his leadership team increased the capacity of our power generation portfolio by 1,710 megawatts with the acquisition of natural gas plants in South Texas. This milestone acquisition marks CPS Energy’s growing role as a regional energy utility.

Rudy joined CPS Energy in 2012 and previously served as Chief Customer & Stakeholder Engagement Officer and as Senior Vice President of Distribution Service & Operations where he oversaw the maintenance and construction activity of the electric distribution system. He also served the company in the role of Vice President of External Relations.

Rudy has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Texas. He continues to serve his Austin alma mater as an Engineering Advisory Board member for the Cockrell School of Engineering and as a mentor through the Cockrell Advisory Mentoring Program (CAMP) where he enjoys connecting and guiding future engineering leaders.

Rudy is dedicated to public service and is actively engaged in his community through multiple board roles, including the Brooks Development Authority, greater: SATX, and the Large Public Power Council. Additionally, he and his wife Emily are Co-Chairs of the 2025 United Way of San Antonio & Bexar County Community Campaign.


 Marilu Hastings

Marilu Hastings

Executive Vice President, Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation
Chair, Energy Institute Advisory Board
Bio

Marilu Hastings is executive vice president of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation in Austin, Texas. Marilu also directs CGMF’s Mitchell Innovation Lab, a varied portfolio of breakthrough sustainability ideas and opportunities that the foundation develops and incubates. She launched the foundation’s most recent philanthropic venture, the Permian Energy Development Lab, a cross-sector consortium bringing advanced energy technology, workforce development, and economic development to enrich the world’s most important energy producing region. Marilu was raised in Midland, Texas.

Marilu is a member of the National Petroleum Council and co-chaired the Societal Impacts and Considerations chapter of the NPC’s most recent study, Charting the Course: Reducing GHG Emissions from the U.S. Natural Gas Supply Chain.

She is chair of the University of Texas’s Energy Institute Advisory Board, and a member of the Board of Visitors of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability, and a board member of the National Sustainability Society.

Marilu earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from Duke University, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.  


Jeff Hahn

Jeff Hahn

Principal, Hahn
Bio

Jeff Hahn is a 30-year crisis communications expert and the author of Breaking Bad News: Essential Tools For Crisis Communications, a practical guide for communicating in crisis and high-stakes moments.  

It’s not a stretch to say that Jeff’s crisis experience began at age 11. In November 1975, a tornado ripped through his family’s farm while he and his parents and siblings were sheltered in the cellar. After leaving the farm years later, he finished an enlistment in the U.S. Air Force, then earned a degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and eventually a master’s degree from Texas State University.  

His career has taken him from Lockheed Space Operations to 15 years at Motorola and 18 as a public relations and marketing agency owner. Hahn Marketing & PR specializes in serving brands that provide the essentials of life—energy, food, and health—by leveraging data science, creative strategy, and digital innovation to build trust and drive growth. 


Vish Kadakia

Vish Kadakia

Managing Director, Hahn Labs
Bio

Vishesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s in Data Science with a passion for natural language programming. Vishesh works on creating custom NLP solutions for our clients, along with creating internal automation tools that can be used across all clients. Vishesh also has a knack for automation and continually assists our data analysts with creating, optimizing, and automating dashboards.

In addition, Vishesh holds certifications in Tableau, Power BI, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Adobe Analytics.


Carey W. King

Carey King

Assistant Director, Research Scientist, Energy Institute, UT Austin
Bio

Dr. Carey W. King performs interdisciplinary research related to how energy systems interact within the economy and environment as well as how our policy and social systems can make decisions and tradeoffs among these often competing factors. The past performance of our energy systems is no guarantee of future returns, yet we must understand the development of past energy systems. Dr. King’s research goals center on rigorous interpretations of the past to determine the most probable future energy pathways.

Dr. King is a Research Scientist at The University of Texas at Austin and Assistant Director at the Energy Institute. He also has appointments with the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy within the Jackson School of Geosciences and the McCombs School of Business. He has both a BS with high honors and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. He has published technical articles in the academic journals Environmental Science and TechnologyEnvironmental Research LettersNature GeoscienceEnergy PolicySustainability, and Ecology and Society. He has also written commentary for American Scientist and Earth magazines as well as major newspapers such as The Dallas Morning NewsHouston Chronicle, and Austin American-Statesman. Dr. King has several patents as former Director for Scientific Research of Uni-Pixel Displays, Inc.


Brian Korgel

Brian Korgel

Director, Energy Institute, UT Austin
Rashid Engineering Regents Chair Professor, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, UT Austin
Bio

Brian A. Korgel is the Rashid Engineering Regents Chair Professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and director of UT’s Energy Institute. He directs the Center for a Solar Powered Future (SPF2050)—an Industry/University Research Center (IUCRC) funded by the National Science Foundation—and the Clean Energies area area in the UT|Portugal program. He works on nano & mesoscopic materials chemistry and complex fluids, tackling problems in energy storage, chemical transformations, energy harvesting and conversion, and medicine. He is also an artist exploring collaborative frameworks, language and human-artificial intelligence/robot cohabitation, with a courtesy appointment as Professor in Art & Art History. He has published more than 300 papers, co-founded two companies, Innovalight and Piñon Technologies, and received various honors including the Professional Progress Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and election into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).   


Marek Locmelis

Marek Locmelis

Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences & Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, UT Austin
Bio

Marek Locmelis is an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is an economic geologist who focuses on critical mineral exploration, helping mining companies to improve metal recovery from existing production streams, and strengthening the critical mineral workforce. Dr. Locmelis specializes in critical minerals that are important for the energy transition, such as nickel, cobalt, and the rare earth elements, as well as sustainable and ethical approaches to mining. He is a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologist and the Chair of the North American Workshop Series on Critical Mineral Research, Development and Education that is held biannually in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Locmelis holds a Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and BSc and MSc degrees from Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany. He joined UT Austin in 2024 from Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T) where he worked as an Assistant and then Associate Professor from 2016 to 2024. Before Missouri S&T, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Western Australia.


Gabriel Rio

Gabriel Rio

President & Chief Executive Officer, Milestone Environmental
Bio

Gabriel has over a decade of experience in the oil and gas environmental services industry. He is currently the President and CEO of Milestone Environmental. In 2025 he was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Gulf South Region. 

Prior to leading Milestone, Gabriel worked as an Operating Partner with Intervale Capital, now known as Amberjack Capital, an industrial and infrastructure services focused private equity firm, which became a key investor in Milestone. He was previously the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for R360 Environmental Solutions, Inc., a national provider of environmental services to the E&P industry. At R360, Gabriel orchestrated the strategy and mergers and acquisitions work which led to the formation and rapid growth of the company through its sale in 2012 to Waste Connections. 

Prior to R360’s formation in 2010, he was an investment professional with Three Cities Research, Inc., a mid-market private equity firm, where he was principally responsible for US Liquids of LA, LP, a regional oilfield waste treatment and disposal provider in Louisiana and Texas. Earlier in his career, Gabriel worked as an Associate Equity Research Analyst covering the global chemical industry at UBS Investment Bank, as a Petroleum Practice Fellow with McKinsey & Company, a global strategy consultancy, and as an Associate at Purvin & Gertz, a Houston-based oil and gas consultancy. Gabriel holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Gabriel lives in Houston with his wife Mona, with whom he shares two daughters. He also is an elected member of the Advisory Board of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council (EWTC) and the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) Board of Directors. 


Destin Singleton

Destin Singleton

Vice President, Energy & Power, Hahn Labs
Bio

Destin leads Hahn’s work with clients across oil and gas, utilities, and critical infrastructure, helping organizations communicate with clarity and confidence during moments of high-stakes change, transformation, and crisis. Destin brings more than 25 years of experience in strategic communications, with deep expertise in M&A integration, crisis response, system implementations, and reputation recovery. Her work is grounded in hands-on leadership roles inside complex global organizations. Prior to joining Hahn, Destin was the founder and principal consultant at Emic Communications, where she spent six years advising executives, boards, and communications teams through major transitions. Before that, she served as Director of External Communications at Marathon Petroleum Corporation, where she led enterprise reputation management, crisis strategy, and supported C-suite leaders during large-scale M&A activity and brand transformation.


Andy Uhler

Andy Uhler

Energy Reporter in Residence, Energy Institute, UT Austin
Bio

Andy Uhler is an award-winning public radio correspondent and host of Phases and Stages: The Texas Energy Story. He’s a journalism fellow through a partnership between UT’s Energy Institute and Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. He started his journalism career as an undergraduate at KUT, the University of Texas at Austin NPR affiliate. He transitioned to music journalism in 2006, becoming the senior producer of Texas Music Matters. After completing a Master’s degree in global policy studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in 2014, he returned to KUT to help launch the Texas Standard. The following year, he took a job as a sustainability reporter at American Public Media’s Marketplace, where he remained until accepting his current role as a fellow. 


Eric Webber

Eric Webber

Assistant Professor, Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations, Moody College of Communication, UT Austin
Bio

Eric began his advertising career at GSD&M in 1981 while in the Ad School at UT. He returned to the agency in 1998 to serve as VP/Communications Director. In this role, he managed all internal and external communications and was a key member of the New Business team. In 2008, he joined McGarrah Jessee to create a Public Relations and Social Media practice within the agency. During his decade-long tenure there, he also acted as the PR Director for the Spoetzl Brewery, makers of Shiner Beers.

In 2018, Eric transitioned into teaching and freelancing, collaborating with ad agencies and maintaining a small client roster that spans from law firms to Kenyan wildlife conservancies. An expert in brand reputation management, he produces a wide range of content and counsel for his clients. Throughout his career, he has worked with iconic brands such as, Southwest Airlines, YETI, AT&T and Wal-mart, plus a long list of small brands and startups.

On the academic side, Eric is an Assistant Professor in UT’s Moody College of Communications, teaching the capstone courses in the School of Advertising and Public Relations. He is currently a holder of the Richards Fellowship in Creativity.

A native New Mexican raised in an Air Force family, Eric is also a sometimes travel writer and photographer whose work has appeared in the London Telegraph and the New York Daily News, and he was featured in the 2025 travel anthology, Tales from the Runway. Outside of his professional life, Eric is married to the lovely Amber Green. He’s an avid tennis player and a geek-level soccer fan, devotedly supporting Tottenham Hotspur.