2022 Officers
Joe LoGrasso is President of JL Energy Advisors LLC. He has held executive leadership positions in areas of Battery R&D, Engineering, and Product Strategy at Polaris Industries, FCA/Stellantis, General Motors, and XALT Energy. Joe has 40 years of engineering experience in advanced product technology development, advanced manufacturing, and electrification commercialization including hybrid and electric vehicle battery energy storage and charging systems.
As Business Development Manager for Amphenol Advanced Sensors, Brian Engle is responsible for developing new technologies and partnerships to address emerging sensor needs across various industries.
David is the Chief Executive Officer of Cirba Solutions. His impressive, over 25-year career is in research & development, operations, commercial, and strategic leadership roles across numerous innovative industries, including the global lithium business, energy storage, and several specialty materials industries. While working at Piedmont Lithium, Albemarle, and Dow Chemical he had expansive assignments in Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and China, that brought out his passion for travel and culture. He is a Chemical Engineer with an Executive MBA in Global Management, and focuses on safety, operations, talent development, and innovation.
Dr. Stan Whittingham is a key figure in the history of the development of lithium batteries and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in 2019. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering at SUNY Binghamton, where he serves as Director of both the Institute for Materials Research and the Materials Science and Engineering program.
Bob Galyen is the President of Galyen Energy and the retired Chief Technical Officer of CATL, the largest lithium-ion battery manufacturing company in the world, where he was employee #2. Bob is the Chairman of the SAE International Battery Standards Steering Committee and serves as Liaison to the MVC and China Automotive Advisory Councils for SAE International. He has worked for four decades in the battery industry and serves on the boards of multiple corporations and not-for-profit associations in the United States.
Jeff Yambrick is the International Business Development Director for Great Wall Motor’s Battery Business Unit known as SVOLT. Jeff is on several SAE International Battery Standards committees and has served in leadership positions at Xalt Energy and Magna eCar / Steyr Battery Systems.
Renata Arsenault is a Technical Expert, Advanced Battery Recycling at the Ford Motor Company, where she has been interfacing closely with battery suppliers and recyclers since 2006. She also works with USABC where she manages numerous development programs.
Joern Tinnemeyer is Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of EnerSys, where he is responsible for global engineering, technology development, quality and operations engineering. Joern studied applied mathematics and electrical engineering at the University of Toronto and holds a MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering. He is chairman of the SAE Battery Management Committee developing international standards for the automotive industry.
Dr. John Warner is the Chief Customer Officer of American Battery Solutions. He is the author of “The Handbook of Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Design: Chemistry, Components, Types and Terminology” and “Lithium-Ion Battery Packs for EVs”. John previously held leadership positions at Xalt Energy, Ener1/EnerDel, Magna Steyr Fuel & Battery Systems and Boston-Power.
Dr. Davion Hill is an experienced energy R&D consultant, serving as Principal Investigator on ARPA-e, NYSERDA, and the California Energy Commission technical R&D programs related to battery energy storage performance and safety. Dr. Hill has spearheaded efforts to qualify and test battery systems for maritime hybrid vessels and offshore battery applications. Dr. Hill has led, chaired, or participated in multiple panels on the topics of battery safety with NYBEST, NAATBatt, and ESA. He is has authored 30+ peer reviewed publications and articles.
Fred Lee is an International Strategic Advisor with 35 years of experience in technical leadership and international business development across various sectors in the US and Asia Pacific. He advises multiple international organizations, building strong partnerships in the battery technology sector. Mr. Lee serves as the Co-chair of the OnShoring Technology Committee at NAATBatt International, the North American battery industry association, and is the CEO of KTON LLC, a network of EV and Li-Ion Battery experts across the Pacific supporting the US electrification and energy industry. Additionally, he is the CEO & Founding Partner of Pacific Tango Group LLC, a KPO organization assisting Asia Pacific-originated companies in business development and onshoring in the USA.
Randy A. Moore is the President of ZAF Energy Systems, a developer of Nickel Zinc and Zinc Air batteries. He previously served as President of EaglePicher Technologies. Prior to EaglePicher, Mr. Moore served as Executive VP/GM of Kollsman, Inc. and Vice President and General Manager of Kaman Aerostructures & PlasticFab, Inc. Mr. Moore served in the United States Air retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Mr. Moore received an MBA from SIUE and a BA degree from TLU.
Zachary Kuznar works in the Renewable Generation Development Group at Duke Energy. In this role he focuses on business case development and regulatory initiatives for Distributed Generation in Duke Energy’s regulated service territory (CHP, Energy Storage, Micro-Grids). Zak holds an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Yale University.
Stephen L. Vechy is the Director of Marketing-Critical Power Division of Concentric. He previously served as Senior Director, Global Product Portfolio Management at EnerSys and Chairman of the BCI Industrial Battery and Charger committee. Steve holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, and an MBA in Management from Lewis University.
Katharina is the Customer Engagement Lead for the Battery Vertical at Siemens DISW. With her 15+ years of experience in the battery industry ranging from the direct lithium extraction to dry battery electrode process, her mission is to bring value to the wide range of battery companies. In addition to her role at Siemens, Katharina is a Co-chair of the “Electrode Materials Committee” at NAATBatt International and an advocate for the U.S. Battery Machine Builders Coalition.
Dr. James Trevey is the VP Engineering of Forge Nano, a leading company in nano-coating technology specializing in Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Dr. Trevey has a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder and is an expert in electrochemistry. He is responsible for leading new technology research and development, as well as scale-up and new systems implementation at Forge Nano.
Jim Greenberger has served as Executive Director of NAATBatt International since co-founding the organization in 2008. He was previously a partner in the Chicago office of the law firm of Reed Smith LLP, where he his practice concentrated in commercial finance, venture capital and cleantech. He received his B.A. from Haverford College and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
John Platt is a partner at the law firm of Snell & Wilmer and a proud member of NAATBatt. He advises and represents clients with intellectual property strategies, audits, contracts, due diligence and litigation. John also handles licensing agreements and patent and trademark prosecutions.
John’s patent practice involves Alternative Energy Technologies, using his dual degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering to assist his clients with protecting their intellectual property. He has prosecuted patents in solar, wind, micro-grid, hybrid vehicle electric motors, generation, power regulation and energy storage.
John’s patent practice involves Alternative Energy Technologies, using his dual degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering to assist his clients with protecting their intellectual property. He has prosecuted patents in solar, wind, micro-grid, hybrid vehicle electric motors, generation, power regulation and energy storage.
Paula Szyper served as Director of Meetings at NAATBatt for eight years before being promoted to Director of Member Services. Paula has worked for more than 15 years in the meetings management business for companies ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups. She is a certified project manager having received her PMP in 2015. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Saint Xavier University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
This is Vivian Yu’s 6th year editing the NAATBatt Weekly. She has been a proud owner of the all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV since 2012, racking up over 56,000 miles to date. Vivian is a CPA. She received her B.S. degree in Accounting and International Business from New York University .