Call for Papers

You will need to sign into Oxford Abstracts to submit your abstract. First-time users will need to create an account.

Paige Carter
Chief Business Development Officer
Louisiana Economic Development (LED)

As Chief Business Development Officer at Louisiana Economic Development (LED), Paige Carter is responsible for leading and expanding LED’s business development, expansion, and retention activities to drive economic growth and prosperity across Louisiana. She has previously served as Executive Director of Industry Engagement at the LSU Foundation—helping to secure historic philanthropic and corporate investments in the university—as well as Director of Business Development during a prior stint at LED. She has been recognized for her contributions to development with an Area Development Silver Shovel award, named to the Baton Rouge Business Report’s 40 Under Forty, and awarded Employee of the Year while at the LSU Foundation in 2022. Carter is also a member of the board of directors at the Junior League of Baton Rouge. She holds an M.B.A. from LSU Shreveport and a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University.

Dustin Davidson
Deputy Secretary
Louisiana Deparment of Energy and Natural Resources

Dustin H. Davidson currently serves as the Deputy Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources, where he leads initiatives to drive sustainable energy solutions and manage natural resources effectively across the state. His role focuses on advancing Louisiana’s energy strategy, promoting environmental stewardship, and overseeing regulatory frameworks that ensure resource efficiency and resilience. Before joining the department, Dustin advocated for an advanced inland waterways and ports system at the Waterways Council, Inc. His career in public service includes work as a professional staff member on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and as a legislative assistant to Congressman Garret Graves, contributing to legislation in energy revenue-sharing, conservation, and ecosystem protection. Earlier, he was a legislative correspondent for U.S. Senator David Vitter and held a staff position on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Davidson holds a B.A. from Tulane University.

Michael DiResto
Director
LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs

Michael DiResto is Director of LSU’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs. Before his current position, he served as Executive Vice President of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber after being promoted from Senior Vice President for Economic Competitiveness, overseeing the organization’s public policy, research, and advocacy efforts. He also worked as Assistant Commissioner for Policy and Communication in the Louisiana State Government’s Division of Administration, and before that as Communications Director for then-Congressman Richard Baker (LA-6). DiResto volunteers as President of the board for the University Hills Civic Association and as a member of the Forum 225 Advisory Council. He holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in English from the University of Dallas and pursued doctoral studies in English (ABD) at LSU with a goal of becoming an English professor before being lured away to a career in public affairs.

Tyler Gray
Secretary
Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources

Tyler Gray is the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR). Prior to this role, he has served as Corporate Secretary to Placid Refining Co., LLC, president and general counsel to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, an attorney to the Office of Conservation within DENR, and for the City of New Orleans. Gray received his B.A. in Economics from James Madison University in Virginia, a J.D. from Loyola University in New Orleans, and an M.B.A. with a specialization in Economics from LSU; he is licensed to practice law in Louisiana.

Bob Hensgens
Senator

District 26

Bob Hensgens is the State Senator for District 26, composed of Vermilion Parish and portions of Acadia, Lafayette, and St. Landry Parishes. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and is also a committee member on Senate Health and Welfare, Senate Retirement, Senate Environmental Quality, and the Select Committee on Coastal Restoration and Flood Protection. He is a member of the Louisiana Republican Legislative Delegation. Before his election to the Senate in 2018, Senator Hensgens was mayor of Gueydan and then a State Representative, serving as vice chairman of the House Committee on Health and Welfare. Additionally, he built his own successful healthcare management business. Senator Hensgens earned a B.B.A. degree from ULL.

Brad Ives
Executive Director
Institute of Energy Innovation

Brad Ives is the Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Innovation at LSU. Prior to joining the university in 2023, Mr. Ives led Catawba College to become the first certified carbon-neutral college in the Southeast as Executive Director of its Center for the Environment. He also served as Chief Sustainability Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor at the University of North Carolina and as North Carolina’s Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources where he drove policy resulting in the state’s first wind farm. Earlier in his career, Ives worked on Louisiana’s only hydroelectric plant, at an early clean technology venture capital fund, and on developing a landfill gas project to supply ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Polyolefins Plant. He was also the recipient of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association’s Individual Energy Leader Award. Ives received his B.A. and Law degrees from the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Michael Mazolla
Executive Director
Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL)

Dr. Michael S. Mazzola is currently the executive director of FUEL (Future Use of Energy in Louisiana), a National Science Foundation innovation engine led by LSU’s Office of Innovation and Ecosystem Development. Previously, Dr. Mazzola was the executive director of the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and the Duke Energy Distinguished Chair of Power Engineering Systems. Before that, he served as associate director for advanced vehicle systems at the Mississippi State University Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. As a tenured professor of electrical and computer engineering, Dr. Mazzola led research in high-voltage engineering, power systems modeling and simulation, the application of silicon carbide semiconductor devices in power electronics, and the control of hybrid electric vehicle power trains. While at MSU, he cofounded SemiSouth Laboratories, a company that commercialized intellectual property originating from his research at the university.

Dr. Greg Upton
Executive Director & Associate Professor - Research
LSU Center for Energy Studies

Dr. Greg Upton is Executive Director and Associate Research Professor at LSU’s Center for Energy Studies. His research interests are related to the analysis of economic, environmental and public policy issues in the energy industry. During his tenure at LSU, he has addressed topical energy issues of significance to Louisiana, including state mineral taxes, solar tax credits, and net metering policies, the impact of the oil price collapse on Louisiana’s budgetary challenges, and implications of the crude oil export ban’s lifting on the Louisiana economy, among others. He has presented research to more than 200 industry, governmental, and academic audiences, and has been quoted or cited over 250 times in local and national media, including the Wall Street Journal and NPR’s Marketplace. Dr. Upton holds a Ph.D. in economics from LSU, where he also received both an M.S. and B.S. in economics.