Welcome to the 8th Annual tecBRIDGE Innovation Conference! This year our topic is Energy.
We are hosting our one-day event on Thursday, August 13th at the Luzerne County Community College Education Conference Center in Nanticoke.
Our opening Keynote speaker will be Luke Bernstein, President and CEO of the PA Chamber of Commerce (and Conyngham native). In addition to Luke’s open remarks, our Conference will feature over twenty (20) local subject matter experts presenting in Academic and Private Sector breakout sessions and our afternoon panel discussion on “Energy as an Economic Driver in NEPA”.
Please contact Executive Director Don Webster at dwebster@tecbridgepa.org with any questions.
P.S. Want to see presentations from last year’s Conference on Artificial Intelligence? Visit here
2025 Conference Highlights
Who Should Attend?
- Educators, Entrepreneurs, Students, and Life-Long Learners
- Technology Professionals and Industry Leaders
- Economic Development Professionals and Investors
- Those Looking for Talent, Those Looking to Share Talent
What You Will Learn
- Leading research activities taking place in our colleges and universities.
- Innovative business development work taking place in the region.
Lunch Keynote
Adam Walters
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
Academic Track
Sponsored by Site2
Energy Growth for Whom? Measuring Household Energy Insecurity for Inclusive Economic Development
Dr. Farah Mneimneh
Alvernia University
High Education’s Role in Energy and Defense Workforce
Dr. Erica Barone-Pricci
Lackawanna College
Industry Partnerships for Transforming Energy-Intensive Cement into Low-Carbon Infrastructure
Dr. Kushal Adhikari, Assistant Professor
Alvernia University
Keeping the Lights On: Building Pennsylvania's Energy Workforce One Student at a Time
Dr. Todd A. Shawver, Dean-College of Business
Misericordia University
From Classroom to Industry: Solving Engineering Challenges Through Simulation, Design, and Collaboration
Dr. Farhang Daneshmand, Assistant Professor
Penn State Scranton
Enabling our Energy Transition with Quantum Science
Dr. Del Lucent
Wilkes University
Private Sector Track
Sponsored by The IGNITE Program of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
Watt’s Next? The Evolution of Power Semiconductors in Data Centers
John Butchko, Manager of New Product Development
onsemi
Maintenance You Can Measure: How IoT machine-health monitoring turns preventive maintenance into real energy and cost savings
Erin Connelly, Industrial Systems Engineer
Brentwood Industries
Pipeline Innovations: Worldwide Customer Solutions, NEPA Talent
Jason Bone and Sandon Birch
Galaxy Manufacturing
More Than Clean Energy - We’re Energy That Cleans
Bill Smith, Founder & CEO
Firepoint Energy
Drone Seeding: Innovation Above, Impact Below
Andrew Verda, Founder & CEO
Alto Cirra
NEPA Coal: The New Old Innovation
Ed Greenwald, Jr. and Paul Spurgeon
Eavenson, Auchmuty & Greenwald
Hemp Building Solutions as an Energy Strategy
Cameron McIntosh, Owner & Founder
Americhanvre Cast Hemp
Panel Discussion
Energy as an Economic Driver in NEPA
Panel Moderator
George Stark
Public affairs strategist - Experience in government relations, communications, and community engagement
Jill Murray, Ph.D. | Lackawanna College
Jill Murray, Ph.D., became the ninth president of Lackawanna College on July 1, 2020. She is proud to be the first woman to hold the office of president at Lackawanna.
Dr. Murray brings a breadth of experience to her presidency. She previously served as the College’s Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer. From 2008 to 2012, Murray worked as the College’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, where she was responsible for developing and overseeing all of Lackawanna’s academic curricula. She is the catalyst behind Lackawanna College’s National Champions esports program and assisted with the formation of the Level Up program which earned the college recognition as one of The World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2021 by Fast Company.
The Chronicle of Higher Education also recognized Lackawanna College as one of the fastest growing colleges in 2021. In addition to dramatically increasing the student population, Murray has helped improve student retention and graduation rates, expand online learning options, and led the creation of innovative and relevant academic programming and support services, as well as implemented and championed a robust strategic planning process. Murray also lead Lackawanna’s partnership with AACOM and local community health organization to establish a first of its kind clinical education consortium in addition to the innovative merger with Peirce College which, upon completion, will solidify Lackawanna as the largest open enrollment private, nonprofit institution in Pennsylvania. She was named one of The Top 25 Women Chief Innovation Officers of 2024.
Murray holds a bachelor’s of arts in philosophy (University of Scranton, 1989), a master’s of arts in philosophy (SUNY at Albany, 1991) and a Ph.D. in Human Development (Marywood University, 2006). She is a lifelong resident of Scranton, Pa., and a graduate of Scranton Central High School, which now serves as Lackawanna’s main academic building, Angeli Hall.
President Murray is active in our regional community and has received numerous professional and civic accolades.
Ryan Aument | State Director, US Senator Dave McCormick
David Taylor | President and CEO, PA Manufacturers’ Association
David N. Taylor is President & CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, the statewide trade organization representing the $110 billion manufacturing sector in Pennsylvania’s public policy process. Now in his 28th year with PMA, Taylor is the association’s chief spokesman at the state Capitol in Harrisburg and in the media. He is editor of the PMA Bulletin and host of the statewide television program “PMA Perspective” on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
A frequently sought guest and commentator, David is also the host of “Capitol Watch”, a twice-monthly news and commentary program on “Lincoln Radio Journal”, which is heard on more than 90 radio stations across Pennsylvania.
David is chairman of the Pennsylvania Leadership Council and serves on the boards of directors of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, the Pennsylvania Steel Alliance, the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education, the Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), and the Lincoln Institute for Public Opinion Research. He is a past chairman of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform and has completed his term on the executive committee of the Conference of State Manufacturing Associations (COSMA).
David was a member of Governor Tom Corbett’s Manufacturing Advisory Council and Attorney General Dave Sunday’s transition team. He is school board president of Reach Cyber Charter School, an online public school providing a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) enrichment for students.
Prior to joining PMA, David worked in the United States Senate and the Senate of Pennsylvania.
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