Session 1: Hey Alexa...What Do I Do With All This System Data? Processing And Securing the Data Provided by Our Systems

Frank A. Cuomo is the Director of Commodity Operations at Con Edison, where he oversees a substantial annual portfolio of approximately $500 million. He began his engineering career in the consulting industry before joining Con Edison in 2011. Over the years, he has held various positions within Con Edison Steam Operations, including project manager and general manager. Frank is a NYS Licensed Professional Engineer, a graduate of Manhattan College School of Engineering, and holds an MBA from the Baruch Zicklin School of Business. He has also served as an adjunct professor at NYU Shack Institute of Real Estate.

Frank's expertise lies in customer energy use and system design. He has collaborated with numerous customers, stakeholders, and industry partners to explore paths towards a Clean Energy Future. Notably, he led the Future of Renewable Steam Team (FIRST), a company initiative focused on decarbonization efforts.

As a subject matter expert in Steam Operations and customer building systems, Frank is known for his ability to cultivate positive relationships with stakeholders and communicate complex business topics effectively. He has also served as Incident Commander during large-scale emergency events.

In his current role, Frank ensures the seamless procurement and scheduling of energy commodities, maintaining 24/7 operations to meet customer energy demands. His strategies in gas planning and regulatory proceedings reflect his competencies in networking, customer energy systems, and overall energy distribution, essential for steering the company towards a sustainable future

Joseph “Joe” Flores serves as the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Advisor (CSA) for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
CISA is an Agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that maintains 10 regional offices around the country.

CISA CSAs champion cyber resilience through partnership engagement, consultation and cybersecurity assessments with the public sector and private companies that support the 16 critical infrastructure (CI) sectors. Currently, and for the past ten years, Joe has also been a member of the Air National Guard serving in both the National Capital Region and in New England. Joe has held previous positions as a Cyber Surety Technician and is currently a Cyber Warfare Operator (threat hunter) with the 102nd Cyberwarfare Squadron in Rhode Island.
Before moving over to the cyber advisor program, Joe served as the CISA New England Regional Protective Security Advisor. In this role, Joe worked across New England and in collaboration with the various Sector Risk Management Agencies to deliver support and assistance to CI sector partners through training, assessments, and security subject matter expertise.

Before joining DHS, Joe started his path into a federal career by working as an analyst with the Department of the Navy and as a Security Specialist with the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. In this role Joe was able to train Diplomatic Security Special Agents and contractors and supported the United Nation’s General Assembly in New York for three years as a coordinator for military special operations teams.

Joe received a Professional Leadership Certificate from American University, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Organizational Leadership from Johnson & Wales University and a Professional Science Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity from the University of Rhode Island. Joe holds ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst + (CySA+) certifications.

A seasoned engineering professional with extensive experience in the district energy and electric generation industry over the past 25 years, Don Silvia serves as Regional Vice President of Northeast Operations at Vicinity Energy. With a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Don is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and a Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP) through the Association of Energy Engineers. Additionally, he holds a First Class Stationary Engineer license from the State of Maine.
As Regional Vice President of Northeast Operations, Don manages Vicinity's district energy operations in both Cambridge and Boston, including the implementation of Vicinities electrification efforts in Boston and Cambridge.

Jacob Graff currently serves as the President for Cordia in the North and West Regions. He has ascended through the ranks since joining Cordia in 2018 as a Production Manager, showcasing his leadership and expertise. Previously, he worked at Xcel Energy, progressing from an Engineering Intern to a Principal Engineer.

In his current role, Jacob oversees sales and operations for Cordia's business units in Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego, Tempe, and Tucson.

Jacob holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Minnesota since 2016.