Course Presenters
Chris McLindon
Director of Energy Education & Outreach
LSU Center for Energy Studies
As Director of Energy Education and Outreach at the Center, Chris oversees the development and implementation of educational programs aimed at preparing the next generation of energy leaders. He also engages with key stakeholders, including policymakers, industry professionals and the general public to promote awareness and understanding of key energy issues.
Chris worked for four decades as a geologist in the upstream oil and gas industry, and more recently as a geologist in the carbon capture and storage industry. The latter experience included the exploration and development of new sites for CO2 sequestration in Louisiana and Texas, the development of geological models for CO2 injection simulation, and geological site characterization for Class VI permit applications for CCS projects in Louisiana and Texas.
D. Andrew Owens
Research Fellow
LSU Center for Energy Studies
Andrew retired from Entergy at the end of 2023 as Director, Regulatory Research & Strategy, after having spent 25+ years in several roles, including a stint in the deregulated retail electricity market in Texas. Most of his Entergy career was focused on regulatory and policy matters. From 2015-2023, he led a team responsible for providing support and strategy to Entergy’s five public utilities on various regulatory matters and policy issues related to ratemaking and emerging technologies, including smart grid, energy efficiency and demand response, distributed energy resources, renewables, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, and energy storage. From 1991 to 1996, he worked in environmental consulting and focused on federal and state air pollution issues, policies, modeling simulations, and permitting. He earned a B.S. in chemical engineering with distinction from Iowa State in 1991 and received an M.S. in management (MBA) from Georgia Tech in 1998. He is a registered P.E. in Georgia and a licensed CPA in Louisiana.
Amanda McLinton
Assistant Secretary
Department of Energy and Natural Rersources, Office of Energy
Amanda currently serves as the Assistant Secretary in the Office of Energy at the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources, a position held since May 2023. Prior to this role, Amanda worked as a Business Analytics Specialist at the Louisiana Office of State Procurement from August 2021 to May 2023. Amanda's experience in benefits management includes roles at the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System, and at the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana, serving as a Benefits Analyst/Supervisor. Amanda earned a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Louisiana State University.
Brandon Fray
Executive Secretary
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Brandon is the executive secretary of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He is the principal administrator and coordinator of all operations of the Public Service Commission except those performed in District Offices which are under the supervision of the individual Commissioner. The executive secretary acts on behalf of the Commission and is responsible for supplying the Commissioners, the public and the media with requested data. Brandon holds a Law degree from LSU.
Garrett Graves
Former Louisiana Congressman
Garrett served as the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 6th congressional district from 2015 to 2025
Graves's early career included roles as a legislative aide to U.S. Representatives Billy Tauzin and John Breaux, as well as positions on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He also served as staff director of the Senate Subcommittee on Climate Change and Impacts. Graves holds degrees from the University of Alabama, Louisiana Tech University, and American University.
Dr. Greg Upton
Executive Director & Associate Professor - Research
LSU Center for Energy Studies
Dr. Greg Upton's 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 150 industry, governmental, and academic audiences, and has been quoted or cited approximately 150 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. in economics and a B.S. in economics with a concentration in empirical analysis.
Dr. Anurag Mandalika
Assistance Professor
LSU Center for Energy Studies
Dr. Mandalika is Assistant Professor - Research at the Center for Energy Studies. His research interests include biomass and bioenergy, biofuels, waste reduction and valorization, emissions measurement, and carbon dioxide removal. He has studied the production of the platform chemicals furfural and furfuryl alcohol in high yield from a variety of biomass sources using novel, green chemistry principles, evaluated the application of membranes for separations in biomass processing and conversion, and studied the removal of arsenic from water using adsorbents prepared from waste biomass sources. He holds a B.S. in biosystems engineering from Clemson with a minor in environmental engineering, and M.S. and Ph.D. in biological systems engineering with a minor in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Registration
Register for June 23-27 Here
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Speakers
Agenda
Dalton J. Woods Auditorium
Energy, Coast & Environment Bldg
93 S. Quad Drive
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70802