The Lineup
Speakers
Manufacturing executives, policy leaders, and subject-matter experts joining us at Stonewall Resort for candid conversations about West Virginia's industrial future.
- Title: Speaker of the House
- Company: West Virginia Legislature
West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw, elected in 2014, practices law, concentrating on environmental and technical issues in business transactions as well as regulatory compliance. He was selected as the 58th Speaker of the House in 2018.
Speaker Hanshaw earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Notre Dame and attended West Virginia University for his undergraduate and law degrees. He is one of about 250 certifiedprofessional parliamentarians in the U.S., regularly counseling government bodies and nonprofits and he has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America. He serves on the West Virginia Farm Bureau and Clay County Business Development Authority boards and volunteers for the West Virginia FFA. He and his wife have two daughters.
- Title: Senior Advisor
- Company: FirstEnergy
Abby Reale is a government and external affairs professional with more than 15 years of experience across the energy and healthcare industries. Her background includes operations, public policy, regulatory strategy, and government affairs, with extensive experience representing Fortune 500 companies and major organizations.
Throughout her career, Abby has worked closely with executive leadership, policymakers, regulators, and industry partners to navigate complex policy and regulatory environments, build strategic relationships, and advance initiatives that support long-term organizational goals and community priorities.
- Title: Steven Adams
- Company: Ogden Newspapers
Steven Allen Adams is a West Virginia state government reporter for Ogden Newspapers, covering state politics and government for The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register, The Weirton Daily Times, The Dominion Post in Morgantown, The Inter-Mountain in Elkins, The Journal in Martinsburg, and other Ogden publications across the state.
An award-winning journalist, Adams has received multiple West Virginia Press Association honors since 2018, including first place for Best News Feature Writing (2021), Best Breaking News Coverage (2023), and Best News Columnist (2024). He is also a two-time recipient of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association’s Spot News Coverage Award (2006 and 2007).
In 2009, The Washington Post recognized Adams as one of the nation’s best state-based political reporters. He was named to The State Journal’s 2012 Generation Next: 40 Under 40 class and was selected for the Leadership West Virginia program in 2023.
- Title: CEO, RETI; Senior Associate VP of Research
- Company: WVU
Erienne Olesh, Ph.D., MBA, is CEO of the National Science Foundation’s Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Engine, an initiative focused on strengthening U.S. energy security by advancing critical energy and infrastructure innovations from discovery to deployment.
She also serves as Senior Associate Vice President for Research at West Virginia University, where she leads the statewide NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program.
Throughout her career, Erienne has secured more than $175 million in funding to support innovation and economic growth. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and a Master of Business Administration from West Virginia University.
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