ISA Automation Summit and Expo - Career Skills Track

Keynote - Data Security in Generating Renewable Energy

Carolina Ballroom / Francis Marion Hotel
James Clark
Vice President, Information Technology, South Jersey Industries Information Security

Jamie will present a success story on delivering a secure solution allowing data to traverse OT to IT to gain central visibility across our entire portfolio of farms generating renewable energy. It is a very challenging project designed from the ground up, emphasizing cyber security for safety and compliance.

With 22 years of experience leading IT teams and 15 years in building cybersecurity programs across the chemical, medical, and utility industries, Jamie Clark is a visionary technologist who bridges the gap between security, IT, SCADA, and business teams. Currently, Jamie leads the Information Security (IT/OT) & GRC programs for South Jersey Industries (SJI), where he also manages the OT Solution Services Team. SJI is a leader in delivering safe, reliable, and affordable energy solutions. Jamie holds a BS in Computer Information Systems (CIS), an MBA, and certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GISCP).

Deeper Dive with Houston Green

Gold Ballroom | Francis Marion Hotel

Ashley Weckworth - 100px Moderator: Ashley Weckwerth, Project Manager, Burns & McDonnell

Presenter: Houston Green, Space Exploration Engineer, The Aerospace Corporation, NASA Johnson Space Center

Ashley Weckwerth graduated as a chemical engineer and then started her career as an instrumentation and controls engineer in the oil and gas industry for Burns and McDonnell, an EPC firm headquartered in Kansas City. She worked in that role for over 8 years before transferring departments in 2020 to be a Project Manager managing SCADA engineering projects in the electric utility space. Now, she manages a company-wide top contract with over 40 automation engineers on her team located across the country. Ashley has been involved in ISA her entire professional career including when she changed industries, roles and relocated. Ashley’s ISA journey started at the section level working her way through all the roles: Program Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, VP, and President, and Delegate. Later, she got involved in division leadership and became ChemPID’s Director-Elect and then Director. Ashley then was elected to ISA’s Executive Board and served a 3-year term there. She served in many various committees and task forces along the way too and as of the latest ISA election, she has been elected as ISA’s 2025 President-elect Secretary (2026 ISA President). Ashley credits ISA a lot for her ability to grow in her career, from the leadership skills and knowledge she has gained.

Houston Green is the Human Surface Mobility and Extravehicular Activity Program Technical Leader for reduced gravity environments at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). He manages cost, schedule, and upgrades for the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) Project used in testing of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) and space suits associated with the xEVAS contract and is currently writing system requirements for a host of new and innovative gravity offload capabilities to be used for testing and training of Astronauts within upcoming Artemis missions. Houston was previously a Designer and Operator on the ARGOS Project, where his team designed and are currently assembling the Next Generation ARGOS (AX3S) in the Building 9 Highbay at JSC.

Emotional Intelligence for Engineers

Gold Ballroom | Francis Marion Hotel
Presenter: Karine Leblanc, Published Author & Professional Speaker in Coaching & Training for Growth, VP of Sales, iAIRE

For leaders in the automation industry, the challenge of building robust teams and nurturing client relationships often poses a stumbling block. In today ' s technical world, possessing technical skills alone is no longer enough. To truly thrive, we must also cultivate our human skills—those qualities that connect us to our humanity, define our personalities, and enable us to communicate and interact effectively with others. By developing emotional intelligence, you will transition from being task-focused managers to empathetic and inspiring leaders. This transformation will not only improve team performance and project outcomes but also create a positive and thriving work environment, leading your organization toward greater success and growth.

Meet Karine Leblanc, the dynamo who wears many hats—engineer, bestselling author and international professional speaker.

As the Western Sales Manager for Modular Solutions at Daikin Applied, Karine blends engineering expertise with a talent for coaching and relationship-building to deliver cutting-edge solutions. She’s all about speeding up projects, saving clients money, and making their HVAC experience seamless from start to finish. Armed with a mechanical engineering degree from Montreal's Ecole de Technologie Superieure and a slew of certifications, she's a powerhouse. Karine is a John Maxwell coach, trainer, speaker, a DISC-certified behavioral analysis consultant, a Genos emotional intelligence certified practitioner and an eSpeakers certified virtual presenter.

Career Journey Panel

Gold Ballroom | Francis Marion Hotel

Moderator: Patrick Corbett, Senior Systems Data Engineer, Eli Lilly and Company

Panelists:

Colleen Goldsborough, Industry Sales Manager, United Electric Supply

Ashley Weckwerth, Project Manager, Burns & McDonnell

Brian Curtis, REFS Contract Manager, Novartis

Alan Bryant, Senior Automation Engineer, Oxy

Ashley Weckwerth graduated as a chemical engineer and then started her career as an instrumentation and controls engineer in the oil and gas industry for Burns and McDonnell, an EPC firm headquartered in Kansas City. She worked in that role for over 8 years before transferring departments in 2020 to be a Project Manager managing SCADA engineering projects in the electric utility space. Now, she manages a company-wide top contract with over 40 automation engineers on her team located across the country. Ashley has been involved in ISA her entire professional career including when she changed industries, roles and relocated. Ashley’s ISA journey started at the section level working her way through all the roles: Program Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, VP, and President, and Delegate. Later, she got involved in division leadership and became ChemPID’s Director-Elect and then Director. Ashley then was elected to ISA’s Executive Board and served a 3-year term there. She served in many various committees and task forces along the way too and as of the latest ISA election, she has been elected as ISA’s 2025 President-elect Secretary (2026 ISA President). Ashley credits ISA a lot for her ability to grow in her career, from the leadership skills and knowledge she has gained.

Brian Curtis is the Operations Manager for Veolia Energy Ireland, where he oversees services provided to major pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, Pfizer, BioMarin, and Roche Pharmaceuticals in Cork, Ireland. With over 40 years of experience in the petrochemical, biotech, and bulk pharmaceutical industries, his expertise lies in instrumentation and automation control systems. He has managed projects in Ireland, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany, showcasing his extensive international experience.

Curtis has a strong presence in the International Society of Automation (ISA), where he served as 2018 Society President. His contributions include serving on the ISA Executive Board, the Finance Committee, and the Geographical Assembly. Additionally, he held the roles of Ireland Section President and Vice President of District 12, covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). His involvement extends to several society task forces, including Cybersecurity, Governance, and Globalization. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the ISA Distinguished Society Service Award in 2010.Beyond his professional and ISA roles, Curtis is a former President of the Cobh & Harbour Chamber of Commerce and actively participates in the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). His leadership and expertise continue to impact both local and global industry standards.

Alan Bryant grew up in Arkansas and went to college at Rolla, Missouri. Alan has done several things in several places over his 32-year career in upstream oil and gas. He is currently an engineer in Oxy Oil and Gas Central Automation Team supporting projects, business unit automation teams, HES, and corporate standards. He is currently supporting Oxy’s Direct Air Capture project in South Texas. Alan admires Wile E. Coyote because he’s not afraid to fail and keep on trying.

Working Backwards - A Culture of Innovation

Gold Ballroom | Francis Marion Hotel
Presenter: Andrew Page, Principal, Digital Innovation, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Amazon has what many consider a peculiar culture and approach to inventing, and how this approach to innovation has remained consistent since the company first launched – start with the customer, and work backwards.

In this session, you’ll be introduced to Amazon culture where we obsess over customers, and how Amazon innovates through four distinct yet interdependent elements: Culture, Mechanisms, Architecture, and Organization. You’ll have the chance to dive deeper into each topic and learn more about practical applications, including Leadership Principles, our process for inventing known as "Working Backwards," and structuring working groups into "Two-Pizza Teams." You'll hear how mechanisms empower Amazon to Think Big yet move quickly to deliver products and services to invent on customers' behalf, and how to apply these within any organization to empower customer obsessed delivery.

Andrew Page is the Principal Lead for Digital Innovation Prototyping at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He coaches executive teams on customer-centric product design, and leads organizations through processes of creating customer obsessed solutions using Amazon’s peculiar mechanisms to innovate. He has previously directed transformational initiatives as a CTO in Cloud Innovation at Boston Consulting Group, as a Director at Microsoft’s Technology Centers, and as a founder of multiple industry start-ups and various private equity organizations. He is a contributing author to various industry and higher educational publications, currently maintains an Executive Residency at University of Tampa College of Business’ Lowth Entrepreneurship Center and holds a MS in Cybersecurity along with over 30 industry certifications in security, operations, and technical specialties.

Reinventing Your Career Path: The Power of Lifelong Learning

Gold Ballroom | Francis Marion Hotel
Presenter: Brian Romano, Director of Technology Development, The Arthur G. Russell Co., Inc.

Brian Romano, currently the Director of Technology Development at The Arthur G. Russell Co., has been in the process and automation control systems industry for more than 40 years, starting as a bench technician. After serving as president of a division for an automated machine builder, Romano owned a systems integration company, growing and positioning it as one with expertise in connecting the factory floor to the front office. To keep current with the ever-evolving automation industry, Romano holds an AS, BS, MS, and MBA and Ph.D. in Technology and Innovation. Romano has been designing and implementing Industry 4.0 solutions starting initially in 2004 with connecting factory floor data systems to customer business systems. Understanding a skills gap and workforce shortage in the control systems engineering profession, Romano leverages is academic knowledge and years of experience to teach the next generation of engineers at two local universities. He also serves as an industrial advisory board member for two technology and engineering universities, as a member of the CSIA Digital Committee and as chair of the ISA Smart Manufacturing division IIoT committee, where he was awarded the 2022 ISA SM/IIoT Division Leader of the Year Award.

ISA Standards Overview

Carolina Ballroom | Francis Marion Hotel
Presenter: Charley Robinson, Senior Director, Standards Administration, ISA

ISA’s international standards play a vital role in promoting safety, cybersecurity, and efficiency across global industry. This workshop will provide an overview of ISA’s international standards program and its relationship to and collaboration with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). A panel of experts representing standards stakeholders will then answer questions from the audience.

Career Skills Track

Leadership Skills and Professional Development Within the Automation Industry

Thursday, 3 October

08:30-09:15

Keynote - Data Security in Generating Renewable Energy

09:15-09:30

Break

10:00-10:30

Deeper Dive with Houston Green

10:45-12:00

Emotional Intelligence for Engineers

12:00-13:00

Lunch

13:00-13:45

Career Journey Panel

13:45-14:00

Break

14:00-15:00

Working Backwards - A Culture of Innovation

15:00-15:15

Break

15:15-15:45

Reinventing Your Career Path: The Power of Lifelong Learning

15:45-16:00

Break

16:00-16:15

ISA Standards Overview

16:15-16:45

ISA Standards Panel

Career Skills Track Program Committee