Tristan Anderson has held commercial, analytical and strategy development roles within major transport infrastructure owners and operators in Australia and New Zealand. As a GHD Associate and Executive Advisor for Freight Systems and Simulation, Tristan is a critical infrastructure and supply chain subject matter expert and experienced project director.

Tristan is actively involved in the supply chain, transport, ports and future energy sectors and often contributes to national debates via published thought leadership pieces on topics ranging from decarbonization, governance, supply-chain resilience, and digitization. Tristan has extensive experience developing supply chain and energy models as well as port simulations.

Tristan has a Masters of Applied Finance, a Bachelor of Commerce, is studying Sustainable Energy at UQ and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport.

For the past 20 years, Michael Vanderbeek has led and/or contributed to international port planning and development efforts for dozens of public port authorities, private terminal operators, cruise lines, sovereign wealth funds, municipalities, and other clients in the maritime + coastal space. He has worked throughout North America, as well as in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East on projects ranging from individual port master plans to transnational port investment strategies.

As a former port executive, Michael specializes in conceptualizing new port infrastructure opportunities within the political, environmental, and community-driven context of public waterfront development in order to help clients achieve win-win outcomes vis-à-vis a diverse spectrum of stakeholders.

Dr. Marcel Schaefer has been leading the Fraunhofer USA office in South Carolina since March 2021. He is the Senior Program Coordinator for Fraunhofer USA’s activities within the South Carolina Fraunhofer USA Alliance, which offers 50% co-funding on all projects with Fraunhofer. Projects so far cover a broad spectrum ranging from Artificial Intelligence, Smart Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Digitization, Predictive Analytics to sustainability, renewable energy, battery, hydrogen, and other innovative and emerging technologies. Typically, those projects have a strong manufacturing focus.

Dr. Marcel Schaefer has been a Senior Research Scientist for Fraunhofer USA since January 2019. From 2009 to 2018, he was with the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technologies SIT in Darmstadt, Germany.

He holds a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wuppertal, Germany, and a PhD in computer science from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. As PI, Co-PI, and researcher, Dr. Schaefer has led and worked on various projects that discover new challenges and opportunities broadly spread over the fields of cybersecurity and software engineering in both the public and private sectors.

From his office in South Carolina, Marcel is thriving to expand the Fraunhofer brand in the state and the whole southeast region. His goal is to institutionalize Fraunhofer USA as an established organization in South Carolina and to bring the newest technology “made by Fraunhofer” from the global Fraunhofer network into the South.

Jerold Brito is a Program Associate with the Electrification Coalition. He works with port and freight partners through the EC’s Electric Freight Consortium and Port Electrification Network to advance medium- and heavy-duty electrification strategies, pursue federal funding opportunities, and deploy zero-emission equipment and supporting infrastructure.

Before his work at the Electrification Coalition, he was a research fellow at the ICCT, an air quality consultant with EXP Services, and an air quality technician with Environment Canada. Jerold holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Simon Fraser University.

Suzanne Plezia, P.E., is the Senior Director/Chief Harbor Engineer for the Port of Long Beach, California. She was named to the position in April 2017 by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, governing body for the Port. Ms. Plezia began her career at the Port of Long Beach in 1996 and previously served as the Port’s Director of Construction Management.

The Senior Director and Chief Harbor Engineer for the Port of Long Beach provides oversight for all administrative and technical activities for the Port’s Engineering Services Bureau. The Bureau comprises six divisions – Program Management, Construction Management, Project Controls, Survey, Engineering Design, and Maintenance. These six divisions are responsible for the development and maintenance of the Port’s infrastructure, which includes an extensive capital program to transition the Port’s operation to zero emissions and increasing the efficiency and velocity of goods movement through the Port.

A Long Beach native, Ms. Plezia is a California Registered Professional Civil Engineer and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.

The Port of Long Beach is the premier U.S. gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in innovative goods movement, safety and environmental stewardship. As the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, the Port handles trade valued at $180 billion annually and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Jaret Fattori is a Professional Engineer with expertise in infrastructure restoration, climate science and climate change resilience. He is based out of our office in Ottawa, Canada, and leads the development of BMT’s climate and environmental capabilities in North America. Jaret uses his background in environmental and civil engineering, as well as his expertise in climate change science, to advise clients on climate resiliency, carbon emission reduction, and sustainability. His technical background and analysis help clients assess climate change risk for existing and new infrastructure projects and presenting technical concepts to a variety of audiences.

Ed McNamara is the CEO of Armada Risk Partners, a Cleveland U.S.-based port insurance broker that was a winner of the 2022 Fast Brokerage Award. Ed has worked in the insurance industry for more than 15 years. Previously, he ran his own technology company and has a lifelong interest in digital communication and is well versed in cyberattack planning. A Cleveland native who grew up in Rocky River as the son of a Cleveland Police Captain, Edward’s charitable work includes working as a founding board member of the Prayers from Maria Foundation, and president of the County Mayo Society, an Irish American Charitable Foundation.

Chris Wolski is a distinguished information security expert and former information security officer for four organizations, including one of the nation’s largest maritime ports and a Fortune 1000 company. Using his industry knowledge, Chris teaches courses for the Master of Legal Studies and Juris Doctorate programs at Texas A&M School of Law and teaches the Cybersecurity Bachelor of Applied Technology at Lone Star College. Building on his experience of leading multiple information security programs, he founded Applied Security Convergence, a consulting firm that guides small and medium businesses in e-commerce, manufacturing, maritime, and oil & gas industries through information security and compliance requirements. A U.S. Navy Veteran and award-winning transformational information security leader, Chris has nearly three decades of cross-industry cybersecurity expertise.

As a former Port of Houston Authority Director of Information Security, he led the port through successfully stopping a nation-state cyber-attack ultimately attributed to Volt Typhoon. His career includes being awarded a U.S. Coast Guard Meritorious Service Citation for promoting cybersecurity information sharing and analysis within the Houston maritime industry. Chris holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Commissioner Carl Bentzel was nominated by President Donald Trump on June 12, 2019, to a term expiring on June 30, 2024. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on November 21, 2019, and he was sworn into office on December 9, 2019.

Prior to his appointment at the Federal Maritime Commission, Commissioner Bentzel created and established a consulting services company where he represented clients on regulatory and legislative issues within the areas of transportation, energy and other areas of federal regulatory oversight. From 2004-2014, Commissioner Bentzel served as Vice President and head of the federal advocacy division of a full-scale public relations firm, the DCI Group.

Prior to working in the private sector, Mr. Bentzel served the public sector for ten years as a Senate professional committee staffer, including Senior Democratic Counsel of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation.

While working in the Senate, Commissioner Bentzel served as one of the principals in crafting the Maritime Security Act of 1996, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998, and in 2002, after the attacks on 9/11, the requirements mandated for maritime security through the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. He also dealt with matters impacting economic regulation of rail and surface industries before the Surface Transportation Board, and a variety of energy related regulatory issues.

Bola Oyebamiji is the Managing Director and CEO Of Nigeria’s National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) A reputable banker by profession, he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB). He has twice served as the Commissioner of Finance for the Osun State Government. He is a former Special Advisor to the Pioneer Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.

He is an acknowledged development expert and formerly served as Managing Director and CEO of both the Osun State Investment Company Limited and the Omoluabi Holdings Limited.

Mr. Oyebamiji earned his Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Banking and Finance from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State. He holds an MSc in Public Administration from Lagos State University and was awarded a second MSc in Business Administration from the University of Ado-Ekiti.