August 8, 2006

Indiana governor, Ford VP join national leaders at energy summit

Gov. Mitch Daniels' remarks will open the Richard G. Lugar-Purdue Summit on Energy Security on Aug. 29. Ford Vice President Sue Cischke will speak as part of a panel discussion on "Implementing Strategies to Reduce Foreign Oil Dependence."

Other panelists are: Carol Battershell, vice president for alternative energy for BP Inc., and Amy Myers Jaffe, Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy of Rice University. Brian Lamb, president and CEO of C-SPAN, will serve as the panel moderator. Hudson is coming in place of Robert A. Malone, BP America Inc. chairman and president. The invitation-only summit will take place on Purdue's West Lafayette, Ind., campus.

Lugar and Purdue President Martin C. Jischke will have major speaking roles at the summit, and U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, will be the luncheon speaker.

"The interest from government, industry and academic leaders in the upcoming energy summit is a clear indication that America is ready to develop a strategic plan to move toward alternative energies," said Lugar, R-Ind., who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "This summit will help lay the groundwork for future public and private polices and address the national security issues with regard to energy dependence on foreign oil."

Jischke, who was recently named to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, said energy is a principal area of research at Purdue.

"Researchers at Purdue are leaders in the development of alternative fuels," Jischke said. "There is an interdisciplinary approach at Purdue to work in the field of energy research, including biofuels and clean-coal technology, as well as other alternative energy sources, including nuclear, hydrogen, wind and solar. Energy policy also is a strong area of study at Purdue."

Mitch Daniels

Daniels was elected Indiana's governor in 2004 and has since spearheaded the state's growth in bioenergy — opening 14 new ethanol and biodiesel plants in one year. In March, Daniels was one of two governors asked to speak at the second National Agriculture/Forestry Renewable Energy Summit. He was asked because of Indiana's leadership with biofuels and for groundbreaking programs such as BioTown, USA, an effort to create a community where all energy needs are met through the use of biorenewable resources.

Before becoming governor, Daniels was president of Eli Lilly and Co.'s North American Operations and CEO of the Hudson Institute, a public-policy think-tank now based in Washington, D.C. He has a law degree from Georgetown University and completed his bachelor's degree at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Susan M. Cischke

Cischke serves as Ford's top environmental and safety officer. At Ford, she helps shape corporate policy and works with global regulators on issues ranging from carbon dioxide emissions to pedestrian safety. She has been named one of the Automotive News 100 Leading Women and named one of Crain's Detroit Business Most Influential Women. She also serves on the board of the Chicago Climate Exchange and the Traffic Improvement Association in Oakland County, Michigan. She is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, Engineering Society of Detroit and the Women's Economic Club.

She earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., and holds master's degrees in mechanical engineering and management from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Peggy Hudson

Hudson is based in Washington, D.C., where she is responsible for managing BP's U.S. federal government relations strategy, international relations relating to the United States, and communication with federal legislative and administration officials. She also manages the BP Washington office. Before joining BP, Hudson served as vice president of the American Portland Cement Alliance, a national trade association representing Portland cement manufacturers in North America. She previously worked at the National Federation of Independent Business and Korf Industries. She began her career in Washington, D.C., as a staff member to Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C. She earned a bachelor's degree from Kings College.

The energy summit program chair is Wallace Tyner, Purdue professor of agricultural economics. Tyner does research in energy economics, and his past work has encompassed oil, natural gas, coal, oil shale, biomass, ethanol from agricultural sources and solar energy. Tyner also has worked on agricultural trade and policy issues with developing countries in the Middle East and North and West Africa. He has extensive overseas experience in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, India, and Morocco.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Source: Wallace Tyner, (765) 494-0199, wtyner@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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