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The AI Advantage: Elevating Utility Customer Experience
(Complimentary Webinar) This session showcases how Itineris works closely with Microsoft, leveraging their developments and innovations in Copilot, to enhance their utility-focused CIS/CRM solutions.
Dashboard Integration to Support Outage and Restoration Management
Join us as Alabama Power showcases how linking its IDMS Dashboard with its ADMS Viewer created a more unified approach to outage and restoration management.
Navigating the New TCPA Rules: What Utilities Need to Know Before the April 2026 Deadline
(Complimentary Webinar) Join Paul Watkins of Convey and William Raney of Copilevitz, Lam, & Raney for a practical look at what the new TCPA rules require and how to stay compliant.
Effective community engagement is essential for building trust and fostering long-term partnerships. This session explores how utilities are proactively engaging with their communities through outreach, education, and collaboration. Learn best practices for strengthening relationships, addressing community concerns, and demonstrating the value of utility initiatives to create lasting positive impact.
Moderator:
Dennis Goodman, Senior Consultant, Chartwell Inc.
Dennis Goodman is multi-faceted researcher and customer experience leader. His passion is in helping organizations understand customer wants, needs, and stories so they can take action to improve their customers’ experience.
As a Senior Consultant at Chartwell, Mr. Goodman is well positioned to continue this passion by helping electric and gas utilities with ways to bring insights and action to their organization. His nearly 25-years of experience in the field is marked by nearly nine years at Salt River Project leading their customer experience efforts and Market Research department. While at SRP, Mr. Goodman collaborated with senior leaders in Customer Operations and Marketing to build a process of using actionable insights, coupled with experience design and design thinking innovation techniques to drive improved and new services. In addition, he worked closely with several outside organizations, including Chartwell, to bring best practices and thought leadership to a variety of departments, including Marketing, Residential and Business Contact Center Operations, Human Resources, among others.
Prior to SRP, Mr. Goodman spent nearly 10 years at J.D. Power helping organizations across many industries understand and take strategic action on customer experience drivers to improve satisfaction and loyalty. This cross-industry perspective has been an ongoing theme in his career as Mr. Goodman looks to facilitate holistic conversations that focus on customers rather than the organization.
Mr. Goodman holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Arizona State University, magna cum laude. He has also completed training from Forrester Research to achieve the CX Pro certification.
Panelists:
Christopher Hahn, VP, External Affairs, PSEG Long Island
Christopher Hahn is the Vice President of External Affairs for PSEG Long Island where he and his team of professionals are responsible for developing and implementing PSEG Long Island’s Public Policy, Outreach and Communication Strategies and managing the contractual relationship with the Long Island Power Authority. During his time leading LI’s External Affairs Team, Chris developed a first of its kind handbook for project outreach, defeated a state legislative measure that would have created a fully municipal LIPA and successfully navigated New York’s complex political environment. His efforts reflect PSEG Long Island’s commitment to effectively manage a utility system for 2.8 million people, introducing technology that seeks to build resiliency, create innovation, and hone the skills of PSEG Long Island employees entrusted to pursue those objectives.
Prior to joining PSEG LI, Christopher was Senior VP for Public Policy at Tonio Burgos & Associates where he worked with major National and International clients including Exelon, Williams, National Grid, Red Bull, Suez, Deep Water Wind, FedEx among others.
Christopher’s skill in dealing with public policy issues was honed during five years he served as a senior aide to United States Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). During that time, his responsibilities included dealing with post 9/11 Homeland Security activities, domestic policy, federal energy and environmental matters and economic development. His responsibilities included coordinating regional, federal, state and local inter-agency initiatives. Hahn helped shape the Senator’s public policy agenda.
As Chief Deputy County Executive for Nassau County, Chris was the senior appointed official under County Executive Thomas Suozzi. Chris was primarily responsible for directing and managing the daily administration, communications and operations of county government. Nassau County had a $4.6 billion budget, 8,700 employees and 47 departments. Duties included dealing with the entire legislative agenda, overseeing contracts, personnel decisions, coordination with federal, state and local governments and officials, supervision of all communications and press activities and the preparation and management of the budget. Appointed at the age of 33, Christopher was the youngest person in the history of Nassau County to hold the position of Chief Deputy County Executive.
As the President and CEO of the United Way of Long Island, he oversaw the operational management and fundraising activities of the organization. By leading their strategic planning, he completed the conversion to the National Community Impact Model.
Christopher is a former adjunct professor of Political Science at Hofstra University and former member of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Board, and serves on the boards of Stony Brook University, The Long Island Association and The Long Island Housing Partnership and the Regional Plan Association of NY & NJ.
He is an avid runner and triathlete. Chris was born and raised on Long Island and lives in Setauket with his wife Kara, two daughters and their two golden retrievers.
Christopher earned his B.A. at the University at Albany, and his J.D. at St. John’s University School of Law and has continued his education at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Anne Rickard, Director of Community Partnerships, SRP
With more than 27 years of experience at SRP and a strong background in communications and marketing, Anne serves as Director of Community Partnerships – leading a passionate team that forges impactful relationships aligned with their corporate strategy. From community stewardship and safety outreach to charitable contributions and volunteerism, Anne champions initiatives that support SRP’s organizational goals while fostering authentic community engagement. A near-native Arizonan, Anne has been happily married for 32 years and is the proud parent of two grown children. She is deeply committed to building meaningful connections, both professionally and personally, and in her spare time enjoys traveling, spending time with loved ones, and doting on her beloved dogs.
Jennifer-Christine M. Balneg, MBA is the current Supervisor for STEM Education at SMUD. She oversees a small but mighty team of 2 Education Specialists and 2 College Interns. Our team does outreach and engages with over 20,000 educators, students and families through conducting STEM activities in the classroom and at community events, hosting STEM programming and competitions as well as family friendly events, and provides resources for educators in the greater Sacramento region. Prior to this role, Jennifer-Christine worked in Regional Workforce Development as an Education Specialist for 2 years connecting students to green careers and prior to that, she managed SMUD’s High School and College Internship Programs and Scholarship Programs for about 5 ½ years. Jennifer-Christine has a passion for helping youth in STEM and in workforce development and knows firsthand how these programs help students. She started at SMUD as a college intern, while pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). Her project was to implement SMUD’s first formal, structured internship program, which is a program that continues strong today.
