This forum will convene industry, government and utility experts to explore the current and future landscape of water and wastewater considerations around the management and operations of data centers. In a facilitated discussion, the panelists will examine specific challenges, opportunities, and case studies to define a vision for the future of this area of work.
As Chief Technology Officer, Chris serves as principal technical leader for Park Place Technologies. He is accountable for Roadmap, Corporate Innovation, Research and Development, and new portfolio offerings. Chris works in collaboration with business and technology leaders across the company, driving Park Place’s technology concepts to reality.
During his 20+ years with Park Place, Chris has served various roles within the organization including engineering, development, and management. Chris was one of the founders of ParkView, and a key player who helped transform Park Place into a Data Center Services company. He is well-versed in how organizations face the challenges and opportunities that emerging technologies like Edge, AI, blockchain, and Liquid Cooling, Sustainability.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s of Network Engineering and Master’s degree in Information Technology from New England Institute of Technology.
Dr. Landon Marston is an Associate Professor in the Charles Edward Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech and an Affiliate of the Global Change Center. His research investigates the complex interactions between water and society, aiming to advance sustainable, resilient, and equitable water resources management. Dr. Marston and his team use process-based and data-driven models to examine water use and scarcity across sectors and scales, from local water users to national infrastructure and policy. His work has received multiple honors, including the US National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the American Geophysical Union Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award. Prior to academia, Dr. Marston worked in both public and private sectors of water resources engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.E. from Texas A&M University, and a B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky.
Kelsey joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a water resources scientist in October 2024. At PNNL, she leads the Integrated Water Power Resilience Program (IWPR), sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office, with the vision to identify and develop opportunities to improve resilience in the water and power sectors through coordinated planning, investment, and operations. Kelsey also supports the Department of Defense, within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy and Sustainability, leading tasks related to water resilience and data analytics. Kelsey has conducted water and energy planning assessments, provided water resilience training to energy managers, and provided technical support on a wide variety of projects for the Department of Energy and Department of Defense.
Kelsey has a Master of Science in Water Resources Science from Yale University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Trinity College. Prior to joining the Lab, she focused her research in the areas of water resilience, water security policy, stormwater management, and environmental and drinking water compliance. Over the years, she has been involved in a myriad of projects for local, state, and federal clients focused on watershed management and hydrologic and water quality studies. She enjoys converting scientific approaches into water resilience policy and solving water resilience challenges with intentional and innovative solutions.
John Ikeda is Chief Mission Officer at the Water Environment Federation, where he leads education, workforce development, and strategic initiatives—including the Water-AI Nexus Center of Excellence—focused on advancing the practical use of data, analytics, and AI across the water sector. His work helps utilities and professionals translate emerging technologies into real-world operational and workforce impact.
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