The Impact of IoT on Energy Efficiency in the Home

Amena Ali, Senior VP & GM, WeatherBug Home by Earth Networks

Amena leads WeatherBug Home, a unit of Earth Networks. In this role, Amena oversees business development, product offerings, go-to-market initiatives and strategic partnerships for WeatherBug Home. Amena joined the company in 2011 and previously served as CMO. Amena has more than 20 years' management experience with high-tech firms ranging in size from $10 million to $30 billion. Amena is passionate about game-changing technologies that delight and educate consumers while meeting partner and provider goals. She has deep experience in product marketing, brand management, partner and corporate marketing and business development. Previously, Amena held executive-level positions at EMC, MCI, and Bain & Company. She holds a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Yale University.

Dave Oberholzer, Director, WeatherBug Home by Earth Networks

David Oberholzer is a Director at WeatherBug Home, a unit of Earth Networks. Dave oversees business development and partnerships for WeatherBug Home’s energy efficiency and demand response offerings. He helped foster the development of WeatherBug Home from a R&D project to a fast-growing operating unit. For the past 15 years, Dave has focused on bringing new and innovative technologies to market. Previously, he was vice president of corporate development at Brightkite, and director of wireless data content at Verizon Wireless. He also held management positions at InphoMatch and Predictive Systems. Dave served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he flew carrier-based aircraft. He has a B.S. in computer science from Villanova University and an MBA and a MIS from the University of Maryland.

Tom Kerber, Director, Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates

Tom leads Parks Associates research in the areas of home controls, energy management, and home networks. Tom authors numerous reports on energy management and home controls covering the evolution of technology, partnership opportunities, and new business models. Tom’s work at Parks Associates includes managing consumer surveys that track trends and market opportunities and enable insightful evidence-based forecasting for energy, security, and home controls. Tom speaks frequently at key industry events, and his views are sought out by national press organizations and publications.

Tom has done extensive consulting with electric utilities operating in a variety of regulator structures and numerous firms within the smart home ecosystem. Recent utility engagements include defining the home area network roadmap for a California IOU, updating the consumer engagement strategy for a traditional vertically integrated IOU, providing consumer and industry analysis to refine EE and DR programs for an IOU in a restructured market, and providing insights on the evolution of the connected home for a large Midwest IOU. Tom has also led projects for many Fortune 500 companies, helping clients refine smart home strategies, develop scenarios of the future of the smart home market, enhance product roadmaps, and refine specific product features.

Prior to working at Parks Associates, Tom worked as director of engineering and director of product management in multiple industries. Tom began his career in the U.S. Navy nuclear power program on submarines. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in systems engineering and a master's in software engineering from the University of Texas.