Black & Veatch director of smart cities business development chosen for expertise in urban sustainability, innovation
As an authority on urban sustainability, technology and innovation, Black & Veatch’s Steph Stoppenhagen valued the yearly “Meeting of the Minds” as a preeminent platform for ideas about how cities can do things smarter and better for their citizenry. Now, she’s getting the chance to make a broader imprint on that thought leadership and knowledge-sharing.
Stoppenhagen, director of smart cities business development in Kansas-based Black & Veatch’s Connected Communities business, has been selected to a coveted board seat with the Urban Age Institute, the nonprofit behind the “Meeting of the Minds” initiative. Stoppenhagen was chosen because of her knowledge, experience, global networking, long-standing relationship with the organization, and understanding of its mission and programming.
Recognized as a technology solutions expert who helps clients derive value from smart infrastructure, networks and data, Portland, Oregon-based Stoppenhagen has created consortiums to deliver complex, integrated smart city programs and products. She developed the technical mapping team of solar experts who patented the Solar Automated Feature Extraction -- SAFE™ -- methodology that automates assessing photovoltaic (PV) potential of rooftops. This method was replicated globally.
Scheduled to convene for its 12th year in November in California, the “Meeting of the Minds” summit has enabled hundreds of city and regional leaders from dozens of countries to exchange best practices, share innovations that can be scaled while forging partnerships in the public, private and nonprofit arenas. Discussions are deep understanding of technology and equity as key drivers for smart cities.
“Cities around the globe are facing a myriad of challenges in their search for innovations and technologies that help them do things smarter, and `Meeting of the Minds’ gives those leaders a game plan about what works,” Stoppenhagen said. “After taking part in this initiative for so many years, I am humbled by the opportunity to be on a board that can help shape that discussion in the most global and diverse way.”
Each board member has been hand-chosen because of their knowledge, expertise, global network, long-standing relationship with the organization, and an understanding of its mission and programming, said Jessie Feller Hahn, executive director of Meeting of the Minds.
“Steph will bring her years of expertise of the urban sustainability, innovation and technology fields and her commitment to the work to Meeting of the Minds,” Hahn said.
Prior to joining Black & Veatch in January 2016, Stoppenhagen served as an international geo-integration officer for the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as a senior consultant and project engineer with a focus on water and electric utilities. Stoppenhagen, who has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and mathematics from the University of Iowa, also has a strong history with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a background in Secret Service projects.
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