Nashville Energy & Mining Summit 2025

Alex Thorn is Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital. At Galaxy, Alex leads a team of researchers dedicated to understanding and unpacking developments in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, producing insights for internal and external audiences. Prior to joining Galaxy Digital, Alex spent 12 years at Fidelity Investments, most recently co-managing Avon Ventures, the early-stage crypto venture fund affiliated with FMR LLC, the parent company of Fidelity Investments. Before that, Alex was Director of Blockchain Research at Fidelity Center for Applied Technology where he directed technology experimentation and published research on the cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem. Alex has a B.A. in Political Science from Vanderbilt University.

Anna Chekhovich is a member of the Financial Freedom team at the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), where she focuses on educating activists and NGOs in authoritarian regimes on adopting Bitcoin to enhance financial autonomy and privacy. She began her finance career in 2017 at Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), a leading Russian opposition organization that has used Bitcoin since 2016 to bypass government surveillance and sustain its operations. Since joining HRF in 2024, Anna has been dedicated to helping nonprofits and activists securely integrate Bitcoin into their work, empowering them to resist financial repression and operate with greater independence.

Brandon is a Co-Founder of Second Gate a boutique advisory firm offering tailored financial services across the bitcoin and mining industry. Prior to starting Second Gate Brandon was a VP on the Mining team at Galaxy where he focused on mining research, strategic investments, and special projects.

Brian Morgenstern is the head of public policy for Riot Platforms, Inc., one of America’s largest publicly-traded Bitcoin mining enterprises. He leads the company’s advocacy efforts at the state and federal level regarding energy, environment, financial services, tax, and national security. He is on the executive committee of the Chamber of Digital Commerce and the board of directors of the Texas Blockchain Council. He previously served at the U.S. Treasury Department as senior advisor and deputy assistant secretary and as White House deputy press secretary and deputy communications director.

Carol Haines is the Senior Vice President and Head of Power & Policy at Core Scientific, a leading provider of digital infrastructure for Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing solutions. With more than two decades of experience in the energy industry, Carol brings a wealth of expertise in energy infrastructure, deregulated markets, site selection, economic development, and policy formulation.

Prior to joining Core Scientific, Carol held several leadership roles at FirstEnergy Corp, including Director of Economic Development. In this capacity, she played a key role in driving strategic initiatives aimed at business growth and regional development. Additionally, Carol served as Director at FirstEnergy Solutions, where she successfully launched and led two sales and marketing teams, significantly growing the company’s agent and broker business.

Carol is known for her exceptional ability to build and lead high-performing teams that consistently exceed revenue targets and power acquisition goals. She excels in fostering strong, long-term relationships with clients and partners, leveraging these connections to drive business success. Her focus on delivering results while nurturing trust and collaboration has been a key factor in her continued success.

Carol holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Drexel University. In addition to her professional responsibilities, she is an active leader in the community and the energy sector. She serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Texas Blockchain Council and for Keep Akron Beautiful, a sustainability-focused nonprofit organization. Carol also contributes her expertise to the Ohio Market Leadership Advisory Board for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Ohio Chapter, further supporting sustainable development and green building initiatives.

Dan Brouillette served as the 15th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Secretary Brouillette has three decades of experience in both the public and private sector. Most recently he was the Deputy Secretary of Energy.

He also served as the Senior Vice President and head of public policy for USAA, the Nation’s leading provider of financial services to the military community. Before joining USAA, Secretary Brouillette was a Vice President of Ford Motor Company, where he led the automaker’s domestic policy teams and served on its North American Operating Committee.

At Ford and USAA, he was part of senior management teams that helped bring to market innovative technologies like auto collision avoidance and remote deposit capture, a technology invented by USAA that allows the use of smart devices to deposit funds into our banking accounts.

Before his transition into the private sector, Secretary Brouillette held numerous positions in government. He was Chief of Staff to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has broad jurisdictional and oversight authority over five Cabinet-level Federal agencies. He also served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2001 to 2003. In addition, he is a former state energy regulator, having served as a member of the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board from 2013 to 2016.

Secretary Brouillette and his wife, Adrienne, are both U.S. Army veterans and have been married for 28 years. They hail from San Antonio, TX, and have nine children.

Dan began his career as a Computer Scientist, earning degrees from UMBC and Johns Hopkins. He started at the Department of Defense, where he advanced to the role of Technical Director, leading the development of backend solutions for high-speed streaming data processing. In 2017, Dan and Jake launched a mining operation in a detached garage in Westminster, MD. Faced with the challenge of driving over an hour to address issues, they co-founded OBM and developed the first version of Foreman to enable remote management of machines. Since then, Dan has embraced his entrepreneurial side, moving away from his developer role to focus on building and scaling one of Baltimore's leading startup SaaS companies.

Drew Armstrong is the President and COO of Cathedra Bitcoin, a company that develops and operates digital infrastructure assets with the goal of maximizing the Company's per-share bitcoin holdings. Prior to joining Cathedra, he was a founding member of Galaxy Digital’s bitcoin mining business. Drew is also a founding partner of Pubkey.

Freedom tech advocate, cofounder 256 Foundation.

Erik Hersman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gridless Compute.

Francesco Gardin
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Quantum Blockchain Technologies PLC

Francesco Garden is a renowned physicist, entrepreneur, and pioneer in applying artificial intelligence to Bitcoin mining. With a career spanning decades of groundbreaking achievements, Francesco graduated in Theoretical Physics from Padova University in 1979 and conducted advanced research at Exeter University and the European Union Research Centre.

Francesco’s passion for pushing technological boundaries led him to join QBT in 2025, where he has been dedicated to a project he initiated in 2021. For nearly five years, he has directed a multidisciplinary team of researchers to harness cutting-edge AI and fundamental science to optimize efficiencies in Bitcoin mining. This work exemplifies his visionary approach to solving real-world challenges by integrating AI and blockchain technology.

Throughout his career, Francesco has held leadership roles in nearly 50 companies across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. As a prolific academic, he has authored more than 50 publications and three books on artificial intelligence.

Today, Francesco is at the forefront of innovation in Bitcoin mining, leveraging his extensive experience in AI, computation, and entrepreneurship to drive the industry toward greater sustainability and efficiency.

Ghazaleh serves as Riot’s Head of Mining and working closely with Operations and leadership on strategy and growth.
In 2021 Ghazaleh left her career with a global leader in Life Sciences and Fortune 100 company to pursue her passion for Bitcoin. In her previous role she managed $1billion logistics and distribution annually, working with operations across 10 countries.
In her previous experience, Ghazaleh worked for two low-cost airlines, and led the cost transformation at Frontier Airlines which allowed for acquisition by private equity. Subsequently she joined Brightline, a multi-billion-dollar startup in Miami, FL developing passenger trains and mixed-use train stations throughout South Florida.

Bill Lee is a seventh-generation Tennessean and the 50th Governor of Tennessee. He was raised in Franklin, where he still resides today with his wife, Maria, on his family’s farm. He’s the proud father of four adult children (Jessica, twin sons Jacob and Caleb, and Sarah Kate) and ten grandchildren.

After attending Williamson County Schools, Governor Lee attended Auburn University, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, he returned home to Franklin to join the family business his grandfather started in 1944, a comprehensive mechanical construction service company. He became president of Lee Company in 1992.

Since becoming Governor in 2019, Governor Lee has focused on several priorities including a strong workforce, quality education, economic development, public safety, and supporting families, all with a particular focus on the accelerated transformation of rural Tennessee.

Under his leadership, Tennessee now has the fastest-growing economy of all 50 states, with the lowest tax burden in the nation, top business climate and a strong workforce strategy that have created more than 170,000 jobs for Tennesseans and generated $32 billion in capital investment since 2019. Tennessee’s unmatched business climate and skilled workforce continue to attract record investment from companies such as Ford Motor Company and SK On, In-N-Out, LG Chem, Oracle, General Motors and more.

Additionally, under Governor Lee’s leadership, Tennessee has passed the largest tax cut in state history, strengthened career and technical training, expanded school choice, prioritized a record $1 billion investment in public education and passed the largest teacher pay raise in Tennessee history.

The governor and first lady are people of strong faith. They are active in numerous faith-based ministries, which have taken them all over the world to serve people in need, including to Africa, Haiti, Central America, and the Middle East.

Grant Gilliam is Co-founder and Managing Partner of Ten31, the leading bitcoin technology investment platform globally. Grant brings 20 years of experience investing professionally in private equity and venture capital. Prior to co-founding Ten31, Grant was a Director at CVC Capital Partners, one of the largest private equity firms globally, where he worked for 13 years and most recently was responsible for leading the US efforts of CVC Strategic Opportunities, CVC's long-term investing vehicle which managed ~$10 billion across a range of industries. Grant graduated from Duke University with a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and a minor in mathematics with a focus on cryptography. Grant has been involved in the bitcoin ecosystem since 2016 and is based in Nashville, TN.

Senior Vice President

Harry Sudock is a senior vice president at CleanSpark (CLSK), overseeing the integrated communications team composed of marketing communications and investor relations verticals. He previously served as the chief strategy officer for GRIID, where he joined in 2018 as the first employee. Harry was responsible for the development and execution of GRIID’s corporate strategy initiatives to drive growth and improve business performance. He worked closely with the management team to identify, analyze,
and resolve challenges and capitalize on new growth opportunities. Harry earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bates College in Maine.

Jay is the VP of Research at Foundry where he focuses on increasing infrastructure decentralization, combating energy misinformation, and general bitcoin mayhem.

Jeff Lyash is president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Appointed by the Board of Directors in February 2019, Lyash leads the nation’s largest public utility in its mission of service to the people of the Tennessee Valley region.

He is also chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute executive committee, providing oversight to NEI on policy affairs on behalf of the U.S. nuclear industry.

Lyash is as comfortable talking with a crew in a plant as he is in the boardroom. His exceptional people skills and technical experience make him one of the top leaders in the energy industry.

Before taking the helm at TVA, Lyash served as president and CEO of Ontario Power Generation Inc., one of the largest electric generating companies in Canada with a diverse fleet of nuclear, hydroelectric, gas, biomass, and renewable generating stations.

Lyash was formerly the president of CB&I Power, where he was responsible for a full range of engineering, procurement, and construction of multi-billion-dollar electric generation projects in both domestic and international markets. He also provided operating plant services for nuclear, coal, gas, oil, and renewable generation.

Prior to joining CB&I, Lyash served as executive vice president of Energy Supply for Duke Energy, where he led engineering, maintenance, and operations of the company's 42,000-megawatt generation fleet, fuel procurement, power trading, major projects and construction, environmental programs, and health and safety programs.

Before the merger of Progress Energy and Duke Energy, Lyash was executive vice president of Energy Supply for Progress Energy. In this role, he oversaw Progress Energy's diverse 22,000-megawatt fleet of generating resources, including nuclear, coal, oil, natural gas, and hydroelectric stations. In addition, Lyash was responsible for generating fleet fuel procurement and power trading operations.

Lyash joined Progress Energy in 1993, serving as executive vice president of corporate development, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Florida, senior vice president of Energy Delivery Florida, and vice president of Transmission.

Lyash began his career in the utility industry in 1981 and worked for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in senior technical and management positions throughout the Northeast and in Washington, D.C. He received the NRC Meritorious Service Award in 1987.

Lyash earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University and was honored with the Drexel University Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009. He has held a senior reactor operator license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is a graduate of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Executive Training Program and the Duke Fuqua School of Business Advanced Management Program.

Lyash is an avid golfer and fly fisherman. He and his wife, Tracy, enjoy cooking, skiing, reading, and charitable work – and spending time with their two married children and nine grandchildren. The Lyashes live in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Chief engineer at FutureBit / block 867760

Jose Rios, a Bitcoin enthusiast and supporter, is a former VP of Intel’s AI and Datacenter group and currently a startup founder.  He brings over 25 years of straddling the realms of Sales and Engineering.  Jose lead the creation and launch of Intel’s Blockscale Bitcoin mining ASIC and is currently an advisor to a number of ventures in the Bitcoin ecosystem in addition to the open source nonprofit space.  With an academic background in Computer Engineering and an MBA, his research interests lie in GPU architecture and Applied Machine Learning.  You can find him on most platforms under @SiliconJose

Kevin is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of Foundry’s mining services. Since entering the crypto mining industry in 2014, Kevin has built large-scale bitcoin mining facilities, and worked closely with mining equipment manufacturers, mining pools, and datacenter operators. He held senior positions overseeing mining operations at Greenidge Generation and Bitcoin.com. Kevin started his career at Ford Motor Company, after studying finance, international business, and Chinese at Indiana University. An avid gamer, Kevin credits World of Warcraft with sparking his interest in digital currencies.

Braiins - Chief of propaganda

Kyle Schneps has advocated for Bitcoin and the digital assets industry since joining Digital Currency Group (DCG) and Foundry in 2021. He is currently Director of Public Policy at DCG and was formerly VP of Policy at Foundry. He is also the co-founder of the non-profit BTC VETS and has co-authored and edited a book entitled National Security in the Digital Age: Bitcoin as a Tool for Modern Statecraft. Kyle spent most of his career serving as a US Intelligence Officer, which was preceded by a diplomatic post as Advisor to the Special Envoy for Guantanamo Bay at the US Department of State. He is a former White House Fellow, during which time he worked across different national security and federal budgeting roles. He holds two master’s degrees from Columbia University.

.Marshall Long is a pioneer in the Bitcoin mining industry, having started mining in 2010. With over a decade of experience, he has deployed more than 3 gigawatts of mining power across 21 countries, making him one of the most influential figures in the space. Known for his innovative approach and deep understanding of blockchain technologies, Marshall has played a pivotal role in shaping the global Bitcoin mining landscape. His work extends beyond mining to advancing decentralized technologies and fostering the growth of peer-to-peer economies. As a seasoned expert and thought leader, Marshall offers unparalleled insights into the evolution of Bitcoin and the future of decentralized, sovereign monetary freedom.

Founder of http://TFTC.io, a media company focused on #Bitcoin, Beauty, and Freedom in the Digital Age (@TFTC21). Partner @ten31vc. Director @CathedraBitcoin

Matthew Ramsden is a full-time bitcoin open source contributor.

He is a Bitcoin Dev Kit grantee, previously a Spiral grantee, co-organizer of NashBitDevs, and maker of the app Block Screen.

Proto & Bitkey, Product & ASICS Lead
Max is Product & ASICs Lead at Block, leading the development of the company’s self-custody bitcoin wallet Bitkey as well as the mining initiative, Proto. Prior to assuming this leadership role for Proto and Bitkey, Max was Hardware Security Lead where he built and led product security and security engineering teams responsible for protecting a wide range of Square products and for shipping critical components that powered many different levels of Square's technology stack.

In October 2019, Mike took on the role of founding CEO of Foundry, a leader in decentralized infrastructure with a dynamic team of over 150. Under his leadership, Foundry has established
the world's largest Bitcoin mining pool and offers top-tier enterprise software solutions and site services tailored for institutional miners. Mike's journey into a career in bitcoin began with a focus on learning the fundamentals of bitcoin mining and then helping grow Core Scientific, a leader in cryptocurrency mining and AI hosting. With nearly eight years of experience in bitcoin mining, Mike has built invaluable industry connections and steered Foundry through multiple growth milestones. Recently, he helped drive the launch of two innovative ventures within the DCG portfolio: Yuma, dedicated to advancing Bittensor, and Fortitude Mining, which represents Foundry’s self-mining evolution. His career began at GE and before his pivot into the crypto industry, Mike was an operational and commercial executive for manufacturing and distribution firms for more than two decades, often serving at the behest of private-equity backers. In 2007, Mike and his wife, Lisa, co-founded the Clairebear Foundation, a non-profit that supports families with sick children. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and an MBA in Corporate Finance from the State University of New York at Buffalo, graduating in 1996.

Mike Hamilton is a bitcoin mining expert and consultant after having served as CTO and CRO for Griid (acquired by Cleanspark) where he was responsible for solving some of the biggest problems in the Bitcoin mining space. Mike is a deep expert in networking and network security, having previously served as President, CEO, and Chief Product Officer for Ziften, a cloud-based cybersecurity platform. Mike has also worked on machine-learning, analytics, and cybersecurity products after starting his career as an ASIC developer on advanced network processors.

Home Bitcoin miner that turned his passion into a career in consulting and education. Helping pioneer ASIC waste heat utilization through cooling technologies.

Managing Partner at Ten31, CoFounder of OpenSats, Bitcoin Park, and Bitcoin Policy Institute

Philip is a Kenyan technology entrepreneur that is the CTO and co-founder of Gridless. His focus is on decentralising the bitcoin mining network and expanding energy access across Africa.

Rapha Zagury CEO, Elektron Energy Rapha Zagury Raphael Zagury has a wealth of experience in leadership, finance, and entrepreneurship. He was the founder and CFO of OpenCo, where he led multiple capital raise rounds, including a Series D with investors such as SoftBank, IFC, and LTS Investments. He also founded One Partners, a boutique investment banking company. Before his entrepreneurial ventures, Raphael built a career on Wall Street, holding senior positions at Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch as Managing Director, and at Goldman Sachs as Vice President. An avid Bitcoiner and coder, Raphael has contributed to open-source software and, as CIO at Swan Bitcoin, designed Nakamoto Portfolio (nakamotoportfolio.com), a tool that helped many investors understand how Bitcoin fits into asset allocation. He holds an MBA from Yale University and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from IBMEC (Brazilian Capital Markets Institute).

Author of Bitcoin Miner's Almanac

Rod Roudi is an entrepreneur and  technology professional with 20 years of experience in the industry, including management and senior management roles. He has spent the past ~7 years focusing his time, capital, and reputation on Bitcoin, the monetary network aka the blockchain and bitcoin, the reserve asset and medium of exchange.

He is also dedicated to helping educate and grow local Bitcoin communities. In 2022, he co-founded Bitcoin Park, a community-supported campus in Nashville, TN that is focused on grassroots freedom tech and Bitcoin adoption and serves as a hub for Bitcoin enthusiasts to work, learn, collaborate, and build.

His focus is also centered on Bitcoin mining where he invests in a variety of different mining operations through his firm Galactic Freedom Company and their subsequent funds.

He also co-founded a 501c3 non-profit, The 256 Foundation, based in Nashville, TN with the objective to support developers and educators with grants while they work to advance free and open-source Bitcoin mining software, firmware, and hardware solutions; develop secure and sustainable energy initiatives; and foster innovations that put more hashrate in the hands of the many.

He hosts and participates in a number of podcasts including a collaboration with Bitcoin Park x ARK Invest called Bitcoin Brainstorm: YouTube

In addition to his professional pursuits, Rod is also an early-stage angel investor and has invested in companies such as Calm, Teachable, 15Five, and others.

He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Helen, and four amazing children.

Rory is the Director of Digital Asset Management for CleanSpark, where he focuses on Bitcoin Treasury management and general capital strategy. He previously worked at Discovery Capital, a global macro fund, where he was a member of the investment team responsible for managing risk and trading a wide range of products across international and domestic markets. As a hedge fund veteran and CFA Charterholder, he brings a distinct maturity to the intersection of Bitcoin and financial markets.

Home & Pleb Miner, HashTub Enjoyer, Tinkerer. Won't stop until every house has a bitcoin based heater.

Electrical engineer working on open source #bitcoin mining hardware and firmware.

Instigator of the Bitaxe Bitcoin ASIC miner.

Senior Vice President of Strategy & Operations, Bitcoin Policy Institute

As Senior Vice President of Strategy & Operations at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, Stephen Pollock leads the organization’s development and operational efforts, driving forward its mission to advocate for sound Bitcoin policy in Washington, DC. With well over a decade of experience in business development, political campaigns, and public affairs, Stephen brings a wealth of expertise to BPI.

Throughout his career, Stephen has developed and executed comprehensive campaign strategies for dozens of state, regional, and national issues, including grassroots initiatives that have directly shaped major federal legislation. He has cultivated deep relationships with key political, business, and media leaders across 40+ states, working alongside business owners, local leaders, congressional offices, governors' teams, and the White House.

Previously, Stephen served as a state lobbyist for a multi-state government affairs division, where he honed his skills in influencing policy and navigating complex legislative landscapes. He’s also a seasoned multimedia producer, overseeing large-scale projects and creating compelling video content for campaigns and corporate initiatives. With a strong background in FinTech, angel investing, fundraising, and SaaS sales and marketing, Stephen’s diverse experience uniquely positions him at the intersection of technology, policy, and business.

Based in Nashville, Stephen enjoys unwinding by writing country songs, diving deep into Bitcoin research, and tending to his expansive garden with his wife and kids.

Steve founded Upstream Data in 2017 after a decade of experience as a mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry. Driven by a passion for energy conservation, Steve has focused on reducing energy waste through innovative bitcoin mining solutions. His work centers on developing distributed and automated mining infrastructure that synchronizes computing loads with upstream energy sources. Steve is also an inventor, holding multiple patents in bitcoin mining and oilfield technology.

You already added my headshot, for a bio you can put: "Steve is an open source bitcoin software developer and contributor and president for the Bitcoin Dev Kit Foundation. The Bitcoin Dev Kit Foundation is a US non-profit corporation that supports the development of, public access to and adoption of the free and open source Bitcoin Dev Kit (BDK) library software.

Tom Masiero, Director at Cathedra Bitcoin , PoW industrialist.

Will Cole is a long time bitcoiner currently working on Zaprite.