Date: July 22
Time : 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Location: Campanelli Club
Participants will evaluate how fleets can move from limited pilot projects to scalable alternative fuel adoption strategies. They will identify the operational, financial, staffing, and policy considerations that influence fleet readiness during a fuel transition. The session will provide a framework for turning early demonstrations into durable organizational policy and investment decisions.
Paul Hooper serves as the Fleet Maintenance Coordinator for Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) in Leesburg, VA, where he oversees one of the region’s most diverse and evolving transportation fleets. Originally trained as a light vehicle mechanic in England, Paul brought his expertise to the United States in 1990—along with a deep appreciation for both precision engineering and a good cup of tea.
Paul spent 28 years with Saab across the UK and U.S. before transitioning into fleet maintenance in 2013. His career has since included work with Menzies Aviation at Dulles Airport, and for the past seven years, he has been an integral part of LCPS.
Today, Paul helps manage a fleet of over 1,200 vehicles, including electric, propane, diesel, and gasoline-powered units. He has led the integration of Wi-Fi, camera, and GPS systems across the fleet and collaborates with a skilled team to maintain operations across two county locations. Always forward-thinking, Paul enjoys evaluating emerging technologies, carefully balancing innovation with practicality and budget.
Danny Plaugher serves as Executive Director of both Virginians for High Speed Rail (VHSR) and the Virginia Transit Association (VTA). He joined VHSR in 2007, where he played a key role in establishing the Virginia Intercity Passenger Rail Operating and Capital Fund (IPROC), helping position Virginia as one of the first states in the nation with a dedicated funding source for passenger rail. In 2019, he joined VTA to lead policy and outreach efforts advancing public transportation across the Commonwealth.
In 2002, Danny was appointed by Governor Mark R. Warner to the Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and was reappointed in 2003, becoming one of the youngest appointees in the administration.
Danny is actively engaged in regional and community leadership. He serves on the Megaregion Institutional Council for RVA757 Connects; participates in legislative and transportation committees with the Virginia Conservation Network; and contributes to the Capital Region Rail Vision Advisory Committee with the Greater Washington Partnership. He is also a fellow and treasurer of the Virginia Rail Policy Institute and a member of the Virginia Commonwealth University Alumni Association.
His prior public service includes roles on the planning committee for Senator Mark R. Warner’s 2013 Virginia Young Professionals Summit, Terry McAuliffe’s 2014 Transition Transportation Council, and several statewide initiatives, including the Smart Scale Workgroup (2023), Transportation Sustainability Workgroup (2019), and Rail Enhancement Task Force (2015). He is a former president of the Rotary Club of Richmond and a past board member and co-founder of RVA Rapid Transit.
Danny is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond (2014), the Henrico Citizens Academy (2014), and the Henrico Citizens Fire Academy (2016). His recognitions include being named one of Richmond’s Top 40 Under 40 by Style Weekly in 2011 and one of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Top 10 Graduates of the Last Decade in 2016. In 2018, he became the first honorary member of VCU’s Pi Sigma Alpha honor society in its 30-year history.
A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Danny lives in Henrico’s West End with his wife, son, and two dogs.
Jacob Richard joined CALSTART in 2023 as a Technical Project Manager with the Trucks and Off-road team. In his role he focuses on understanding the market and tech readiness of Zero Emission Trucks (ZET) to help guide proper investment to accelerate their transition. He also supports the development of various tools relating to ZET. Jacob is passionate about combating climate change by helping electrify the transportation sector.
Prior to joining CALSTART, Jacob served in the AmeriCorps VISTA program that is designed to alleviate poverty. He served at Appalachian Ohio based nonprofit Rural Action with their Sustainable Energy Solutions program focusing on scaling up their Appalachian Clean Transportation and Solarize Appalachian Ohio initiatives. Jacob led outreach and engagement efforts around clean transportation in SE Ohio in collaboration with Drive Electric Ohio as well as managed EV charging data, assisted in research and grant writing and helped local farmers with agrivoltaics implementation. Jacob holds a BA in Mathematics/Statistics and Analytics from Miami University.
Shaun Rosemond has over 20 years experience in the utility industry. Earlier in his career, he served in several roles at the Georgia Public Service Commission , supporting local energy policy and telecommunications efforts for over a decade. Shaun transitioned to Atlanta Gas Light and Southern Compa ny Gas , where he had led teams in field operations, as well work ed with natural gas marketers in an external affairs capacity to support capacity planning, gas transportation and customer experience initiatives. He also served as Chief of Staff to Executive Vice President and Chief External and Public Affairs Officer at Southern Company Gas, where he led several cross functional philanthropic and volunteer initiatives as well as support ed corporate communications, customer operations, environmental affairs, sustainability and market strategy teams. At Georgia Power, he had the privilege of leading a Sales Operations team, which had responsibilities for technology support and planning, workforce development, communications, and supplying market intelligence to support strategic business objectives , then he transitioned to lead customer experience technology delivery teams responsible for deploying several customer experience and sales applications and a Customer Data Analytics Platform to enhance and improve customer engagement. Most recently, Shaun leads the Natural Gas Vehicles Team for Southern Company Gas, which includes promoting Compressed Natural Gas Solutions (CNG) solutions across the enterprise, leading a CNG Utilization initiative for their internal fleet , as well as overseeing the successful operation of over fifty (50) CNG stations across the Southern Company Gas portfolio. In service of supporting and promoting the alternative fuels industry, Shaun proudly serv es on the Executive Committee for the Transport Project and as Board Chair for Clean Cities Georgia. Shaun is a cum laude graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He is also a long-time resident of Atlanta, Georgia, and in his spare time enjoys spending time with his wife Kelly and their family and friends.
Frank Walkiewicz is a business development manager for ROUSH CleanTech, the clean technology division of Roush Enterprises. He is focused on alternative fuel growth for commercial trucks. Frank has an in-depth, extensive background in commercial fleet sales. Prior to his current role, he managed commercial sales, leasing and product support for various OEMs and truck dealers in Virginia. He also has served as a police officer for Virginia’s Roanoke County and Fairfax County police departments, as well as a corporal in the United States Marine Corps at Camp David.
Frank lives in Roanoke, Virginia with his wife, enjoying the empty nester life. Outside of work, he enjoys golf, cooking, drone photography and cheering on college football.
