Keynote Speakers and General Session

Tuesday Opening Keynote Address
Wednesday General Session
Thursday Keynote Address

Tuesday Opening Keynote Address

Tuesday, 25 September
8:00 a.m.
Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice president, worldwide standards and auditing, with Walt Disney Parks & Resorts

Responsible for the safety of thousands of cast members and millions of visitors each year at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice president, worldwide standards and auditing, looks to innovation, technologies, and applications to stay on the forefront of park safety. Hear Greg's unique viewpoint on how technologies cross industrial boundaries and his perspective on automation technology as it relates to his industry, and the application of these technologies in the process and discrete industries.

About Greg Hale

Greg Hale is Chief Safety Officer and Vice President, Worldwide Standards and Auditing, with Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. He leads a global team of ride design, operations, and maintenance professionals that keep Disney on the leading edge of theme park safety, accessibility for guests with disabilities, and technology advancements.

Greg received his BSEE from the University of Mississippi in 1976 and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Florida. In 1988, Greg joined Walt Disney World Co. and has held several key positions including Director of Facilities and Attractions Regulatory Compliance and Director of Ride & Show Engineering. Prior to his present position, he was Vice President of Design & Engineering and Regulatory Compliance.

Greg pro-actively participates in national standards committees and has been recognized for his work on accessibility standards for persons with disabilities and for amusement ride safety standards and training. In October, 2010, Greg received ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) F24's highest award — the Dr. Richard H. "Doc" Brown Memorial EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE AWARD. The ASTM award was presented to recognize Greg's numerous contributions to improve the level of safety within the amusement industry, his technical expertise, and untiring dedication and outstanding efforts in promoting the worldwide use, application, and adoption of the standards under the jurisdiction of Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices. He is on the Executive Committee of the ASTM Amusement Ride Safety Standards Committee.

Greg is a member of AIMS Educational Advisory Board (Amusement Industry Manufacturers & Suppliers International) and was awarded the AIMS award for best presenter at their annual safety training workshop. Greg has lead safety conferences and workshops throughout the US and in more than 12 countries.

In 2010, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) awarded Greg the Outstanding Service Award which is the highest honor IAAPA presents to an individual member or an organization. The IAAPA award recognized Greg's significant contributions to the industry in promoting safety and evolving standards and practices on a world-wide basis. Greg is Chairman of the IAAPA International Standards Harmonization Committee and a former Chairman of IAAPA's Safety and Maintenance Committee. He has served as an IAAPA Board of Directors member and has held the position of co-chair of IAAPA's Strategic Planning Program Committee. Greg received IAAPA's Public Affairs Award in recognition for his leadership on critical safety issues for the amusement industry.

Greg is an active member of the National Safety Council (NSC) where he serves on the Board of Delegates, is Vice President for the Community Safety Division, and a former Board of Directors member. He was co-chairman of the Host Committee for the 2009 NSC Congress and Expo in Orlando, FL. Greg received NSC's Distinguished Service to Safety Award. This award is the highest honor bestowed on an individual safety professional by the NSC in recognition of outstanding service in the field of safety.

Greg has served on the Dean's Executive Advisory Board for the University of Central Florida, College of Engineering and Computer Science. Greg served on the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board's Recreation Access Advisory Committee, and he is responsible for numerous innovations and inventions that have advanced accessibility for persons with disabilities. Some of the more recent are handheld captioning for the deaf and audio descriptions for the blind that for the first time provide captioning and audio descriptions on moving rides and attractions. In addition, he is a co-inventor and patent holder for Disney's FASTPASS®, eliminating long lines at Disney theme park rides and attractions. Greg holds 19 US and foreign patents.

Greg is an enthusiastic supporter of the FIRST Program (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). He serves on the FIRST Executive Advisory Board. This program brings students and engineers together to compete in head-to-head science and technology robotics competition. FIRST reaches thousands of students each year to interest and inspire the nation's youth in science, math, and technology.
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Wednesday General Session:
An Open Discussion About the Future of Automation

SUPPLIER AND END-USER EXECUTIVE PANEL
Wednesday, 26 September, 8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
Open to all

Executives from supplier and end-user companies along with a leading industrial business analyst will deliver their provocative vision of the future of automation. Find out what drivers, innovations, challenges, and opportunities these visionaries expect to see as technology moves forward and economic and workforce development factors impact manufacturing.

Provocative, opinionated, and always lively, these in-the-know executives may not all agree with one another—but they all strongly believe in their convictions. Come and hear their viewpoints about how your job and your future in automation may be changing—and take this unique opportunity to ask questions of the panel. Find out what these influential leaders know—and have just been waiting to say!

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Thursday Keynote Address

Thursday, 27 September
8:00 a.m.

Travis Capps is Vice President of Energy and Gases, Valero Energy Corporation.

Valero executive Travis Capps will address automation professionals and challenge them with ideas and concepts that they can use to help make their companies more successful. Attendees will be asked to consider how the decisions they make every day as technologists in the automation and controls arena have a dramatic impact on efficiency, profitability, and long-term sustainability for their employer. Every individual in the automation process has a new, important role in his or her organizations' business and financial success.

About Travis Capps

Travis Capps received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama in 1994 and his Masters of Business Administration from The University of Texas in San Antonio, Texas in 2003.

Travis began his career in the oil industry, joining Exxon in 1994 where he worked for six years in a variety of technical and operational assignments, beginning with an assignment as a process engineer for the Benicia Refinery in Benicia, California. Prior to the refinery’s acquisition by Valero Energy Corporation in 2000, Travis led its Coordination and Economics group.

Upon joining Valero in May 2000, Travis was the Refinery Technology Director in the corporate offices in San Antonio, Texas. In 2003, he joined the corporate planning and economics group and ultimately became the Vice President of Planning and Economics for the West Coast, Mid Continents and Northeast Regions. In 2006, Travis moved to the position of Vice President of Strategic Development and was responsible for the economic modeling and development of Strategic Planning, the stewardship and analysis of current operations, and the Automation and Advanced Process Control efforts of the corporation. At the end of 2007, Travis was promoted to his current position as Vice President of Energy and Gases.

Travis is actively involved in several community organizations and is currently a board member for Artpace San Antonio. His hobbies include studying and collecting contemporary art, and reading current and historic perspectives on world affairs. A native of Rutledge, Alabama, Travis resides in San Antonio, Texas, with his partner Lee.
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