MEET THE TEAM

On behalf of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, The Webster Group has been hired to arrange and manage the logistics and technical program of this event.  The following members of The Webster Group team will be supporting this effort.


Wendy Drake

Wendy Drake is the President and CEO of The Webster Group, Global Event Management. She brings to her role more than 25 years’ experience working in event management and production with government agencies, corporations, and non-profit organizations.  Ms. Drake has experience managing and producing events such as trade missions, multi-day conferences and conventions, conferences dedication and commissioning ceremonies, galas and concerts. She has worked with the U.S. Departments of State, Transportation, and Homeland Security; the U.S. Agency for International Development; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; the U.S. Coast Guard, the USTDA, and numerous non-profits and corporations. She is a member of Chief, MPI, PCMA,  and Women in International Trade. She also serves on the Customer Advisory Boards for Business Events Victoria and Visit Baltimore.  She earned her MBA from George Washington University.


Deborah Gitelson Krauth

Deborah Gitelson, a Vice President with over 25 years of event management experience, leads productions for nonprofit, corporate, and government clients. Her expertise covers a wide range of events, from galas and conferences to concerts and fashion shows. Ms. Gitelson's skills encompass all aspects of event planning, including conceptualization, site selection, contract negotiations, and budgeting. She has worked with renowned performers and high-profile speakers, including former presidents, vice presidents, and celebrities. Notable productions include the Pentagon Memorial Fund Dedication Events and Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Balls. Her client list features organizations like DC Central Kitchen and the National Cherry Blossom Festival.



Phil Hargis

Phil Hargis is the Vice President of Global Events at The Webster Group. He has over 25 years of experience in managing global events, multiple programs and contracts of all sizes for a variety of clients. His event and project management portfolio of experience includes: United States Trade and Development Agency, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Department of State, Missile Defense Agency, Washington Headquarters Services, Department of the Navy, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Mr. Hargis has been involved in all aspects of the USTDA Reverse Trade Missions (RTM), Workshops and Study Tours for the past eight years.  He has managed or been involved planning over 50 USTDA events during this time.



Lillian Ozolins

Lillian Ozolins serves as an Event Associate at The Webster Group, leveraging less than a year of experience in the event industry. As a recent graduate from Radford University, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Special Events and Tourism with a minor in Marketing. Her solid educational foundation aligns perfectly with her passion. Renowned for her ambition, motivation, and unwavering reliability, she approaches each project with dedication and enthusiasm. Demonstrating a talent for curating innovative and impactful events, she consistently surpasses expectations, driven by an unyielding commitment to delivering excellence.



Sophia Wallach

Sophia Wallach is an Event Associate for The Webster Group, based in Washington D.C.  Prior to The Webster Group, Ms. Wallach worked as a Social Media Coordinator for the International Women’s Forum (IWF), where she oversaw social media communications strategy and assisted with event logistics for IWF’s 2023 World Leadership Conference.  In 2022/2023, Ms. Wallach lived and worked in Melbourne, Australia for Sports Travel & Hospitality Group.   During this time, she worked as Operations Coordinator and Business Support Manager.  She worked closely with clients, including Tennis Australia and Rugby Australia, to develop and implement travel and hospitality experiences for the 2023 Australian Open Tennis Tournament and the 2023 Rugby World Cup.  Ms. Wallach is originally from Bethesda, Maryland.  She has a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, where she studied International Relations, Political Science, and Spanish.



Daniel Lipman

Dan Lipman is a career nuclear industry professional, the last twenty-three years at an executive level, heading the new reactor business for Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) and serving as Vice President – Suppliers & International Division at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).

He recently has undertaken assignments as strategic advisor, board member, operating partner and executive in support of new reactor and fuel-cycle projects, working both domestically and internationally, including with both emerging and existing nuclear technology developers. He has lived and worked in multiple countries and U.S. locations.

Dan began his career in the last new build era as a start-up and construction site staffer. He worked to bring units in Korea and the U.S. into initial operations. He has worked in the operating fleet as site manager, service provider, and fleet advisor, focusing on engineering, outage, and renewal parts support, as well as on-site problem-solving under operating limits. More recently, Dan has supported fleet operators through his tenure on the IAEA’s new technical working group on operations, which advises on best practices to fleets around the world. In his tenure at NEI, Dan has worked on supply chain, fuel cycle, and market solutions impacting the US operating fleet, including public acceptance, media, and communications campaigns.

The bulk of Dan’s recent experience is in international civil nuclear trade and cooperation, reactor sales, new technology development, R&D, technology transfer, and organizational development related to companies dedicated to this space. He has a particular interest in emerging nuclear markets, having led trade missions to several countries; performed due diligence on nuclear companies; participated in pertinent multi-lateral negotiations and government-related meetings; and has served four years on the advisory committee on international nuclear trade to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, spanning the last two Administrations.

Dan led the new reactor business for Westinghouse Electric Co.  During his tenure, the AP1000 received its design certification in the US and he initiated licensing applications in several countries and new R&D projects. During this time, WEC obtained contracts for all AP1000’s in China and the U.S., plus other commitments for AP1000 deployment. He has developed global organizations to deliver equipment, engineering, supply management, and construction services. He is experienced in a variety of types of EPC contracts and delivery options and global plant sales, including the negotiation of technology transfer, joint ventures, and plant partnerships in a variety of countries. Dan subsequently led a large organization, including supply chain, strategic planning, quality management, and sustainability activities. These organizations were newly established, growing to contain several thousand staff, including organized labor.

At NEI, Dan focused on nuclear energy policies benefiting the U.S. supplier community through international trade. He has testified before Congress five times on U.S. treaties. Dan has played an important role in advancing the Gen IV reactor development agenda with branches of the U.S. government, the U.S. Congress and with international organizations. International cooperation has been a particular specialty during his tenure at NEI, including as chair of the Nuclear Security Industry Summit, WNA working group participation, and numerous trade and industry meetings.



Sydney McNiff Johnson

Sydney McNiff Johnson is an accomplished executive with extensive public sector and government experience.  She is a strategic thought leader at the national and international level in energy, climate and technological areas. 

Johnson serves as the President of Galena Strategies LLC, an energy consultancy firm.  She also consults to Dentons US LLP, where she formerly served as Principal, and helped grow the energy practice from 12 offices in 2 countries to over 125 offices in 80 countries, working with teams to assimilate top energy companies into one practice.

As a C- Suite executive, she led the negotiations with the Russian Federation to import fissile material from 10,000 decommissioned nuclear warheads into the United States for a $2 billion revenue company listed on the NYSE.  In addition, she was responsible for all corporate communications and government relations, including union negotiations and implementing operations at two of the largest Dept. of Energy complexes in the U.S.

Johnson was a co-founder of the U.S. Nuclear Transportation Council, now U.S. Nuclear Industry Council; the leading nuclear association for a continued strong U.S. nuclear fleet, development and deployment of Advanced Reactors, new technologies and exportation of U.S. nuclear goods.  She serves on the Back End Working Group of the USNIC as well as the Strategic Initiatives Taskforce. As the Vice Chairman of the Department of Commerce’s Civil Nuclear Trade Commission (CINTAC), she participated on the U.S. Delegation in the 123 negotiations in Vietnam and China for US nuclear export technology in 2014.

Sydney has also helped clients with FEMA, the National Security Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, FERC, the Departments of Defense and Energy and other agencies to facilitate strategic solutions.

Sydney’s ability to negotiate with engineers, technical experts, and international regulators lends to tremendous shareholder value.  She has worked funding, permitting, regulatory and environmental matters for construction of highways, power plants, mines, subway systems and airports. 

Sydney serves as an Ambassador to the Department of Energy for the C3E program, promoting women in clean energy.  She serves as Vice Chair of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Board of Directors, currently implementing $2.5 billion of assets in the Gulf coast states to remediate environmental and wildlife damage from the Transocean Oil Spill.  



Paul Murphy 

Paul M. Murphy is the Founder and Managing Director of Murphy Energy & Infrastructure Consulting, LLC.   

Paul focuses on multiple aspects of the nuclear industry – from legal and policy matters, including international regulatory and treaty frameworks and issues regarding nuclear liability, to strategies for creating and financing nuclear power programs and the identification and mitigation of associated risks – representing governments, developers/owners, investors, lenders, and contractors on nuclear projects internationally.  He is recognized as an expert in the development and financing of nuclear power programs by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC), and the U.S. government. 

Paul regularly teaches financing, contracting, and project development for the IAEA, Argonne National Laboratory, and Texas A&M University for their international training programs, and serves as a guest lecturer at the U.S. National Defense University.  Paul currently serves (as a six-time appointee) to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s Civilian Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee, as well as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s SMR Working Group, and he has served on ASME’s Clean Energy Technology Advisory Panel. 

Paul now serves as the Co-Head of Public Finance & Government Relations for Cross River Infrastructure Partners.  He is also an Affiliate of Nuclear Economics Consulting Group. 

Most recently, Paul served as Managing Director, Special Projects for the international law firm, Gowling WLG.  Prior to joining Gowlings, he was Special Counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, and a member of the Global Project Finance group, leading Milbank’s nuclear practice.  Prior to Milbank, he served as Senior Counsel for Bechtel Power Corporation, supporting both the Nuclear and Fossil businesses as a transactional attorney involved in business development, proposal submittals, contract negotiations, procurement, and project execution. 

Paul is a graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs and a graduate of Harvard Law School.   

For an extended profile for Paul, please see:  

https://nuclear-economics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Paul-Murphy-full-resume-MEIC-Aug-2020.pdf