Latest news with #Haygood
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Olga Haygood Named S44 Energy CEO to Lead OaaS EV Charging
MONTVALE, N.J., May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- S44, a technology leader specializing in transformative software solutions for the automotive and energy sectors, today announced Olga Haygood as CEO of S44 Energy. Haygood, who has been leading S44 Energy's strategic initiatives and product innovation, brings more than two decades of leadership experience to the role. As CEO, she will continue to drive S44 Energy's mission to break software barriers and scale charging infrastructure, advancing a more sustainable, accessible future. Over the past five years, Haygood has played a critical role in S44's evolution, helping transform the company into a global leader in EV and mobility software. As Chief Growth Marketing Officer, she spearheaded the development of CitrineOS, the open-source charge station management system (CSMS), now part of Linux Foundation Energy. Her leadership extended across marketing, sales, brand and business development, helping shape S44's overall strategy and guiding its expansion into international markets. In 2024, Haygood grew S44 Energy with professional services for EV charging software while developing a new product in stealth. As CEO, she will launch the company's new Open-as-a-Service (OaaS) platform, revolutionizing how EV charging networks are deployed and operated. This new product will provide unparalleled flexibility, transparency and scalability for operators worldwide. 'The industry doesn't need another software company. It needs a catalyst. A way to unlock EV infrastructure at scale,' said Haygood. 'As the leader of S44 Energy, I look forward to helping CPOs deploy charging networks that are reliable, flexible and future-proof. Before joining S44, Haygood held leadership roles at global agencies including J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman, where she worked with Fortune 500 clients such as Northrop Grumman, GE Digital and Walmart. Her background spans public policy, marketing, branding and culture transformation, with a consistent focus on building high-performing, mission-aligned teams. To learn more about S44 Energy, visit the company website and follow it on LinkedIn for updates about its OaaS EV charging software. About S44S44 is a technology group comprising two specialized companies: S44 Energy and S44 Automotive. S44 Energy is a software company dedicated to advancing e-mobility through scalable, open EV charging solutions for charge point operators, fleets and infrastructure providers. With a commitment to open standards, innovation and sustainability, S44 Energy empowers the transition to electric mobility. S44 Automotive, a SaaS provider to automotive retailers and OEMs, offers solutions for personalization, predictive analytics, and product configurators — enhancing customer experiences and improving sales efficiency. Headquartered in the U.S. and Germany, S44 Holdings leverages the strengths of its two companies to drive innovation and transformation across the mobility ecosystem. Media ContactLiesse JayalathLook Left Marketing s44@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UNC System makes its pitch to state lawmakers for a modest funding boost
Image: UNC System The University of North Carolina system is seeking $89 million in additional state funding for the 2025-26 fiscal year, UNC System officials told state lawmakers on Wednesday. The request includes $46.4 million for enrollment growth, $30 million for a new performance-based funding pool, $9 million for the NC Promise tuition program, and $3.7 million for building reserves. Jennifer Haygood, the UNC System's chief financial officer, said the requests are critical to supporting students and institutions. The enrollment growth funding would help cover the cost of an expected increase in student credit hours across the 16-campus system. Haygood said the request represents a rebound after pandemic-related enrollment declines. Lawmakers on the House and Senate Education Appropriations subcommittees also heard a proposal for a new $30 million recurring 'performance funding pool.' This would reward campuses that show improvement on metrics like graduation rates and timely degree completion. The UNC system is also seeking additional funding to maintain the NC Promise program, which caps undergraduate tuition at $500 for in-state students at four UNC System institutions — Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, UNC-Pembroke, and Western Carolina University. Other requests include $3.2 million in recurring funds and $500,000 in one-time money for operating costs of new facilities. Committee members raised questions about the flexibility and implementation of the performance funding model. Some suggested incorporating job placement data as an additional metric. Separately, the UNC System is requesting funds for enhanced resiliency and emergency management resources for its western institutions. Haygood said the request is driven by lessons learned from the impacts of Hurricane Helene which caused significant but manageable damage at some campuses. She noted that while most facility repair costs are expected to be covered by insurance and FEMA, the system is seeking non-recurring funds to improve emergency communications, generators, and other infrastructure to better prepare for future natural disasters. Haygood also asked the committee for budget flexibility on $5 million previously appropriated for unmet Hurricane Helene repair needs. 'We think that between insurance and FEMA that we are likely largely going to cover that, and so we may not need that full five million to repair. But if we had the flexibility to invest in these resiliencies, that would still, I think the investment that was very valuable to our institutions and would help support our response to future natural disasters,' Haygood said. Committee co-chair Rep. John Willis (R-Union County) suggested a system-wide approach to addressing urgent facility needs, rather than focusing solely on campuses impacted by the Helene. 'I would suggest that we take a system wide approach and look at the most urgent needs across the system for those because, I think out of the 15 campuses that we have, there are some urgent, urgent needs that were not impacted by the storm itself,' Willis said. No action on the UNC System request was taken Tuesday as the meeting was, like other joint appropriations meetings taking place in late February and early March, part of the information gathering process that will lead to the construction and unveiling of an omnibus budget bill sometime in the spring.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Great Backyard Bird Count lets public do citizen science in as little as 15 minutes
This Valentine's Day weekend, love will be in the air. So will birds, and scientists around the world are counting on the public's help to learn more about where those birds are and in what numbers. The annual Great Backyard Bird Count is slated for February 14-17. Anyone is welcome to participate; all it takes is a commitment to identify and count the birds seen or heard in a particular location on at least one of the days of the count, for at least 15 minutes. "You don't have to have a backyard to participate — you can do it anywhere you are," said Benjamin Haywood, director of community science for the National Audubon Society. "You can be in a city; you could be in a public park; you could be on a balcony in your apartment building. Anywhere you see birds you can participate." The Great Backyard Bird Count started in 1998 as a joint project of the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The idea for the February count was to get a snapshot of bird information just before they embarked on their spring migrations in North America, where they return to places like Michigan to breed. "Because it's now a global event, we now also get really good information about resident birds, birds that don't migrate and stay in the same area," Haygood said. The citizen bird identifications and counts are uploaded to Cornell Lab's eBird database, to which more than 100 million bird sightings are contributed annually by eBirders around the world. The data has proven valuable to scientists, and has helped inform hundreds of research papers and articles, Haygood said. The Great Backyard Bird Count adds the unique perspective of nearly simultaneous, mass, global observation in a short, particular timeframe. More than 642,000 people participated in the count last year in 210 countries or subregions, he said. "It's a great opportunity to paint the picture of how the bird populations are doing," Haygood said. "Are they declining? Do we see them in certain areas now more than we saw them in the past? Are they changing their ranges and habitat needs?" Among the trends the citizen science has made clear: many bird species in the Northern Hemisphere are shifting their winter ranges farther north over time, likely a result of the trend of milder winters driven by climate change, he said. More: Most birds adapted to spending winter in Michigan can handle below-zero cold More: Fish-eating shoreline birds harmed by polluted Michigan waters, yearslong study finds Laura Valence, marketing manager at Wenke Greenhouses in Kalamazoo, highlights the Great Backyard Bird Count and how to participate on the business' website annually. "I am very passionate about feeling the birds, and I love watching them — I have six bird feeders at my house," she said. "It's a great thing to do as a family. It's really easy to do. You can do it for an hour; you can do it for the whole weekend. It's a great family event in the middle of winter." Don't know a tufted titmouse from a white-breasted nuthatch? Cornell Lab's Merlin Bird ID app, available free for Apple or Android phones, can walk a user through identifying the bird they see through a series of questions. The app also allows for recording bird calls, with the birds identified through the lab's vast database of vocalizations. The Merlin app automatically feeds the Great Backyard Bird Count data collection. Count participants can do their work solo, as a family or small group, or as part of community events scheduled all around the world for this weekend. "If you are new to birding, and you want to connect with people who have been doing this for a while, that's a nice way to get started, getting with a group of people," Haywood said. Great Backyard Bird Count Events slated in Michigan this weekend include: Friday, Feb. 14 at DeVries Nature Conservancy, 2635 N. Michigan 52, Owosso. Guided hike from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Oakland Bird Alliance's Young Birders Club will participate in the count at Johnson Nature Center, 3325 Franklin Road, Bloomfield Township. The club is for children ages 8 to 18, and children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent. Pre-registration is required. For more information, email Kathleen Dougherty at kad8186@ Saturday, Feb. 15, from 8 to 11 a.m. at Fernwood Botanical Garden 13988 Range Line Road, Niles. The event is free, but registration for particular time slots is requested at Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend enlists citizen scientists
