Past Conferences

February 28, 2025

10A Non-Profit Organizations

• Carter Rubin, Director of State Transportation Advocacy, NRDC
• Nate Huntington, Resilience Associate, Greenbelt Alliance
• Erin Ristig, Marine Resource Protection Program Coordinator, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
• Scott Sawyer, local Food Systems Expert

11AM Energy

• Jennifer Najjar, Trial Attorney, DOJ
• Andy Byrne, American Indian Environmental Office Policy and Partnership, EPA
• Daniel Klaus, Environmental Specialist, Office of Compliance, EPA
• Leah Benton, Environmental Planner, SF Public Utilities Commission

12:15PM Athenaeum Keynote Panel

• Todd Sax, Assistant Division Chief, Mobile Source Laboratory Division, California Air Resources Board
• Sara Guiltinan, Pacific Regional Tribal Liaison
• Patrick Atwater, Innovation Program Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

1:45PM “Innovation in the Climate Economy” (Co-Sponsored with RLCIE)

• Ryan Bellissimo, Founder and CEO and VC, Progression and Private Family Office
• Kele Mkpado, Manager of Operations, TransparentSea Farm
• Robert Owlett, Director or Origination, Pathway Power
• Ari Polychronopoulos, Head of Product Management & ESG, Research Affiliates

3PM Sustainable Transformation

• Lily Simon, Account Executive, Afresh
• Kayalin Akens-Matthews-Irby, Head of Growth, Planet FWD
• Alexander Landau, Sustainability Consultant, Agendi
• Adam Rush, Principal, Meridian Consultants, LLC.

4PM Networking Event

February 9, 2024

9–10AM: Postgraduate Education (Panelists are Remote)

• Carter Rubin, Director of State Transportation Advocacy, NRDC
• Nate Huntington, Resilience Associate, Greenbelt Alliance
• Erin Ristig, Marine Resource Protection Program Coordinator, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
• Scott Sawyer, local Food Systems Expert

10–11AM: Civic & Community Engagement

• Jennifer Najjar, Trial Attorney, DOJ
• Andy Byrne, American Indian Environmental Office Policy and Partnership, EPA
• Daniel Klaus, Environmental Specialist, Office of Compliance, EPA
• Leah Benton, Environmental Planner, SF Public Utilities Commission

11–12PM: Environmental Protection (Remote)

• Todd Sax, Assistant Division Chief, Mobile Source Laboratory Division, California Air Resources Board
• Sara Guiltinan, Pacific Regional Tribal Liaison
• Patrick Atwater, Innovation Program Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

12–1PM: Athenaeum Keynote: Michael Crooke

• Ryan Bellissimo, Founder and CEO and VC, Progression and Private Family Office
• Kele Mkpado, Manager of Operations, TransparentSea Farm
• Robert Owlett, Director or Origination, Pathway Power
• Ari Polychronopoulos, Head of Product Management & ESG, Research Affiliates

1:30–2:30PM: Environmental Policy & ESG

• Lily Simon, Account Executive, Afresh
• Kayalin Akens-Matthews-Irby, Head of Growth, Planet FWD
• Alexander Landau, Sustainability Consultant, Agendi
• Adam Rush, Principal, Meridian Consultants, LLC.

2:30–3:30PM: Government (Panelists are Remote)

February 3, 2023

10–10:45AM: Civic and Community Engagement in Environmental Justice

• Kristina Von Hoffman, Climate Reserve
• Talia Dotson, TreePeople
• Anne Shalamoff, CivicWell

11–11:45AM: Government

• Ata Khan, City of Pomona
• Steve Baule, LA Department of Water and Power
• Drew L. Johnstone, Burbank Water & Power
• Erin Barry, Senior Management Analyst at City of Ventura

12–1PM: Athenaeum Keynote: Stacey Hoppe

1:30–2:15PM: ESG & Innovation

• Lauren Peacock, Energy Capital Management NGP
• Nicholas Bagatelos, Transparent Envelope Innovation
• Woodson Powell, PFM
• Johanna Masket, bgood collective
• Linda Thrasher

2:30–3:15PM: Energy Panel

• Mayte Sanchez, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
• Tom Mourmouras, Shell
• Philip Trapp, Cal Solar Inc.
• Sara Guitinan, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
• Nathan Miller, Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc

3:30 PM: Networking Event

March 4, 2022

10–10:45AM: Policy

• Sam Becker, Environmental Defense Fund
• Michelle Black, Chatten-Brown & Carsten LLP
• Isabelle Heilman, Department of Energy
• Sami Murphy, United Nations

11–11:45AM: Advocacy

•  Gaudensia Kalabamu, World Wildlife Fund
• Weronika Konwent, Ecology Project International
• Will Cullen
• Lindon Pronto, European Forest Institute

12–1 PM: Lunch Break

1:15–2PM: Entrepreneurship

• Alex Tran, Shelf Engine
• David Wagner, Cypress Creek
• Eli Etzioni, Symbrosia

2–3 PM: Green Consulting & Finance

• Taryn Akiyama, Climate Finance Advisor, BLLC
• Katie Browning, Schneider Electric
• Clifton Yin, Inter City Fund
• David Cherney, PA Consulting Group
• Madison Vorna, Earthworm Foundation

March 19, 2021

10–10:40AM: Innovation and Consulting

• Michael Ochoa, Environmental Resources management
• Sarah Conway, Ecosystem Alpha
• Jun Lee ’89, JYL

11–11:40AM: Governance and Policy

• Isabelle Heilmann, Department of Energy
• Alex Rudee, Natural Climate Solutions in WRI’s US Climate Imitative
• Tom Erb, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
• Miles Lifson, MIT Media Lab

12–1PM: Media: Adventure, Storytelling, and Untraditional Paths

• Liz Thomas ’07, Speaker and Writer
• Michael Graber ’84, Graber Productions
• Saveria Tilden, AdventurUS Women

1:30–2:15PM : Early Career and Breaking In

• Will Cullen
• Maddie Lee, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
• Sam Horowitz

January 31, 2020

9:15–9:45AM: Coffee with Panelist

10–10:45AM: Innovation and Consulting

• Angela Sevin, The Green Life
• Caroline Farrell, Center on Race, Poverty, & the Environment
• Estelle Reyes, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
• Ricci Sergienko, Sunrise Movement Los Angeles

11–11:45AM: Business & Green Tech Panel

• Caitrin O’Brien ’10, Corporate Sustainability at Hilton
• Claire Goodrich ’15, Patagonia
• Yancan “Lydia” Li ’13, Generate Capital
• Catherine Leland ’04, Edison International

11:45AM–1PM: Keynote

• Hudson Moore ’06: “Brewing a Better World: How My Beer Career Turned Green!” Global Director, Metal Procurement & Sustainability at Anheuser-Busch InBev

1:15–2PM: Science and Research Panel

• Lauren D’Souza ’18, Renewable Resources Group
• Oscar Romo, Alter Terra
• Erin Ristig ’15, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
• Gator Halpern POM ’12, Coral Vita

2:15–3PM: Policy and Law Panel

• Andrea Contreras, Pitzer ’02-  Environmental Review Manager, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
• Jennifer Ganata –  Senior Staff Attorney, Communities for a Better Environment
• Daniel Ritter – Partner, K & L Gates

February 1, 2019

10-10:45AM: Business

• Kayalin Irby 18, Malk Partners
• Christopher Frantz, Cypress Creek Renewables
• Stephanie Rico, Wells Fargo

11–11:45AM: Science and Technology

• Megan Wargo, Pacific Forest Trust
• Hillary Haskel, San Diego G&E
• Gordon Algermissen ’14, Pick My Solar

11:45AM–1PM: Keynote 

• Carolyn Campbell, Facebook: “Updating the Status of Tech: How Companies are Trending Towards a Renewable Future”

1:15–2PM: Policy and Law

• Carter Rubin, NRDC
• Michelle Black, Environmental Lawyer
• Kathryn Gaffney, ICF

 2:15–3PM: Environmental Journalism and Communications

• Emma Foehringer Merchant, GTM Research
• Sachi Singh ’12, ClimateWorks Foundation
• Tony Barboza ’06, Los Angeles Times

3PM: Networking Reception