David Cash

Former Regional Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency’s New England Region

David W. Cash served as the Regional Administrator for the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office during the Biden Administration. Dr. Cash has spent his career in public service harnessing science, innovative policy, and community involvement to help solve challenges and seize opportunities at the intersection of environmental protection, economic development, and equity. As Regional Administrator, Dr. Cash oversaw the largest investment in climate justice in the region, and a realignment of priorities in order to better connect with communities. Before joining the EPA, Dr. Cash was Dean of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Prior to that, Dr. Cash spent a decade in Massachusetts state government in a range of senior positions in both Democratic and Republican administrations, working to transform the Commonwealth’s environmental and energy policy. In all his roles, Dr. Cash collaborates across government and with community leaders and the private sector to craft and implement innovative science-based policies for climate action, environmental justice, clean energy, job creation, clean water, sustainable land use, waste management, and grid modernization. Dr. Cash holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, a science teaching degree from Lewis & Clark in Portland, OR, and a BS in biology from Yale University.

Becky Kelley

Former Climate Advisor to Former WA Governor Inslee

Becky recently completed 4 years as Senior Climate Advisor to Governor Jay Inslee of Washington, leading policy, budget, and coalition work on this priority issue for the Governor. In that role, Kelley led the Governor’s efforts to pass 2021’s groundbreaking climate legislation, the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) and the Clean Fuel Standard. She supported the implementation of the CCA and led legislative efforts to strengthen tribal consultation, improve the state’s clean energy siting processes, and expand clean energy workforce development. She also supported the Governor’s climate efforts regionally, nationally, and internationally, including through the Pacific Coast Collaborative, America Is All In, and US Climate Alliance coalitions. Kelley is the former president of the Washington Environmental Council (now Washington Conservation Action). She led that organization’s climate and clean energy policy efforts and many environmental advocacy campaigns and coalitions over two decades.

Anne Kelly

Vice President, Government Relations at Ceres

Anne leads the Ceres Policy Network, Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP). BICEP is a coalition of 89 leading companies advocating for meaningful climate and energy policy at the state and federal levels. Anne is a registered lobbyist and is actively engaged on Capitol Hill on behalf of Ceres and BICEP member companies. Anne is an environmental lawyer with twenty-five years of public and private sector experience. In the 1990s, she directed the Massachusetts Environmental Strike Force—a team of legal and engineering professionals charged with bringing high-profile civil and criminal actions through the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. Anne has taught environmental law courses at Boston College Law School, Suffolk University, and Tufts University. In addition to her law degree, Anne holds a master's in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is a fellow in the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL).

Georges Sassine

VP Large Scale Renewable at NYSERDA

Georges Sassine is the Vice President for Large-Scale Renewables at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He leads NYSERDA’s work in advancing both land-based renewable energy and offshore wind resources. Prior to joining NYSERDA in September 2021, he spent nearly ten years at General Electric (GE) where he took on a wide scope of responsibilities including strategy, scenario planning, product management, innovation, marketing and business development. He started his career in engineering and policy analysis roles with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Middle East and at a couple of think tanks in Washington, DC. Georges has also worked with several multinational corporations driving policy analysis, investment and business strategy including Deutsche Bank’s Energy & Climate Change Advisors team in New York and Man Group’s energy private equity fund in London. He is also the founder of a non-profit that advocates for transparency and good governance in the energy industry. Georges sits on the board of the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), a non-profit platform for states and public agencies to collaborate to advance clean energy in the United States. He holds a Bachelor in Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut, and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University.

Julie Wormser

City of Cambridge, Chief Climate Officer

Julie Wormser is Cambridge, Massachusetts’ first Chief Climate Officer. She and her team work across City departments to eliminate fossil fuel use by 2050, ensure our people and places are prepared for extreme weather, and lower the bar for other communities to do the same. Before joining the City, she worked for the Mystic River Watershed Association and co-founded the Resilient Mystic Collaborative. Since its launch in 2018, the 20-community effort secured nearly $140 million for regional climate preparedness projects. As Executive Director of The Boston Harbor Association, Wormser was instrumental in drawing attention to Boston's need to prepare for coastal flooding from extreme storms and sea level rise. She coauthored Preparing for the Rising Tide and Designing With Water and co-led the Boston Living with Water international design competition with the City of Boston and Boston Society of Architects. She has a BA in biology from Swarthmore College and an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She lives in Cambridge with her family.

Nasser Brahim

Director of Climate Resilience, Mystic River Watershed Association

Nasser Brahim is the Director of Climate Resilience for the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA). His mission is to help Mystic communities build resilience to climate change. He does this by supporting funding, policies, and projects to advance regional and local priorities. Prior to joining MyRWA, he worked as a climate resilience consultant for over a decade, partnering with Massachusetts state agencies, municipalities, non-profits, and the private sector to lead impactful projects and initiatives. His areas of expertise include grant writing, stakeholder engagement, data analysis, planning, policy, regulations, funding, design, permitting, and emergency operations. Nasser formerly served as Board President for MyRWA and a mentor and internship host for Professionals of Color in the Environment (POCIE). He holds a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University and Bachelor of Arts from Florida International University.

Zoe Davis

Boston Senior Climate Resilience Project Manager

As a Senior Climate Resilience Project Manager with the City of Boston’s Office of Climate Resilience, Zoe focuses on addressing the risks of extreme heat through neighborhood climate resilience planning, integrating preparedness into municipal projects, and developing resources to help residents and stakeholders adapt to a changing climate. Zoe serves as the Project Manager for the Boston Tree Alliance, working alongside the Mass Audubon team and program partners to guide the initiative’s direction. She ensures the program aligns with the City’s goals of growing Boston’s urban forest and building long-term heat resilience through tree planting and care.

Reece Pacheco

Partner, Propeller Ventures

Reece is a Partner at Propeller and a member of the investment committee. He focuses on sourcing, investing in, and supporting ocean entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their ventures. At Propeller, Reece has led investments in Aikido, Banyu Carbon, Calcarea, Carbon Run, Ebb Carbon, Fleet Robotics, Navier, and Olokun Minerals. Prior to Propeller, Reece was an active angel investor at the ocean-climate nexus, leveraging his prior experience in startups, ocean conservation and sustainability to source and support founders. Previously he held a dual role as SVP Ocean Responsibility at the World Surf League and Executive Director of WSL PURE (the WSL’s 501(c)(3)). In these roles Reece reduced and offset the WSL’s emissions. Reece also led global conservation campaigns in partnership with international and regional NGOs as well as global brands activating millions of fans around the world in ocean conservation. Before the WSL, Reece spent a year abroad researching and volunteering in conservation efforts around marine plastic pollution, coastal conservation, and re-wilding efforts. He's a 2x cofounder/CEO of two video tech startups (bootstrapped B2B SaaS and venture-backed consumer facing), wherein he led his teams on vision, strategy, fundraising and product. Reece has extensive ocean conservation experience and knowledge from the field to the board room. He was born and raised on Cape Cod, but now lives North of Boston where he stays close to the coast, surfing when swell, tide, and time align.

Alissa Peterson

Founder & CEO, SeaAhead

Alissa co-founded and leads SeaAhead, a bluetech venture builder. From offshore renewable energy to sustainable seafood and a decarbonized maritime industry, cutting-edge ventures in the blue economy come to SeaAhead for investment and resources. Prior to SeaAhead, Alissa was in leadership roles at two venture-backed startups, NanoSteel, an advanced materials company creating solutions for vehicle lightweighting and 3D printing, and Primus Power, a grid-scale energy storage company. Through her work, she has managed business development, strategic planning, product marketing, communications, government relations and M&A. Prior to her startup experience, Alissa was a consultant in McKinsey’s Global Sustainability & Resource Productivity Practice where she served clients on cleantech growth strategy. Alissa holds a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a BS in Civil Engineering from Duke University.

Christian Lim

Co-Managing Director of Blue Ocean

Christian Lim is co-Managing Director of Blue Ocean, the EUR 170m VC fund of SWEN Capital Partners investing in innovations that help regenerate ocean biodiversity. Blue Ocean backs solutions to overfishing, pollution and climate change, while delivering both systemic impact and competitive market returns. Blue Ocean was recognized by the World Economic Forum's Uplink as a Top Innovative Fund for our Future. Harvard Business School wrote a case study about Blue Ocean.

Peter J. Levesque

Advanced Leadership Fellow - Harvard University

Levesque is currently an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University in Cambridge MA. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He has served as Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship for the Kellogg/HKUST MBA program, and for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s MBA program. Mr. Levesque served two terms as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong which represents over 700 companies and 40 different nationalities. In addition to his time at AmCham he served as President of The American Club in Hong Kong. He currently serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. He is the author of The Shipping Point, The Rise of China and the Future of Retail Supply Chain Management, which was published by Wiley & Sons in 2011, and his latest book Two if by Sea, is a spy novel published in 2023.

Christopher Osgood

Boston Director, Office of Climate Resilience

Chris Osgood serves as the Director of the Office of Climate Resilience and Mayor Michelle Wu’s Senior Advisor for Infrastructure. The Office of Climate Resilience leads the City’s all-of-government response to the challenges of coastal flooding, stormwater flooding and heat. Located within the Environment, Energy, and Open Space Cabinet, this Office partners with City Departments to set resilience priorities, to track and communicate progress, and to lead critical projects that make Boston’s neighborhood even more resilient. In addition to overseeing this critical work, Chris also works with a range of Cabinets to manage a targeted set of long-term infrastructure projects. Chris first joined the City of Boston team in 2006 and has served in a range of roles. Those include Mayoral Advisor, co-founder and co-chair of the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, Chief of Streets, and Chief of Staff. Across all of these roles, Chris has focused on collaborating with colleagues and constituents to deliver tangible benefits to the public. A resident of Jamaica Plain, Chris is an alum of City Year, Haverford College, and the Harvard Business School.

Sandiip Bhammer

Managing Partner at Green Frontier Capital

Ujjwal Kumar

Founder of Quantum Alliance

Ujjwal Kumar, a Mason Fellow and MC/MPA 2024 alum from Harvard Kennedy School, is the founder of Quantum Alliance, focusing on AI, green growth, and international policy. A Non-Resident Tutor at Harvard, he mentors students on entrepreneurship and tech impact. He advises S3 Markets on scaling low-carbon commodities and co-founded GramHeet, an award-winning agri-tech startup. Previously, he led digital transformation at the UN FAO and worked with national governments and the German Foreign Office on AI governance and climate policy. His work has been featured during New York Climate Week and the World Economic Forum.

Cameron Halliday

CEO of Mantel Capture

Sameer Aggarwal

Founder of Revfin Services

Revfin is a fintech (digital consumer lending) company. Through adoption of alternative underwriting techniques like Biometrics, Psychometrics and Gamification, championing the cause of Financial Inclusion. Revfin is India’s #1 EV Financing Company.

Megan Wilson

Chief Strategy Officer of General Fusion

Megan joined General Fusion in 2022 after more than 14 years at Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), where she was responsible for B&W’s strategy development and execution efforts, as well as all merger, acquisition and divestiture activities, public company investor relations and government relations. Prior to B&W, she served as a surface warfare officer and nuclear engineering officer with the U.S. Navy from 2000 to 2007. During her time as a naval officer, she completed two sea tours, including serving as the Reactor Controls Division Officer on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

Fran Ulmer

Arctic Initiative, Former Lieutenant Governor of Alaska

Former Chair of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Board. She served as Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission (2011–2020) and as Special Advisor on Arctic Science and Policy at the State Department (2014–2017). Appointed by President Obama, she was a member of the BP Deepwater Horizon Commission. Previously, she was Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage and a Visiting Professor at Stanford. A former Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, Juneau Mayor, and state representative, she holds a J.D. cum laude from the University of Wisconsin and has advised on numerous environmental and policy initiatives.

Ashish Shrestha

World Bank Group Energy Specialist

Ashish is an Energy Specialist at the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), where he specializes on energy access, especially through distributed renewable energy (DRE), and on electrification planning for the coordinated rollout of grid, off-grid and mini grid solutions towards universal electricity access. He serves as the team lead for the World Bank’s $750 million project to increase and improve electricity access in Nigeria through DRE solutions – Nigeria DARES – while also advising other country and regional teams on designing their DRE interventions. He is the co-author of the book Mini Grid Solutions for Underserved Customers: New Insights from Nigeria and India and is responsible for developing the World Bank’s least-cost electrification planning tool, the Global Electrification Platform.

Martha Molfetas

Professor at Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture

Martha Molfetas is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, where she teaches Environmental Economics. Martha is a senior climate and energy policy consultant, writer, and strategist with over 15-years of experience helping NGOs, think tanks, and businesses unpack climate, environmental justice, resource conflict, sustainable development, and global policy issues – most recently as a Senior Fellow at New America. Her work has been published in The World Politics Review, The Global Policy Journal, .Mic, Common Dreams, and others.

Tom Butler

Northeast Wilderness Trust

Tom was a founding board member and past board president of Northeast Wilderness Trust. During his years working for the Foundation for Deep Ecology and Tompkins Conservation (where he currently serves as a board member) he has had the privilege to learn from some of Earth's leading wilderness champions. A former editor of Wild Earth journal, Tom is the author or editor of more than a dozen books including Wildlands Philanthropy, Plundering Appalachia, Keeping the Wild, and ENERGY: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth. As Senior Fellow, he serves as the Wilderness Trustís ambassador for wild values, and while not in front of a laptop he spends as much time as he can exploring in his canoe.

Wenbo Shi

Founder of Singularity Energy

Dr. Wenbo Shi is the CEO and founder of Singularity. A passionate technologist with a strong background in smart energy innovations, Wenbo has published 20+ technical papers on smart grids and received 1,000+ citations worldwide. This includes two first-authored journal papers and PhD thesis on distributed energy management are constantly among the most popular articles in IEEE Xplore Online Library and eScholarship. Wenbo has a broad background balancing theoretical foundation and hands-on experience in EE/CS including algorithms, optimization, AI, software, communications, smart grids, and internet of things. He is a serial founder of companies including the Receipt Ninja app (4.5/5 stars rating) - one of the earliest apps to split expenses with friends in the market. The app was featured in MSN Money, The Week, LearnVest, About.com, a few travel blogs, and a local TV news in Florida. It has been translated into 10 languages by enthusiastic users around the world.

Dr Gary Tabor

Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Cornell University

Gary M. Tabor is an ecologist and wildlife veterinarian with over 40 years of experience in large landscape conservation worldwide. He is the Founder and President of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and chairs the IUCN Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group. His achievements include establishing Uganda's Kibale National Park and the World Bank's Mountain Gorilla Conservation Trust, co-founding the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, and pioneering Conservation Medicine. He also co-founded Patagonia's Freedom to Roam campaign, the Heart of the Rockies collaborative, the Network for Landscape Conservation, and the Australia Environmental Grantmakers Network.

Professor Le Xie

SEAS Electrical Engineering

Le Xie, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering at Harvard John A. Paulson School Of Engineering and Applied Sciences, will examine two primary dimensions of the evolving interplay between artificial intelligence (AI) and power systems. First, AI’s increasing electricity demand poses both short-run operational and long-run planning challenges, making it necessary to reform and modernize the existing electric grid. Second, new AI capabilities present an unprecedented opportunity to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and adaptability of power systems, from real-time grid control to long-term expansion planning