Fall 2020 Speakers

Considered by many the father of environmental justice, Robert Bullard is the Keynote Speaker for the Summit Kickoff Session on October 2. He will deliver his presentation at 10:10a Central Time.

President of College of Menominee Nation and Director of Sustainable Development Institute, Chris Caldwell will deliver the Science & Research Presentation of the Summit Kickoff Session on October 2, at 11:00am central time.

Author, strategist, teacher, and editor-in-chief at Project Drawdown, Katharine Wilkinson will deliver the Teaching presentation of the Summit Kickoff Session on October 2, at 11:15am central time.

National Field Director for Moms Clean Air Force, Heather McTeer Toney will deliver the Outreach and Engagement Presentation of the Summit Kickoff Session on October 2, at 11:30am central time.

Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the US Youth Climate Strike, Isra Hirsi will deliver the Climate Action Presentation of the Summit Kickoff Session on October 2, at 11:45am central time.

Member of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ environment team, Shara Mohtadi will moderate the Summit Kick-Off Session on October 2, starting at 10am central time.

Climate scientist, educator, communicator, Heidi Roop is a Keynote Speaker for the Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10am central time.

Climate change ecologist and director of the Institute on the Environment, Jessica Hellmann is a Keynote Speaker for the Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10am central time.

Earth scientist, biogeochemist, and former ocean policy advisor, Gabe Filippelli will moderate the keynote of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10am central time.

Director of the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research, Daniel Vimont is a Keynote Speaker for the Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10am central time.

President of Second Nature, a national non-profit with a mission to accelerate climate action in higher education, Tim Carter will moderate the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Sophomore at WashU, Brianna Chandler will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Mayor of  Saint Paul, Minnesota, Melvin Carter will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Director of Sustainability North America at Anheuser-Busch, Edward Ferguson will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics, and Material Sciences and Engineering and Co-chair of U-M President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality, Dr. Stephen R. Forrest will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Associate Director for Science at SciLine, a program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Meredith Drosback will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Investigative journalist who focuses on environment and public health issues for the Chicago Tribune, Michael Hawthorne will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

National correspondent for Indian Country Today, Mary Annette Pember will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Student at Northwestern University studying journalism, Hannah Ni’Shuilleabhain will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Director of investigations at the Better Government Association, John Chase will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Senior Scientist in the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Stephen Vavrus will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

An interdisciplinary scholar-activist, Michelle Garvey will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Experienced educator and sustainability consultant, Mike Keen will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

Executive Director of environmental organization MN350, Sam Grant will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 2 on October 9, at 10:45am central time.

US Department of Energy (DOE)
Acting Executive Director and Principal Deputy Director, Office of Policy

Chief Operating Officer of Elevate Energy, Delmar Gillus is a Keynote Speaker for the Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10am central time.

Sustainable business thought leader and Erb Foundation President, Dr. Neil C. Hawkins is a Keynote Speaker for the Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10am central time.

Director of Strategy and City Engagement for the American Cities Climate Challenge, Chris Wheat will moderate the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Managing Director of the Sustainable Growth Coalition Environmental Initiative, Amy Fredregill will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of the Summit Session 3, on October 23.

Associate Director of the Sustainability Institute at Ohio State University, Michael Shelton will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Dane County Executive, Joe Parisi will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, Lora Iannotti will moderate the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Andy Jones will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Associate Professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work and climate researcher, Lisa Reyes Mason will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Internal medicine physician with a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Laalitha Surapaneni will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Professor of geophysics in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Michael Wysession will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Director of the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College, Cathy Manduca will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for the Analysis of Social-Ecological Landscapes at Indiana University Bloomington, Eduardo Brondizio will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Jason Walsh will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Deputy Director at the Citizens Utility Board, Sarah Moskowitz will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Tribal Council Member at Bad River Tribe and Director of Public Information at the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Dylan Jennings will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 3 on October 23, at 10:45am central time.

Professor of Indigenous and American Indian Studies at Haskell Indian Nations University and Founder of the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Working Group, Daniel Wildcat is the Keynote Speaker for the Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10am central time. Daniel Wildcat will also participate in the Teaching & Education Workshop of this session.

Assistant Professor in the City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture at Ohio State University, Santina Contreras will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Strategy Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Missouri’s floodplains and nature-based solutions team, Barbara Charry will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Author and professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri, John Ikerd will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Climate scientist, assistant professor, and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University, Daniel Horton will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Executive Director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), Kimberly Wasserman will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Co-founder and Director of Projects of the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), Karen Kendrick-Hands will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Sustainability Manager for the City of Columbia, Missouri, Barbara Buffaloe will will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Chairperson of Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light and President of Ray Wilson & Associates, Ray Wilson will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Founder of Carbon Neutral Indiana, Daniel Poynter will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Vice President of the National Audobon Society, Marshall Johnson will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences at Iowa State University, Bill Gutowski will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

President of E Resources Group, LLC, Jean Eells will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, Mark Rasmussen will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Associate Director for Faculty and Academic Engagement at the WashU Gephardt Institute, Cassie Power will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Social-ecological systems scientist and faculty at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Sarah Mincey will participate in the Teaching & Education Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Northwestern student and climate activist, Liliana Sydorenko will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Associate Director of the Washington University Climate Change Program, Beth Martin will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 4 on November 6, at 10:45am central time.

Former New York Times Climate Reporter, Justin Gillis is the Keynote Speaker for the Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 11:20am central time.

As Director of Environmental Sustainability at United Airlines, Frannie Levar will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

City of St. Louis Building Commissioner, Frank Oswald will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Director of Research at the Great Plains Institute, Dane McFarlane will moderate the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Founder and CEO of Solar Bear, Robert Blake will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Kevin Ellett will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Senior Vice President Strategy, Business Development and Government Affairs at Schneider Electric, Kevin Self will participate in the Climate Action Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Researcher in judgment and decision making related to climate change and resource use, Shahzeen Attari will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Professor at Vanderbilt University Law School and Director of the Climate Change Research Network, Michael Vandenbergh will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Researcher of psychological and social motivations of sustainable behaviors, Kaitlin Raimi will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources Department at The Ohio State University and incoming President of the Society for Risk Analysis, Robyn Wilson will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Researcher in science-policy and society challenges, Max Boykoff will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Human ecologist and environmental sociologist, Tom Dietz will participate in the Outreach and Engagement Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Graham Family Director of the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute and professor, Jennifer Haverkamp will be the moderator for the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Senior project manager and lecturer at the University of Michigan, Sarah Mills will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Executive Director at Clean Grid Alliance, Beth Soholt will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Director of the Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, Maria Redmond will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Policy associate at the Center for Rural Affairs, Lucas Nelsen will participate in the Science and Research Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Director of Business Development for the Southeastern Michigan Labor Management Cooperation Committee, Jennifer Mefford will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Managing Director of Clean Energy Trust, Ian Adams will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.

Jeff Henderson will participate in the Teaching and Education Workshop of Summit Session 5 on November 20, at 10am central time.