About the
Conference
Panel Sessions
A New vision: Reimagining the Climate for Climate Solutions
Presenters
Crystal Chissell, Senior Director - Partnerships at Project Drawdown
David Anderson Hooker, Associate Professor of the Practice of Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding
Barbara J. Love, Consultant, Coach, Author, lecturer, Climate Change Activist, Personal & Organizational Transformation Specialist
Asad Rehman, Executive Director, War on Want
Dana Kawaoka-Chen, Co-Director, Justice Funders
Richard Mabion, Community Organizer, Climate Activist
Advancing Urban Heat Resilience
This session will explore the current state and innovations in planning, design, and governance for urban heat, including a survey of U.S. planners and review of municipal plans. Attendees will gain insight into challenges and opportunities in research and practice to advance urban heat resilience.
Presenters
Ladd Keith, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Planning and Sustainable Built Environments, University of Arizona
Sara Meerow, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University
Session Moderated by Hunter Jones, Master of Env. Management, Climate and Health Project Manager, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
V. Kelly Turner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles
Session Organized by Ladd Keith, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Planning and Sustainable Built Environments, University of Arizona
After COVID-19, What? Community Colleges from 4 U.S. Regions Respond
This session will be a continuation of a recent NCSE Essay about refocusing the mission of community colleges towards Nature instead of Workforce. Data shows how students have been impacted and how COVID-19 has increased interest in climate change, which must be moved from the margin to the center of college functions.
Presenters
Maria Boccalandro, Ph.D., Director of Sustainability and Programs, Dallas College-Cedar Valley Campus
Stephen Summers, Ph.D., Associate Vice President, Seminole State College of Florida
Session Moderated by Marianella Franklin, Chief Sustainability Officer, University of Texas in Rio Grande Valley
Robert Franco, Ph.D., Director, Office for Institutional Effectiveness, Kapi'olani Community College, University of Hawai’i
Nancy Lee Wood, Ph.D., Profession and Coordinator SSP, Bristol Community College
Session Organized by Maria Boccalandro, Ph.D., Director of Sustainability and Programs, Dallas College-Cedar Valley Campus
Building a Global and Intersectional Environmental Narrative
Presenters
Marina Melanidis, Founder and Partnerships Director, Youth4Nature
Isaias Hernandez, Environmental Educator and Creator, QueerBrownVegan
Kate Weiner, Creative Director, Loam
David Hernández Palmar, Filmmaker and Film Programmer, If Not Us Than Who
Matt Scott, Manager - Storytelling and Engagement, Project Drawdown
Clover Hogan, Founder and Executive Director, Force of Nature
Kynan Tegar, Filmmaker, If Not Us Than Who, Dayak Iban tribe from Sungai Utik, West Kalimantan
Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti, Founder, Green Generation Initiative
Business Disruption, COVID-19, and Climate: Impacts of Disasters on Resilience
This session highlights research across NIST and NOAA’s RISA programs exploring the complexity of climate resilience for small and medium enterprises in the COVID-19 context. We will discuss the importance of longitudinal research that takes into account regional and social differences and the challenges of research in shifting conditions.
Presenters
Tamara Wall, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute
Michelle Meyer, Ph.D., Director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, Texas A & M
Claudia Nierenberg, Division Chief, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Session Moderated and Organized by Ariela Zycherman, Ph.D., Social Scientist/ Program Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Eleanor Davis, Doctoral Candidate, University of South Carolina
Jennifer Helgeson, Ph.D., Economist, National Institute of Standard and Technology
Kristin Vandermolen, Ph.D, Assistant Research Professor, Desert Research Institute
COVID-19 in Indian Country: Challenges and Innovations
This session will illustrate the concurrent impacts of COVID-19 and climate change on Native and Indigenous communities and highlight resilience resulting from weaving native wisdom and western science to produce a shared understanding of the integral relationships of humans, climate and nature.
Presenters
James Rattling Leaf, Ph.D., Climate Partnership Coordinator, Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance, North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center
Vicki Hebb, Extension Agent, Cooperative Extension, University of Nevada, Reno
Session Moderated and Organized by Maureen McCarthy, Ph.D., Research Professor, Desert Research Institute
Kyle Bocinsky, Ph.D., Director, Research Institute, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Climate Change Indicators for Agriculture: Understanding Risks and Impacts (C)
This session will focus on data sets for tracking, understanding, and managing the effects of changing temperatures and water availability on agriculture in the United States and describe results from a new USDA technical report on climate indicators for agriculture.
Presenters
Lawrence Buja, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Initiatives, University of Nevada, Reno
Peter Backlund, M.A., Associate Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University
Session Moderated by Margaret Walsh, Ph.D., Senior Ecologist, Office of Energy and Environmental Policy, USDA
Arthur Degaetano, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Northeast Regional Climate Center, Cornell University
Session Organized by Peter Backlund, M.A., Associate Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University
Climate Opportunities: Finding Your Path Within the Climate Movement
Presenters
Elizabeth Bagley, Director - Drawdown Learn at Project Drawdown
Bill Wiehl, Founder and Executive Director for Climate Voice
Jackie Francis, Founder, Global Warming Mitigation Project
Matt Scott, Manager - Storytelling and Engagement at Project Drawdown
Evan Hynes, Founder, Climate Base
Vivian Saxon, Communications Director and Founder, Global Warming Mitigation Project
Fernanda Matsuoka, Chief Operating Officer, Youth Climate Leaders
Colorado River Sustainability: Epicenter of Science, Environment, and Policy
After enduring a crippling 20-year drought in the Colorado River basin, stakeholders, including states, U.S. and Mexican governments, Native American tribes, and non-governmental organizations, are finding new and innovative ways to sustain the River. This panel will address those efforts.
Presenters
Brad Udall, J.D., Senior Water & Climate Scientist/Scholar, Colorado Water Center, Colorado State University
T. Daryl Vigil, Jicarilla Apache, Jemez Pueblo, Zia Peublo, Co-Director Water & Tribes in the Colorado River Basin
Session Moderated and Organized by Jennifer Gimbel, J.D., Senior Water Policy Scholar, Colorado Water Center; Colorado State University
Ted Kowalski, J.D., Colorado River Initiate Lead and Senior Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation
Communicating in Crisis: Sharing Research Related to COVID-19
What have we learned about science communication from the COVID-19 pandemic? The panelists will discuss efforts to share research and expertise related to the pandemic and what they teach us about how to communicate science to decision makers and the public in a time of crisis.
Presenters
Diana Brazzell, Co-founder & Executive Editor, Footnote
Elyse Aurbach, Ph.D., Public Engagement Lead at the Center for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan
Session Moderated and Organized by Diana Brazzell, Co-founder & Executive Editor, Footnote
Mónica Feliú-Mójer, Ph.D., Director of Communications and Science Outreach, Ciencia Puerto Rico
Decision Tools for Systems-of-Systems Approaches to Environmental Security
Policy- and decision-makers need to identify solutions that ensure population health and security to climate risks. This session will discuss tools for examining how climate effects impact the performance of critical infrastructure and services and identifying solutions to improve their resilience.
Presenters
Jenn Richkus, Environmental Science Researcher and Strategist, MITRE
Ken Harrison, Ph.D., Operations Research Analyst, NIST Community Resilience Group
Session Moderated by Mike Gremillion, Col USAF Ret, Director of the Center for Global Water Security at The University of Alabama
Alex Schlichting, Ph.D, Energy & Environment Research Engineer, MITRE
Session Organized by Victoria Gammino, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Global Health, MITRE; and Alex Schlichting, Ph.D, Energy & Environment Research Engineer, MITRE
Drawdown’s System of Solutions Helps Achieve the SDGs
Presenters
Chad Frischmann, Senior Director of Research and Technology, Project Drawdown
Kevin Bayuk, Senior Fellow - Financial Modeling at Project Drawdown
João Pedro Gouveia, Senior Researcher at Project Drawdown and CENSE, NOVA, University of Lisbon; and Board Member, DERA
Mamta Mehra, Senior Fellow - Land Use and Research Program Officer at Project Drawdown
Ryan Allard, Skilled, Entrepreneurial Researcher and Speaker on Climate Solutions
Miranda Gorman, Senior Fellow - Industry at Project Drawdown
Ending Climate Silence: mainstreaming climate solutions in the media
Presenters
Genevieve Guenther, Founder and Director, End Climate Silence
Jeff Berardelli, Meteorologist and Climate Contributor to CBS News, New York City
Mark Hertsgaard, Executive Director, Covering Climate Now
Katharine Hayhoe, Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law, co-director of the Climate Center at Texas Tech University
Aruna Chandrasekhar, Independent Journalist and writer from India
Energy Solutions: Electricity, Buildings, and Transportation, Implementing the Decarbonization Transition
Presenters
Dan Kammen, Professor and Director for the Center for Environmental Policy and the department of Nuclear Engineering at University of California, Berkeley
Tom Richard, Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Director of Penn State Institutes for Energy and the Environment Bioenergy and Bioresource Engineering
João Pedro Gouveia, Senior Researcher at Project Drawdown and CENSE, NOVA, University of Lisbon; and Board Member, DERA
Shalanda Baker, Professor of Law, Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University and Co-Founder and Co-Director, Initiative for Energy Justice
Evolution of California's Scientific Response in the Wake of a Pandemic
Researchers are collaborating in innovative ways to help detect, monitor, track, and eliminate the spread of COVID-19. This panel will explore topics including: What have we learned about the state-level response to the virus? Do decision makers have access to readily available science they need?
Presenters
Kate Gordon, Director, California Governor's Office of Planning and Research
Susan Bonilla, CEO, California Pharmacists Association and Former CA Assemblywoman
Session Moderated by Amber Mace, Ph.D., Executive Director, California Council on Science and Technology
Christopher Cabaldon, Former Mayor, West Sacramento, CA
Andy McIlroy, Ph.D.,Integrated Security Solutions Associate Labs Director, Sandia National Laboratories
Session Organized by Sarah Brady, Ph.D., Deputy Director, California Council on Science and Technology
From Production to Consumption- Solutions for a Circular Economy
Presenters
Miranda Gorman, Senior Fellow - Industry at Project Drawdown
Senorpe Asem-Hiablie, Assistant Research Professor, Penn State
Durwood Zelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development
Yoni Shiran, Industrial Systems and Business Model Manager, SYSTEMIQ
Silpa Kaza, Urban Development Specialist, World Bank
Maxime Begard, Director of the Paris Office for the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development
Inspiring Private-sector Action
Presenters
Jamie Alexander, Director of Drawdown Labs at Project Drawdown
Scott Tew, Vice President, Sustainability & Managing Director, Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, Trane Technologies
Anna Escuer, Lead for Carbon & Water. Global Sustainability Team, Google
Elouise Mayall, Community Working Group; UKYCC (UK Youth Climate Coalition)
Joining the Drawdown Global Collaborative
Presenters
Chad Frischmann, Senior Director of Research & Technology, Project Drawdown
Michelle Wyman, Executive Director of NCSE Speaking about the NCSE Drawdown USA Research Association
Shloka Nath, Head of Sustainability, Tata Trusts, Head of Policy & Advocacy, Tata Trusts, Executive Director, India Climate Collaborative
Drawdown Fellows - Ariani Wartenberg, Melanie Valencia, Abdulmutalib Yussuff, Karthik Mukkavilli, Jimena Alvarez, Ruth Metzel, Robin Pelc, Luiz Silveira
Roy Straver, Drawdown Europe Research Association and Co-Director of the Climate Cleanup Foundation
Marilyn Brown, Interim Chair, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology speaking on behalf of Drawdown Georgia
Drawdown Scholars - Christopher Contos, Gabbie Batzko, James Sanders, Dharma Santos-Santiago, and Kat (Kristen) Taylor
Key Competencies in Sustainability – Areas of Convergence and Next Steps
A key question for employers, students, educators, and administrators is what competencies sustainability programs develop in students. We present results from research addressing this question: convergence on key competencies in sustainability and its implication for curriculum design and careers.
Presenters
Christopher Boone, Ph.D., Dean and Professor, School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures, Arizona State University
Katja Brundiers, Ph.D., Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures, Arizona State University
Session Moderated by Rod Parnell, Ph.D., Professor Earth Sci & Environ Sustainability, Northern Arizona University
Matthias Barth, Ph.D., Adjunct Faculty, School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures Arizona State University, Professor, Institute for Integrated Research, Leuphana University
Session Organized by Katja Brundiers, Ph.D., Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures, Arizona State University
Launching the Drawdown Global Solutions Platform
Presenters
Revathi Sharma Kollegala, Colab Cooperative
David Brooks, Colab Cooperative
Sunishchal Dev, Noodle.Ai
Moderated by Chad Frischmann, Senior Director of Research and Technology, Project Drawdown
Ethan Winn, Colab Cooperative
Alden Bevington, Product Manager, Drawdown Solutions Platform
Learning From Living Labs: Regenerative Social-Ecological Research and Teaching
“Living Laboratories” offer unique ways to research, teach and support regenerative social-ecological systems through interdisciplinary, placed-based experiential learning and action. Our session will highlight the last two years of “living lab” work by our four institutions in partnership with nonprofits, businesses and tribal governments around the Lake Superior watershed.
Presenters
Charles Levkoe, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Sustainable Food Systems, Lakehead University
Nairne Cameron, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Geography, Algoma University
Session Moderated and Organized by Kathryn Milun, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Legal Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Randel Hanson, Ph.D, Co-Director of Eco-Entrepreneurship, Lake Superior Community College
Learning How the World Can Reach Drawdown: The Evolving Work of Drawdown Learn
Presenters
Elizabeth Bagley, Director - Drawdown Learn at Project Drawdown
Deidra Parrish Williams, Leader, Global Corporate Social Responsibility, Trane Technologies
Nico Valencia, Senior Manager, Strategic Education Partnerships, Intuit
Liz Zavodsky, Executive Director, Drawdown Ecochallenge
Matt Scott, Manager - Storytelling and Engagement at Project Drawdown
Sean Kinghorn, Global Sustainability Leader, Intuit
Karla Readshaw, Strategic Partner Manager, Education, Intuit
Kirsten Love, Director of Market Development, Tradewater
Nature-based solutions for People and Planet
Presenters
Dennis Garrity, Chair of the Board of the Global EverGreening Alliance, Chair, Landcare International, and Drylands Ambassador for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification
Thomas Crowther, Scientific Advisor, UN Trillion Tree Campaign, Professor of Global Ecosystem Ecology at ETH Zürich
Mamta Mehra, Senior Fellow - Land Use & Research Program Officer at Project Drawdown
Cheikh Mbow, Director, Future Africa (University of Pretoria)
Mark E. Ritchie, Professor of Biology, Syracuse University
Ocean-based solutions for People and Planet
Presenters
Emilia Jankowska, Senior Fellow - Oceans at Project Drawdown
Carlos Duarte, Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Rashid Sumaila, professor of Ocean and Fisheries Economics, University of British Columbia, Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Robin Pelc, Research Fellow - Oceans at Project Drawdown
Susan Gardner, Division Director, UNEP Ecosystems Division
Bren Smith, Co-Executive Director and Co-Founder, Greenwave
RISAs, Climate Hubs & CASCs: Federal Coordination Across Regional Networks
Climate science-to-action networks at USDA, NOAA and DOI share a goal of supporting communities, landscapes, and sectors across the nation in becoming resilient to climate change. This panel will discuss how these three networks coordinate and collaborate at the federal level.
Presenters
Rachel Steele, Ph.D., National Program Leader, USDA Climate Hubs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Chelsea Combest-Friedman, Director, Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Session Moderated and Organized by Ariela Zycherman, Ph.D., Social Scientist and Program Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Janet Cushings, Deputy Chief, National Climate Adaptation Science Centers, U.S. Geological Survey
Research and Practice Connecting Hazard Mitigation and Adaptation Planning
Communities conducting hazard mitigation addressing climate risks have issues accessing clear information and tools. We will explore ways that Federal agencies are co-developing resources to address this issue, reduce hazard risk, and share examples of how information produced advance local action.
Presenters
Rebecca Lunde, Ph.D., West Coast Regional Coordinator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Justin Kates, Director of Emergency Management, The City of Nashua, New Hampshire
Juliette Finzi Hart, Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) Program Manager, CA Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
Session Moderated by Reid Sherman, Ph.D., Climate Adaptation Lead, U.S. Global Change Research Program
Shubha Shrivastava, MUP, Mitigation Planner, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Christopher Clavin, M.S., Research Environmental Engineer, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Session Organized by Christopher Clavin, M.S., Research Environmental Engineer, Community Resilience Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Smart Systems, People, and the Transition to Decarbonize Energy
Session examines the application of design thinking to address risk mitigation in the interface among smart systems, tools, and users to meaningfully accelerate decarbonization at scale while enhancing value in supply chains.
Presenters
Cheryl Heller, Ph.D., Director of Design Integration and Professor of Practice in Innovation Design, Arizona State University
Andrew Maynard, Ph.D., Director of the Risk Innovation Lab, Arizona State University
Session Organized and Moderated by Edward Saltzberg, Ph.D., Executive Director, Security and Sustainability Forum
Todd Taylor, M.S., Lecturer and Digital Technology Researcher, Thunderbird School at Arizona State University
William Brandt, MBA, Director of Strategic Integration, LightWorks® an Arizona State University initiative
Solutions to Quench the World’s Thirst – Solving Water Scarcity
Strategic plans from policy makers, new knowledge and novel solutions are keys to holistic sustainable water management. This session allows stakeholders from diverse expertise to exchange ideas, knowledge and findings to identify the needs and approaches to address water scarcity facing the world in the climate change era.
Presenters
How Yong Ng, Ph.D., Professor and Director, National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute (NERI)
Hilda Cecilia Tortajada Quiroz, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
Session Moderated and Organized by How Yong Ng, Ph.D., Professor and Director, National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute (NERI)
Srivatsan V Raghavan, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow and Head, Climate and Water Research Cluster, Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), National University of Singapore
Strengthening Sustainability Programs and Curricula in Higher Education
The National Academies issued a consensus study report with recommendations to strengthen sustainability programs and curricula in higher education. Participants will learn about the recommendations and how they can be applied at their own institutions to advance sustainability education.
Presenters
Anne Kapuscinski, Director of the Coastal Science and Policy Program, University of California Santa Cruz
Garrick Louis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Systems and Information Engineering Systems Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Engineering and Society, University of Virginia
Session Moderated by Erin Bromaghim, Director, Olympic and Paralympic Development and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Fellow on the Sustainable Development Goals, City of Los Angeles
Christopher Boone, Ph.D., Dean and Professor, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University
Lida Beninson, Ph.D., Study Director, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Session Organized by Emi Kameyama, Associate Program Officer, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
The Costs and Losses of Wildfires – Investment Solutions vs. Reactive Management
Intensifying wildfire seasons pose a growing strain on resources and the well-being of Californians. The panel will discuss our recent report on what we know and what we must learn to make informed decisions about the balance of investment solutions and reactive management of wildfire in California.
Presenters
Genevieve Biggs, Ph.D., Special Projects Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Samuel Evans, Ph.D., Professor, Mills College
Session Moderated and Organized by Brie Lindsey, Ph.D., Director of Science Services, California Council on Science and Technology
Teresa Feo, Ph.D., Senior Science Officer, California Council on Science and Technology