Kathleen Barrón is executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Constellation, a carbon-free energy producer and supplier. Also an executive committee member of the firm, she is responsible for corporate strategy and development, public policy, sustainability and philanthropy. Prior to this, Barrón was executive vice president for government and regulatory affairs and public policy at Exelon. Previously, she was associate general counsel for energy markets, then deputy general counsel, at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Earlier in her career, Barrón was an attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom representing utility and independent power producer clients.

Olivier François is brand CEO of Fiat and Abarth and global chief marketing officer of Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Group, where he is a member of the group executive council and CEO of DS Automobiles. His career-long experience in the automobile industry encompasses business operations, sales and marketing including brand development and strategy. At FCA Group, François was previously head of brand marketing communication, enhancing the company’s brand effectiveness and strengthening synergies. In 2009, he was appointed president and CEO of the Chrysler Group, where he had previously been lead marketing executive. François joined the company from Fiat Group Automobiles, where he was president and CEO of Lancia. He started out in the car business in various roles at Citroën.

Steven Meiner is the mayor of Miami Beach, Florida, elected in 2023. Prior to this, he was a Miami Beach commissioner. Previously, he was an enforcement attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier in his career, he practiced law in New York City at Mayer Brown from 2002 to 2007 and Dewey Ballantine from 1998 to 2002.

Wambli Quintana is a senior at Dupree High School in South Dakota and a 2024 Champion for Change with the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute. A Navajo and Lakota descendant who lives on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation, his platform focuses on expanding opportunities in sustainable energy and green practices for tribe’s people and land to promote sovereignty. Wambli served on the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s Youth Advisory Council for 2023 and is engaged in its Growing into Wowachineyepi program. He is actively involved in the National Honor Society and academics in school, and he explores his STEM interests through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Talia Davis is a master’s biology student at Oregon State University, studying freshwater plankton, and a trainer in Fresh Tracks, an outdoors initiative for opportunity youth anchored by the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. Through Fresh Tracks, where she’s further developing mentorship and leadership skills, she attended the White House Tribal Youth Forum in fall 2023 and the Native Youth Climate Adaptation and Leadership Conference in summer 2023. Previously, Davis was a fisheries biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and RAY Conservation Diversity Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program. A Tlingit from Kake, Alaska, she graduated in 2021 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

Deb Haaland is U.S. secretary of the Department of the Interior​. Prior to this, she was a U.S. representative from New Mexico from 2019 to 2021. Previously, Haaland chaired the New Mexico Democratic Party. Earlier in her career, she was the first woman elected to the Laguna Development Corporation board of directors, overseeing business operations of the second-largest tribal gaming enterprise in New Mexico and advocating for environmentally friendly business practices. The first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe and a 35th-generation New Mexican.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is a minister for state in the finance department of Ireland. She is responsible for financial services, credit unions and insurance. Additionally, Carroll MacNeill is a member of the Irish Parliament for Dún Laoghaire in County Dublin, elected in 2020. Prior to appointment to the department of finance, she served on the parliament committees of public accounts, justice, and implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. A solicitor and barrister, Carroll MacNeill holds a doctorate in public policy and political science from University College Dublin.

Donna Deegan is the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. Elected in 2023, she is the first woman to hold this office. Prior to this, Deegan founded The Donna Foundation to economically support breast cancer patients and survivors following her three bouts with the disease. Previously, she had a 25-year career in broadcast journalism, which culminated as a lead anchor at First Coast News. Deegan is the author of “The Good Fight” and “Through Rose Colored Glasses: A Marathon from Fear to Love.

Danié Gomez-Ortigoza is a Mexican-American multimedia artist. Her work includes performance, video and photography and explores identity, interconnectivity, ancestry and empathy. Gomez-Ortigoza’s ritualistic performances promote communal participation and assembly as she exposes the invisible thread that braids humanity together. Her artistic process utilizes the body and the act of braiding to reinforce commonality, intimacy and belonging. Gomez-Ortigoza is the co-founder of nonprofit The Bazaar for Good, part of Unidos to Give, which raises money for disadvantaged and marginalized children in Latin America. She is also a creative experience consultant for Mastercard’s Priceless.com platform and museums such as The Modern Fort Worth. A public speaker, Gomez-Ortigoza has addressed Women's Forum Mexico, Latin American Fashion Summit and The Reefline.org, among others.

Jennifer M. Granholm was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of Energy on February 25, 2021. Secretary Granholm is leading DOE's work to advance the cutting-edge clean energy technologies that will help America achieve President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while creating millions of good-paying union clean energy jobs and building an equitable economy. Secretary Granholm is also overseeing DOE’s core missions of promoting American leadership in scientific discovery, maintaining the nuclear deterrent and reducing nuclear danger, and remediating the environmental harms caused by legacy defense programs. Prior to her nomination as Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm was elected Governor of Michigan, serving two terms from 2003 to 2011. As Governor, Jennifer Granholm faced economic downturns caused by the Great Recession and meltdown in the automotive and manufacturing sectors. She successfully led efforts to diversify the state’s economy, strengthen its auto industry, preserve the manufacturing sector, and add emerging sectors — such as clean energy — to Michigan’s economic portfolio. Today, one-third of all North American electric vehicle battery production takes place in Michigan, the state is one of the top five states for clean energy patents, and 126,000 Michiganders were employed in the clean energy sector prior to COVID-19. Secretary Granholm was also elected Attorney General of Michigan and served as the state’s top law enforcement officer from 1998 to 2002. After two terms as governor, Jennifer Granholm joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley as a Distinguished Professor of Practice in the Goldman School of Public Policy, focusing on the intersection of law, clean energy, manufacturing, policy, and industry. She also served as an advisor to the Clean Energy Program of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Jennifer Granholm began her career in public service as a judicial clerk for Michigan's 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Al Roker is the weather and feature anchor of the “Today” show and co-host of “3rd Hour of Today” on NBC. Previously, he was co-host of the morning show “Wake Up with Al” on the Weather Channel from 2009 to 2015. Earlier in his career, Roker was the weekday weather forecaster for News Channel 4’s “Live at 5” newscast on NBC’s New York City station. With NBC since 1996, he pioneered the use of weathercast computer graphics. Roker has also reported live from storms and natural disasters including Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Isaac, Superstorm Sandy and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. A recipient of the American Meteorological Society’s Seal of Approval and named best weatherman by New York Magazine, he has won three Daytime Emmy Awards as part of the “Today” show.

Dan Gelber is co-founder and partner of Gelber Schachter & Greenberg. He was recently mayor of Miami Beach, serving three terms from 2017 to 2023. Previously, Gelber served in the Florida Legislature as a senator from 2008 to 2010 and, before that, as a representative from 2000 to 2008, the last two years as minority leader. Prior to this, he was chief counsel and staff director of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, where he led investigations into fraud, waste and abuse in government, and counterterrorism. Earlier in his career, Gelber was a federal prosecutor for nearly a decade, handling public corruption prosecutions and complex economic crimes. His recognition includes being named to the Best Lawyers in America.

Amy Harder is founding executive editor of Cipher News, a publication covering global climate solutions supported by Breakthrough Energy. Previously, she was an energy and climate reporter for Axios. Harder was the inaugural journalism fellow for the University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute for the 2018–2019 school year. Earlier in her career, she led Washington, D.C. energy coverage for The Wall Street Journal and covered the fracking and oil and natural gas boom of the 2010s for National Journal. Harder has appeared on “PBS NewsHour,” C-SPAN, MSNBC, CBS, and NPR, among others, and speaks at events around the world. Her recognition includes the 2022 Energy Writer of the Year Award from the American Energy Society.

Bill Nye is a science educator, engineer, and comedian. He is CEO of The Planetary Society, a nongovernmental space organization. Nye is also the executive producer and host of the science series, “The End is Nye.” Previously, he created and hosted the Emmy Award-winning television series “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” which introduced science and engineering in an entertaining and accessible manner. A champion of scientific literacy who has challenged opponents of evidence-based education and policy on climate change, evolution, and critical thinking, Nye is the author of Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation. He has appeared as a guest commentator on CNN, “Good Morning America,” and MSNBC, among other programs.

Dan Porterfield is president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. He was previously president of Franklin & Marshall College, which he led in tripling its percentage of low-income students and doubling its percentage of domestic students of color. Prior to this, Porterfield was senior vice president for strategic development and an English professor at Georgetown University. Earlier in his career, he was a senior public affairs official at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Porterfield is a member of the Teach For America national board of directors and Education Trust board. A Rhodes Scholar, he was named a White House Champion of Change in 2016 and elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.

Gina McCarthy is the first White House national climate advisor, since 2021. As head of the Climate Policy Office and supported by legislation, her leadership has helped put within reach a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. McCarthy was previously president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council and a Harvard professor. From 2013 to 2017, she was EPA administrator, spearheading the Clean Power Plan and helping pave the way for the Paris Agreement. Earlier, she was commissioner of Connecticut’s Department Environmental Protection and advised five Massachusetts governors. Advising Bloomberg Philanthropies, Pegasus Capital Advisors and TPG Rise Climate Fund, McCarthy is co-chair of the America Is All In Coalition, senior fellow at Tufts University Fletcher School’s Climate Policy Lab, co-chair of the India-U.S. Track II Dialogue on Energy and Climate Change, and on the boards of the Energy Foundation and Resources Legacy Foundation.

Polly Sumner is the Chief Adoption Officer at Salesforce, where she’s responsible for customer success and ensuring that each and every customer gets maximum value from our products and services.

Jonathan Gillibrand is senior adviser for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs at the U.S. State Department. There, he is focused on preventing plastics from entering the environment via an international agreement on plastic pollution by the end of 2024 and the creation of a circular economy for plastics through the End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative public-private partnership. Previously, Gillibrand was a financial consultant for his firm, Venture Capital Partners, and a finance manager at GBS Holdings. Earlier in his career, Gillibrand spent a decade working in manufacturing, supply chain and marketing roles in the aircraft industry.

Keri Holland is a senior policy advisor in the Office of Environmental Quality at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. In this role, she is responsible for the End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative, a public-private partnership, and is a multilateral environmental negotiator at the U.N. Environment Program, on plastic pollution, and with other efforts. Previously at the State Department, Holland was chief of the Multilateral Affairs Division and an advisor to the undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment. Earlier in her career, she was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a research assistant at the Marine Biological Laboratory’s Ecosystems Center.

Jalonne White-Newsome is federal chief environmental justice officer at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She works to implement President Biden’s environmental justice executive order, release the environmental justice scorecard and advance the Justice40 Initiative. Prior to this, White-Newsome was the founder and CEO of Empowering a Green Environment and Economy consultancy. Previously, she was a consultant for a University of Michigan School of Public Health research project on climate change and extreme heat. White-Newsome was also a professorial lecturer in environmental and occupational health at George Washington University from 2012 to 2023. She earned a doctorate in environmental health sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Greg Gershuny is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program (EEP) and Co-Director of Aspen Ideas: Climate, a public forum focused on climate solutions. The Energy and Environment Program works with people, organizations, and governments to take greater action on solving climate change. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute in 2016, Greg served as the Chief of Staff for Energy Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy, and in several roles at the White House, including Director of Energy and Environment at PPO and as a Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy advisor under President Barack Obama.

Wawa Gatheru is the founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Environmentalist, a national organization dedicated to addressing the pathway and retention issue in the climate sector for Black girls, women and gender-expansive people. BGE has been recognized in Vogue, the New York Times, NPR, LA Times, Forbes, Fast Company, Essence, Teen Vogue, Axios, and more. A Rhodes Scholar, Wawa is a member of the inaugural National Environmental Youth Advisory Council of the US EPA, the first federal youth-led advisory council in US History. She sits on boards and advisory councils for Earth Justice, Climate Power, the Environmental Media Association, the National Parks Conservation Association, Sound Future, Good Energy, and Earth Percent. Wawa has been recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 recipient, a Glamour College Woman of the Year, a Grist 50 Fixer, a Young Futurist by The Root, a Gucci Changemaker, named a Climate Creator to Watch by Pique Action and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and has given keynotes around the world. In January 2023, musician Billie Eilish personally invited Wawa to join her on the first-ever digital cover of Vogue alongside 7 other youth climate activists.

Aria Mia Loberti is an American actress, writer, human rights advocate and Fulbright scholar. She stars as Marie-Laure Leblanc in Netflix's adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “All the Light We Cannot See.” Her performance garnered her a nomination for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series and the Rising Star Honor at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Loberti is an ambassador for Guide Dogs for the Blind and for L’Occitane en Provence. A human rights advocate focused on gender and disability parity and climate action, she was a featured speaker at the 2023 New York Climate Week and UNICEF’s Annual Gala.

Jon Mitchell is the mayor of New Bedford, Mass. First elected to this office in 2011, he has been re-elected five times and is the city’s first mayor elected to a four-year term. Among Mitchell’s priorities is positioning New Bedford as a leader in the offshore wind industry. Prior to the mayor’s office, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in Boston. Previously Mitchell was a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., in the Attorney General’s Honors Program. He also served six years in the Army National Guard. Mitchell is a trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Lisa Jackson is vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives at Apple, overseeing efforts to minimize impact on the environment as well as education policy programs such as ConnectED. From 2009 to 2013, she was administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Appointed by President Barack Obama, she focused on reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination, and expanding outreach to communities on environmental issues. Jackson’s previous positions include chief of staff to former New Jersey governor Jon S. Corzine and commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection. She serves on the boards of Princeton, Tulane, and the Clinton Foundation.

I am currently an Arnhold Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International. From 2021-23, I served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and was the first ever US Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources. I have had a long career working at the intersection of government, policy, law and advocacy on conservation and climate change.

Sarah Kapnick, Ph.D., is chief scientist for NOAA. In this role, Dr. Kapnick will be responsible for advancing policy and program direction for NOAA’s science and technology priorities. Dr. Kapnick has extensive experience at the intersection of climate science and economics. Most recently, she served as a managing director at J.P. Morgan in the role of Senior Climate Scientist and Sustainability Strategist for Asset and Wealth Management. While at J.P. Morgan, she supported sustainability and climate action efforts and served as an advisor on new business and investment opportunities and risks. Previously, Dr. Kapnick was a physical scientist and deputy division leader on seasonal to decadal variability and predictability at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). At GFDL, her work spanned seasonal climate prediction, mountain snowpack, extreme storms, water security and climate impacts. She was an expert and reviewer for NOAA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program, a member of its Eastern Region Climate Team, a science panelist for Climate.gov and the NOAA team lead for the NASA High Mountain Asia Team. Dr. Kapnick is a member of the American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prior to her graduate studies, she spent two years as an investment banking analyst with Goldman Sachs covering financial institutions.

The interests of Adam Met PhD bridge music, sustainability, law, academia, policy, marketing, and technology. As the bassist for AJR, he has traveled the world on sold-out tours, achieved platinum certifications in numerous countries, and recorded a repertoire of music that has garnered more than 7 billion streams worldwide. In the 2021/2022 touring season, Adam has played live in front of over 1 Million fans. As the founder and Executive Director of Planet Reimagined, he leads a nonprofit that addresses climate change systems through media, academic research fellowships, and incentive-based initiatives. Adam’s work with the UN Development Programme as a Development Advocate fosters awareness on social media and beyond of sustainability, rights violations and solutions. In Washington DC, Adam has worked closely with the EPA, The Department of Energy, and The White House on innovative renewable energy policy, and with a bipartisan coalition in Congress to help pass the Inflation Reduction Act. He has brought his interdisciplinary perspective to his writing for publications including TIME, Rolling Stone, Billboard Magazine, Fortune, Mashable, and Quartz, and he is the host of the podcast Planet Reimagined.

Maggie Thomas is special assistant to the president for climate and senior advisor for strategic planning in the White House Climate Policy Office, where she previously served as chief of staff. Prior to that, she co-founded the climate advocacy group Evergreen Action and worked on the climate teams of presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren (as lead climate staffer) and Jay Inslee (deputy climate director). Earlier in her career, Thomas held several roles at NextGen America, a political organization that mobilizes young people to vote and make progress on issues, most recently as senior advocacy manager. She has interned or worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and the Wildlife Society.

Cherry Pickman is the author of “Theory of Tides,” winner of the Poetry Society of America’s Chapbook Fellowship. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Bennington Review, Boston Review, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, Tupelo Quarterly, and PEN, among others. A selection of Pickman’s poems was included in the anthology “Eight Miami Poets.” Her full-length collection “Islanders” was a semifinalist for the Alice James Award. Shortlisted for the Poetry Foundation’s Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, Pickman was a finalist for the Snowbound Chapbook Award from Tupelo Press and the Missouri Review’s Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize. In 2017 she received a fellowship from Artists in Residence in the Everglades. Pickman is a graduate of Columbia University’s MFA program. She lives and works in Miami.

Karen Baker is a fiber artist and co-founder and board president of Social Art and Culture, a nonprofit that uses the power of the arts to educate and advance marginalized and underserved communities. A weaver and knitter, she researches the textile, fiber and craft contributions and techniques of enslaved and free African American weavers before the Great Migration. Baker is also founder and president of the benefit corporation Fiber with a Cause. A four-time grantee of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Artist Fellowship and the 2024 Center for Craft Research Grant recipient, she is also a teacher and writer. Her scholarly essay will be published in the forthcoming “Race in Design History: An Anthology.”