19th Annual
VerdeXchange Conference

May 31 — June 3, 2026 | Biltmore Los Angeles

click here to register early & save
click here to register early & save

VX2026
COMMITTED SPEAKERS

  • Tamotsu Saito

    Chairman, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) 

    Bio
  • Mark Pestrella

    Mark Pestrella

    Director, Los Angeles County Public Works

    Bio
  • Portrait of a middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing a light blue dress shirt and a dark suit, smiling in an indoor setting.

    David Hochschild*

    Chair, California Energy Commission

    Bio
  • Felicia Marcus

    Felicia Marcus

    William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow, Stanford University’s Water in the West

    Click Here
  • Arnab Pal

    Arnab Pal

    Executive Director, Deploy Action

    Click Here
  • Minh Le

    Minh Le*

    General Manager, Los Angeles County Internal Services Department

    Click Here
  • Tak Yokoo

    Tak Yokoo

    Founder and Chair, Japan Hydrogen Forum

    Click Here
  • Laura Friedman

    Laura Friedman

    Congresswoman, 30th District of CA

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  • Professional woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a navy blazer and gold necklaces, smiling with a dark gray background.

    Doreen Harris

    President & CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

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  • Jason Caudle

    Jason Caudle

    CEO, First Public H2

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  • Simon Bluestone, PG, BCES

    Simon Bluestone, PG, BCES

    Vice President, Stantec

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  • Sara Neff

    Sara Neff

    Partner/ GM, Sustainability Cloud Operations + Innovation, Microsoft

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  • Stephen Cheung

    Stephen Cheung

    President/CEO, LA County Economic Development Council/World Trade Center-Los Angeles

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  • A middle-aged man with dark hair wearing glasses, a black suit, a white shirt, and a light blue tie, smiling in front of a blurred outdoor background.

    Josh Becker

    Chair, CA Senate Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee

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  • Myrna Bittner

    Myrna Bittner

    Founder and CEO, RUNWITHIT Synthetics

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  • A professional headshot of a man with short gray hair, a goatee, light blue eyes, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie against a blue background.

    Jim Kelly

    Director, S&C Electric

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  • Kathleen Brown

    Kathleen Brown

    Fmr. Treasurer, State of California | Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

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  • Headshot of a smiling man with short blonde hair, wearing a dark blazer and light-colored shirt, against a white background.

    Terry O'Day

    Chief Operating Officer, InCharge Energy

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  • Portrait of a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a green silk blouse, smiling, against a blue background.

    Andrea Sasse

    Consul General of the German Consulate, Los Angeles

    Biography
  • A man with light hair, wearing a suit and tie, smiling against a blurred outdoor background.

    Gene Seroka*

    Director, Port of LA

    Bio
  • Headshot of a man with curly hair wearing a suit jacket and blue checkered shirt, smiling outdoors with trees in the background.

    Michael Colvin

    Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, EDF

    Click Here
  • Siva Gunda*

    Siva Gunda

    Vice Chair, California Energy Commission

    Click Here
  • Portrait of a middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing glasses, a dark blazer, and a light pink tie, standing outdoors with greenery in the background.

    Robert Hertzberg

    Sr. Advisor, Mission Possible Partnership; CA Senate Majority Leader Emeritus

  • Middle-aged man with glasses, smiling, wearing a suit and a blue striped tie.

    Martin Adams

    LA County Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action & Fire Safe Recovery

    Click Here
  • Portrait of a young man with glasses and dark hair, wearing a dark collared shirt, against a plain white background.

    Evan Birenbaum

    Sr. Technical Executive, EPRI

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  • Eliot Abel

    Eliot Abel

    Senior Vice President, Corporate Clean Energy Solutions, Pivot Energy

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  • Hilary Norton

    Hilary Norton

    Fmr. Chair, California Transportation Committee

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  • Ted Bardacke

    Ted Bardacke

    Executive Director, Clean Power Alliance

    Click Here
  • Headshot of a middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and a pink plaid tie, smiling slightly against a dark background.

    Tim McOsker

    15th District, Los Angeles City Council

    Click Here
  • Yuri Freedman

    Yuri Freedman

    Senior Director, Business Development, Southern California Gas Company

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  • Jules Radcliff

    Jules Radcliff

    Partner, Radcliff Fairman LLP

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  • Gunjan Bagla

    Gunjan Bagla

    CEO, Amritt, Inc.

    Click Here
  • Close-up of a smiling bald man wearing a black t-shirt with white text that says 'well built' in front of a blurred background.

    Steve Glenn

    Founder, CEO, and Chair of the Board, Plant Prefab

    Click Here
  • Professional headshot of a smiling man in a suit and tie against a white background.

    Haresh Kamath

    Director of Cross-Cutting Technologies and Solutions, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

    Click Here
  • Andrew McAllister

    Andrew McAllister

    Commissioner, California Energy Commission (CEC)

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  • Andrea Ambriz

    Andrea Ambriz

    General Manager, Exposition Park

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  • Ross Zelen

    Ross Zelen

    Chief Committee Consultant, Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies

    Click Here
  • Thomas Aujero Small

    Thomas Aujero Small

    President & CEO, Culver City Forward

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  • Mary Nichols

    Mary Nichols*

    Co-Chair, Commission on the Future of Mobility

    Click Here
  • Close-up of an elderly man with a gray beard wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, standing outdoors near a tree.

    Joe Edmiston

    Executive Director, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

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  • Lauren Faber O’Connor

    Lauren Faber O’Connor

    Partner, Lowercarbon Capital

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  • Jacob Lipa

    Jacob Lipa

    Founder and Principal, Lipa Consulting

    Click Here
  • Close-up of a mature woman with shoulder-length brown hair, resting her face on her hand and looking at the camera with a slight smile.

    Mia Lehrer

    President, Studio MLA Urban Design Landscape Architecture

    Click Here
  • A smiling older woman with short white hair, wearing black glasses, earrings, and a black blazer.

    Bonnie Lowenthal

    President, Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners

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  • A smiling middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and dark tie, against a gray background.

    Phillip Recht

    Partner, Mayer Brown

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  • Headshot of a middle-aged man with a beard, glasses, and a bald head, smiling in a suit and tie.

    Charles Wilson

    Executive Director & CEO, Southern California Water Coalition

    Click Here
  • Headshot of an older man with glasses, wearing a suit and a red tie, smiling against a dark background.

    John Withers*

    Board of Directors, Irvine Ranch Water District

    Click Here
  • Victoria Harmon

    Victoria Harmon

    CEO & Founder, V&L Advisors

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  • Mark Gold

    Mark Gold

    Director, Water Scarcity Solutions, NRDC

    Click Here
  • John Keisler

    John Keisler

    CEO & Managing Partner, Sunstone Economic Development

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  • Christine Harada

    Christine Harada*

    Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission

    Click Here
  • Renata Simril

    Renata Simril

    President & CEO, LA84 Foundation

    Click Here
  • Ronen Hoffman

    Ronen Hoffman

    President, EIS Council

    Click Here
  • Miguel Luna

    Miguel Luna

    Board President, LADWP; Chair, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

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  • Kumar Kotla

    Kumar Kotla

    Founder & CEO, ReMo Homes

    Click Here
  • Mike Levin

    Mike Levin

    United States Congressman for California

    Click Here
  • Dennis McGinn

    Dennis McGinn

    Board of Directors, Willdan Group, Inc.; Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy

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  • Sylvie Bédard

    Sylvie Bédard

    Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles

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  • Anil Tammineedi

    Anil Tammineedi

    Partner, Angeleno Group

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  • Murota Kosei

    Murota Kosei

    Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles

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  • Kathryn Barger

    Kathryn Barger

    Supervisor, 5th District of Los Angeles County

    Click Here
  • Joone Kim-Lopez

    Joone Kim-Lopez

    GM & CEO, Moulton Niguel Water Dirtrct

    Click Here
  • Nick Schultz

    Nick Schultz

    Assemblymember, California Assembly District 44

    Click Here
  • Tanya Bennett

    Tanya Bennett

    Consul General of Australia in Los Angeles

    Click Here
  • Romi Kadri

    Romi Kadri

    Managing Partner, Levelized Capital

    Click Here
  • Noel Hacegaba

    Noel Hacegaba

    CEO, Port of Long Beach

    Click Here
  • Lorraine Paskett

    Lorraine Paskett

    COO, First Public Hydrogen

    Click Here
  • Eric Garcetti

    Eric Garcetti

    Former Consul General to India in Los Angeles; Former Mayor of Los Angeles

    Click Here
  • Jonathan Weisgall

    Jonathan Weisgall

    Consultant, Berkshire Hathaway EnergyCo.

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  • Daniel Weiss

    Daniel Weiss

    Managing Partner, Angeleno Group

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  • Catherine Reheis-Boyd

    Catherine Reheis-Boyd*

    Former President & CEO, Wester States Petroleum Association

    Click Here

Testimonials

Two people, a man and a woman, are engaged in conversation at a conference. The man is wearing a dark suit with a striped tie, smiling, and holding a green conference sign that reads 'VX 2022 VERDE XCHANGE.' The woman has short, reddish hair and is wearing a black jacket. In the background, several other attendees are visible, some with face masks, and a large banner with the text 'VX 2022 VERDE XCHANGE CONFERENCE' hangs on the wall.
“...what happens at VerdeXchange isn’t just on stage, it’s in the hallways and in between sessions, when people make those connections, trade those cards, plant those ideas, and form those partnerships that literally change this city and this world.”
— Eric Garcetti, 26th United States Ambassador to the Republic of India and Fmr. Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
“The beauty of VerdeXchange is that it encapsulates the energy that’s going on in California and finds a way to interconnect that both federally and globally.”
— Arnab Pal, Fmr. Sr. Advisor & Consultant, US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office
“VerdeXchange is this unique gathering of people from an unusual range of sectors: government, business, NGOs, investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs...and that doesn’t happen anywhere else. ”
— Felicia Marcus, Stanford Water in the West, Fmr. Chair, CA State Water Resources Control Board
A woman with blonde hair, wearing earrings, a gray blazer, and red nail polish, speaking into a microphone during a panel discussion.
“VerdeXchange Conferences offers attendees an opportunity to see things through other people’s lens.”
— Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President, Western States Petroleum Association
Three men in business attire having a conversation in a conference or event space with a carpeted floor and a chandelier in the background.
“The hallmark of VerdeXchange is that it’s a global perspective. There is money to be made in protecting the environment, and VerdeXchange is a good place to find it.”
— Rick Cole, Pasadena City Council/ Deputy LA City Controller