VX2026 PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
19th Annual VerdeXchange Marketmakers Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026 · Millennium Biltmore Hotel · Los Angeles
⚠ Subject to Change

SUNDAY, MAY 31

3:15 PM – 6:30 PM VX26 VIP Orientation Reception — Co-Host | CG Japan

6:45 PM – 9:00 PM VX/Mayer Brown/Stantec VIP Dinner — Los Angeles

MONDAY, JUNE 1

7:00 AM · Doors Open: Welcome to VX26
Speakers: Stephen Cheung (President & CEO, LAEDC); David Abel (Chairman, VerdeXchange); Congressman Mike Levin (US Congressman for CA)

8:20–9:10 AM · PLENARY 1: Infrastructure in Transition: Can Wise Regulation and Technology Solve Systemic Infrastructure Challenges?
Moderator: Arnab Pal (Executive Director, Deploy Action)
Panel: Siva Gunda (Commissioner, California Energy Commission); Christine Harada (Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission); Shinjini Menon (SVP, Southern California Edison); Allan Marks (President, Board of Commissioners, LADWP)

9:15–9:55 AM · PLENARY 2: Disasters: Preparedness, Response, & Resiliency —How Do We Better Respond?
Moderator: Jim Kelly (Director, S&C Electric)
Featured: Mark Pestrella (Director, Los Angeles County Public Works)
Panel: Shivaji Deshmukh (GM, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California); David Nahai (Chair, LA Regional Water Quality Control Board)

10:05–10:55 AM · Concurrent Sessions

• What's Taking So Damn Long? Fixing Energy Project Permitting
  Moderator: Jim Kelly (Director, S&C Electric)
  Panelists: Noemi Gallardo (Commissioner, CEC); David Hanson (Interim GM, LADWP); Christine Harada (Commissioner, CPUC); Brianna Pilkinton (Senior Principal, Stantec)

• Local and Regional Responses to Drought, Flood, & Emergency Preparedness
  Moderator: Nancy Sutley (Board Vice Chair, MWDSC)
  Panelists: Jacob Lipa (Founder and Principal, Lipa Consulting); Liz Crosson* (Chief Sustainability Officer, MWDSC);

• Climate Districts for Disaster Recovery — PCH as the Common Denominator
  Moderator: Larry Kosmont (Chairman &CEO, Kosmont Companies)
  Panelists: Joe Irvin (City Manager, Malibu); Aaron Ordower (Environment Deputy, LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath); Maggie Messerschmidt (Resilience Associate, ARUP); Kome Ajise (Exec Dir, SCAG)

• Can We Still Build Big Things? Part 1 — Lessons from CHPE
  Moderator: Kathleen Brown (Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP)
  Panelists: Peter Rose (Senior Director, Stakeholder Relations at Hydro Québec); Janna Sidley (Board Member, LACERS); Cameron Bard (CRO, Madison Energy Infrastructure); Orion Fulton (Associate Principal, ARUP)

10:55 AM – 11:00 AM — Break

11:00 –11:45 AM · Concurrent Sessions

• Critical Minerals for the Energy Transition (Moderator: John Shegerian)
  Moderator: John Shegerian (Co-Founder, Chairman/CEO, ERI)
  Panelists: Steve Schell (CPO, SolGrapH, Inc.); Kevin Kammerzell (VP, Stantec)

• Data Center Water Reality — Closed Loop vs. Real Cost
  Moderator: Jim Kelly (Director, S&C Electric)
  Panelists: Liz Crosson (Chief Sustainability Officer, MWDSC); Norma Grubb (CIO, CAIO, LADWP); Brianna Daniels (VP, Stantec), Tasha Harvey (Associate Principal, ARUP)

• Automation & the Future of Mobility
  Moderator: Billy Riggs (Professor, Director, USF)
  Panelists: Phil Recht (Partner, Mayer Brown LLP); Adam Lane (Public Policy Manager, Waymo); Daniel Eppstein (Head of Partnerships, CoMotion)

• Can We Still Build Big Things? Part 2 — Private Dollars
  Moderator: Kathleen Brown (Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP)
  Panelists: Romi Kadri (Managing Partner, Levelized); Andrea Ambriz (GM, Exposition Park); Tom Soto (Founder & CEO, SAS Earth Energy Services); John Keisler (CEO & Managing Partner, Sunstone Economic Development); Lauren Faber (Partner, Lowercarbon Capital)

• By-Invitation Roundtable: Coordinating Load Flexibility for an Affordable Grid Future — 11:45 AM (begins)
  Chair: Arnab Pal (Executive Director, Deploy Action)

• Water Charrette — 11:35 AM (begins)

11:50 AM–12:35 PM · Concurrent Sessions

• SB 905 — Getting the Most from What We've Already Paid For
  Moderator: Arnab Pal (Executive Director, Deploy Action)
  Panelists: Andrew McAllister (Commissioner, CEC); Tim Hade (Co-Founder, Brightfield AI); Julia Pyper (VP, Goodleap); Nadia Vogt (Associate, Senior Project Manager, Stantec); Gerro Prinsloo (Sales Director, AlumaPower Corp.)

• Data Center Siting & Permitting — Getting to Yes
  Moderator: Joe Sullivan (Director of Energy Solutions, IBEW)
  Panelists: Noemi Gallardo (Commissioner, CEC); Tasha Harvey (Associate Principal, ARUP); Edgar Khalatian (Partner, Mayer Brown, LLP)

• V2G — Finally Ready for Prime Time?
  Moderator: Jim Kelly (Director, S&C Electric)
  Panelists: David Jacot (AGM & Executive Director of Distribof Distributed Energy Solutionuted Energy Solutions, LADWP); Larry Chung (VP, SCE); Tiya Gordon (Co-Founder & COO, it’s electric); Watson Collins (Sr. Tech Executive, EPRI)

• Building a WildFire Resilience Work Force in LA
  Moderator: Larry Frank (Sr Advisor to Mayor Karen Bass)
  Panelist: Nurit Katz (Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA; VP Board of Water and Power Commissioners, LADWP); Robert Barna (Battalion Chief, LAFD); Devon Zatorski (Principal Project Coordinator, City of Los Angeles); Veronica Davey (Director, Chrysalis); Chris Caines (Sr Project Director, Resilience Force)

1:00-1:10 PM · Lunch Served
Introduction Remarks: Stephen Cheung (President & CEO, LAEDC)
Special Remarks: Tamotsu Saito (Chairman, NEDO)

1:15–1:45 PM · LUNCH PLENARY 1: Energy, AI & the Grid
Moderator: Rebecca Lee (Director of Government Affairs, Western US, NRG)
Panelist: Robert Piascik (SVP, CIO & CTO, NYPA); Remi Raphael (CAIO, EPRI); Udi Ganani (VP, EIS Council)

1:45–2:25 PM · LUNCH PLENARY 2: Scaling an Affordability Agenda
Moderator: Jim Kelly (Director, S&C Electric)
Panelists: Noemi Gallardo (Commissioner, CEC); Robert Hertzberg (Member Board of Directors, FPH2); Ted Bardacke (CEO, Clean Power Alliance)

2:25–2:45 PM · Public/Private Partnerships: Rebuilding Fire-Scorched Palisades and Altadena
Facilitator: Jessica Lall (Managing Director, CBRE)
Guests: Rick Caruso (Founder & Executive Chairman, Caruso); Christine Kwon (Director, Department of Angels)

2:50–3:35 PM · Concurrent Sessions

• Operate Today, Transform for Tomorrow — Infrastructure Balancing & Behind-the-Meter Gas
  Moderator: Jim Kelly (Director, S&C Electric)
  Panelists: Nate Taylor (Director, SoCal Gas); Nadia Vogt (Associate, Senior Project Manager, Stantec)

• Investing in Nature-Based Solutions — Valuing Ecosystem Services for California's Future
  Moderator: Miguel Luna (Chair, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy; CEO Urban Semillas)
  Panelists: Nurit Katz (Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA; VP Board of Water and Power Commissioners, LADWP); Paola Bernazzi (Principal, Sustainability, Stantec); Eileen Alduenda (Council for Watershed Health); Ed Parsons (Faculty Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, UCLA); Jennifer Norris (Executive Director, Wildlife Conservation Board); Ignacio Fernandez (Sr Policy Advisor, The Climate Registry); Geneva Thompson (Deputy Secretary of Tribal Affairs, CA Natural Resources Agency)

• EV Market Momentum — Pullbacks and Progress
  Moderator: Ruben Aronin (Senior Principal, Better World Group)
  Panelists: Alycia Gilde (Fmr Sr Advisor for Transportation to the White House; CSO LACISD); Tiya Gordon (Co-Founder & COO, it’s electric); Phil Recht (Partner, Mayer Brown LLP)

• Green Capital: Financing & Policy to Scale Innovation
  Moderator: Kathleen Brown (Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP)
  Panelists: Anil Tammineedi (Partner, Angeleno Group); Lauren Faber (Partner, Lowercarbon Capital), Romi Kadri (Managing Partner, Levelized)

• By Invitation Roundtable: Scaling Heat Pump Deployment — SoCal's $40M Investment Plan — 2:30 PM (begins)
  Facilitator: Ross Zelen (Chief Committee Consultant, Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies) Do we include Attendees?

3:40–4:25 PM · Concurrent Sessions

• Solar and Battery Storage — Getting the Policies Right
  Moderator: Eliot Abel (SVP, Corporate Clean Energy Solutions, Pivot Energy)
  Panelists: Cameron Bard (CRO, Madison Energy Infrastructure); Haresh Kamath (Director for Cross-Cutting Technologies and Solutions, EPRI); Martin Howell (Associate Principal, ARUP); Violet Flocks (Associate, Mayer Brown LLP)

• AI for Water & Energy — Cyber Resiliency & Continuity of Operations
  Moderator: Joone Lopez (GM/CEO, Moulton Niguel Water District)
  Panelists: Jeff Berk (Principal, ARUP); Robert Piascik (SVP, CIO & CTO, NYPA); Udi Ganani (VP, EIS Council); Norma Grubb (CIO, CAIO, LADWP); Tasha Harvey (Associate Principal, ARUP)

• Intelligent Urban Infrastructure — Sepulveda Corridor Case Study
  Moderator: Eli Lipmen (Executive Director, Move LA)
  Panelists: Heather Repenning (VP, Jacobs); Kristen Torres Pawling (Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Councilwoman Yaroslavsky); Lamont Cobb (Director of Planning & Land Use, CD6)

• LAEDC/WTC International Cleantech Pitch Session
  Moderator: Stephen Cheung (President & CEO, LAEDC)

• CONTINUED: By Invitation Roundtable: Scaling Heat Pump Deployment — SoCal's $40M Investment Plan
  Facilitator: Ross Zelen (Chief Committee Consultant, Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies) Do we include Attendees?

4:30–5:15 PM · Concurrent Sessions

• Speed to Power — Get the Power You Need, When You Need It
  Moderator: Victoria Harmon (CEO & Founder, VL Harmon Advisors)
  Panelists: Kelly Sanders (Assistant Professor, USC); Gerro Prinsloo (Sales Director, AlumaPower Corp.); Andrew Grinalds (Co-Founder & COO, Critical Loop); Nasser Usman (Co-Founder & CEO, GridGPT); Lalitha Krishnamoorthy (VP, Stantec); Rachit Khare (Founder & CEO, Concept X)

• Advanced Generation — Fusion
  Moderator: Bob Powell (Professor, UC Davis; Science and Technology Committee Chair, Lawrence Livermore National Security)
  Panelists: Richard Magee (VP, TAE Technologies, Inc); Robin Wong (Industry & Partnerships Lead, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory); Ed Moses (Founder & CEO, Longview Fusion Energy Systems)

• Heavy Duty Trucking: The Complementary Role of Battery Electric and Hydrogen
  Moderator: Terry O’Day (COO & Founder, In-Charge Energy)
  Panelists: Aaron Lapsley (CTO, Hyroad); Reb Guthrie (Principal, Stantec)

• WTC Consular Panel (Moderator: Stephen Cheung)
  Moderator: Stephen Cheung (President & CEO, LAEDC)
  Consulate Generals: Japan, Canada, India, and Germany

6:30 PM
Canada / Germany / Quebec / VX Hosted Dinner (By Invitation)

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

7:15 AM · Welcome Day 2

7:10–8:10 AM The Middle East Energy & Security Briefing (Breakfast) — By Invitation

8:15–9:00 AM · Infrastructure & The Olympics: Preparation, Execution & Legacy
(Moderator: Andrea Ambriz)

9:10–10:00 AM · Concurrent Sessions

• Affordable Housing: Is the Model Broken? (Moderator: Rick Cole)

• Wildfire Liability and Insurance — Who Pays? (Moderator: Jules Radcliff)

• India and California Climate Tech Collaboration (Moderator: Anil Tammineedi)

• Session 1: Decarbonizing Ports, Maritime Uses & the Global Supply Chain (Moderator: Lex Heslin)

10:10–11:00 AM · Concurrent Sessions

• Resiliency Hubs & Building Decarbonization

• Ports: Zero-Emission Operations by 2035 — What's the Real Plan? (Moderator: Mary Nichols)

• Can CA Create a Truly Circular Economy? (Moderator: Coby Skye)

• Session 2: Japan's Global Leadership in Hydrogen & Ammonia Project Deployment (Moderator: Takehito Yokoo)

11:10–11:50 AM · Concurrent Sessions

• Making Power Happen — In an Era of AI, Finance, Regulatory, & Political Headwinds (Moderator: Tom Soto)

• Breaking the Toxic Cycle of Hazardous Products (Moderator: Heidi Sanborn)

• The War on Wildfire: AI, Autonomous Systems, and Breakthrough Technologies Defending Human Life and Critical Infrastructure (Moderator: Joe Boystack)

• Session 3: U.S. Hydrogen & Ammonia Market Reality — Which Business Models Are Working? (Moderator: Lex Heslin)

12:00 PM · Lunch Served

12:30-1:15 PM · Fireside Chat: Great Power Comes with Great Responsibilities: Energy Infrastructure & the AI Economy

1:15-1:45 PM · Indigenous Peoples: Full Partners in the Infrastructure Transition (Moderator: Jim Kelly)

1:45–2:15 PM · Post Luncheon: The Innovators — Breakthrough Ideas That Could Change the Game (Moderators: John Shegerian)

2:20–3:05 PM · Concurrent Sessions

• The Future of Long-Duration Energy Storage (Moderator: Haresh Kamath)

• Workforce in the 21st Century (Moderator: Ben Stapleton)

• Building Decarbonization : Hard Truths & Unintended Consequences (Moderator: Jim Kelly)

• By-Invitation: Palisades / Altadena Building Back Better

• Session 4: Hydrogen Plus Alternative Energy Solutions for Backup Power & Resiliency(Moderator: Lorraine Paskett) - 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

3:10–3:45 PM · Concurrent Sessions

• Roundtable: Data Center Session (Facilitator: Minh Le)

• Efficiency, Sustainability & Resilience — Materials and Housing Innovations

• CONTINUED: By-Invitation: Palisades / Altadena Building Back Better

• Session 5: Global Hydrogen & Ammonia Market Reality — How Europe & Asia Are Filling the Vacuum & Developing Energy Security (Moderator: Robert Hertzberg) - 3:10 PM – 4:10 PM

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

7:00 AM · Doors Open

8:00–8:20 AM Welcome — Day 3

By-Invitation:

8:30–10:00 AM · PLENARY Working Harbor Tour — San Pedro Bay Ports
Joined by Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach Leadership

11:00–11:10 AM AltaSea Remarks

11:10–11:50 AM Featured Remarks + Panel: Blue Economy & AltaSea (Moderator: Brian Goldstein)

Preliminary program — subject to change. Check back on verdexchange.org for the latest updates.