7:00 AM

Registration and Breakfast

7:50 AM

VX2025 Welcome

Stephen Cheung, CEO/President,  LA Economic Development Corporation/World Trade Center-LA
David Abel, Chairman, VerdeXchange
Richard Katz, President, LADWP Board of Water & Power Commissioners

Special Welcome Remarks:
Mayor Karen Bass, City of Los Angeles

8:20 AM

Morning Plenary I
A New Administration: Making Lemonade

Moderator: Jim Kelly, Director, S&C Electric

Panel 
David Hochschild, Chair, California Energy Commission (CEC)
Gene Rodrigues, Former Assistant Secretary for Electricity, US Department of Energy (USDOE)
Doreen M. Harris, President & CEO, New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA)
Martin Adams, (Ret.) General Manager, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP)/ LA County Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action & Fire Safe Recovery

8:55 AM

Morning Plenary II
Power Play: Regional, State, and Local Strategies to Manage California's Electricity Load 

Moderator: Arnab Pal, Executive Director, Deploy Action

Panel
Sen. Josh Becker, Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee Chair, District 13, California State Senate
Darcie Houck, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission
Siva Gunda, Vice Chair, California Energy Commission
Caroline Choi, Executive Vice President, Public Policy & Corporate Affairs, Edison International & Southern California Edison
Kendall Helm, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power

9:40 AM
Morning Keynote 

Steve Westly, Founder & Managing Partner, The Westly Group

10:00 AM
Concurrent Panels

-ENERGY-
Utility Undergrounding: What are the facts? Alternatives?

Moderator: Jim Kelly, Director, S&C Electric

Panel
Tom Pilarski, Geospatial Solutions Lead, Guida, Inc.
Tim Hade, COO & Co-Founder, Scale Microgrids
Kristen Barbee, Principal Manager in Distribution, Metro East, SCE
Jason Hills, Director of Power Engineering, LADWP
                                                                                  

-WATER-
Water Quality/Quantity After the Fires

Moderator: David Nahai, President, David Nahai Companies/Fmr. General Manager, LADWP

Panel
Felicia Marcus, William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow, Stanford University Water in the West
Mark Gold, Director of Water Scarcity Solutions, NRDC
Liz Crosson, Chief Sustainability, Resiliency, Innovation Officer, Metropolitan Water District
Adrin Nazarian, Energy & Environment Committee Chair, LA City Council
Anselmo Collins, Sr. Asst. General Manager, LADWP Water System

-TRANSPORTATION / INFRASTRUCTURE-
Streets & Curbs: LA's Olympic Mobility Plans Reimagined

Moderator: Thomas Aujero Small, Culver City Forward, Former Mayor of Culver City

Panel
Earl Blumenauer, (ret.) Congressman, Oregon’s 3rd District
Jonah Bliss, Founder and Curb Whisperer, Curbivore
Phil Recht, Partner, Mayer Brown
Eli Lipmen, Executive Director, MoveLA
Jody Litvak, Senior Fellow, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies 
Thomas Huettner, Executive Director, AVL in the US


-GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE-
Resilience Hubs, Green Infrastructure & Conservation

Moderator: Allison Agsten, Director, USC Annenberg’s Center for Climate Journalism and Communication

Panel
Heather Rosenberg, Los Angeles Resilience Lead, Arup
David McNeill, Baldwin Hills Conservancy
Lia Cohen, Climate Resolve

-POLICY/FINANCE-
By-Invitation Roundtable: Financing Community Resilience 

10:50 AM
Concurrent Panels

-ENERGY-
Fossil Fuels & the Future of the Energy Transition 

Moderator: Siva Gunda, Vice Chair, California Energy Commission

Panel
Mark Nechodom, Senior Director for Science and Technology, WSPA
Nate Taylor, Director of Integrated Infrastructure Planning, SoCal Gas
Michael Colvin, Director, Regulatory & Legislative Affairs, EDF

-WATER-
California Solar Canal Initiative Aquagrid Case Study

Moderator: Felicia Marcus, William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow, Stanford University Water in the West

Panel
Robin Raj, Co-Founder and COO, Solar Aquagrid
Bill Penney, Program Manager, Project Nexus

-TRANSPORTATION / INFRASTRUCTURE-
Status & Future of California's Clean Truck Market

Moderator: Terry O’Day, COO, InCharge Energy

Panel: Patrick Cruz, Sr. Development Associate, Forum Mobility
Don Manvel, (Ret.) Chairman and CEO, AVL Americas
Aravind Kailas, Advanced Technology Policy Director, Volvo
Tom Ashley, Vice President, Government Relations & Utilities Relations, Voltera
 

-POLICY/FINANCE-
Insurance & Climate Risk
Moderator: Jules Radcliff, Partner, Radcliff Fairman LLP

Panel
Dave Jones, Fmr. CA State Insurance Commissioner/Director, Climate Risk Initiative, UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment
Michael Grant, VP and National Accounts Executive, Lockton Insurance Brokers LLC
Janna Sidley, Little Hoover Commission, LACERS board
Jaron Brandon, Supervisor, Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors
Darcy Coleman, Vice-President, Asset and Investment Management, Alagem Capital Group
Kristen Torres Pawling, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Planning, Office of Katy Yaroslavsky
Responder: Earl Blumenauer, (ret.) Congressman, Oregon’s 3rd District

11:45 AM       

Concurrent Panels

-ENERGY-
Meeting Load Growth with Dispatchable DERs: Faster, Cheaper, More Resilient

Moderator: Eliot Abel, Senior Vice President, Corporate Clean Energy Solutions, Pivot Energy

Panel
Howard Chang, CEO, AVA Community Energy
Chanel Parson, Director of Clean Energy & Demand Response, Southern California Edison
Sahar Abbaszadeh, Americas West Region Sustainability Leader, ARUP
Haresh Kamath, EPRI


-POLICY/FINANCE-
A Just Energy Transition & Economic Rebuild

Moderator: Rick Cole, Deputy LA City Controller

Panel
Judith Taylor, Partner, HR&A Advisers
Kendall Helm, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power

-TRANSPORTATION / INFRASTRUCTURE-
Port Logistics & a 21st Century 710

Moderator: Hilary Norton, Fmr. Chair, California Transportation Commission

Panel
Annie Nam, Deputy Director of Transportation, Southern California Association of Governments
Gloria Roberts, District 7 Director, CALTRANS
Stefan Tongur, Electreon
Fran Inman, VP, Majestic Realty 
John A. Pérez, Vice Chair, Port of LA Board of Harbor Commissioners

-WATER-
VX2025 Water Charette (11:40-1:30)—by invitation only

12:30 PM      

Luncheon 

Special Remarks by Tamotsu Saito, Chairman of Japan New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

Luncheon Plenary: 

The Aftermath: How do we REALLY build back better in SoCal?
Moderator: Jim Kelly, Director, S&C Electric

Panel
Janisse Quiñones, CEO and Chief Engineer, LADWP
David Buczkowski, VP of Gas Distribution, SoCalGas
Caroline Choi, Executive Vice President, Public Policy & Corporate Affairs, Edison International & Southern California Edison

1:25 PM

Introduction: John Hanula, Sr. VP, Innovation, Stantec
Luncheon Keynote:
Susan Kennedy, CEO & Chair, Cadiz, Inc.

1:45 PM

Post Luncheon Plenary

How Resilient and Prepared Are We for Extreme Climate Events
Moderator: Ted Bardacke, CEO, Clean Power Alliance

Speakers
Mark Pestrella, Director, LA County Department of Public Works
Zac Swank, Deputy Director, Office of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resiliency, Boulder County, CO
Brian Jordan, Senior Vice President of Global Growth, Hill International

2:30 PM

Concurrent Panels 

-ENERGY-

Future of the Western Grid
Moderator: Arnab Pal, Executive Director, Deploy Action

Panel:
Darcie Houck, California Public Utilities Commission
Michael Colvin, Director, Regulatory & Legislative Affairs, EDF

-ENERGY/WATER-

Rebuilding LA’s Water & Power Systems for Tomorrow

Moderator: Nurit Katz, Commissioner, LADWP Board/ Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA
Panel:
Martin Adams, (Ret.) General Manager, LADWP/ LA County Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action & Fire Safe Recovery
Greg Pierce, Research + Co-Executive Director, Luskin Center for Innovation | Director, Human Right to Water Solutions Lab
Luis Gutierrez, Director of Energy & Water, Office of LA Mayor Karen Bass

 
-POLICY/FINANCE-

New Pathways to Jobs & Workforce Training for the Green Economy

Moderator: Bonnie Lowenthal, President, Board of Harbor Commissioners of the POLB
Panel:
Elliot Washor, Co-Founder, Co-Director, Big-Picture Learning
Robin Kramer, Managing Director, The Smidt Foundation
Simon Bluestone, Vice President, Regional Growth Leader, Stantec
Garrett Rapsilber, Director, HR&A Advisors
David Vela, LA Community College District Board of Trustees

-POLICY/FINANCE-

Don’t Call it ESG—Call it National Security & Resilience

Moderator: Ross Zelen, Committee Consultant, CA Senate Joint Committee on Climate Change Policies
Panel: Mike Wallace, Chief Decarbonization Officer, Persefoni
Paola Bernazzani, Principal & Nature Lead, ESG Advisory Services, Stantec
Colin Connors, Sr. Director of Sales, ASUENE USA

3:30 PM

Concurrent Panels 

-ENERGY-

Meeting Energy Demand: Data Centers, Electrification, & The Energy Transition

Moderator: Sara Neff, Partner/ GM, Sustainability Cloud Operations + Innovation, Microsoft 
Panel:
Dan Hopper, Managing Director of Regulatory Policy, Southern California Edison
Armando Infanzon, Director of Business Development, SoCalGas
Haresh Kamath, Director for Cross-Cutting Technologies and Solutions, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

-ENERGY-

How are Utilities Adapting to AI?

Moderator: Victoria Harmon, CEO & Founder, VL Harmon Advisors

Panel: Robert Piascik, NY Power Authority
Myrna Bittner, CEO, Runwithit
Evan Birenbaum, Sr. Technical Executive, EPRI
Brian Goldman, Policy Pulse
Dr. Lalitha Krishnamoorthy, Vice President, Artificial Intelligence & Digital, Stantec

-TRANSPORTATION / INFRASTRUCTURE-

EV MARKET MOMENTUM: Reports of the Demise of EVs Greatly Exaggerated

Moderator: Colleen Quinn, Founder & President, e-Mobility Advisors

Eli Lipmen, Executive Director, MoveLA 
Ruben Aronin, Principal, Better World Group
Tesi Bravo, Deputy Director, CALSTART
Rosa Davies, Business Development Director, Veloz

-POLICY/FINANCE-

Pitch Session: LAEDC/WTCLA International Cleantech Companies

Pitches:

Masa Ando, CEO, Eco-Pork
Jonathan Beaulieu, Letenda
Dan Chang, Cool Innovation

Judges:
Tom Soto, Latimer Partners
Stephen Cheung, LAEDC
Jaûne Odombrown, BBOP Center
Mike Swords, LACI

4:25 PM

Concurrent Panels 

-ENERGY-
New Nuclear: Is it real? Is it ready?
Moderator: Jim Kelly, Director, S&C Electric

Panel
Jag Singh, Nuclear & Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Lead, Stantec
Anssi Paalanen, Chief Preparedness Specialist, Finland National Emergency Supply Agency
Arnab Pal, Executive Director, Deploy Action

-BLUE TECH-
California Offshore Wind: A Status Report 
Moderator: John Keisler, CEO & Managing Partner, Sunstone Economic Development

Panel
Suzanne Plezia, Chief Engineer, Port of Long Beach
Ross Zelen, Chief Committee Consultant CA Senate Joint Legislative Committee, Climate Change Policies


-TRANSPORTATION / INFRASTRUCTURE-
EV Market Momentum Part II: How can ZEV infrastructure advance in a more hostile world?

Moderator: Colleen Quinn, Founder & President, e-Mobility Advisors
Panel:
Analy Castillo, Zero Emissions Technical Lead, Stantec
Laura Iannaccone, Manager, Clean Transportation & Energy Programs LA County ISD
David Jacot, Director of Distributed Energy Solutions, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power 

-POLICY/FINANCE-

WTC-LA Consular Panel: Supply Chains Going Forward

VX 2025 Day 2 Program: Tuesday, April 8

7:15 AM

Registration and Breakfast

7:45 AM

VX2025 Welcome  

Stephen Cheung, CEO/President,  LA Economic Development Corporation/World Trade Center-LA
David Abel, Chairman, VerdeXchange

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District, LA County Board of Supervisors

8:15 AM

Morning Plenary: California’s Ambitious Environmental Vision and Agenda

Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, Natural Resources Agency

Introduction by Robert Hertzberg

Responders: Andrea Ambriz, General Manager, Exposition Park

9:10 AM

Concurrent Panels

-BUILT ENVIRONMENT-
Affordable Housing After the Fires
Moderator: Rick Cole, Councilmember, City of Pasadena/Deputy City Controller, Office of LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia
Panel
Charles Loveman, Executive Director, Heritage Housing Partners
Steve Glenn, Founder & CEO, Plant Prefab
Bea Stotzer, Board Chair, New Economics for Women
                                                                                     
-FUTURE BUILD-
Planning Opportunities for Olympic Legacies: Parks, Culture, & Placemaking
Moderator: Ava Bromberg, President, Creative Urban Solutions Inc.

Panel
Heather Repenning, Executive Officer for Sustainability Policy, LA Metro
Andrea Ambriz, General Manager, Exposition Park
Mia Lehrer, President, Studio MLA
Aaron Paley, Founder & Fmr. Executive Director, CicLAvia


-TRANSPORTATION / INFRASTRUCTURE-
Accelerating & Managing Capital Project Delivery (Ports-Air/Freight/Sea)
Moderator: Samantha Bricker, President, Bricker Strategic Solutions

Panel
Bill McGowan, VP, Granite Construction
Monica Benavides, District 7, Chief Deputy Director, CALTRANS
Kit Cole, Founder & Director, Kit Cole Consulting
Davina Hurt, California Policy Director, Pacific Environment

-H2 SUPERTRACK-
Hydrogen Outlook Under Trump 2.0
Moderator: Tyson Eckerle, Sr Advisor for Clean Infrastructure & Mobility, GO-Biz

Panel
Tanya Peacock, Managing Director, EcoEngineers
Daishu Hara, Sr. Director, Hydrogen & Ammonia Department, NEDO
Shekhar Chitnis, Founder, Chairman & CEO, HyZero
Pierre Gonthier, President & CEO, SAF+ International Group, Canada/ France

10:10 AM          

Concurrent Panels

-BUILT ENVIRONMENT-
Building Decarbonization for Resilience
Moderator: Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, California Energy Commission

Panel
Panama Bartholomy, Executive Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition
Lujuana Medina, Division Manager, LA County ISD
Zac Swank, Deputy Director, Office of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resiliency, Boulder County, CO
Ben Stapleton, Executive Director, USGBC-CA

-CIRCULAR ECONOMY-
Sustainability & Circular Economy in Practice
Moderator: Coby Skye, President, Blue Skye Environmental Consulting

Panel
Scott Kraynak, CEO, Sierra Energy
Mick Dalrymple, CSO, USC
Okko-Pekka Salmimies, Consul General, Consulate General of Finland, Los Angeles
Robert Hertzberg, Sr. Advisor, Mission Possible Partnership

-ENERGY-
Carbon Negative, Climate Positive: The Future of Carbon Removal
Moderator: Reagan Cerci, Research Analyst, Boundless Impact

Panel
Phil Walsh, Global Sustainable Development Program Manager, Arup
Edward Sanders, CEO, Equatic
Masaaki Kawai, Business Development Director, NGK
Julia Reichelstein, CEO, Vaulted Deep


-H2 SUPERTRACK-
Public & Private Partnerships to Advance Hydrogen Initiatives
Moderator: Lex Heslin, CEO, Enso Infrastructure

Panel
Jason Caudle, CEO, First Public H2, City Manager, City of Lancaster
Nobuhiro Shiraishi, CEO, enagia Inc. (Japan)
Akira Narui, Vice Mayor, Town of Namie (Japan)
Tracy Leslie, Lead Net Zero Clusters, EPRI

11:10 AM

Concurrent Panels

-BUILT ENVIRONMENT-
Financing Building Decarbonization: A Status Report
Moderator: Panama Bartholomy, Executive Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition

Panel
Sara Neff, Partner/GM, Sustainability, Cloud Operations + Innovation, Microsoft
Ben Stapleton, Executive Director, USGBC-CA
Julia Pyper, Public Relations Manager, GoodLeap


 -ENERGY-
Energy Storage: A Market Update
Moderator: Jim Kelly, Director, S&C Electric

Panel
Gurmesh Sidhu, Co-founder, Moment Energy
Garrett Lehman, Development Director, Aypa Power
Michael Colvin, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, EDF

- POLICY/FINANCE-
Ramifications of Suspending CEQA & Coastal Act to Speed Wildfire Recovery
Moderator: Darrell Steinberg, Fmr. Mayor of Sacramento
Dan Rosenfeld, Director of Land Use Solutions, Community Partners
Jacob Lipa, Lipa Consulting

-H2 SUPERTRACK-
710 Corridor: The Hydrogen Pitch 
Moderator: Terry Tamminen, CEO, AltaSea

Panel
Justin Ward, General Manager of Toyota’s Fuel Cell Development (FCD), Toyota
Danny Gamboa, EJ Community Member
Jack Brouwer, Director, Clean Energy Institute, UC Irvine
Michael Galvin, Director of Water Front & Commercial Real Estate, Port of Los Angeles
Michael Cano, Deputy Executive Officer for Goods Movement Planning and State Policy and Programming, Los Angeles County Metro

12:00 PM

Luncheon Plenary: Renewable Energy & Resilience
Moderator: Bob Hertzberg, Sr. Advisor, Mission Possible Partnership and CA Senate Majority Leader Emeritus

Panel
Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Yoshihito Ozawa, Fukushima University
Yuri Freedman, Sr. Director of Business Development, SoCalGas

1:45 PM

Post-Luncheon Plenary 

Game Changers: Meet the Market Makers
Moderator: Jim Kelly, Director, S&C Electric

Panel
Lauren Faber O’Connor, Partner, Lowercarbon Capital
Radha Mistry, Americas Region Foresight Leader, Arup

2:40 PM

Concurrent Panels

-POLICY/FINANCE-
Investment in Clean Energy & Climate Solutions
Moderator: Kathleen Brown, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Panel
Danny Jaffe, Partner, Angeleno Group
Lauren Faber O’Connor, Partner, Lowercarbon Capital
Diego Soto Garcia, Sr. Project Consultant, ESG Advisory Services, Stantec
Tom Soto, Founder, Latimer Partners, LLC
Julia Pyper, Vice President of Public Affairs, GoodLeap


-BUILT ENVIRONMENT-
Rebuilding the Village: Palisades & Altadena Commercial Districts
Moderator: Brenda Levin, Founder & Principal, Levin & Associates

Panel:
Laurie Ochoa, General Manager of Food Coverage, LA Times
Neal Payton, Principal, Torti Gallas + Partners
Steven Lewis, ZGF Architects
Joseph Miller, Runyon Group
Anish Saraiya, Office of Supervisor Barger
Charles Loveman, Heritage Housing

-H2 SUPERTRACK-
Hydrogen Hub Update
Moderator: Brian Goldstein, Executive Director, Energy Independence Now

Panel
Angelina Galiteva, CEO, ARCHES
Paul Nelson, Managing Partner, Saoradh Enterprise Partners
Tracy Leslie, Lead Net Zero Clusters, EPRI

3:35 PM

-THE LOS ANGELES POLYCRISIS-
Moderator: Thomas Aujero Small, Culver City Forward
Jonathan Parfrey, Executive Director, Climate Resolve
Robert Lempert, RAND
Dan Rosenfeld, Fmr. Senior Deputy for Economic Development, LA County Board of Supervisors
Lindsay Sturman, Co-Founder, Livable Communities Initiative

-H2 SUPERTRACK-
CA Clean Bus Strategy
Moderator: Jimmy Chen, Managing Director, SECA - Stanford Energy Corporate Affiliates, Precourt Institute for Energy

Panel
Bill Elrick, President, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership
Patrick Fiedler, President, Fiedler Group
Jaimie Levin, Director of West Coast Operations, CTE
Jean-Marc Landry, Letenda

4:20 PM

Closing Reception

8:00 AM

By Invitation Only

8:00 AM to 10:30 AM: VX2025 San Pedro Bay Ports Harbor Tour

Welcome Remarks by Los Angeles Councilmember Tim McOsker

Open to VX Registrants

11:00 AM to 12:45 PM: AltaSea Program / AltaSea

Moderator: Brian Goldstein, EIN

Panel: Matt Hamilton, Yusen Terminal
Enzo Bauk, US Hybrid
Daisuke Yamada, PASECO
Jason Nunamaker Toyota Motor North America

Hosted by Terry Tamminen, CEO, AltaSea