To view past speakers, please check out the VX Archives

VX2026 Speakers

  • Tamotsu Saito

    Tamotsu Saito

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

    Bio
  • Mark Pestrella

    Mark Pestrella

    Director, Los Angeles County Public Works

    Bio
  • Siva Gunda

    Siva Gunda

    Vice Chair, California Energy Commission

  • Christine Harada

    Christine Harada*

    Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission

  • Noemí Gallardo

    Noemí Gallardo

    Commissioner, California Energy Commission

  • Miguel Luna

    Miguel Luna

    Chair, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy; CEO, Urban Semillas

  • Allan Marks

    Allan Marks

    President, Board of Water and Power Commissioners, LADWP

  • Renata Simril

    Renata Simril

    President & CEO, LA84 Foundation

  • Noel Hacegaba

    Noel Hacegaba

    CEO, Port of Long Beach

  • Ronen Hoffman

    Ronen Hoffman

    President, EIS Council

  • Kathleen Brown

    Kathleen Brown

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

  • Felicia Marcus

    Felicia Marcus

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

  • James T. Butts, Jr.

    James T. Butts, Jr.

    Mayor, City of Inglewood

  • Lauren Faber O’Connor

    Lauren Faber O’Connor

    Partner, Lowercarbon Capital

  • Arnab Pal

    Arnab Pal

    Executive Director, Deploy Action

  • Minh Le

    Minh Le

    General Manager, Los Angeles County Internal Services Department

  • John Shegerian

    John Shegerian

    Co-Founder, CEO, ERI

  • Tak Yokoo

    Tak Yokoo

    Founder and Chair, Japan Hydrogen Forum

  • Congressman Mike Levin

    Congressman Mike Levin

    United States Congressman for California

  • Representative Laura Friedman

    Representative Laura Friedman

    Congresswoman, 30th District of CA

  • Jason Caudle

    Jason Caudle

    CEO, First Public H2

  • Simon Bluestone, PG, BCES

    Simon Bluestone, PG, BCES

    Vice President, Stantec

  • Sara Neff

    Sara Neff

    Partner/ GM, Sustainability Cloud Operations + Innovation, Microsoft

  • Benjamin Allen

    Senator Ben Allen

    California State Senator, Chair, State Senate Energy Committee 

  • Adán Ortega, Jr.

    Adán Ortega, Jr.

    Chair of the Board, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

  • Dennis McGinn

    Dennis McGinn*

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

  • Stephen Cheung

    Stephen Cheung

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

  • Sylvie Bédard

    Sylvie Bédard

    Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles

  • Senator Josh Becker

    Senator Josh Becker*

    Chair, CA Senate Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee

  • Henry Stern

    Senator Henry Stern

    California State Senator, Chair, Senate Emergency Management Committee

  • Yuri Freedman

    Yuri Freedman*

    Senior Director, Business Development, Southern California Gas Company

  • Rick Caruso

    Rick Caruso

    Founder and Executive Chairman, Caruso

  • Jackie Birdsall

    Jackie Birdsall

    Senior Program Manager, Toyota North America

  • Anil Tammineedi

    Anil Tammineedi

    Partner, Angeleno Group

  • Murota Kosei

    Murota Kosei

    Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles

  • 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

  • Terry O'Day

    Terry O'Day

    Chief Operating Office / Founder, In-Charge Energy

  • 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

  • Gene Seroka

    Gene Seroka*

    Director, Port of LA

    Bio
  • Kathryn Barger

    Kathryn Barger

    Supervisor, 5th District of Los Angeles County

  • Michael Colvin

    Michael Colvin

    Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, EDF

  • Shivaji Deshmukh

    Shivaji Deshmukh

    General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

  • Nick Schultz

    Nick Schultz

    Assemblymember, California Assembly District 44

  • Romi Kadri

    Romi Kadri

    Managing Partner, Levelized Capital

  • K J Srinivasa

    K J Srinivasa

    Consul General of the Indian Consulate, Los Angeles

  • Kumar Kotla

    Kumar Kotla*

    Founder & CEO, ReMo Homes

  • Robert Hertzberg

    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

  • 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

  • Eliot Abel

    Eliot Abel

    Senior Vice President, Corporate Clean Energy Solutions, Pivot Energy

  • Hilary Norton

    Hilary Norton

    Fmr. Chair, California Transportation Committee

  • Ted Bardacke

    Ted Bardacke

    Executive Director, Clean Power Alliance

  • Tim McOsker

    Tim McOsker*

    15th District, Los Angeles City Council

  • Jules Radcliff

    Jules Radcliff

    Partner, Radcliff Fairman LLP

  • Gunjan Bagla

    Gunjan Bagla

    CEO, Amritt, Inc.

  • 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

  • Lorraine Paskett

    Lorraine Paskett

    COO, First Public Hydrogen

  • 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)

  • Andrew McAllister

    Andrew McAllister

    Commissioner, California Energy Commission (CEC)

  • Andrea Ambriz

    Andrea Ambriz

    General Manager, Exposition Park

  • Thomas Aujero Small

    Thomas Aujero Small

    CEO, Culver City Forward; Former Mayor of Culver City

  • Ross Zelen

    Ross Zelen

    Chief Committee Consultant, Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies

  • Mary Nichols

    Mary Nichols

    Co-Chair, Commission on the Future of Mobility

  • Joe Edmiston

    Joe Edmiston

    Executive Director, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

  • Eric Garcetti

    Ambassador Eric Garcetti

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

  • Rebecca Lee

    Rebecca Lee

    Director of Government Affairs, Western US, NRG

  • Daniel Weiss

    Daniel Weiss*

    Managing Partner, Angeleno Group

  • Jacob Lipa

    Jacob Lipa

    Founder and Principal, Lipa Consulting

  • Mia Lehrer

    Mia Lehrer

    President, Studio MLA Urban Design Landscape Architecture

  • Bonnie Lowenthal

    Bonnie Lowenthal*

    President, Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners

  • 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

  • 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

  • John Withers

    John Withers

    Board of Directors, Irvine Ranch Water District

  • Victoria Harmon

    Victoria Harmon

    CEO & Founder, VL Harmon Advisors

  • Mark Gold

    Mark Gold*

    Director, Water Scarcity Solutions, NRDC

  • John Keisler

    John Keisler

    CEO & Managing Partner, Sunstone Economic Development

  • Ricky Sakai

    Ricky Sakai

    Senior Vice President of Investment & Business Development, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

  • Joone Kim-Lopez

    Joone Kim-Lopez*

    General Manager/CEO, Moulton Niguel Water District

  • Christine Peterson

    Christine Peterson

    Senior Director of International Trade & Investment, Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

  • Sophie Hottat

    Sophie Hottat*

    Consul General of Belgium in Los Angeles

  • Lex Heslin

    Lex Heslin

    CEO, Enso Infrastructure

  • Beckie Menten

    Beckie Menten

    California Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition

  • Nancy Sutley

    Nancy Sutley

    Board Vice Chair, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

  • Nurit Katz

    Nurit Katz

    Vice President, LADWP; Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA

  • Joe Sullivan

    Joe Sullivan

    Director of Energy Solutions, Los Angeles IBEW & NECA

  • Robert Lempert

    Robert Lempert

    Director, Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition; Principal Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, RAND School of Public Policy

  • Coby Skye

    Coby Skye

    Executive Director, San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority

  • Nate Taylor

    Nate Taylor*

    Director of Integrated Infrastructure Planning, SoCalGas

  • Billy Riggs

    Billy Riggs

    Professor, Director, Autonomous Vehicles and the City Initiative; University of San Francisco

  • Alycia Gilde

    Alycia Gilde

    Chief Strategy Officer for Climate Action Partnerships, Los Angeles County Internal Services Department

  • Miguel Sangalang

    Miguel Sangalang*

    Executive Director and General Manager, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting

  • Timothy O'Connor

    Timothy O'Connor

    Executive Director / Ratepayer Advocate, City of Los Angeles Office of Public Accountability/Ratepayer Advocate

  • Brian Goldstein

    Brian Goldstein

    Executive Director, Energy Independence Now

  • Aura Vasquez

    Aura Vasquez

    Strategic Clean Energy Executive; Former LADWP Commissioner; ESG & Public Affairs Advisor

  • Martin Howell

    Martin Howell

    Global Energy Skills Leader, Arup

  • Dr. Kelly Sanders

    Dr. Kelly Sanders

    Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Former Assistant Director for Energy Systems Innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

  • Nick Melvoin

    Nick Melvoin

    Board Member, District 4, Los Angeles Unified School District

  • David Libatique

    David Libatique*

    Deputy Executive Director, Stakeholder Engagement, Port of Los Angeles

  • Randall Winston

    Randall Winston

    Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure, City of Los Angeles

  • Kristen Torres Pawling

    Kristen Torres Pawling

    Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of LA City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky

  • Houtan Moaveni

    Houtan Moaveni

    Vice President, Grid Strategies

  • Daniel Adler

    Daniel Adler

    Executive Director, US Green Bank 50

  • Erik Trask

    Erik Trask

    Vice President of Fusion Science, TAE Technologies

  • Robin Wong

    Robin Wong

    Industry Partnerships Lead, Livermore Institute for Fusion Technology

  • Edward Moses

    Edward Moses

    CEO, Longview Fusion Energy Systems

  • Nasser Faarooqui

    Nasser Faarooqui

    Co-Founder, CEO, GridGPT

  • Rachit Khare

    Rachit Khare

    Founder, ConceptX

  • Ehud Ganani

    Ehud Ganani

    VP Strategic Programs, EIS Council

  • Arthur Sohikian

    Arthur Sohikian

    Executive Director, High Desert Corridor JPA and North LA County Transportation Coalition JPA

  • Paula Daniels

    Paula Daniels

    Executive Director, LA County Office of Food Systems

  • Rick Cole

    Rick Cole

    Councilmember, City of Pasadena

  • Tom Soto

    Tom Soto

    Founder & CEO, SAS Earth Energy Services

  • Masaaki Kawai

    Masaaki Kawai

    Business Development Director, NGK Automotive Ceramics USA, Inc.

  • Janna Sidley

    Janna Sidley

    Commissioner, California Little Hoover Commission; Board Member, LACERS

  • Cameron Bard

    Cameron Bard

    Chief Revenue Officer, Madison Energy Infrastructure

  • Christopher Sheppard

    Christopher Sheppard

    Principal Engineer, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works

  • Tanya Peacock

    Tanya Peacock

    Managing Director, EcoEngineers

  • Hamed Noori

    Hamed Noori

    Founder and CEO, SenseNet Inc.

  • Robert Piascik

    Robert Piascik

    SVP, Chief Information & Technology Officer, New York Power Authority

  • Brian Craddock

    Brian Craddock

    SVP Global Sales, SenseNet Inc.

  • Rob Alexander

    Rob Alexander

    CEO, AlumaPower Corporation

  • Gerro Prinsloo

    Gerro Prinsloo

    Sales Director, AlumaPower Corporation

  • Heidi Sanborn

    Heidi Sanborn

    Board Member, California Foundation for the Environment and Economy

  • Daishu Hara

    Daishu Hara

    Senior Director, NEDO Washington DC

  • James Kast

    James Kast

    General Manager, Iwatani

  • Yuma Taniguchi

    Yuma Taniguchi

    Manager, Nikkiso

  • Tim Sasseen

    Tim Sasseen

    Clean Energy Executive; Vice President, American Honda

  • Paul Nelson

    Paul Nelson

    Managing Partner, Saoradh Enterprise Partners

  • Angelina Galiteva

    Angelina Galiteva

    Founder & Board Chair of Renewables 100 Policy Institute; Former CAISO Boardmember

  • David Nahai

    David Nahai

    Chair, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board

  • John Flory

    John Flory

    Co-founder, Gulf Energy Catalyst

  • Tiya Gordon

    Tiya Gordon

    Co-Founder/COO, it's electric

  • Ruben Aronin

    Ruben Aronin

    Senior Principal, Better World Group

  • Akihiro Mori

    Akihiro Mori

    Captain, NYK Group

  • Larry Kosmont

    Larry Kosmont

    Chairman and CEO, Kosmont Companies

  • Edgar Khalatian

    Edgar Khalatian

    Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

  • Deborah Klein Lopez

    Deborah Klein Lopez

    Agoura Hills City Councilmember; Board Chair, Clean Power Alliance

  • Tomohiro Fujita

    Tomohiro Fujita

    Section Chief, Namie Town, Fukushima

  • Larry Frank

    Larry Frank

    Senior Advisor to Mayor Karen Bass, City of Los Angeles; Former Deputy Mayor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City of Los Angeles

  •  Meghan Sahli-Wells

    Meghan Sahli-Wells

    Strategic Advisor, Better World Group

  • Joe Irvin

    Joe Irvin

    City Manager, City of Malibu

  • Alisa Kreynes

    Alisa Kreynes

    Director, Ports & Shipping, C40 Cities

  • Aaron Lapsley

    Aaron Lapsley

    CTO, Hyroad

  • Peter Rose

    Peter Rose

    Senior Director, Stakeholder Relations at Hydro Québec

  • John Paul Cisneros

    John Paul Cisneros

    Vice President, American Triple I Partners

  • Heather Repenning

    Heather Repenning

    Vice President & Client Account Manager, Jacobs

  • Loni Mahanta

    Loni Mahanta

    Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer, HopSkipDrive

  • David Hanson

    David Hanson*

    Interim General Manager, LADWP

  • Jason Rondou

    Jason Rondou

    Interim Chief Operating Officer and Senior Assistant General Manager - Power System, LADWP

  • Brianna Daniels

    Brianna Daniels

    Vice President, Stantec

  • Zoe Heller

    Zoe Heller

    Director, CalRecycle

  • Emily Coven

    Emily Coven

    California Executive Director, Circular Action Alliance

  • Heidi Sanborn

    Heidi Sanborn

    National Stewardship Action Council

  • Mike Caprio

    Mike Caprio

    Director of Government Affairs - CA at Republic Services

  • Erin Rowland

    Erin Rowland

    Material Management Bureau Manager, City of Long Beach