2026 Schedule

The Future of Energy Forum schedule is currently being finalized. Additional sessions, speakers, times, and venue information will be published as they are confirmed.
Check back frequently for updates. All schedule information is subject to change.

 

Monday, September 28, 2026

Welcome: Michael A. Fitts, President of Tulane University
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Nuclear Energy's Expanding Role in the Future Grid
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

  • Matt Crozat

    Executive Director, Strategy and Policy Development
    Nuclear Energy Institute

  • Jason Willis

    VP, Nuclear Projects and New Nuclear Development
    Entergy

  • Chris Wright

    Director, Energy Technology Proving Ground
    Idaho National Laboratory

Moderator:

Growing the Energy Innovation Ecosystem
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

Kimberly Gramm

Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer
Tulane Energy Institute

Leading Through the Shift: Energy Leadership in a Time of Change
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

The Exchange - Day One
10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. (CST)

Rosenberg Mezzanine

Opening Day Keynote
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

What About The Venezuela Oil?
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

  • David Smilde

    Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations & Department Chair
    Tulane School of Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology

  • Eric Smith

    Associate Director-Tulane Energy Institute
    Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business

Moderator:

Financing the Future: Making Emerging Energy Technologies Bankable
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

Randel Young

Executive Director
Tulane Energy Law & Policy Center

Water and Energy—It's a New Ballgame
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

  • Haley Gentry

    Assistant Director
    Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy

  • Tyler Gray

    Director of Energy Innovation
    LSU Energy Institute

  • Patricia Kissinger, BSN, MPH, PhD

    Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs
    Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine - Tulane University

Moderator:

What Attracts Capital? Investing Across the Energy Landscape
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Shaping the Energy Narrative: Media, Messaging, and Policy
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

  • Anna Johnson

    Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs
    Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy

  • Rachael McNitt

    Chief of Staff
    Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President

Moderator:

Utility-Scale Solar: Challenges, Opportunities, and What's Next
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Louisiana LNG: Powering the Next Phase of Growth
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

  • Ben Nolan

    Senior VP of Investor Relations
    Venture Global LNG

Moderator:

Eric Smith

Associate Director-Tulane Energy Institute
Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business

Building Energy Infrastructure: Navigating an Increasingly Complex Landscape
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

Pierre Conner

Professor of Practice, Executive Director
Tulane Energy Institute, Tulane University

Energy and Elections: How Midterms Shape Policy and Markets
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

AI-Driven Discovery: From the GENESIS Mission to the Future of Energy Innovation
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Robin Forman

Senior VP for Academic Affairs and Provost Professor of Mathematics, Tulane University

Grid-Scale Batteries: From Promise to System Backbone
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

FUELing Louisiana: Building America’s Next Energy Innovation Hub
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

  • Leroy Brown

    Louisiana Science Innovator Bridge Program Manager
    ACTIVATE

  • Josh Fleig

    Chief Innovation Officer
    Louisiana Economic Development

  • Mike Mazzola

    Executive Director and CEO
    NSF FUEL Engine in Louisiana

Moderator:

Kimberly Gramm

Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer
Tulane Energy Institute

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Efficiency at Scale: The Fastest Way to Power the Future
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Frederick Bell

Associate Director, State Climate Policy
Center for American Progress

North America's Energy Advantage: Strengthening the U.S.-Canada Energy Corridor
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

Role of Independents of the Offshore Oil and Gas Ecosystem
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

Pierre Conner

Professor of Practice, Executive Director
Tulane Energy Institute, Tulane University

Community-Engaged Energy Transitions
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. (CST)

Stibbs Conference Room

Moderator:

Salem Habte

Director of Business Development and Innovation
Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Power Prices, Data Centers, and the Future of Grid Affordability
10:00 a.m - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Fariba Mamaghani, PhD

Assistant Professor, Management Science
Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business

Protecting Louisiana’s Water Resources to Secure Energy: AI, Water, and Infrastructure Resilience
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

A Conversation with Stephanie Hildebrandt
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

QatarBallroom

Moderator:

Marcilynn Burke

Dean and Mitchell Franklin Professor of Law
Tulane University Law School

The Exchange - Day Two
10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. (CST)

Rosenberg Mezzanine

Oildom Offshore: A Conversation on the History and Future of Offshore Energy
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

Stibbs Conference Room

Moderator:

Day Two Keynote
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Paulo B. Goes

Dean
A. B. Freeman School of Business - Tulane University

Reimagining Charity Hospital: Building the Future of Downtown New Orleans
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Ian Morrison

VP for Public Affairs and Chief Communications Officer
Tulane University - Communications & Marketing

Offshore Wind at a Crossroads: Policy, Markets, and Louisiana’s Future
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

The Changing Energy Investment Landscape in Venezuela
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

Randel Young

Executive Director
Tulane Energy Law & Policy Center

Waste, Fuels, and the Circular Energy Economy
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (CST)

Stibbs Conference Room

  • Dr. Mark Zappi

    Executive Director EIL, Endowed Professor of Chemical Engineering
    Univeristy of Louisiana at Lafayette

Moderator:

Lawrence J. Kahn

Founding Director
Utility Vegetation Management Institute Center for Environmental Law - Tulane University Law School

Can Louisiana Build the Energy Infrastructure of the Future?
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

  • Jason Lanclos

    Director of State Energy Panning & Development
    Louisiana Economic Development

  • Gray Stream

    Executive Chairman; President
    Gulf Coast Sequestration; Stream Companies

Moderator:

Peter Ricchiuti

Founder & Director
Burkenroad Reports / Freeman School of Business - Tulane University

Geothermal’s Next Chapter: Scaling Energy from the Subsurface
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

David Rassin

VP, General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer
SAExploration

Carbon Storage in Louisiana: Building the Foundation for the Next Energy Economy
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

The Future Energy Landscape: Innovation, Investment, and What Comes Next
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. (CST)

Stibbs Conference Room

  • Kevin Book

    Co-Founder and Director of Research
    Clearview Energy Partners LLC

  • Ben Byboth

    Head of Power Business
    Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Moderator:

Joan Michelson

Host, Electric Ladies Podcast & ESG Consultant
Electric Ladies Podcast, Green Connections Media

The Power Wall: AI, Industry, and the New Era of Energy Demand
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

  • Selva Nadarajah

    Professor & Head of Information and Decision Sciences
    University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Business Administration

Moderator:

Lolita Jackson

Executive Director, Sustainable Cities
Sustainable Development Capital Limited

Decarbonizing the Global Energy Supply Chain: Competing in Europe and Asia
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

Eric Smith

Associate Director-Tulane Energy Institute
Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business

Distributed Energy Resources and Community Resilience
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

Energy Dispute Prevention and Mitigation at a Time of Uncertainty
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. (CST)

Stibbs Conference Room

Moderator:

Mark Appel

Conflict Management Consultant, Mediator, Arbitrator
ArbDB Chambers

Scaling the Grid: Building the Backbone of a Connected Energy System
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Travis Cummings

Director of External Affairs and Marketing
Martin Energy Group

Investment Protection in an Era of Political Risk
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. (CST)

Diboll Gallery

Moderator:

Imad Khan

Vice Chair, International Arbitration for the Americas
Winston Taylor, LLP

From Chips to Power Plants: The New Energy-Tech Alliance
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

Matthew Escarra

Professor of Electrical Engineering
Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Energy in the Middle: Navigating Uncertainty, Disagreement, and the Future
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Rare Earth and Other Critical Minerals Essential in the Supply Chain
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

Hridesh Rajan

Dean
Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

The Future of Oil and Gas: Navigating Demand, Investment, and Policy
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

The Mississippi River Corridor and Gulf Coast Energy Backbone
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

Louisiana's Energy Moment
11:00 a.m - 11:15 a.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Closing Keynote
11:15 a .m. - 12:00 p.m. (CST)

CenterPoint Energy Stage in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator:

Randel Young

Executive Director
Tulane Energy Law & Policy Center