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)

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

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

Diboll Gallery

Moderator: Kimberly Gramm

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

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

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Joe Dubbin

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Michael A. Fitts

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

Diboll Gallery

  • 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: Christopher Dalbom

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

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: Paulo B. Goes

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: Rebecca Brown

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Chris Richardson

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

Qatar Ballroom

  • Matt Kisber

    Co Founder and Chairman of the Board
    Silicon Ranch Corporation

  • Bill Mundt

    VP of Origination
    NextEra Energy Resources

  • John Weiss

    VP of Sustainability and Environmental Policy
    Entergy

Moderator: Andrea Apgar

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

Diboll Gallery

Moderator: Pierre Conner

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

  • Ben Nolan

    Senior VP of Investor Relations
    Venture Global LNG

Moderator: Eric Smith

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

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Dee Martin

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

Diboll Gallery

Moderator: Michael Naguib, PhD

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Kimberly Gramm

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Robin Forman

Financing the Future: Making Emerging Energy Technologies Bankable
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. (CST)

Stibbs Conference Room

Moderator: Randel Young

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

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

Diboll Gallery

Moderator: Salem Habte

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Frederick Bell

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

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Pierre Conner

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

Stibbs Conference Room

Moderator: Ian Laird

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

Diboll Gallery

  • Ibrahim Demir, PhD

    Professor and Michael A. Fitts Presidential Chair in Environmental Informatics and Artificial Intelligence
    Tulane University

Moderator: John L. Sabo

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Fariba Mamaghani, PhD

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: Jay Hakes

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Paulo B. Goes

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

Diboll Gallery

Moderator: Lawrence J. Kahn

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Ian Morrison

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

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Randel Young

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

Diboll Gallery

Moderator: David Rassin

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

  • Jason Lanclos

    Director - State Energy Development and Planning
    Louisiana Economic Development

  • Gray Stream

    Executive Chairman; President
    Gulf Coast Sequestration; Stream Companies

Moderator: Peter Ricciuti

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

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Drake Hernandez

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

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

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

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

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

Qatar Ballroom

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

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

Diboll Gallery

Moderator: Imad Khan

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Travis Cummings

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

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Matthew Escarra

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Monique M. Edwards

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

Qatar Ballroom

  • Cynthia Ebinger

    Marshall Heape Professor
    Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Moderator: Hon. Sonya Savage

The Future of Oil and Gas: Navigating Demand, Investment, and Policy
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. (CST)

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Randall M. Ebner

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

Qatar Ballroom

Moderator: Grady S. Hurley

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

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Moderator: Randel Young