2026 Schedule

Thank you for attending the 2026 Tulane Future of Energy Forum!

 

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 Innovation Institute

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

Entergy Stage in the Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

The Exchange - Sponsored by LS Power: 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 Venezuelan 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)

Entergy Stage in the 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)

Entergy Stage in the Qatar Ballroom

Moderator:

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)

Entergy Stage in the 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

  • Dr. Daniel Straus

    Assistant Professor, Chemistry
    Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

  • Darryl Willis

    Corporate Vice President, Energy and Resources
    Microsoft

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)

Entergy Stage in the Qatar Ballroom

  • Leroy Brown

    Louisiana Science Innovator Bridge Program Manager
    ACTIVATE

  • Mike Mazzola

    Executive Director and CEO
    NSF FUEL Engine in Louisiana

Moderator:

Kimberly Gramm

Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer
Tulane Innovation Institute