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