2026 Energy Forum Speakers

Smiling man with grey hair and beard, wearing a blue suit and red patterned tie. Bill Abler

Entergy

VP, System Planning and Operations

Smiling woman with dark hair, pink top, dark jacket, smiling outdoors. Newsha Ajami, PhD

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Director

Leo John Arnett Leo John Arnett

City of New Orleans, Mayor's Office

Director of Policy and Research

Man in light blue shirt, arms crossed, looking at camera. Jeff Arnold

Southern Renewable Energy Association Powering Louisiana

Louisiana Director

A smiling man with short dark brown hair wears a dark suit jacket and a white dress shirt against a plain, off-white background. Taylor Ashy

Contigo Strategies

President

Smiling US Army officer in green uniform, American flag and red castle flag behind. Col. Scotty Autin

US Army Corps of Engineers

Commander & District Engineer

Professional portrait of a smiling man with short gray hair, wearing a navy pinstripe suit, white shirt, and blue tie. Francisco Balduzzi

Womble Bond Dickinson

Partner

A smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a black top and a black-and-white patterned scarf in a bright hallway. Chloe Baldwin

Steptoe LLP; Tulane University

Senior Research Fellow

Smiling man with light brown hair in a blue striped shirt. Kenneth Beer

Cantium LLC

CEO

Smiling woman with long blonde hair, glasses, black blazer, and white top. Lauren Berry

Lapis Carbon Solutions

VP, External Affairs

Professional headshot of a smiling woman with shoulder-length light brown hair, wearing a gray blazer and delicate necklace against a softly blurred background. Clare Bienvenu

Liskow & Lewis APLC

Attorney

Man with gray hair and blue eyes in a navy suit and red tie. George Bilicic

Lazard

Global Head of Power, Energy & Infrastructure & Vice Chairman of Investment Banking

Kevin Book Kevin Book

Clearview Energy Partners LLC

Co-Founder and Director of Research

A man with graying hair and a beard, wearing a light blue button-down shirt with a company logo on the chest. Ben Bordelon

Bollinger Shipyards

President and CEO

Joe Brazauskas Joe Brazauskas

Bracewell LLP

Partner

A smiling man in a dark suit and patterned tie stands before a United States flag. Jonathan D. Brightbill

U.S. Department of Energy

General Counsel, U.S. Department of Energy

A professional headshot of a Black woman with a short, dark bob hairstyle and side-swept bangs smiling warmly, wearing a black blazer over a white top and a pearl necklace. Taiwan Brown

Entergy

VP, Talent

A smiling, bald Black man wearing glasses, a dark suit jacket, a light blue shirt, and striped tie against a black background Leroy Brown

ACTIVATE

Louisiana Science Innovator Bridge Program Manager

A headshot of a man with short dark hair, smiling against a light blue background. Patrick Browne Jr.

Marsh Risk

Managing Director

Ben Byboth Ben Byboth

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Head of Power Business

Chris Calavitta Chris Calavitta

Oklo Inc.

Head of Project Finance

Matt Candler Matt Candler

Batteries Included Fund

GP

Jeff Cantin Jeff Cantin

Solar Alternatives

President

Smiling man with dark hair in a suit and blue tie. Julian Cardenas

University of Houston Law Center

Research Assistant Professor

A smiling man with brown hair, wearing a dark gray suit jacket over a blue button-down shirt. Andrew Chaveas

Brailsford & Dunlavey

Director

Professional man smiling in a blue suit and red tie. James W. Coleman

University of Minnesota, American Enterprise Institute

Professor of Law, Nonresident Senior Fellow

Carlin Conner Carlin Conner

IMTT

Chairman & CEO

Smiling man in glasses, light pink shirt, and brown jacket. David Cook

Gulf Coast Sequestration

CEO

Michael Cooper Michael Cooper

Fervo Energy

Senior Counsel - Finance

Professional headshot of a smiling man with brown hair wearing a navy suit, light blue shirt, patterned tie, and lapel pin against a dark gray background. Commissioner Jean-Paul Coussan

Louisiana Public Service Commission, District II

Public Service Commissioner

Man in dark suit and red tie sits on a desk in an office, smiling. David Cresson

President & CEO

Louisiana Chemistry Association

Professional headshot of a smiling man in a dark suit, white shirt, and red tie. Matt Crozat

Nuclear Energy Institute

Executive Director, Strategy and Policy Development

Smiling man in a dark suit, white shirt, and purple patterned tie against a gray background. Dustin Davidson

Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy

Secretary

Jonathan de Lauréal Jonathan de Lauréal

Bernhard Capital Partners

Managing Director

Smiling man with shoulder-length light brown hair in a plaid shirt. Ibrahim Demir, PhD

Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Presidential Chair and Professor

Smiling man in black suit and white shirt, dark hair. Peter Dotson-Westphalen

NRG Energy

Sr. Manager, Market Development

Smiling man with grey hair and glasses, wearing a blue jacket, against a water and mountain background. J. Warren Doyle

Doyle Land Services, Inc.

President

Cynthia Ebenger Cynthia Ebinger

Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Marshall Heape Professor

Professional headshot of a smiling man in a dark suit with a striped tie. H. Scott Fairley

Cambridge LLP

Partner/ Adjunct Associate Professor

Tommy Faucheux Tommy Faucheux

Louisiana Mid Continent Oil and Gas Association

President

Joe Fawell Joe Fawell

Air Liquide

VP, Government Affairs

A woman with long wavy brown hair wears a gray blazer and speaks at a podium with flags in the background. Julia Fisher-Cormier

Port of South Louisiana

Executive Director

President Michael A. Fitts Michael A. Fitts

Tulane University

President

Josh Fleig Josh Fleig

Louisiana Economic Development

Chief Innovation Officer

Haley Gentry Haley Gentry

Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy

Assistant Director

A man in a black tuxedo jacket, a white formal dress shirt, and a black bow tie, smiling gently against a plain white background. Matthew Goitia

Peaker Energy and Pelorus Terminals

President/CEO

Tyler Gray Tyler Gray

LSU Energy Institute

Director of Energy Innovation

Professional man smiling, wearing a dark suit and gold tie. Bill Hammarstrom

WJH Energy Solutions

Senior Advisor

Larry Hand Larry Hand

Entergy Louisiana

VP of Regulatory & Public Affairs

Smiling woman in black blazer and green scarf. US flag and official emblem in background. Christine Harbin

Senator Alan Armstrong (R-OK)

Director of External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships

Smiling man in a blue suit with a red, white, and blue striped tie. Senator J. Cameron Henry, Jr.

Louisiana State Senate

President of the Senate

Smiling man with dark hair and beard, wearing a plaid purple suit and light blue tie. Casey Herman

CenterPoint Energy and Energy Impact Partners

Independent Board Member and Senior Advisor

Professional headshot of a man with short dark hair and a trimmed salt-and-pepper beard, wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and dark tie against a light blue-gray background. Douglas Heye

Douglas Media

Founder

Woman with brown hair in a black top and light blue scarf. Stephanie Hildebrandt

Archrock, Inc.

Senior VP and General Counsel

A man with short graying hair wears a light blue dress shirt indoors against a window. Joshua Hodge

MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research

Executive Director

Studio portrait of a smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a black top, gold necklace, and colorful drop earrings against a white background. Anna Johnson

Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy

Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs

N. Hunter Johnston N. Hunter Johnston

Steptoe LLP, Tulane Law School Senior Fellow

Partner

Smiling man with grey hair in a blue suit. Matt Kisber

Silicon Ranch Corporation

Co Founder and Chairman of the Board

Smiling woman with curly brown hair, wearing a vibrant patterned top, against a blue background. Patricia Kissinger, BSN, MPH, PhD

Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine - Tulane University

Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a patterned blue collared shirt, red tie, and dark suit jacket against a gray background. Jonathan Krautmann

Rubric Capital

Partner

Smiling bald man in navy suit and red tie, American flag in background. David LaCerte

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Commissioner

A smiling bald man wearing a blue blazer over a light purple button-down shirt. Jason Lanclos

Louisiana Economic Development

Director of State Energy Panning & Development

a smiling man in a grey suit, white shirt, and purple tie, standing with arms crossed against plain white background. William Landuyt

ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions

USGC CCS Business Manager

A smiling woman with long brown hair wears a dark blazer against a deep green wall with a small plant. Holly Lichtenfeld

Stepwise Electric

Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer

Smiling man with grey hair in a dark suit jacket, professional headshot. Charles Maglione

Guidehouse

Partner

Black and white headshot of a smiling man wearing glasses and a suit. August Martin, Jr

Apex Companies

Principal

James Martin James Martin

Gulf Wind Technology

CEO

Smiling woman in a navy blazer against a gray background. Blanca del Carmen Martínez Mendoza

Mendoza Vera Abogados

Partner

Mike Mazzola Mike Mazzola

NSF FUEL Engine in Louisiana

Executive Director and CEO

A smiling woman with long brown hair, wearing a dark blue suit jacket over a blue polka-dot blouse. Aimee McCarron

New Orleans City Council - District A

Councilmember

Smiling man with beard and curly hair in a blue checkered shirt, arms crossed. William McGehee

Novalign Technologies

CEO/Founder

Smiling man in blue shirt and dark blazer. Kevin McMahon

Shell

VP Production Assets, Gulf of America

A smiling woman with brown hair stands on a sidewalk with her arms crossed, wearing an mustard yellow dress. Rachael McNitt

Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President

Chief of Staff

Girard Melcanon Girard Melancon, PhD

FUEL

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Smiling man with beard, patterned suit, and crossed arms. Black and white photograph. Hyma Moore

Cornerstone Government Affairs

Principal

A smiling man with glasses, a mustache, and a gray beard, wearing a dark blue suit jacket with a red tie, in front of the American and Louisiana state flags. JP Morrell

New Orleans City Council

New Orleans City Council President

Professional headshot of a smiling woman with long wavy blonde hair, wearing a navy blazer over a light blue collared shirt against a gray background. Claudia Morrow

Vistra Corp

Senior VP

Pierre D. Moses Pierre D. Moses

127 Energy

President

A smiling man with short black hair, wearing a gray blazer over a light-colored button-down shirt. Selva Nadarajah

University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Business Administration

Professor & Head of Information and Decision Sciences

A bald man in a dark suit jacket and light blue button-down shirt smiling with arms crossed. David Nanus

LS Power Equity Advisors

President

Smiling man with dark hair in a light blue shirt, blurry green-blue background. Drew Nelson

Project InnerSpace

VP: Policy, Programs, and Strategy

Evan Nicoll Evan Nicoll

1834 Ventures

Managing Partner

Ben Nolan Ben Nolan

Venture Global LNG

Senior VP of Investor Relations

Patrick Norton Patrick Norton

Tulane University

Senior VP, COO, and Treasurer

Darren Olagues Darren Olagues

Talen Energy

Chief Development Officer

Man with brown hair in a grey plaid suit and patterned tie. Joseph A. Orgeron, PhD

Louisiana House of Representatives

State Representative

A close-up, side-profile portrait of a middle-aged man with short, graying hair and tortoiseshell glasses, wearing a light blue dress shirt under a dark brown blazer. Geoffrey Parker

Dartmouth University

Professor

Studio portrait of a smiling man wearing a blue work jacket over a light shirt with a bolo tie, posed against a white background. Cameron Poole

Newlab

Director of Strategy

Smiling man in glasses and a blue collared shirt. Tyler Priest

University of Iowa

Associate Professor of History

Dr. Margaret Reams Dr. Margaret Reams

Louisiana State University (LSU)

Joseph D. Martinez Professor of Environmental Sciences (Professor)

Smiling blonde woman in red jacket, cityscape with monument in background. Heather Reams

Conexus Strategies

President and CEO

Geoffrey Richardson Geoff Richardson

ExxonMobil

Senior VP, Commercial & Business Development

Head-and-shoulders portrait of a man with short dark hair wearing a light blue button-down shirt against a plain beige background. Chris Robb

Robb Commodities Consulting

Principal

A smiling man with short brown hair and round tortoiseshell glasses wears a dark suit, tie, and pocket square outdoors with a body of water in the background. Walker Rosenberg

Jupiter Power

VP - Finance and Capital Markets

A bald man with glasses, a mustache, and a gray goatee, wearing a dark suit jacket and a blue shirt. Arvind Sanger

Geosphere Capital

Portfolio Manager

Hon. Sonya Savage Hon. Sonya Savage

Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG)

Sr. Counsel, BLG

Hon. Sonya Savage Hon. Sonya Savage

Borden Ladner Gervais

Senior Counsel

Smiling man in dark suit, blue tie, and checkered shirt, against a grey background. Rep. Paul Sawyer

Louisiana House of Representatives

State Representative - District 69

Head-and-shoulders portrait of a smiling adult man wearing a gray quarter-zip over a white shirt on a softly blurred, tree-lined street Allan Schurr

ERock

Chief Commercial Officer

Smiling man in grey plaid suit jacket, blurry city background. Sam Scofield

Black Bay Partners

Principal

headshot of a man with short brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses Tom Sikora

ExxonMobil Corporation

Senior Counsel, International Disputes

Smiling man with glasses, beard, suit, and tie. Black and white photo. David Smilde

Tulane School of Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology

Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations & Department Chair

Eric Smith Eric Smith

Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business

Associate Director-Tulane Energy Institute

Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with blonde hair loosely pulled back, wearing small earrings against a dark background. Emily Smith

Hydrostor

Senior Director, External Affairs

A smiling man with short brown hair and a beard, wearing a light-colored button-down shirt against a blurred outdoor background. Braeden Smith

Office of Governor Jeff Landry

Chief Resilience Officer

A smiling woman with brown hair wears a white shirt against a background of red rose bushes. Madelyn Smith

Southeastern Wind Coalition

Program Manager

Smiling man in glasses, suit, and blue tie against a red background. Anthony Soong

Futurewei Technologies

Chief Scientist

Close-up headshot of a man, focusing on his facial features and expression, with a neutral background softly blurred behind her. Freddy Sourgens

Tulane Law School

James McCulloch Chair in Energy Law

Smiling blonde woman in black top with gold necklace, professional portrait. Lisa Stewart

Sheridan Production Partners

Chairman

Jeremy Stine Senator Jeremy Stine

Louisiana State Senate (District 27); Senate Majority Leader

Louisiana Senator

Smiling blonde woman in purple blazer and pearl necklace. Julie Stokes, CPA

Ellevate Louisiana

President & CEO

Ambassador James "Jimmy" Story Ambassador Jimmy Story

Global Frontier Advisors

Ambassador (ret)

A smiling man with short brown hair and a beard wearing a light blue button-down shirt against a gray background. Dr. Daniel Straus

Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Assistant Professor, Chemistry

Gray Stream Gray Stream

Gulf Coast Sequestration; Stream Companies

Executive Chairman; President

A man in a blue suit jacket sitting on the edge of a desk in an office with a computer and wall chart behind him. Jianwei Sun, PhD

Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Professor

Smiling woman with long brown hair in a black blazer against a wooden wall. Cindy Taff

Sage Geosystems

CEO

Smiling man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a black suit jacket. Kevin Taliaferro

Energy Transfer

Senior Director of Land & Right of Way

Alan Templeton Alan Templeton

DCOR, LLC

President and CEO

Photograph: Smiling man with dark beard in navy suit jacket. Gustavo Torres

Fervo Energy Company

SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Headshot of a smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a suit. Henrietta Treyz

Veda Partners

CoFounder & Director of Economic Policy

A man with glasses and a beard stands in a blue suit against a colorful twilight sky featuring large electrical towers. Greg Upton

Energy Institute at LSU

Executive Director

A man with short dark hair and clear glasses wears a dark blue suit and a striped blue tie. Rath Vannithamby, PhD

Tulane University

Senior Professor of Practice

A smiling man with short blonde hair wears a navy suit jacket and a white dress shirt against a gray background. Ian Walch

ENFRA

VP Energy Markets

Ron Wallace, PhD Ron Wallace, PhD

Canada West Foundation

PhD

Smiling man with dark hair, wearing a blue blazer and white shirt. John Weiss

Entergy

VP of Sustainability and Environmental Policy

Smiling man in a navy suit and light blue shirt, headshot. Jason Wells

CenterPoint Energy

Chair, President & CEO

Charles Williams Charles Williams

Atlantic Alumina Company

CEO

Smiling woman with dark curly hair and glasses, wearing a light jacket outdoors. Sherilyn Williams-Stroud

Texas A&M University

Professor and Director of the Berg-Hughes Center

Smiling bald man with glasses, goatee, and red quarter-zip sweater, arms crossed. Darryl Willis

Microsoft

Corporate VP

Smiling man with beard, wearing a blue suit and red tie. Jason Willis

Entergy

VP, Nuclear Projects and New Nuclear Development

Professional headshot of a smiling man in a dark suit and striped tie. Chris Wright

Idaho National Laboratory

Director, Energy Technology Proving Ground

A smiling man with graying hair wearing a tan blazer and white collared shirt, posing in a laboratory setting with glass test tubes in the foreground. Dr. Mark Zappi

Univeristy of Louisiana at Lafayette

Executive Director EIL, Endowed Professor of Chemical Engineering

Eric Zimmerman Eric Zimmermann

LLOG Exploration

COO

2026 Energy Forum Moderators

Headshot of a man with a graying beard and mustache, wearing a suit jacket and striped shirt. Mark Appel

ArbDB Chambers

Conflict Management Consultant, Mediator, Arbitrator

Smiling man in a dark suit and tie, black and white professional headshot. William Baldwin

Partner

Frederick Bell Frederick Bell

Center for American Progress

Associate Director, State Climate Policy

Smiling woman with long blonde hair, dark blazer, light blue shirt, arms crossed. Rebecca Brown

Bracewell

Principal

Dean Marcilynn Burke Marcilynn Burke

Tulane University Law School

Dean and Mitchell Franklin Professor of Law

Close-up headshot of a man, focusing on his facial features and expression, with a neutral background softly blurred behind her. Pierre Conner

Tulane Energy Institute, Tulane University

Professor of Practice, Executive Director

Smiling man with beard, blue suit, orange pocket square. Professional portrait. Travis Cummings

Martin Energy Group

Director of External Affairs and Marketing

A man with dark curly hair and a beard, wearing a suit jacket, a white collared shirt, and a pink tie. Christopher Dalbom

Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy

Director

Smiling man in glasses, blue shirt, and navy blazer, against a teal background. Joe Dubbin

Cripps Leadership Advisors

CEO

Randall Ebner Randall M. Ebner

ExxonMobil Corporation

Retired VP and General Counsel

Monique Edwards Monique M. Edwards

LA Department of Conservation and Energy

Director of Water Administration

Matthew Escarra Matthew Escarra

Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Professor of Electrical Engineering

A man with dark hair, wearing a dark suit and blue patterned tie Ludovico Feoli

Center for Inter-American Policy and Research

Director

President Michael A. Fitts Michael A. Fitts

Tulane University

President

Robin Forman Robin Forman

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

Paulo Goes Paulo B. Goes

A. B. Freeman School of Business - Tulane University

Dean

Smiling blonde woman's portrait, wearing a dark top with striped strap. Kimberly Gramm

Tulane Energy Institute

Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer

Salem Habte Salem Habte

Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Director of Business Development and Innovation

Elderly man with grey hair in a blue shirt and dark vest, looking left outdoors. Jay Hakes

Energy and Presidential Historian

Smiling man in dark suit and purple tie against a blue background. Drake Hernandez

Berkeley Research Group

Director

A black-and-white, waist-up studio portrait of a smiling middle-aged man with short, neatly combed light hair. He is wearing a dark suit jacket, a white collared dress shirt, a striped tie, and a folded pocket square, looking directly at the camera against a plain white background. Grady S. Hurley

Jones Walker LLP

Partner

Lolita Jackson Lolita Jackson

Sustainable Development Capital Limited

Executive Director, Sustainable Cities

Man in glasses with a goatee, wearing a dark suit and red patterned tie. Lawrence J. Kahn

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

Founding Director

Imad Khan Imad Khan

Winston Taylor, LLP

Vice Chair, International Arbitration for the Americas

Photograph of a smiling man in a blue suit and patterned tie. Ian Laird

Crowell & Moring LLP

Partner

Photograph of a smiling young woman with dimples, long brown hair, and red lipstick, outdoors. Fariba Mamaghani, PhD

Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business

Assistant Professor, Management Science

Dee Martin Dee Martin

Bracewell LLP

Partner

A woman with wavy blonde hair wears a green shirt and poses with her hand under her chin outdoors. Joan Michelson

Electric Ladies Podcast, Green Connections Media

Host, Electric Ladies Podcast & ESG Consultant

Ian Morrison Ian Morrison

Tulane University - Communications & Marketing

VP for Public Affairs and Chief Communications Officer

Smiling man in blue suit jacket stands outside ornate building with abstract sculpture. Michael Naguib, PhD

Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Professor

Smiling woman with long brown hair and dark blazer, blurred green background. Samantha Oblon

Tulane University

Student and Energy Club President

Hridesh Rajan Hridesh Rajan

Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

Dean

Smiling man with a beard in a blue suit and red tie, leaning on a wooden table. David Rassin

SAExploration

VP, General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer

A smiling man with wavy hair stands with crossed arms in a blue suit and patterned tie. Peter Ricchiuti

Burkenroad Reports / Freeman School of Business - Tulane University

Founder & Director

Professional headshot of a smiling man with a red beard. Chris Richardson

Paul Hastings LLP

Partner

Man with light brown hair and beard in a blue jacket, looking directly at the viewer. John L. Sabo

Tulane University - Bywater Institute

Director

Eric Smith Eric Smith

Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business

Associate Director-Tulane Energy Institute

Stephen Swiber Stephen P. Swiber

Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy

Deputy Secretary

Randel Young Randel Young

Tulane Energy Law & Policy Center

Executive Director