Climate Jobs Summit 2026

Breakfast and Registration

Welcome and Opening Presentation: Meeting the Moment

• Mike Fishman, President and Executive Director, Climate Jobs National Resource Center

A Climate Action Agenda for Working Families: States Leading the Way on Affordability, Climate, and Jobs
Speakers will chart a bold, politically resonant vision for a Climate Action Agenda for Working Families, making the case for an approach that tackles climate change, affordability, and jobs with worker-led strategies.

• Patrick Crowley, President, Rhode Island AFL-CIO
• Angela Ferritto, President, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
• Doreen Harris, President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
• Pete Maysmith, President, League of Conservation Voters
• Moderated by Lara Skinner, Executive Director, Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University

Special Guests

Concurrent Panel Discussions
Participants may choose from four breakout panels.

From Permits to Power: Labor’s Role in the Race to Site, Permit, and Build Clean Energy
Location: Treasury Room (2nd Floor) 
Examine the role labor unions play in getting clean energy projects sited, permitted, and built at speed—while creating high-quality jobs that bolster community support.

• Kathleen Meil, Local Clean Energy Deployment Director, League of Conservation Voters
• Emily Pritzkow, Executive Director, Wisconsin Building Trades Council
• Sam Robinson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Consumers and Environment, Office of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
• April Sims, President, Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
• Moderated by Amy Fuerstenau, Co-Founder and Partner, AC Strategies

Powering Neighborhoods: New Approaches to Distributed Energy and Building Decarbonization
Location: Traders Room (2nd Floor)
Explore thermal energy networks, state- and utility-led distributed energy models, and other neighborhood-scale strategies for building decarbonization.

• Allison Considine, New York Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition
• Alex Laskey, Founder and Executive Chair, Rewiring America
• John Slocum, Vice President of Government Affairs, Sparkfund
• Vince Sugrue, State Legislative Director for Sheet Metal Workers’ (SMART) Local Union No. 104 
• Audrey Zibelman, Chair of the Board of Landis+Gyr Group AG; former CEO, Australian Energy Market Operator; former Chair, New York State Public Service Commission; former EVP and COO, PJM; and former executive, Xcel
• Moderated by Shaun Donovan, CEO, Enterprise Community Partners

Building a 21st Century Grid
Location: Seaport Room (3rd Floor)
Discuss challenges and opportunities to overcome bottlenecks, accelerate build-out, and build a truly 21st-century grid capable of delivering clean, reliable, and affordable power. 

• Rob Gramlich, President, Grid Strategies LLC
• Nicole Pavia, Director, Clean Energy Infrastructure Deployment, Clean Air Task Force
• Jeremy Ross, Business Representative, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 111
• Abe Silverman, Assistant Research Scholar, Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University
• Moderated by Francis Eanes, Executive Director, Maine Labor Climate Council

After the Inflation Reduction Act, What’s Next for Clean Energy Investments?
Location: Empire Room (3rd Floor)
Dive into the post-IRA era for cities and states, and explore new policy tools and funding sources to secure labor standards and build the next wave of clean energy.

• Bo Delp, Executive Director, Texas Climate Jobs Project
• Yakov Feygin, Director of Energy, Center for Public Enterprise
• Chris Hannan, President, Building and Construction Trades Council of California
• Melissa Hoffer, Climate Chief, Massachusetts Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience
• Moderated by Diana Madson, Beyond Carbon Director, Bloomberg Philanthropies

Lunch & Networking

Special Guest Q&A with Chris Hayes, Host of All In With Chris Hayes on MS NOW

Climate Jobs “Quick Takes”
These fast-paced conversations bring together leaders in discussion about the next wave of climate and clean energy action.

The Data Center Boom: Jobs, Rates, and the Grid
As data centers reshape the energy landscape, what opportunities and challenges does this boom create to spur clean energy deployment while delivering public benefits and union jobs?

• Patrick Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer, Illinois AFL-CIO
• Jonathan Feipel, Executive Director, Illinois Commerce Commission 
• Moderated by Lena Moffitt, Executive Director, Evergreen Action

The Affordability Playbook: Spotlight on New Jersey
With energy prices rising fast, New Jersey voters elected Governor Mikie Sherrill on a promise of affordability, climate action, and union jobs—and now labor leaders and climate advocates are organizing to prove the state can deliver all three.

• Steve Gardner, Director, New Jersey Laborers’-Employers’ Cooperation and Education Trust
• Allison McLeod, Interim Executive Director, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters
• Moderated by Matt Ryan, Eastern States Regional Director, Climate Jobs National Resource Center

The Next Era of Public Utilities and Utility Regulation
Utilities and regulators are at a crossroads as rising energy demand, aging infrastructure, and the clean energy transition strain existing models. Hear from experts on the next era of utility regulation. 

• Emma Rebhorn, Commissioner, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
• Jimmy Slevin, President, Utility Workers Union of America
• Moderated by Abe Silverman, Assistant Research Scholar, Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University

Special Guest

Fireside Chat
Join us for a conversation with national leaders about the climate jobs model and reflections on what it takes to continue driving ambitious action in states across the country.

• Brent Booker, General President, Laborers’ International Union of North America
• Mike Fishman, President and Executive Director, Climate Jobs National Resource Center
• John Podesta, Board Member, Climate Jobs National Resource Center
• Lara Skinner, Executive Director, Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University

Closing and Reception