BUSINESS OF CARBON OFFSETS WORKSHOP
September 14, 2023
Rafik B. Hariri Building
Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
Washington, D.C.
Dear Colleagues and Guests,
It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you back to Georgetown University and the McDonough School of Business for our Business of Carbon Offsets Workshop. The workshop focuses on the existing market dynamics, starting from the creation of carbon credit projects to their eventual retirement by corporations. Speakers from different parts of the carbon offsets ecosystem, including buyers, project developers, carbon registries, ratings and government agencies, and NGOs, will discuss the current opportunities and challenges.
Again, welcome to Georgetown University and Washington, D.C. I hope that you will find the workshop informative and engaging.
Best Wishes,
Vishal Agrawal
Henry J. Blommer Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business Professor of Operations Management Academic Director, Business of Sustainability Initiative McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
Welcome
Agenda
Session 1: Buyers Panel
Moderator: Safak Yucel, AssociateProfessor of Operations Management
Panelists:
Max DuBuisson, Vice President, Head of Sustainability Policy and Engagement, Indigo Ag
Christie Gamble, Director of Business Development, Cloverly
Tina Jeffress, Senior Manager of Energy and Sustainability, Panasonic
Session 2: Project Development Panel
Moderator: Vishal Agrawal, Henry J. Blommer Chair in Sustainable Business and Academic Director of the Business of Sustainability Initiative
Panelists:
Kevin Townsend, Head of Sales, Anew Climate
Jonathan Shears, Senior Sourcing Specialist, South Pole
Daniel Sierra, Business Development Director for the Americas, Puro.Earth
Kaitlyn Allen, Senior Vice President of Business Development, ClimeCo
Session 3: Carbon Registries Panel
Moderator: Safak Yucel
Panelists:
Christiaan Gevers Deynoot, Secretary General, CCS+ Initiative
David Antonioli, Former CEO, Verra
Sarah Leugers, Chief Growth Officer, Gold Standard
Session 4: NGOs, Government, and Rating Agencies Panel
Moderator: Vishal Agrawal
Panelists:
Deborah Lawrence, Chief Scientist, Calyx Global
Gordon Gillerman, Director, Standards Coordination Office, NIST
Caitlin Smith, Manager of Carbon Markets, RMI
Caroline Normile, Senior Policy Analyst, Bipartisan Policy Center
Breakout Sessions: Identify Needs and Open Questions
Concluding Discussion and Takeaways
Closing Reception
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11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Fisher Colloquium
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Case Room 440
10:15– 11:15 a.m. Case Room 440
Lunch 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Case Room 440
1:45 – 2:45 p.m. Case Room 440
3:00
4:00 p.m. 4th-floor; breakout rooms
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Case Room 440
5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Fisher Colloquium
Breakfast and Coffee 8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Fisher Colloquium Opening Remarks 8:45 – 9:00 a.m. Case Room 440
Session 1: Buyers Panel
Moderator: Safak Yucel, Associate Professor of Operations Management
Max DuBuisson
Vice President, Head of Sustainability Policy and Engagement, Indigo Ag
As the head of sustainability policy and engagement at Indigo Ag, Max DuBuisson co-leads a team whose responsibilities include the development of carbon accounting methodologies, MRV for carbon projects, strategic engagement with external partners, thought leadership and positioning within the carbon market, and engaging with corporate customers for AG sustainability solutions. With a background in biology, corporate environmental management, and eco-entrepreneurship, he has worked to build rigor and credibility in the carbon market since 2008. Before joining Indigo, DuBuisson was the policy director at the Climate Action Reserve, a leading voluntary offset registry and standards organization.
Christie Gamble Director of Business Development, Cloverly
Christie Gamble is the director of business development for Cloverly, a climate action platform driving accessibility, transparency, and trust in the Voluntary Carbon Market. In her role, Gamble provides climate solutions expertise to support companies seeking to build carbon credit purchasing products or purchase carbon credits directly to support their ESG goals. Before joining Cloverly, Gamble spent nearly a decade leading a mission to decarbonize concrete as the sustainability lead at CarbonCure, the world leader in CO2 utilization. Gamble has an MBA from Dalhousie University and a B.A. from McGill. She lives in Regina, Canada, with her husband and school-aged kids and is a top-ranked competitor on the World Curling Tour.
Tina Jeffress Senior Manager of Energy and Sustainability, Panasonic
Tina Jeffress is a senior manager with Panasonic North America’s Corporate and Government Affairs team where she leads energy and sustainability policy, supporting the rapid expansion of Panasonic’s EV battery business. She also leads Panasonic North America’s ESG Steering Committee, advising each of Panasonic’s diverse business areas as they pursue decarbonization and other key ESG goals. Prior to joining Panasonic, she specialized in electric utilities and ESG issues, supporting clients on grid modernization, renewables, and sustainability strategy. She also led the design and publication of the firm’s first materiality assessment and inaugural ESG report. Previously, she was associate director for the Project on U.S. Leadership in Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, leading key energy sector partnerships and research on the role of business and corporate philanthropy in international development. She holds a B.A. in international development studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and an MBA from the KenanFlagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Session 2: Project Developers Panel
Moderator: Vishal Agrawal, Academic Director, Business of Sustainability Initiative
Kevin Townsend
Senior Vice President and Head Of Sales, Anew Climate
Kevin Townsend has been actively involved in carbon markets since 2007, having helped develop multiple protocols, originate supply, develop credits, and complete some of the largest transactions reported in the market. As senior vice president and head of sales at Anew Climate, Townsend leads sales, marketing, and communications efforts. He focuses on helping customers meet their decarbonization goals by using Anew’s environmental products, such as carbon offsets and renewable fuels. Townsendholds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Westminster College. Aside from climate and environmental stewardship, Townsend’s passions are outdoor recreation, economic solutions to poverty, development work for orphaned and vulnerable children, endurance sports, and guitar.
Jonathan Shears
Senior Sourcing Specialist, South Pole
Jonathan Shears is South Pole’s sourcing specialist for nature-based solutions in North America, focused on developing improved forest management and reforestation projects. Shears leverages his years of experience in forest carbon and landowner engagement to guide landowners through initiating climate projects, from initial assessments to registrations.
Daniel Sierra
Business Development Director, Puro.Earth
Daniel Sierra is the business development director of Puro.Earth for the Americas region. His role is to guide suppliers in their certification pathway to reach the point of issuance of carbon removal credits. He is a lawyer from Universidad Central de Venezuela. He completed graduate studies in Economic Regional Integration from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Colombia and received a Climate Change Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania.
Kaitlyn Allen
Senior Vice President of Business Development, ClimeCo
Kaitlyn Allen joined ClimeCo after founding Global Affairs Associates and serving as president and CEO for nearly a decade. She is a soughtafter expert on ESG investing and corporate sustainability communications strategy. Allen has consulted on sustainability and ESG issues, including strategy, risk, communications, and transparency, for various industries, including oil and gas, drilling, construction, midstream, and manufacturing. Additionally, Allen is the co-founder and co-host of ESG Decoded, the podcast powered by ClimeCo, which shares updates related to business innovation and sustainability in a clear and actionable manner. Allen is a fellow of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations’ Young Leaders Forum, a diplomatic exchange between the United States and China.
Session 4: NGOs, Governments, and Rating Agencies Panel
Deborah Lawrence
Chief Scientist, Calyx Global
Deborah Lawrence leads the scientific integrity of Calyx Global’s greenhouse gas ratings. She is also an environmental sciences professor at the University of Virginia, where she conducts global forest and climate research. Previously, she was a science advisor to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Global Change (the international climate change policy and negotiations unit). She later helped establish SilvaCarbon, a U.S. federal interagency program for forest carbon measurement and monitoring. Lawrence also has served on the Technical Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use at the American Carbon Registry. She received a B.A. in anthropology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in botany from Duke University.
Gordon Gillerman
Director of the Standards Coordination Office, NIST
Gordon Gillerman, director of the standards coordination office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Department of Commerce Standards Executive, leads NIST’s work in standards coordination and the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program. Gillerman supports extensive standards development and advises federal agencies and other stakeholders on standards and conformity assessment policy. He administers the NIST Standards Curricula Development Cooperative Agreement Program, operates the U.S. Inquiry Point for the World Trade Organization’s TechnicWal Barriers to Trade Agreement, is the U.S. Designating Authority for Telecom Mutual Recognition Agreements, and is a key information source for U.S. industry on standards related market access issues.
Prior experience includes leading government affairs for the largest U.S. product safety certification and standards development organization, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) in Washington, D.C., and staff engineer for the medical device and information technology sectors at UL’s Northbrook, Illinois, headquarters.
Moderator: Vishal Agrawal, Academic Director, Business of Sustainability Initiative
Session 4: NGOs, Governments, and Rating Agencies Panel
Caitlin Smith Manager of Carbon Markets, RMI
Caitlin Smith manages RMI’s carbon markets initiative. She helps design, shape, and guide the implementation of the team's work on how to build trust, integrity, and credibility in the voluntary carbon market. She works closely with other RMI's partners and internal teams to ensure the data-focused, analytical work of the carbon markets team captures the complexity and creativity of the technical solutions required to reach 1.5°C and helps address the VCM's structural data and process issues in a manner that improves the market's overall credibility, integrity, and overall climate performance.
Before joining RMI, she spent six years examining public climate finance issues on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the World Resources Institute’s Sustainable Finance Center, and as an embedded advisor with the climate change division in the Fijian Ministry of Economy. This included policy work on the institutional design at the Green Climate Fund, the Paris Alignment among the international financial institutions and G20, and helping the Fijian government improve its use of and access to global public climate finance. Before finding climate finance, she consulted briefly on water scarcity pricing and electricity policy. She also taught English in South Korea and the Republic of Georgia.
Caroline Normile Senior Policy Analyst, Bipartisan Policy Center
Caroline Normile is a senior policy advisor with the Bipartisan Policy Center Energy Program, where she draws on research experience in the earth system and carbon cycle sciences to inform evidence-based climate and energy policy. In this role, she is working to advance coordinated federal carbon management, accounting, and removal. This includes building support for engineered carbon removal approaches like direct air capture and nature-based solutions like climate-smart agriculture and forestry, enhanced rock weathering, and biochar.
Before joining Bipartisan Policy Center, she served as a principal air quality specialist with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, a regional government agency in California. She served as the 2017–2018 Congressional Science Fellow in the Office of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, sponsored by the American Meteorological Society and AAAS. Normile completed her Ph.D. as a NASA Earth and Space Science Graduate Fellow at Penn State University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science from Penn State and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.
For more information, visit us at businessofsustainability.georgetown.edu @msbgu Georgetown University McDonough School of Business #BSISummit
