LEADERSHIP and INNOVATION SUMMIT
The Energy Transition
Friday, November 1, 2024
Rafik B. Hariri Building
Georgetown University
McDonough School of Business
Washington, D.C.
Business of Sustainability
November 1, 2024
9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
SUMMIT ON THE ENERGY TRANSITION
The Business of Sustainability Initiative at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business proudly presents the second annual Leadership and Innovation Summit.
Join us for an immersive, full-day experience, to discuss the business of sustainability by focusing on opportunities for businesses and organizations, as well as to engage with likeminded current students, faculty, and alumni.
During the second annual summit, we will focus on the energy transition — the shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources as a key step in the fight against climate change. Our primary goal is to bring together experts across various organizations to identify and discuss challenges and opportunities in this exciting space. The summit also will provide opportunities for networking and socializing, not only within current students and alumni but also with the broader community of sustainability experts.
Rafik B. Hariri Building
Georgetown University Washington, D.C.
Registration and Breakfast
Welcome Remarks
Fireside Chat
Break
Fireside Chat
Working Lunch
Panel Discussion on Energy Transition
Break
Fireside Chat
Break
Fireside Chat
Reception
Registration and Breakfast 9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
Welcome Remarks 10:15 - 10:30 a.m.
Paul Almeida, Dean and William R. Berkley Chair at Georgetown McDonough
Peter Blommer (C'85), Former Chairman and CEO, Blommer Chocolate; Chair of the Business of Sustainability Advisory Group
Fireside Chat 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.
Moderator: Vishal Agarwal, Henry J. Blommer Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business at Georgetown McDonough; Academic Director of the Business of Sustainability Initiative
Panelist
Jigar Shah, Director of the Department of Energy Loans Program Office
Break 11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Fireside Chat 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Moderator: Şafak Yücel, Associate Professor of Operations and Analytics at Georgetown McDonough; Associate Director of the Business of Sustainability Initiative
Panelist
Kevin Rabinovitch, Global Vice President of Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer, Mars
Working Lunch 12:15 - 2:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion on Energy Transition 2:00 – 2:45 p.m.
Moderator: Lucía Szyman Mulero (MS-ESM’24), Business Coordination Manager, Tenaris
Panelists
Jacqueline Wong, Senior Vice President for Climate and Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council
Jen Zepeda, Commercial Solar Consultant, ReVision Energy
Chip Levergood, Senior Director, Investments, HASI
Break 2:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Fireside Chat 3:15 - 4:00 p.m.
Moderator: Şafak Yücel
Panelists
Tom Craig, Vice President of Federal Government Affairs, Duke Energy
Julia Pyper, Vice President of Public Affairs, GoodLeap
Break 4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Fireside Chat 4:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Moderator: Vishal Agarwal
Panelist
Kristen Eshak Weldon (B’00), Founder, Eshak Capital
Closing Reception 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Speakers
Paul Almeida
Dean and William R. Berkley Chair Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
Paul Almeida is dean and William R. Berkley Chair at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, where he champions a community of belonging and collaboration that focuses on business as a force to serve the common good. A member of the Georgetown community for more than 25 years, Almeida has served Georgetown McDonough in a number of leadership positions before assuming the deanship in 2017, including most recently as deputy dean for executive education and innovation. He also serves as professor of strategy and international business.
During his tenure as dean, Almeida has focused on leveraging the school’s greatest strengths — its location in the global capital city of Washington, D.C., its ability to create interdisciplinary programs in collaboration with Georgetown’s other renowned schools, and the university’s rich Jesuit tradition and values.
Almeida received a Ph.D. in international business and strategy and an M.A. in applied economics and managerial science from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Poona, India. He and his wife also are the parents of two Georgetown graduates.
Peter Blommer (C’85)
Former Chairman and CEO, Blommer Chocolate; Chair of the Business of Sustainability Advisory Group
Peter Blommer is the former chairman and CEO of the Blommer Chocolate Company, the largest fullyintegrated cocoa bean processor and manufacturer of ingredient chocolate in North America with four manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, and Shanghai. He represents the fourth generation of Blommer family members in the chocolate business. In 2018, Blommer Chocolate was acquired by Fuji Vegetable Oil of Japan to create the third-largest global ingredient chocolate company, with a network of 16 facilities in 10 countries. Since the merger, Blommer continued to operate the North American business while helping to integrate the company into the Fuji group and realize merger synergies. He stepped down as president and CEO in July 2022 and was a board member and strategic advisor as vice chairman until December 2023.
Blommer’s involvement in the industry is extensive. He started his career with Blommer Chocolate in 1991 and has held positions in operations management, cocoa hedging and procurement, sustainability, and strategic business development. He has served as chairman of the Chocolate Manufacturer’s Association, chairman of the NCA Chocolate Council, chairman of the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Confectioners Association, and chairman of the Board for the National Confectioners Association. He also served on the Board of Directors of the World Cocoa Foundation and was a founding member of that organization.
Blommer graduated from Georgetown University in 1985 and earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1989. Prior to joining Blommer Chocolate, he held positions in investment banking in New York and in business development and brand management for the Dole Food Company.
Speakers
Tom Craig
Vice President of Federal Government Affairs
Duke Energy
Tom Craig is the vice president of federal government affairs for Duke Energy, a Fortune 150 company that operates the nation’s largest electric grid. In that capacity, Craig oversees a team responsible for all the company’s interactions with Congress and the administration on federal energy and environmental legislation and regulation.
In his role at Duke Energy, Craig serves on the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Government Affairs Advisory Committee and the Edison Electric Institute’s Government Affairs Steering Committee. Prior to working for Duke Energy, Craig spent 15 years working in the U.S. Senate for Senator Lamar Alexander, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and Senator Fred Thompson – all of Tennessee.
Most recently, Craig served as the staff director and republican clerk of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. In addition to his work with Duke Energy, Craig serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Diener School in Potomac, Maryland, and is the senior warden emeritus of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Department of Energy’s Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors, the City of Alexandria’s Community Services Board, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Science Advisory Board.
Chip Levergood Senior
HASI
Director, Investments
Chip Levergood is a senior director on the Investment Team at HASI, a leading investor in climate solutions. He is responsible for originating, structuring, and executing debt and equity transactions with a current focus on gridconnected solar, wind, and battery storage assets. Previously, he has worked on a wide range of transactions across HASI’s solar land, distributed generation, and community solar portfolios.
Prior to joining HASI in 2016, Levergood worked with The AES Corporation, supporting the Global Engineering and Construction team as a mechanical engineer based in Vietnam. He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Duke University.
Julia Pyper
Vice President of Public Affairs
GoodLeap
Julia Pyper is vice president of public affairs at GoodLeap, a leading financial technology company focused on accelerating the deployment of sustainable home solutions, where she oversees government relations and policyrelated communications. She also advises the nonprofit organization GivePower, which develops clean water and clean energy systems in communities around the world. Pyper is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center think tank and host of the Political Climate podcast, presented by Latitude Media. She previously worked with cleantech startup accelerator New Energy Nexus, where she supported the California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development Initiative (CalSEED) grant program.
Prior to that, Pyper was a senior editor for Wood Mackenzie’s Greentech Media, where she covered the global energy transition. Prior to that, she was a staff writer for E&E News.
She has conducted several international reporting projects, including in Haiti, Germany, China, and India. Her writing also has been published in HuffPost, Scientific American, and The New York Times.
Speakers
Kevin Rabinovitch
Global Vice President of Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer
Mars
Kevin Rabinovitch is the global vice president of sustainability and chief climate officer for Mars, Incorporated. In his role, his team leads the corporate strategy for the Healthy Planet portion of Mars’ Sustainable in a Generation Plan.
Rabinovitch covers the carbon, water, and land targets, associated policies, business operating model redesign, and external engagement with expert stakeholders and peers. He directly manages a global portfolio of renewable energy and carbon removal projects and investments, and his team leads the translation of external environmental science into policy and strategy for the business and the assessment of all sustainability impacts for Mars’ entire global value chain.
Externally, Rabinovitch helps lead the CGF Forest Positive Coalition of Action, sits on Board of the Livelihoods Carbon Fund 3, teaches business and sustainability at Virginia Tech, and frequently speaks externally on behalf of Mars’ sustainability program.
He has been with Mars for 30 years – 17 years in sustainability having helped start Mars’ program and the first 13 in research and development functions of multiple Mars business segments in the United States and Europe specializing in technology development, scale-up, and intellectual property.
Jigar Shah Director Department of Energy Loans Program Office
Jigar Shah was most recently co-founder and president at Generate Capital, where he focused on helping entrepreneurs accelerate decarbonization solutions through the use of low-cost infrastructure-as-a-service financing.
Prior to Generate Capital, Shah founded SunEdison, a company that pioneered “pay as you save” solar financing. After SunEdison, Shah served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global nonprofit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Shah also was featured in TIME’s list of the “100 Most Influential People” in 2024. Originally from Illinois, Shah holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and an MBA from the University of Maryland College Park.
Kristen Eshak Weldon (B’00) Founder, Eshak Capital
Kristen Weldon is a seasoned investment and strategy professional with executive-level experience at global alternative asset managers and a leading commodity merchant. Weldon recently formed her own company to provide investment consulting and advisory services in climate and sustainable investing.
Previously, Weldon was global head of sustainable investing for BlackRock Alternatives investment platform where she was responsible for instilling BlackRock’s firm-wide sustainable investing strategy across the firm’s private markets investment platform including real estate, infrastructure, hedge funds, private equity, and credit businesses.
Weldon is a 2018 graduate of the London Business School where she received a MSc in strategy and holds a B.S. degree in finance and international business from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Speakers
Jacqueline Wong
Senior
Natural
Vice President
for Climate and Energy
Resources
Defense Council (NRDC)
Jackie Wong serves as the chief visionary and strategist for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) which is an advocacy group to fight climate change and advance clean energy. In particular, Wong leads NRDC’s work in four critical sectors: power, transportation, buildings, and industrial— all with a focus on equity and community.
Before assuming this role, Wong led NRDC’s Industrial division and focused on the decarbonization of the industrial sector, the responsible deployment of green hydrogen in targeted applications, the mitigation of non-CO2 greenhouse gasses, and the development and commercialization of emerging technologies. Previously, she was a senior advisor for energy and climate change at the White House during the Obama Administration. In that capacity, she focused on securing the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to address hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), reforming the federal coal program, and ensuring protections in the Outer Continental Shelf. Wong also has experience working on international clean energy cooperation at the U.S. Department of Energy and in the private sector at Bain Capital and McKinsey & Company.
Wong holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and English from Yale University and an MPA with a concentration in economics and public policy from Princeton University. She is based in Washington, D.C.
Jen Zepeda
Commercial Solar Consultant
ReVision Energy
Jen Stevenson Zepeda (she/her) is a commercial solar consultant with ReVision Energy, an employee-owned B Corp serving northern New England. As part of the Massachusetts team, her primary focus is creating accessibility by helping frontline communities navigate the ins and outs of solar and energy storage solutions. Prior to joining ReVision, Zepeda was the associate executive director at the woman-run nonprofit Climable which assisted in developing community-led and clean energy microgrids in both Puerto Rico and the Greater Boston area. There, she honed her skills in the technical translation of climate science and clean energy. Zepeda also has prior experience with Sense, the home energy monitor, and got her start in the sustainability world through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s internship program at the design-build firm Byggmeister.
She has a master’s in sustainable design from the Boston Architectural College and a B.A. in anthropology/sociology and Spanish from Middlebury College.