An expert panel discusses improving efficiency for cities and cutting consumption.
Overtaxed power grids, high electric bills, and air quality concerns are bringing energy issues to the forefront of municipal agendas. Investment in efficiency, energy management, and new technologies is needed, but state and federal budgets face funding challenges. As local officials rethink urban energy use for a new century, they have to grapple with the high upfront costs of retrofitting buildings both public and private. At the same time, new technologies and business models offer urban dwellers fresh options for meeting their energy needs. The Atlantic and National Journal will convene a panel of key voices from the nation's cities and leading industries to discuss strategies for reducing energy consumption, increasing efficiency and powering the cities of the future.
Underwritten by: AEEI
Bio
Steve Clemons
Steve Clemons is Washington editor at large for The Atlantic as well as editor in chief of Atlantic LIVE. He also publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note at The Atlantic.com. Steve is Senior Fellow and Founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, a centrist think tank in Washington, D.C., where he previously served as executive vice president. Clemons writes and speaks frequently about the D.C. political scene, foreign policy and national security issues, as well as domestic and global economic policy challenges.
Buddy Dyer
John Hugh "Buddy" Dyer is the 32nd and current mayor of Orlando, Florida, first elected in 2003. He is a member of the United States Democratic Party. Previously he represented Orlando in the Florida State Senate for ten years, including three years when he was the Senate Democratic leader.
Jason Hartke
For 10 years, Jason Hartke has been a voice in Washington, D.C. for clean energy and the environment. As Vice President of National Policy, Jason works to advance the U.S. Green Building Council's national policy agenda and deliver the integrated environmental, economic and social benefits of green building policy solutions. In addition, he helps establish and oversee USGBC advocacy programs in sustainable communities, green schools and affordable housing. For the past five years, he has managed efforts that helped result in the passage of historic federal investment in green building and a tripling of green building policies at the state and local level. He has also built innovative collaborations with other organizations, such as the Sierra Club, the Center for American Progress, and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. Among his varied background, Jason served in the Clinton Administration, working in the West Wing of the White House in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, a policy and outreach team that serves as the president's liaison to state and local elected officials throughout the country. While there, he promoted the president's policy initiatives and worked closely with governors, mayors, state legislators and other state and local policymakers. As a reporter with the Connection Newspapers, Jason covered state and local politics, real estate, land use, and community affairs, winning multiple awards. Jason serves on the board of the Babylon Project, a small non-profit focused on spurring the uptake of municipal residential retrofitting programs modeled on the success of the seminal program developed in Babylon, N.Y. Jason received his Ph.D. in public policy from George Mason University. He holds a master's degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alex Laskey
As President, Alex Laskey is responsible for engaging utility and government partners with Opower's purpose and products. He is a highly sought-after speaker at energy-related conferences throughout the US and abroad. In his role as Opower's President, Alex was invited to the White House to meet with President Obama and discuss innovation and job creation in the green economy. Prior to founding Opower, Alex enjoyed a career in politics and policy, serving as a campaign manager, strategist, and public-opinion analyst for several candidates. He provided strategic consulting on several statewide ballot measures for The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, and The League of Conservation Voters, and he worked for the White House and on a presidential campaign. Before turning to politics and policy, Alex produced the award-winning feature film, Assisted Living, and worked as the director of new business and strategy for The Romann Group, a New York-based advertising agency. Alex received his BA in History of Science from Harvard.
Lee McIntire
Mr. McIntire has more than 30 years of international engineering and construction experience. He has the operations and leadership responsibility for the CH2M HILL enterprise. The firm is a recognized global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations and program management for public and private clients. Mr. McIntire's priorities for the firm are the highest standards of ethical behavior, safety, quality, and a positive client experience. The firm is frequently recognized for its focus on sustainability and work-place satisfaction.
Before being appointed to CEO in January 2009, Mr. McIntire had served as Chief Operating Officer, President and Group Chief Executive for the Energy Client Group, and the President and Group Chief Executive for the Industrial Client Group. Under his leadership, CH2M HILL has expanded its global operations, now serving clients on six continents.
Prior to joining CH2M HILL, Mr. McIntire was an executive at Bechtel Group Inc. Mr. McIntire served on the board of directors, was executive vice president, was a member of the Chairman's Leadership Council, and was President of several of Bechtel's leading, multibillion dollar companies.
Jason Hartke, Vice President of National Policy for the U.S. Green Building Council, argues the green building industry needs to prove the market value of building energy efficiently to American consumers who don't understand energy consumption.
