Highlights of Keynote Addresses, Panel Discussions, and Summit news:

Keynote Speakers

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Keynote: The Role of Offshore Wind in Planning at the CPUC to Meet California's Clean Energy Goals
Matthew Baker
Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission

Panel Discussions

Panel: Putting Steel in the Water—Building Out Ports, Foundations, and Vessels in the Supply Chain for CA Offshore Wind
Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez, Moderator, Senior Director for Policy & Outreach, Oceantic Network
Rob Holmlund, Director of Development, Humboldt Bay Harbor District
Carol Oldham, Business Development Director, Foss Terminals
Suzanne Plezia, Managing Director, Engineering Services, Port of Long Beach
Seth Price, Vice President of Technology, Principle Power

Panel: Advancing California Offshore Wind in the State Policy Arena
Brian White, Moderator, Partner, KP Public Affairs
Eddie Ahn, Executive Director, Brightline Defense
Molly Croll, Senior Policy Director, American Clean Power
Eli Harland, Supervisor - Offshore Renewable Energy Planning Unit, California Energy Commission
Rick Umoff, California Market Lead, Vineyard Offshore

Panel: California Jobs and Workforce Development for Offshore Wind
Dan Jacobson, Moderator, Senior Advisor, Environment California
Travis Alexander, Senior Field Representative, North Coast States Carpenters Union
Robert Corona, Local 11 Business Manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Jeff Hunerlach, Executive Director, Climate Jobs California
Josh LaFarga, Director of External Affairs, Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA)

Panel: Building Environmental Consensus – How R&D & Technology Can Advance Progress & Permitting for CA Offshore Wind
Rikki Erikson, Ph.D., Moderator, Marine Spatial Ecologist, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Grace Chang, Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor, Director of Research & Development, Integral Consulting Inc.
Sarah Courbis, Ph.D., Principal Environmental Scientist & Regulatory Specialist, EPI Group
Sharon Kramer, Ph.D., Senior Marine Ecologist and Principal, H.T. Harvey & Associates

Panel: Coexisting with Ocean Users - Monitoring & Mitigating Wildlife & Fisheries Impacts
Amber Hewett, Moderator, Senior Director of Offshore Wind Energy, National Wildlife Federation
Matt Dumlao, Executive Officer, California State Lands Commission
Sarah Henkel, Associate Director, Pacific Marine Energy Center, Oregon State University
Kate Huckelbridge, Director, California Coastal Commission
Ysabelle Yrad, Sustainability and Resilience Department, Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe

Panel: Ensuring Affordability & Adequate Financing - Necessary Next Steps to Achieve Economies of Scale for CA Offshore Wind
Michael Colvin, Moderator, Director, California Energy Program, Environmental Defense Fund
Sean Boyd, Executive Director, EY-Parthenon
Arne Jacobson, Director, Schatz Energy Research Center, Cal Poly Humboldt University
Molly Sterkel, Director, Energy Division, Office of Electric Supply, Planning and Costs, California Public Utilities Commission

Panel: In the Courts and on the Water – Lessons Learned in 2025 from East Coast Projects that can Inform West Coast Offshore Wind
Kris Ohleth, Moderator, Director, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind
Astrid DuBois, Policy Advisor, Brightline Defense
Jim Lanard, Co-founder & CEO, Magellan Wind
Josh Kaplowitz, Counsel, Troutman Pepper Locke
Brian Krevor, Senior Director, Offshore Permitting and Environmental Policy, American Clean Power

Panel: Floating Wind on the Global Stage – Collaboration to Enhance Opportunities for Offshore Wind Around Pacific Rim & Beyond
Alejandra Wait, Moderator, Program Manager, Offshore Wind California
Tonicha Pinnock, Clean Technology Lead, British Consulate-General, San Francisco
Dominique Roddier, CEO, Ocergy
Alex Wang, Professor of Law, UCLA
Larry Wang, Vice President, Ming Yang Smart Energy

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Panel Discussions

Panel: Prop 4 & Beyond - Investing in Seaport Facilities & Planning a Multi-Port Infrastructure Strategy
Eli Harland, Moderator, Supervisor - Offshore Renewable Energy Planning Unit, California Energy Commission
Rob Holmlund, Director of Development, Humboldt Bay Harbor District
Jennifer Lim, Ports and Offshore Wind Lead, Moffatt & Nichol
Suzanne Plezia, Chief Harbor Engineer, Port of Long Beach
Brian Sabina, CEO, Clean Energy Terminals
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Panel: Building a Sustainable Offshore Wind Industry in California
Chris Potter, Moderator, Offshore Natural Resources Leader, WSP
Tony Appleton, Offshore Wind Director, Burns & McDonnell
Kelly Boyd, Senior Director, Policy and Regulatory, Pacific Region, Equinor
Erik Pecker, Director, External Affairs, West Coast, Vineyard Offshore
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Panel: California Jobs and Workforce Development for Offshore Wind
Dan Jacobson, Moderator, Senior Advisor, Environment California
Travis Alexander, Senior Organizer, Nor Cal Carpenters Union
Jeff Hunerlach, District Representative/Offshore Wind Consultant Operating Engineers Local #3
Micah Mitrosky, International Representative, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Treston Shull, International Representative, Laborers Local 324, Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA)
Abrah Steward, Program Manager, CFROG
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Panel: Developing a Scalable West Coast Supply Chain & Advancing Technology to Deploy California's First Offshore Wind Projects
Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez, Moderator, Senior Director for Policy & Outreach, Oceantic Network
Elizabeth Barminski, Offshore Wind Specialist, California Energy Commission
Rohimah Moly, Deputy Director for Energy and Climate, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
Seth Price, Vice President of Technology, Principle Power
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Roundtable: The Role of Local Government Officials in Shaping Offshore Wind Policies in California, Hosted by Elected Officials to Protect America
Meghan Sahli-Wells, Moderator, California Director, Elected Officials to Protect America
Katherine Hoff, Climate Change Research Fellow, UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE)
Bob Vessely, President, Port San Luis Harbor District
Honorable Natalie Arroyo, 4th District Supervisor, Humboldt County
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Panel: Perspectives on Procurement & Imperatives for Driving Offshore Wind Economies of Scale
Molly Croll, Moderator, Pacific Offshore Wind Director, American Clean Power
Michael Colvin, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, Lead for California Energy Program, Environmental Defense Fund
Leuwam Tesfai, Deputy Executive Director for Energy and Climate Policy, California Public Utilities Commission
Dawn Weisz, CEO, Marin Clean Energy
Buck Cutting, Project Integration Manager, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
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Panel: Connecting Offshore Wind to California's Grid - Accelerating Transmission Planning & Interconnection
Anna Fero, Moderator, Associate, Davis Wright Tremaine
Travis Douville, Wind Systems Integration Portfolio Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Arne Jacobson, Director, Schatz Energy Research Center, Cal Poly Humboldt University
Susan Lee, Vice President, Aspen Environmental
Marco Rios, Manager, Transmission System Planning, PG&E
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Panel: Collaboration to Enhance Opportunities for Offshore Wind on the West Coast, Around the Pacific & Beyond
Kevin Banister, Moderator, Partner & CEO, Ocean Connect Energy 
Eunsung Kim, Chief Operating Officer, Renewable Energy Policy Program Director, NEXT Group, South Korea
Georgia Roden Lowe, Energy and Climate Policy Advisor, British Consulate-General San Francisco
Walter van der Weiden, Founder & Director, Westward Consulting
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