DIRECTOR, HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Ed Sniffen serves as the Director of the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT), overseeing the state's critical transportation infrastructure, including airports, commercial harbors, and highway systems. Under his leadership, HDOT plays a vital role in strengthening national security, supply chain resilience, and economic self-reliance.

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, CO-FOUNDER OF 350.ORG AND THIRD ACT

Bill McKibben is the author of more than twenty books, including the bestsellers The End of Nature, Falter, and Deep Economy. Founder of Third Act, a project organizing people over sixty for progressive change, he lives in Vermont with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern.

HAWAII STATE SENATOR

Chris Lee authored the nation’s first law that committed Hawaii to a 100% clean energy future. That law was then copied and adopted by more than 20 other U.S. states, and served as an inspiration to many countries.

FORMER PUC COMMISSIONER

Lorraine Akiba was one of the Commissioners of the Hawaii Public Utility Commission who helped oversee and implement Hawaii’s landmark 100% clean energy law.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Gwen Yamamoto Lau leads the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority – also known as Hawaii’s Green Bank, an agency attached to the State’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Drawing from decades of experience in conventional commercial financing, Gwen continues to find new ways to facilitate non-traditional financing tools to fill market gaps, bridge access to credit challenges, promote energy justice and increase economic development for the State of Hawaii.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR, KALĀHIKI

A stubborn optimist who believes that the way to solve complex problems is to listen and learn from local communities that possess the experience and wisdom to solve them. Josh has worked for three decades to protect land, fresh water security, and develop equitable climate policies that benefit people and planet. Lesson? "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

COO, PONO HOME

Nicole Vise is the co-owner and operator of Pono Home, which she runs alongside her husband, CEO Mike Vise. Pono Home performs energy and water efficiency assessments and retrofits across the pae ʻāina (Hawaiian archipelago), helping residents save money on utility bills while advancing sustainability.

HAWAII STATE SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR

Danielle Bass oversees and helps implement many programs to help Hawaii move toward a sustainable and resilient future.

DIRECTOR OF HAPPINESS

Daniela Jines developed and implemented a program for community-based happiness in her native country of Bolivia before coming to Hawaii on a Fulbright Scholarship to study with the University of Hawaii. Daniela will be co-leading a workshop on neuroscience-based strategies for proven positive mental health shifts.

VIDEOJOURNALIST, AUTHOR, PROFESSOR

Dr. Czerski frequently appears in broadcasts bring science to the masses to explain complex topics in oceanography, physics, and the natural world. She’s the author of Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life.

CO-FOUNDER, CLEANTECHNICA

Scott Cooney is the co-founder of CleanTechnica, a media company that has reached more than 200 million unique people and over half a billion page views with high integrity journalism that promotes proven climate solutions and technologies.

PRESIDENT, HAWAII ELECTRIC VEHICLE ASSOCIATION

Noel Morin leads the Hawaii EV Association, the state's leading electric vehicle advocacy organization. He sits on the boards of Hawaii Red Cross, Sustainable Energy Hawaii, and NexTech Hawaii. His focus is on building practical, coalition-based pathways to Hawaii's energy independence and resilience.

MANAGING PRINCIPAL, REDWOOD ENERGY

Sean Armstrong has worked for 28 years in building electrification, designed the retrofit and new construction of more than 25,000 all-electric residences for disadvantaged populations, co-authored 7 "pocket guides" to building electrification, provided legal and technical support to building gas bans nationwide, and has received Grand Prize awards from the United Nations and the California Building Industry Association. Sean was inducted into California's Clean Energy Hall of Fame in 2022, and in 2023-2024 is working with other nations on their Net Zero goals on behalf of the U.S. State Department.

CEO, SURFBREAK CO-LIVING

RJ Martin spent a decade in Waianae building Green Homes at Lualualei, an affordable neighborhood in Nanakuli. He is the Founder of Surfbreak Coliving, a co-living space redefining what it means to live in community, which now has locations in Honolulu and Puerto Escondido, MX.

HAWAII STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 7

Representative Nicole Lowen represents House District 6–Kailua-Kona, Holualoa, Kalaoa, Honokohau. She earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning and a certificate in disaster management from the University of Hawai`i. Lowen is the current Chair of the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection and a member of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Committee on Agriculture in the Hawai`i State House.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE MARKETING, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR, UH MĀNOA

Dana L. Alden, Ph.D. is the William R. Johnson Jr. Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the Shidler College of Business, University of Hawai`i, where he researches and teaches sustainable business management and sustainable marketing. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sustainable Marketing and co-founder of the American Marketing Association's Special Interest Group on Sustainable Marketing and Innovation. 

PRINCIPAL, HI.ARCH.Y LLP

Phil is a licensed architect dedicated to designing purposeful, sustainable environments that elevate people and place. Holding credentials including LEED AP, WELL AP, Certified Energy Manager, and Certified Construction Manager, he has led award-winning residential, mixed-use, and commercial projects across Hawaiʻi and the West Coast, including multiple LEED Platinum certified developments.

CO-FOUNDER, SPAN, FOUNDER, 981.

Chad Conway has dedicated his career to the belief that great technology makes life better. He honed that conviction as an early engineer at Tesla and then as a member of the founding team at SPAN, a company reimagining home energy management. Today, through 981, Chad backs the entrepreneurs building the visionary products that allow us to live happier, healthier, more sustainable lives.

Co-Founder and CEO of Shifted Energy.

Forrest has significant experience leading and scaling technology solutions. He is also on the Board of Purple Maiʻa Foundation

FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Ben Sullivan has spent  the last 15 years working on Kauaʻi and  Oʻahu in sustainability roles in local government. He left his most recent role as the Executive Director and Chief Resilience Officer for Mayor Blangiardi's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency in October to seek other ways to help Hawaiʻi address the urgent challenges of climate change. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY REBATES SPECIALIST

Jayla Thomas helps companies and the community achieve energy efficiency with rebates through the Hawaii State Energy Office.