Speakers

Jessica leads cross-functional and cross-cultural teams on environment, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability engagements from diverse industries. She previously led the engagement team at a Fortune 100 agriculture company. Jessica conducted a global environmental risk and gap assessment, developed environmental policies and management system standards, and implemented environmental management and information management systems at over 600 facilities. Prior to joining EY, Jessica was responsible for the business and technical development of a major engineering and architecture services organization’s global sustainability consulting business. She was also the first program manager for a global industry consortium of apparel companies, that worked jointly to eliminate hazardous chemicals from their supply chains. Jessica holds an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also holds a BS in Engineering and Public Policy, and a BA in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis.

Cathriona Fey is Vice President of Clean Energy Production & Manufacturing at Intersect Illinois. She supports the state’s business development and recruitment efforts by assisting companies with the sites, resources, and partnerships needed to grow their business in Illinois. Cathriona is focused on supporting the state’s clean energy economy, a priority identified in Illinois’ most recent five-year economic plan. Prior to joining Intersect, Cathriona worked in urban planning consulting and commercial real estate with a focus on industrial real estate development. Cathriona received both her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Urban Planning degrees with a focus in Economic Development and Environmental Planning from the University of Iowa. Born and raised in Chicago, Cathriona resides in the city with her husband and two daughters.

Erik G. Birkerts oversees LanzaJet’s growth strategy and operational execution as it rapidly scales both domestically and internationally. Erik has spent his professional career in high-growth, complex operating environments. Prior to LanzaJet, Erik was the CEO of Evergreen Climate Innovations. Evergreen, a Chicago-based venture catalyst formerly known as Clean Energy Trust, finds, funds and grows companies commercializing clean technologies. Under his leadership, Evergreen invested in 43 companies, supported the portfolio in raising over $500 million in follow-on funding and stewarded 5 successful investment outcomes through acquisitions. Erik has also been on the senior management teams for two IPOs of venture capital backed companies. Erik currently serves on the Board of Directors for Milbank Manufacturing and Chairs the Audit Committee. Milbank is one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of electrical metering equipment, components and EV charging infrastructure. He also served as an independent Board Director for Metrus Energy, the pioneering “Energy Efficiency As A Service” financier, helping guide the company through its acquisition by Energy Capital Partners in 2023. Erik began his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, working on large cross-border financial transactions. Erik earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has a BA with honors in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University, where he was a member of the NCAA soccer team for four years.

Rebecca (Becky) Hensley is a Senior Manager Sustainability at CSX Transportation, Inc where she coordinates sustainability strategies, initiatives and corporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting. Becky has worked for CSX Transportation for 13 years and has over 25 years of experience with environmental, sustainability and regulatory compliance. She has specialized her career in data management solutions and cross-functional team collaboration. Before joining CSX, she worked as a consultant for a variety of transportation, manufacturing, military, and government clients. She holds a BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida and currently lives in Jacksonville, FL.

Wei Zhu is an Associate Professor of Accountancy, a KPMG Faculty Fellow, and a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society at the Gies College of Business. He earned his Ph.D. in Accounting from the Yale School of Management and joined Gies as an Assistant Professor in 2013. Wei’s primary research interests include financial accounting, asset pricing, and ESG, with a particular focus on the environmental and social externalities of corporate behavior and biodiversity conservation. His work has been published in leading academic journals such as The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Review of Accounting Studies, and Management Science. He currently serves on the editorial boards of two top accounting journals: The Accounting Review and Contemporary Accounting Research. At Gies, Wei teaches “Data Analytics Applications in Accountancy” and has been recognized multiple times on the “List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students.”

Dr. Michael Ferrari is the lead investment Advisor at WeatherTrends360 and the Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Investment Officer at AlphaGeo. Dr. Ferrari specializes in basic and applied research towards a variety of scientific, technical, and economic domains sitting at the deep tech, data, and commercial interface. Most of his work sits at the agriculture-water-energy-infrastructure nexus, and explores the confluence of three emerging global trends: natural resource geoeconomics, the energy transition and technological evolution. Prior to joining AlphaGeo, Michael built and led data science teams at several investment firms and global organizations including Engine No.1, Syngenta, Point72 Asset Management, IBM, Mars, and the Coca-Cola Company, as well as with numerous startups in the technology, fintech, and commodity sectors. Michael has spent two decades as a scientist, engineer, and economist in a wide variety of sectors with direct applications for the generation of data-driven investment strategies. He has been an affiliate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the MIT Media Lab, and he is also a senior fellow at the Wharton School. Michael earned his PhD from Rutgers University focusing on computational fluid dynamics and environmental biophysics, where his research centered on better understanding the industrial/environmental interface and the earth/space/biosphere complex from both an information systems and an evolutionary perspective. His doctoral work in numerical modeling and applied mathematics was supported by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan.

Dr. Angela Walden serves as the Special Advisor on Native Students in the Office of Student Success and Belonging within the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Student Success, and Effectiveness at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Her work focuses on building meaningful visibility and sovereign community partnerships in higher education, which includes increasing representation and retention of Native American students, staff, and faculty and promoting community and Tribal engagement. Her research examines community-based and systems-oriented mental health interventions and supports, with an emphasis on access and implementation. Dr. Walden earned her Ph.D. in Clinical and Community Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and completed her internship and postdoctoral training at UIC. She has held faculty appointments at UIC in the departments of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Psychology. She also served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity Initiatives in UIC’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Engagement, where she launched the Native American/Indigenous Inclusion and Belonging educational initiative, which includes a land acknowledgement education campaign, “’Acknowledge’ is a Verb.” Prior to returning to UIC in 2024, Dr. Walden served as a Scientific Program Director for the Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW), an innovative and collaborative multi-institute initiative at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Walden’s work has been recognized by several awards, most recently the 2022 Cherokee Phoenix Seven Feathers Award for her contributions to education. She was featured as an expert in the 2022 award-winning, feature-length documentary Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting, and she serves on the board of the Rena Flying Coyote Collective, a non-profit organization supporting Native American storytelling through visual media. She believes in the transformational power of relationships and the importance of recognizing and building upon strengths.

Josh Richman is the Executive Vice President of Market Development for PsiQuantum, a quantum computing company working to deliver the world’s first commercially useful quantum computers that will revolutionize industries including healthcare, climate, finance, transportation and national security. Josh led the company’s nationwide search to identify the optimal location for building America’s first fault-tolerant quantum computer—a process that culminated in PsiQuantum’s commitment to anchor the new Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. He now oversees the company’s business operations in Chicago. Before working in quantum computing, Josh was a pioneer in clean energy. He served as Vice President of Global Business Development and Policy at Bloom Energy, joining the company when it was a pre-revenue startup with fewer than 50 employees. He played a key role in growing Bloom into a 1,500-person publicly traded company. For the past eight years, Josh has also served as a Lecturer in Management at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he teaches the popular course, “Energy: Innovation, Policy and Business Strategy.” He is also an advisor to several clean energy companies and investment funds, including Electric Hydrogen, Exowatt, Epic Cleantech and G2 Venture Partners. Earlier in his career, Josh worked in clean energy private equity and spent six years working on national political campaigns, including serving as political director to Congressman Patrick Kennedy. He holds a BA with honors from Brown University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Jonah Smith joined IBM in 2023 and is Vice President, Global Head of Environmental Social Governance. In addition to leading global ESG strategy, goals, reporting, governance and stakeholder engagement, Jonah’s responsibilities also entail areas such as human rights due diligence and efficacy, and the development and implementation of environmental social innovation programs such as the IBM Sustainability Accelerator. Prior to IBM, Jonah most recently led ESG at Kraft Heinz as its Global Head of Environmental Social Governance & President of the Kraft Heinz Foundation. Prior to Kraft Heinz Jonah held similar roles at Grainger and MillerCoors, has done stints in socially responsible investing, teaching sustainability at the university level, and served as the Sustainable Business Director at the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Jonah’s career spans about two decades in sustainability, CSR/ESG. Jonah also holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from Pinchot University and a MS in Conservation Biology & Ecosystem Management from University of Michigan, where Jonah now serves on the External Advisory Board of the School for Environment and Sustainability. In his spare time, Jonah enjoys his family and various activities such as soccer, guitar, snorkeling, downhill skiing, windsurfing and as much nature as he can breathe in.

Tonika Lewis Johnson is synonymous with bold, transformative art that inspires fresh, critical thinking about Chicago’s history and future. The social justice artist rose to acclaim with her Folded Map Project, which visualized and explored Chicago’s legacy of segregation by introducing residents who live on the same street but 15 miles apart in racially and economically different neighborhoods, calling them “map twins". She is currently spearheading UnBlocked Englewood, an ambitious effort to rehabilitate an entire block in her home neighborhood, which was harmed by predatory, racist housing practices of the 1950s and ’60s. A 2024 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellow, Tonika opened her first solo exhibit on February 26 at their gallery in New York. She also released her first book, Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It, co-written with Dr. Maria Krysan. The book reveals how generations of Chicagoans have perpetuated fears about the city’s South and West sides by sharing essays of everyday Chicagoans—those who ignored warnings to stay away from “don’t go” neighborhoods and those who live in these very same neighborhoods—exploring the deeply racist roots of these narratives and their ongoing impact.

Donald J. Wuebbles is the Harry E. Preble Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Illinois. He is also a special advisor to the President of the University of Illinois and a Distinguished Scientist with the university’s Discovery Partners Institute. He is also Director of Climate Science for Earth Knowledge. From 2015 to 2017, Dr. Wuebbles was Assistant Director with the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the Executive Office of the President (with President Obama).

Dr. RAZANAMARO Onja Hariveloniaina Morilline is a determined and knowledgeable Malagasy plant biologist and conservationist with extensive experience in biodiversity research and project implementation. Holding a PhD in Life Science and Environment, Dr. Razanamaro has a strong track record of securing international funding, leading research teams, and fostering international collaborations for plant conservation, particularly focusing on Madagascar's iconic baobab species. Her expertise spans plant identification, reproductive ecology, habitat fragmentation impact, and the development of conservation strategies. Notably, Dr. Razanamaro is actively engaged in science diplomacy and science advice, currently serving as the Global Co-lead (Africa) of the Global Indigenous Youth Summit for Climate Change (GIYSCC), a selected mentee of the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA), and a fellow of the African Science Leadership Program (ASLP). Her commitment to conservation is further evidenced by her work at the Park Botanic et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza and through various research fellowships and consultancies. She is also dedicated to education as an adjunct lecturer and mentor. Her numerous publications, presentations, and volunteer work underscore her dedication to biodiversity preservation and her growing role in shaping global science-policy interfaces.

Michelle Relerford is the Weekday Morning Co-Anchor for NBC 5 News Today. Relerford was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from Whitney Young High School. She studied Journalism and English at the University of Connecticut. While in college, she interned for NBC Chicago's Investigative Unit. Her first reporting job was at WNDU in South Bend, Indiana, followed by WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio. Later, she anchored weekends and reported for WHDH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Boston. During her time in Boston, Relerford was nominated for a local Emmy for spot news reporting.In September of 2011, Michelle returned home to Chicago as a Reporter and Fill-In Anchor for NBC 5 News. Since joining NBC 5, Michelle has traveled back to Cleveland to report on the discovery of three missing girls found captive in a home after more than a decade. She also traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, when former U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was released from federal prison. In 2016, Michelle was promoted to Weekend Evening Anchor. She’s received two Emmy nominations for her reporting in Chicago. Michelle enjoys giving back to the community by hosting charity events and volunteering. When she’s not working, Michelle enjoys family time with her husband and two sons

Adeyemi is a Professor at the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Centre, North-West University, South Africa and a researcher Associate in the School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He is the Vice President of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB), a member of the Society for Ethnobotany (SEB) and International Society for Ethnopharmacology (ISE). He was involved with the inaugural Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change (GIYSCC) in 2023, hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) based in Geneva, Switzerland. This ground-breaking event led to the co-authorship of a commentary in Nature (Sogbanmu et al., 2023), advocating that Indigenous Youth must be at the forefront of climate diplomacy and foster a global partnership of Indigenous youth. Prof Aremu is a member of the standing Committee on Biosafety and Biosecurity for the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is a member of the Global Young Academy and an Affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences, as well as an alumnus of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS). Prof. Aremu’s international acclaim is further underscored by the Society for Ethnobotany’s Mid-Career Excellence Award/Economic Botany Excellence Award (EBEA), which he received in Atlanta, USA, in 2023.

JC Kibbey is the Climate Advisor for the State of Illinois. In that role, he develops, analyzes, and implements climate and energy policy and engages with diverse constituencies on those issues. He was deeply involved in passing the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and the SAFE CCS Act and led the state’s $430 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) award. He previously served as senior Illinois clean energy advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and as Midwest advocate for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ climate and energy program. JC holds a master’s in public policy from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in political theory from Michigan State University’s James Madison College.

Alaina Harkness is the executive director at Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub. There, she has attracted federal and state investments, launched a real-time water quality monitoring platform and supported water startups. Harkness is also CEO of Great Lakes ReNEW, a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine focused on resource recovery and the circular blue economy. Prior to this, she was a nonresident fellow in the global cities program at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Previously, Harkness founded Civicana and was managing director at RW Ventures economic development firms. She has published research for the Brookings Institution, Crain’s Chicago Business, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank and CityLab. Harkness is a board member of Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, Urban Initiatives and Margaret’s Village.

Gia Biagi was appointed secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation by Gov. JB Pritzker on Dec. 10, 2024. Biagi brings to the agency decades of experience in urban planning, transportation, public policy, infrastructure and operations. Biagi’s career spans both private practice and public service and has established her as a visionary leader in planning, policy and infrastructure management. From 2019 to 2023, she served as commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Transportation, where she delivered hundreds of innovative transportation projects citywide and created a nation-leading strategic plan focused on equitable, safe and sustainable mobility, along with transformational neighborhood investments. She has held various other private and public roles across the fields of housing, parks and transportation throughout her career of more than two decades. Prior to her appointment to IDOT, she provided executive leadership at Studio Gang, an international, award-winning architecture and urban design firm. There, she led a practice that specialized in urban design, land-use planning, community engagement, and implementation strategy for public and private-sector clients across a range of cities and project types, including housing, waterfronts, aviation, parks, roadways, and public and private buildings and sites. Biagi recently served on the Shared-Use Mobility Center’s board of directors and was previously appointed secretary of the National Association of City Transportation Officials. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Chicago Architecture Center, is a member of the advisory board of the Women’s Transportation Seminar and is a member of Lambda Alpha International, an honorary society for the study of land economics. She was also recently named a visiting fellow at the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas. Biagi earned her Master of Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.

Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on understanding the impacts of climate change on people and the planet. She is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Professor of Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University. She has served as a lead author for the Second, Third, and Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessments and her work has resulted in over 125 peer-reviewed papers, abstracts, and other publications. She is the author of the best-selling book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. She also hosts the PBS Digital Series Global Weirding and is a co-founder of Science Moms. Hayhoe is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Scientific Affiliation, an Honourary Fellow of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, an Oxfam Sister of the Planet, and the World Evangelical Alliance’s Climate Ambassador. She has been named to lists including the TIME 100 Most Influential People and Fortune's 50 World's Greatest Leaders, received a number of awards including the National Center for Science Education’s Friend of the Planet Award, the American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Prize and Ambassador Award, and the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award, and is a United Nations Champion of the Earth in Science and Innovation.

Heather Sauyaq Jean Kwamboka Gordon, PhD, MS, owner/consultant at Sauyaq Solutions, specializing in research, evaluation, and technical assistance with and for Indigenous Nations/communities and their partners. From Homer, Alaska, she is Iñupiaq and a Tribal citizen of the Nome Eskimo Community. Dr. Gordon holds a PhD in Indigenous Studies with a concentration in Indigenous Sustainability. She is a relationship builder, knowledge translator, science diplomat, Fulbright Arctic Initiative IV scholar, and co-lead for the Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change. She serves on the US National Academy of Sciences Co-Production of Environmental Knowledge, Methods, and Approaches committee, on the Arctic Research Consortium of the US Board of Directors, as co-chair for the International Conferences on Arctic Research Planning IV Sustainable Communities priority III, and on multiple advisory boards.

Jeremy Rifkin is an economic philosopher and the best-selling author of twenty-three books translated into thirty-five languages. His new book Planet Aqua: Rethinking Our Home in the Universe has just been published in all the major word languages. Mr. Rifkin is a principal architect of the European Union’s and China’s economic plans for transitioning into a Third Industrial Revolution to address climate change and he served as an advisor to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer on the U.S. infrastructure plan. He is listed among the top ten most influential economic thinkers in The Huffington Post’s global survey of “The World’s Most Influential Voices.”

Professor Rudolf K Allemann, FRSC, FLSW, is a Distinguished Research Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice President at Cardiff University. He received his first degree from ETH Zurich, followed by PhD work at Harvard University and ETH Zurich, and began his career as a postdoctoral researcher and Staff Scientist at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill, London. He later became Research Group Leader and Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at ETH Zurich. In 1998, Professor Allemann moved to the University of Birmingham to become a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, before taking up the role of Professor of Chemical Biology in 2001. He joined Cardiff University in 2005 as a Distinguished Research Professor and became Head of the School of Chemistry in 2013. Since 2017, Professor Allemann is a Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice President at Cardiff University. From 2017 - 2024 he was Head of the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Professor Allemann’s pioneering research is at the interface of chemistry and biology. He has a long-standing interest in understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control enzyme function. His research group apply a wide range of chemical and physical techniques to answer questions relating to the extraordinary catalytic power of enzymes, developing and applying chemical tools to probe and control biological processes in the laboratory and in live cells.

Jeffrey D. Sachs is a world-renowned economics professor, bestselling author, innovative educator, and global leader in sustainable development. Sachs is widely recognized for bold and effective strategies to address complex challenges including the escape from extreme poverty, the global battle against human-induced climate change, international debt and financial crises, national economic reforms, and the control of pandemic and epidemic diseases. Sachs serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he holds the rank of University Professor, the university’s highest academic rank. Sachs was Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University from 2002 to 2016. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Co-Chair of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University, and SDG Advocate for UN Secretary General António Guterres. From 2001-18, Sachs served as Special Advisor to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan (2001-7), Ban Ki-moon (2008-16), and António Guterres (2017-18).

Dr. Kristie L. Ebi is Professor in the University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment. She has been conducting research and practice on the health risks of climate variability and change for nearly 25 years. She focuses on understanding sources of vulnerability, estimating current and future health risks of climate change, designing adaptation policies and measures to reduce risks in multi-stressor environments, and estimating the health co-benefits of mitigation policies. She has supported multiple countries in Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific in assessing their vulnerabilities and implementing adaptation policies and programs. She has edited four books on aspects of climate change, has more than 200 publications and has been an author on multiple national and international climate change assessments, including the fourth US National Climate Assessment and the IPCC 6th Assessment Report and Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C.

Dr. Anna Stewart-Ibarra is the Executive Director of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). In this role, she supports IAI member states in their efforts to achieve the full and open exchange of scientific information relevant to global change for a sustainable Americas. Dr. Stewart-Ibarra is an expert on climate and health in Latin America and the Caribbean. She was formerly the Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Research Program of the Institute for Global Health and Translational Science at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University (SUNY UMU) from 2012 to 2019. Dr. Stewart-Ibarra's research has focused on understanding climate, environment and social drivers of vector borne diseases and other dimensions of human well being in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more than 14 years, she has collaborated with academic and government institutions in the region to conduct community based social-ecological, epidemiological and modeling studies. These studies have aimed to inform the development of climate services for the health sector, community health interventions, and novel vector control tools. Honors and fellowships include Fulbright in Argentina (2018) and Ecuador (2010-2011), the Emerging Public Policy Leader Award of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (2009), and the National Science Foundation Graduate S.T.E.M. Fellowship (2007-2009). She received her PhD in ecology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) and Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Timothy L. Killeen is the 20th president of the University of Illinois System, which includes universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. He took office in May 2015 and received a new contract in 2024 that extends his term through June 2027. Since taking office, Killeen has helped lead a surge of growth across the state’s flagship university system. Enrollment is at record highs, including increases among in-state and underrepresented students. Student costs have been held in check by affordability initiatives that include a tuition freeze for new Illinois students six of the last eight years and substantial increases in institutional financial aid. Retention and graduation rates top national norms, while student debt rates are lower than U.S. averages. Under Killeen’s leadership, the system is about a third of the way toward the planned addition of 300 faculty members over three years, on top of those hired to fill vacancies. The system has also invested more than $600 million in facilities supporting teaching and research since 2019 and continued investments over the next decade will ensure classroom and research space matches the system’s academic excellence. A leading researcher in geophysics and space sciences, Killeen champions efforts to expand research discovery that drives progress and job creation. That includes helping lead the creation of two pioneering initiatives to drive innovation and workforce development – Discovery Partners Institute, a world-class research, technology talent development and business-building center in downtown Chicago, and Illinois Innovation Network, a system of satellite hubs that combine research, public-private partnerships, entrepreneurship and workforce training to spur inclusive economic development across the state. In alignment with its mission, The University of Illinois System contributes $19 billion annually to the state’s economy through research, hospital and entrepreneurial activities, along with the universities’ students, visitors and alumni. A 2022 study showed the system’s impact on the state grew by 8.6 percent – roughly $1.5 billion – since 2018. In addition, Killeen reaffirmed the system’s commitment to the arts and humanities, launching a program that pumped nearly $3.5 million into faculty initiatives that underscore their importance to a well-rounded education. The ongoing growth is rooted in the Strategic Framework that Killeen helped develop early in his presidency to guide the U of I System for the next decade. The roadmap set high-aspiration goals to make the U of I System a model for higher education in the 21st century, and build on its more than 150-year legacy of service to students, innovation and the public good. In 2021, Killeen launched the annual U of I System leadership state tour with the goal of connecting with businesses, communities, schools, lawmakers, alumni and more to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones that improve the lives of Illinois residents. When he joined the U of I System, Killeen brought more than three decades of experience as an educator, researcher and administrator in public higher education and in leadership positions with national scientific research agencies. Earlier, he served as vice chancellor for research and president of the Research Foundation at the State University of New York, one of the nation’s largest higher education systems. He also served as assistant director for geosciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF), as the Lyall Research Professor at the University of Colorado, and as director and senior scientist for the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Additionally, Killeen spent more than 20 years as a faculty member and researcher at the University of Michigan, where he also served as associate vice president for research. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2007, and is a member and past president of the American Geophysical Union and a fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Killeen has authored more than 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals, along with more than 300 other publications and papers. A native of Wales and a U.S. citizen, Killeen received his bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy at University College London, where he also earned his doctoral degree in atomic and molecular physics and was later awarded an honorary doctorate degree for his significant contribution to research. Killeen's wife, Roberta M. Johnson, holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in geophysics and space physics from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers, review articles, abstracts and non-referred reports and articles in the area of upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere research, as well as on educational programs. She was a research physicist at SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif., from 1987-89. She continued her research at the University of Michigan Space Physics Research Laboratory as a research scientist from 1989-2000. While at the University of Michigan, beginning in 1995, she initiated the Windows to the Universe project, which brings multi-level scientific background content and new research results to students, educators and the public, and continues to the present day. From 2000-10, Johnson served as the founding director of education and outreach at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., and a scientist at the High Altitude Observatory from 2000-11. From 2006-15, she directed the National Earth Science Teachers Association. From 2012-15, she served as a clinical professor at the State University of New York at Albany in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. Johnson has extensive experience advising NASA, NSF and professional societies on topics in education and outreach, the uses of cyber-infrastructure for education and diversity, and has served on numerous advisory boards for projects in these areas. She led an ad hoc review of science education for the International Council for Science in 2010, and served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Climate Change Education Roundtable from 2010-12. In 2016, she was recognized with the American Geophysical Union’s Athelstan Spilhaus Award for her work to bring the excitement and beauty of the geosciences to the public. In 2017, she received the National Earth Science Teachers Association Jan Woerner and Harold B. Stonehouse Lifetime Achievement Award. The Killeens have three children and two grandsons.

Susan Solomon is the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to coming to MIT in 2012, she was a scientist at NOAA in Boulder, Colorado and an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado from 1982-2011. Solomon is widely recognized as one of the leaders in the field of atmospheric science. Her scientific papers have provided not only key measurements but also theoretical understanding regarding ozone destruction, especially the role of surface chemistry. In l986 and l987, she served as the Head Project Scientist of the National Ozone Expedition at McMurdo Station, Antarctica and made some of the first measurements there that pointed towards chlorofluorocarbons as the cause of the ozone hole. In l994, an Antarctic glacier was named in her honor in recognition of that work. In March of 2000, she received the National Medal of Science, the United States' highest scientific honor, for "key insights in explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole."

Rubiela Barnet is a Guna woman from Panama. She holds an extensive academic background spanning Higher Education Teaching, Project Management, Environmental Sciences, International Tourism Business Administration, and Chemistry. With over 15 years of diverse professional experience and leadership, she has implemented projects in the fields of tourism, environmental science, and community development. Her career spans roles in consultancy, project formulation, and the monitoring and evaluation of research initiatives. She has also provided expertise in legislative advisory for indigenous communities and regulatory frameworks for tourism. As a university professor and Panama's cultural tourism delegate to Europe, she has also built strategic partnerships with both national and international organizations. She is the owner of OLUA, a business dedicated to indigenous crafts, and GRUPO BARNET, a consultancy firm focused on project management, community development, and supporting indigenous communities. Her multidisciplinary approach to her work underscores her commitment to cultural and environmental sustainability.

Professor Tan Eng Chye was appointed President of the National University of Singapore (NUS) on 1 January 2018. He is the University’s 5th president, and the 23rd leader to head Singapore’s oldest higher education institution. Prof Tan, who attended Raffles Institution (1974 to 1979), obtained his Bachelor in Mathematics (First Class Honours, 1985) at NUS and his PhD (1989) at Yale University. He joined NUS as a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics in 1985, as a Senior Tutor, and has held visiting positions at various leading universities such as the Rutgers University, University of Washington at Seattle, University of California at Berkeley and University of Maryland, USA; Universities of Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan; as well as the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Prof Tan's research interests are in the Representation Theory of Lie Groups and Lie Algebras; and Invariant Theory and Algebraic Combinatorics. He has been invited to speak in numerous top global conferences, and has published more than 20 articles in top internationally-refereed journals and conference proceedings. He has co-authored three books on mathematics, including a well-known graduate text on non-Abelian harmonic analysis. Prof Tan is a passionate and award-winning educator. As a pioneer architect of the current academic system and interdisciplinary educational approach in NUS, he has seeded many initiatives such as the Special Programme in Science, University Scholars Programme, University Town Residential College Programme, Grade-free Year, and Technology-enhanced Education. He was recognised with the University Teaching Award for Innovative Teaching in 1998, and was President of the Singapore Mathematical Society (2001 to 2005) as well as the Southeast Asian Mathematical Society (2004 to 2005). Prof Tan currently serves on the boards of the National Research Foundation; National University Health System; NUS High School of Mathematics and Science; Singapore Economic Development Board; and the University of Sharjah. He also sits on the International Advisory Council of the Southern University of Science and Technology in China, and is an advisor with the global nonprofit think tank, The Conference Board. Prof Tan is a member of Singapore’s Future Economy Advisory Panel and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities Steering Committee, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator. He is also the immediate former chair of Universitas 21, a leading global network of 29 research-intensive universities. For his outstanding contributions to education, as well as his community and leadership roles in Singapore and globally, Prof Tan was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at Singapore's National Day Awards in 2024. He had earlier received the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2014. He was awarded the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal, which honours exceptional alumni in the areas of scholarship, teaching, academic administration, and public service, by Yale University in 2018. Prof Tan was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Southampton in 2018 in recognition of his achievements as “an innovative and exceptional teacher, and then as a distinguished and respected leader in academia”; and an Honorary Doctor of Management from Universiti Malaya in 2023 for his contributions to the university’s journey towards academic and intellectual excellence. In 2022, Prof Tan was conferred the title of Knight of the French Order of the Legion of Honour (Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur) – the highest French distinction for military and civil accomplishments – for his distinguished contributions in education and research.

Imad L. Al-Qadi is the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering and the founding Director of the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT). Prior to that, he was the Charles E. Via, Jr. Professor at Virginia Tech. He has led more than 180 research projects to completion, manages ~60 projects annually as ICT director, authored/co-authored more than 1000 publications, and advised more than 100 PhD students and postdocs. Al-Qadi has received numerous national and international honors and awards, including the NSF Young Investigator Award, the quadrennial IGS Award, the ASCE James Laurie Prize, Turner, Carl Monismith Lecture, and Robert Horonjeff Airport Transportation Awards, ARTBA Steinberg Award, TRR of the National Academies D. Grant Mickle and Woods Awards, and the French Limoges Medal. He is an Emeritus Member of TRB and a Life member of AAPT. He served as the President of the ASCE T&DI Board of Governors and Chaired the APSE Board of Directors and is the Editor-in-Chief of the IJPE. In 2010, he was elected as an ASCE Distinguished Member and was the 2023 recipient of the TRB Roy W. Crumb Distinguished Service Award, the 2024 UIUC Executive Officer Distinguished Leadership Award, and the 2024 U of I President’s Executive Leadership Program Fellow. He is also the recipient of the 2024 CUTC Lifetime Achievement Award for University Transportation Education and Research.

Dr. Kathryn Huff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at UIUC. There, she is the Director of the Advanced Reactors and Fuel Cycles Research Group. From May 2021 to May 2024, she took a leave of absence from UIUC to hold multiple positions in the U.S. Department of Energy, including that of Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. Before joining UIUC, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow with both NSSC1 and the Berkeley Institute for Data Science at the University of California - Berkeley. She received her PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013 and her undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Chicago in 2008. Her research focuses on nuclear engineering software development, including the Cyclus nuclear fuel cycle simulator, the PyNE toolkit, and extensions to MOOSE. She is particularly interested in robust modeling and simulation of advanced reactors emphasizing scientific software engineering best practices. She is an active member of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), a past chair of the Nuclear Nonproliferation and Policy Division as well as the Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division. She is the recipient of prestigious awards including the Sinclair Medal from the National Council on Radiation Protection as well as ANS Awards: the Young Member Excellence Award, Mary Jane Oestmann Professional Women's Achievement award, and the Distinguished Public Service Award.

Colleen Wright is the Vice President of Strategy and Growth for Constellation, the nation’s largest producer of reliable carbon-free energy and the leading competitive supplier of energy products and services to 2 million homes and businesses across the United States. In this role, Wright is responsible for the development of the enterprise growth strategy and advances new technologies, policies, and business model transformations through partnerships, grants and research and development. Prior to this role, Wright worked at Exelon as Director of Corporate Strategy; Chief of Staff to Exelon’s Chief Strategy Officer; and held roles in Government Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy. Wright joined Exelon from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission where she worked as an economist and policy advisor to Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur. Wright has an MBA from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Richmond. Wright serves on the Advisory Council for Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovations, the Advisory Board for Maryland Energy Innovation Institute and the Board for the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition.