Logo for the DOE Floating Offshore Wind Earthshot
US Department of Energy, US Department of Commerce, US Department of the Interior, and US Department of Transportation.

The Departments of Energy, the Interior, Commerce, and Transportation invite offshore wind energy stakeholders to join them on May 16, 2024 in Sacramento, California for the second Floating Offshore Wind Shot Summit. This summit will discuss progress and next steps on the Floating Offshore Wind Shot™—an ambitious initiative to cut the cost of floating offshore wind energy by over 70% by 2035.

The second Floating Offshore Wind Shot Summit will be held in Sacramento, CA on May 16, 2024. Register today!

Deep-water areas that require floating platforms are home to two-thirds of America’s offshore wind energy potential—a clean energy resource that is key to meeting the nation’s climate goals. Capturing this vast potential can power millions of American homes and businesses and bring significant economic benefits but will require unprecedented collaboration between federal and state governments, local communities, tribes, and the private sector. This interagency summit brought together a broad range of parties to affirm a shared vision of wide-scale floating offshore wind energy deployment and dive into the technical, social, equity, and environmental challenges and opportunities it presents.

2023 Summit

On Feb. 22 and 23, 2023, the Departments virtually convened the inaugural Floating Offshore Wind Shot Summit. The purpose of the summit was to share information regarding the Floating Offshore Wind Shot goals, the framework and plans for future work, currently available resources, and opportunities for future engagement.

Day 1 focused on remarks from national leaders on floating offshore wind energy, an overview of the Shot, and national floating offshore wind energy deployment efforts and considerations.

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Day 1 of the Floating Offshore Wind Shot™ Summit.

U.S. Department of Energy

Day 2 focused on state, industry, and stakeholder perspectives on floating offshore wind energy and described plans and priorities for future Shot efforts.

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Day 2 of the Floating Offshore Wind Shot™ Summit.

U.S. Department of Energy

Day 1 (Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023)

11 a.m. ET | Welcome and Introductions

Jennifer Granholm

Jennifer M. Granholm
Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy

Jennifer M. Granholm was sworn in as the 16th secretary of energy on Feb. 25, 2021, becoming just the second woman to lead the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Secretary Granholm is leading DOE's work to advance the cutting-edge clean energy technologies that will help America achieve President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while creating millions of good-paying union clean energy jobs and building an equitable economy.

Secretary Granholm also oversees DOE's core missions of promoting American leadership in scientific discovery, maintaining the nuclear deterrent and reducing nuclear danger, and remediating the environmental harms caused by legacy defense programs. Prior to her nomination as secretary of energy, Granholm was the first woman elected governor of Michigan, serving two terms from 2003 to 2011.  

11:15 a.m. ET | Keynotes – Advancing Floating Offshore Wind in the United States for Our Nation’s Clean Economy Future

photo of Ali Zaidi

Ali Zaidi
Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, The White House

Ali Zaidi serves as Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor. In this role, he leads the White House Climate Policy Office, which coordinates policy development and President Biden’s all-of-government approach to tackle the climate crisis, create good-paying, union jobs, and advance environmental justice. Zaidi is a longtime advisor to President Biden, having provided counsel and leadership on climate policy development, legislation, and executive action from day one of the Administration and on the Biden presidential transition and campaign. Before his current role, he served as Deputy National Climate Advisor.  

During his time in the Biden-Harris Administration, Zaidi has led on efforts to re-establish U.S. climate leadership, set a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent by 2030; deliver robust executive actions, including regulatory, investment, and procurement-based initiatives; and secure the largest legislative wins on climate in U.S. history, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Together these efforts have advanced the largest annual deployment of solar, wind, and batteries; brought together the U.S. auto sector around an all-electric future; tackled super-pollutants like methane and HFCs; bolstered domestic adaptation and resilience; and centered U.S. climate action around workers and communities, prioritizing good-paying union jobs and the critical work of environmental justice. 

Zaidi joined the Biden-Harris Administration after serving as the state of New York’s Deputy Secretary for Energy and Environment and Chairman of Climate Policy and Finance, where he led the state's efforts on climate change—driving investment into infrastructure and innovation, empowering workers and communities, and boosting economic and environmental resilience. Zaidi also taught graduate courses on technology policy and studied the fiscal and financial impacts of climate change as an adjunct professor at Stanford University.  During that time, Zaidi also co-founded Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy, a Stanford-coordinated initiative that equips sustainability-focused startups with pro bono legal services.

Zaidi brings the cross-sector and multi-disciplinary experience needed to deliver a whole-of-government response to the climate crisis. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Zaidi served as Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy, and Science for the Office of Management and Budget and as Deputy Director of Energy Policy for the Domestic Policy Council—helping to design and implement a wide range of domestic and international policies. Zaidi has advised non-profits, including as a Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and counseled the private sector, as an attorney who helped launch a sustainable investment practice.

Zaidi emigrated from Pakistan and grew up outside Erie, Pennsylvania. He received an A.B. from Harvard University and J.D. from Georgetown University.

Deb Haaland smiles at the camera.

Deb Haaland
Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior

Deb Haaland is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico. She made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. Throughout her career in public service, Secretary Haaland has broken barriers and opened the doors of opportunity for future generations. She was elected one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress and was the first Native American woman to lead a state political party in the country. Secretary Haaland was raised in a military family and is an alumni of the University of New Mexico with both a bachelor of arts and a juris doctor degree.

Ann Phillips in uniform smiling at the camera.

Rear Admiral (Ret.) Ann Phillips
Administrator for the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration

Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, US Navy (Ret.) was sworn in as the 20th Administrator for the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration on May 16, 2022.  As head of the Maritime Administration, Phillips advises and assists the Secretary of Transportation on commercial maritime matters, to include the movement of goods, supply chain, as well as the U.S. maritime industry, environment and compliance, ports and waterways infrastructure, and strategic sealift. She engages public and private stakeholders in the maritime industry and oversees the U.S Merchant Marine Academy.

Phillips also oversees MARAD’s programs to improve and modernize the nation’s maritime network by administering the unprecedented investment in ports and waterways made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $2.25 billion to be awarded over the next five years through the Port Infrastructure Development Program and $25 million for the America’s Marine Highway Program.

Prior to this appointment, Phillips served as the first Special Assistant to the Governor of Virginia for Coastal Adaptation and Protection, where she built a collaborative, whole-of-government and community approach to address the impact of coastal flooding across the Commonwealth, including the development of Virginia’s first Coastal Resilience Master Plan. In particular, she coordinated across Federal, State, local, and other partners to create equitable strategies to address rising waters and climate impact to federal, maritime, and other critical coastal infrastructure assets in Virginia.

Admiral Phillips served nearly 31 years as a surface warfare officer.  Her final tour of duty, as Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group TWO, included the direct oversight of 14 ships and 10 subordinate commands - all the Amphibious Expeditionary Forces on the East Coast of the United States. Earlier, she served on the Chief of Naval Operations’ Staff as Deputy Director and then Director of the Surface Warfare Division. Previous to those positions, she had the honor to commission and command the USS MUSTIN (DDG 89) and to command Destroyer Squadron 28.

Phillips earned a Master of Business Administration, with distinction, from The College of William & Mary – Raymond A. Mason School of Business - in 2016. She holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Richard_W._Spinrad looks at the camera.

Richard Spinrad
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator

Richard (Rick) W. Spinrad, Ph.D., was sworn in on June 22, 2021, as the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and the 11th National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator. Spinrad is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of the agency and its over 12,000 employees, including developing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s portfolio of products and services to address the climate crisis, enhancing environmental sustainability and fostering economic development, and creating a more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration workforce. 

Most recently, Spinrad served as a professor of oceanography and senior adviser to the vice president of research at Oregon State University. He was also vice president for research at Oregon State University from 2010–2014. 

Spinrad served as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s chief scientist under President Barack Obama from 2014 until 2016. He also led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Ocean Service from 2003-2010. While at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Spinrad co-led the White House Committee that developed the nation’s first set of ocean research priorities and oversaw the revamping of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s research enterprise, including the development of the agency’s Scientific Integrity policy.

Prior to initially joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Spinrad held leadership positions at the U.S. Office of Naval Research and Oceanographer of the Navy, where he was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award—the highest award given by the U.S. Navy to a civilian. He has held faculty appointments at Oregon State University, the U.S. Naval Academy, and George Mason University; served as Executive Director at the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education; was President of Sea Tech, Inc.; and worked as a research scientist at Oregon State University and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. He also developed the National Ocean Sciences Bowl for high school students. In the international arena, Spinrad served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission from 2005–2009.

He is the recipient of Presidential Rank Awards from presidents George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama. Spinrad is past president of The Oceanography Society and the Marine Technology Society. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, Marine Technology Society, The Oceanography Society, and the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, where he is also a chartered marine scientist.

Spinrad received his bachelor of arts degree in earth and planetary sciences from The Johns Hopkins University, and his master's and doctoral degrees in oceanography from Oregon State University. 

12 p.m. ET | Global Context and the Floating Offshore Wind Shot

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino
Offshore Wind Energy Lead, U.S. Department of Energy

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino is the U.S. Department of Energy’s offshore wind lead and has been with the department for 13 years. Brown-Saracino contributed to the establishment of the joint agency 30 gigawatts by 2030 goal and is leading U.S. Department of Energy’s subsequent implementation efforts. This includes leading the department’s offshore wind energy strategic planning efforts, leading the establishment of the Floating Offshore Wind Shot, overseeing the initiation of U.S. Department of Energy’s Atlantic transmission analysis and convening efforts, and contributing to the establishment of the White House-led Federal State Offshore Wind Partnership focused on supply chain coordination.

Prior to assuming her current role, Brown-Saracino served as program manager for U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Environmental, Siting, Workforce Development and Grid portfolio, and managed the department’s Wind, Ocean Energy, and Hydropower environmental research portfolios. She came to U.S. Department of Energy through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. She holds a master’s degree in marine science from the University of New England and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Smith College.

12:30 p.m. ET | Keynotes – Advancing Floating Offshore Wind in the United States for Our Nation’s Clean Economy Future

Salud Carbajal smiles at the camera.

Salud Carbajal
U.S. Congressman, California

Congressman Salud Carbajal proudly represents the 24th Congressional District of California. The District includes the entirety of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, and a portion of Ventura County.

Prior to representing the Central Coast in Congress, Salud served as Santa Barbara County’s First District Supervisor for 12 years. As county supervisor, Salud championed the development of the Blue Ribbon Budget Task Force to examine our county operations and budget process. He has also advocated for health and social service safety net programs for our most vulnerable residents, co-sponsoring an initiative to provide health insurance for all the County's children and spearheading the creation of a job skills and mentorship program for at-risk youth throughout the County.

In Congress, Salud has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting our natural environment and resources, enhancing public safety, creating economic opportunities, and working regionally to address our transportation, housing, and workforce challenges.

A long-time advocate for our environment, Salud’s first act in Congress was the California Clean Coast Act which bans future offshore oil and gas drilling on California’s coast. He also is a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, which serves as a working group dedicated to advancing proposals that will mitigate and reduce climate change, while at the same time encouraging economic growth and job creation. 

Salud sits on the House Committee on Armed Services, the House Committee on Agriculture, and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he was elected to serve as the vice chair. The Congressman has used his role as the vice chair on the House Committee of Transportation and Infrastructure to create jobs by securing investments in the nation’s crumbling infrastructure and rebuilding areas damaged by natural disasters like the Montecito Debris Flow. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Salud has offered amendments in the National Defense Authorization Act that would direct the Department of Defense to research the effects of climate change on military operations, develop educational partnerships between the Department of Defense and local colleges, and ensure female service members have adequate body armor suited to fit their needs.

Salud served eight years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, including active duty service during the Gulf War in 1992 where he was mobilized to Jacksonville, North Carolina. As a veteran, Carbajal has worked to ensure the needs of our nation's veterans are met. He successfully secured $1 million for the Santa Barbara Veterans Treatment Courts and introduced legislation to combat veteran homelessness.

Carbajal graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara and also holds a master's degree in organizational management from the Fielding University.

Carbajal is married to Gina and they are proud parents of Natasha and Michael.

Suzanne Bonamici smiles at the camera.

Suzanne Bonamici
U.S. Congresswoman, Oregon

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici represents the First Congressional District of Oregon, which includes Tillamook, Clatsop, and Columbia counties and large portions of Multnomah and Washington Counties. 

Suzanne was honored to serve on the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, where she worked to implement the Climate Action Plan, take immediate action to reduce emissions, create good-paying jobs, support a just transition, and strengthen the resilience of our communities. She is also a senior member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and a leader on the Subcommittee on the Environment and the Subcommittee on Research and Technology. From this position, she works to promote research and scientific discovery, address the causes and consequences of climate change, and defend science while making sure that policy decisions are based on independent science. As a representative of coastal Oregon and co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus and Congressional Estuary Caucus, she is working to draw attention to issues that affect coastal communities, and to elevate the voices and expertise of these communities in ocean policy discussions.

Strengthening public education is one of Suzanne’s top priorities and in 2013 Suzanne founded, and now serves as co-chair of the bipartisan STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) Caucus to promote creativity and innovation by integrating art and design into STEM education programs. She is committed to advancing science communication and education to increase the understanding of how the natural world works and the capacity to make informed policy decisions.  

Many Oregonians rely on a healthy ocean to earn a living, and residents and visitors cherish our coastal communities. Suzanne believes it is our responsibility to protect and sustain the ocean for the health of the planet, our economy and way of life, and for the enjoyment of future generations. Climate change affects the entire economy and it's more important than ever to develop a comprehensive national energy policy that shifts us toward a clean energy future. In Oregon, with our natural solar, wind, and wave resources, we have an opportunity to lead the nation in decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels. Suzanne is pleased to have helped secure federal funding for research and development of cutting-edge wave energy research in Oregon.

12:50 p.m. ET | Keynote – Driving Economic Development and Union Job Creation in U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Infrastructure

Liz Shuler

Liz Shuler
President, AFL-CIO

Elizabeth H. Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, a federation of 59 unions, 12.5 million working people across all sectors of the U.S. economy. She is the first woman to hold the office of president in the history of the labor federation.

A visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, Shuler believes the labor movement is a powerful vehicle for progress and that unions are a central force in leading lasting societal transformations. Her leadership has focused on the future of work, clean energy economy, workforce development, and empowering women and young workers. She is committed to leveraging the labor movement's diversity and power to advance social and economic justice, and to making the benefits of a union voice on the job available to working people everywhere.

1 p.m. ET | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Deployment Goal and Floating Offshore Wind Development Efforts

Elizabeth Klein smiles at the camera.

Liz Klein
Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Liz Klein currently serves as the director of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and previously served as senior counselor to Secretary Haaland at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Klein is an attorney who specializes in clean energy, climate change, and environmental law and policy. President Biden is the third President under which Liz has served at the U.S. Department of the Interior as a member of the Biden-Harris administration since January 2021 and having worked for both the Clinton and Obama administrations. Under Secretaries Ken Salazar and Sally Jewell, Liz served as the U.S. Department of the Interior’s associate deputy secretary as well as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Policy, Management and Budget.

1:20 p.m. ET | Break

1:30 p.m. ET | Keynote – Advancing Floating Offshore Wind in the U.S. for our Nation's Clean Economy Future

Senator Ed Markey, Massachusetts

Edward Markey
U.S. Senator, Massachusetts

For more than 40 years, Senator Markey has served the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Congressman and U.S. Senator. He has been a national leader and author of some of the most important laws in the areas of energy, the environment, and telecommunications policy. On a bipartisan basis, he has passed more than 500 pieces of legislation into law. He has been a powerful and effective voice for enhancing energy efficiency, transitioning our economy to clean and sustainable energy resources and mitigating the consequences of climate change; bolstering U.S. and global security by staunching nuclear proliferation and promoting arms control; defending human rights; enacting financial reforms to protect consumers and investors against the types of abuses that directly triggered the global recession; ensuring the continued openness of the internet; and advancing the interests of consumers by injecting competitiveness into electric, telecommunications and telephone markets, and protecting the privacy of personal information. 

Senator Markey currently serves as chair of the Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee of the Environment and Public Committee, as well as a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Small Business Committee.

Senator Markey received his B.A. from Boston College and his J.D. from Boston College Law School. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve and two terms in the Massachusetts State House before being elected to Congress.

1:40 p.m. ET | Keynotes – Underserved Communities and Energy and Environmental Justice; Ocean Co-Use; Tribal Equities

Shalanda H. Baker

Shalanda Baker
Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity and Secretarial Advisor on Equity, U.S. Department of Energy

The Honorable Shalanda H. Baker is the director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy and secretarial advisor on equity. Prior to her Senate confirmation, she served as the nation’s first-ever deputy director for energy justice. Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, she was a professor of law, public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern University.

She has spent over a decade conducting research on the equity dimensions of the global transition away from fossil fuel energy to cleaner energy resources. She is the author of over a dozen articles, book chapters, and essays on renewable energy law, energy justice, energy policy, and renewable energy development. In 2016, she received a Fulbright-Garcia-Robles research fellowship to study climate change, energy policy, and indigenous rights in Mexico. She is the cofounder and former codirector of the Initiative for Energy Justice (www.iejusa.org), an organization committed to providing technical law and policy support to communities on the frontlines of climate change. Her book, Revolutionary Power: An Activist’s Guide to the Energy Transition (Island Press 2021), argues that the technical terrain of energy policy should be the next domain to advance civil rights.

She received her bachelor's of science degree from the United States Air Force Academy and juris doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law. She obtained her master of laws (Latin Legum Magister) degree while serving as a William H. Hastie Fellow at the University of Wisconsin School of Law. 

Headshot of Janet Coit, smiling

Janet Coit
Assistant Administrator of Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Janet Coit is the Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, the nation’s federal agency responsible for stewardship of living marine resources. She leads the agency in its mission to ensure the sustainability of U.S. fisheries, restore coastal and marine habitats, and recover protected marine species.

Since being appointed in June 2021, Janet has spent much of her time connecting with people to better understand how NOAA Fisheries can support habitat conservation and the resilience of coastal communities and the seafood sector. From the Aleutian and Pacific Islands to New England, Puerto Rico, the Gulf of Mexico and beyond, she has engaged with partners and stakeholders to address challenges related to predicting and preparing for the impacts of climate change. Ultimately, Janet’s goals are to grow and modernize the surveys and science that underpin management of fisheries and marine mammals and to learn from the diverse perspectives across the nation to support climate ready fisheries and a strong seafood sector. 

Throughout Janet’s 35-year career in natural resource management, a common thread has been supporting the connections among policy, science, and people. Prior to her current position, Janet directed the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for more than ten years, where she worked to improve natural resource conservation, promote local food—including seafood—and address the climate crisis. She also served as state director for The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island, worked for three U.S. Senators from New England and was counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, where she advised on national and environmental policy. 

Janet is a magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College. She holds a law degree from Stanford Law School, where she was president of the Environmental Law Society and a member of the Environmental Law Journal

Jason Ramos

Jason Ramos
Council Member, Blue Lake Rancheria (a federally recognized Native American tribe)

Jason Ramos serves Blue Lake Rancheria as a tribal council member and tribal administrator. In these roles, Jason works to advance tribal government strategy, policy, programs, and investments in infrastructure and economic enterprise, and collaborates with other tribal, federal, state, and local governments and agencies to apply continual improvements to these lifeline sectors and other governmental services.

Jason serves on the U.S. Department of Energy Indian Country Energy and Infrastructure Working Group, the North Coast Tribal Chairpersons Association, Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation Advisory Council, the Tribal-State of California Regulators Association (committee member), and Blue Lake Education Foundation (board member). His work for Blue Lake Rancheria has earned the following recognition: 2021 “Honoring Nations” Governance Award from the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, “Green Power Leadership Award (Direct Project Engagement)” from U.S. EPA, “Whole Community Preparedness Award” from FEMA, and “Climate Action Champion” designation from the Obama Administration and U.S. Department of Energy.

Jason has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Kinesiology from Cal Poly Humboldt, and Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic.

2:15 p.m. ET | Roundtable: Interagency Innovation and R&D Priorities and Resources

Dr. Geraldine Richmond smiling at the camera.

Geraldine Richmond
Under Secretary for Science and Innovation, U.S. Department of Energy

Geraldine (Geri) Richmond is the under secretary for science and innovation at the U.S. Department of Energy. In this role, she oversees the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, the nation’s largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences, the U.S. Department of Energy’s applied R&D areas of nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy, and energy system integrity, and 14 the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and their facilities. 

She is currently on leave from the University of Oregon, where she holds the presidential chair in science and is a professor of chemistry. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been honored by numerous awards including the National Medal of Science (2016), the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society (2018), and the Linus Pauling Medal Award (2018). 

Gene Rodrigues

Gene Rodrigues
Assistant Secretary for Electricity

Gene Rodrigues is the Assistant Secretary for Electricity for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity (OE). Mr. Rodrigues is a nationally recognized expert in clean energy policy and programs with over 30 years of professional experience in the field. Prior to joining OE, Mr. Rodrigues was Vice President in the Energy, Environment, and Infrastructure practice at ICF, a global advisory and digital services provider.

He has also garnered 23 years of industry experience at Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. During his tenure at SCE, he represented the company in regulatory proceedings and held leadership positions over the company’s portfolio of demand-side management programs and policies, which helped to ensure the provision of affordable, reliable, and resilient electric service for over 15 million people in Southern California.  

Over his professional career, Mr. Rodrigues held leadership positions in industry nonprofit organizations, including most recently as a member of the board of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, as the chair of the board for the California Efficiency & Demand Management Council, and as chair of the outreach committee for the bipartisan Alliance to Save Energy’s Active Efficiency initiative. Previously, he served as the chair of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and on the boards of the China-U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance and California’s Low-Income Oversight Board.

In recognition of his industry leadership, in 2012 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented Mr. Rodrigues with its Climate Leadership Award for individual leadership.

Mr. Rodrigues is a graduate of University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and Northern Arizona University. 

Head and shoulders shot of Alejandro Moreno

Alejandro Moreno
Assistant Secretary (Acting), Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power

Alejandro Moreno currently serves as Acting Assistant Secretary leading and directing DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), focused on creating and sustaining American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy. In this role he oversees the planning and execution of the office’s $3.2 billion portfolio of research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) activities. He also serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power, where he directs DOE’s renewable energy applied RDD&D activities for the geothermal, solar energy, and wind and water power technology offices. In addition, he oversees EERE's energy system integration efforts. Previously, Moreno was the Director for the Water Power Technologies Office. Between his stints at DOE, he served in the energy groups of the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, where he designed and led regulatory reform programs to spur investment in clean energy and rural electrification. Moreno holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a master’s degree in economics and energy policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Asmeret Asefaw Berhe Official Portrait

Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
Director, Office of Science

Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Ph.D., is the director of the Office of Science for the U.S. Department of Energy. Berhe was most recently a professor of soil biogeochemistry; the Ted and Jan Falasco Chair in earth sciences and geology; and associate dean for graduate education at the University of California, Merced. Her research focus lies at the intersection of soil science, global change science, and political ecology with an emphasis on how the soil system regulates the earth’s climate and the dynamic two-way relationship between the natural environment and human communities.

She previously served as the chair of the U.S. National Committee on Soil Science and member of the Board of International Scientific Organizations at the National Academies; was a leadership board member for the Earth Science Women’s Network; and was a co-principal investigator in the ADVANCEGeo Partnership, a National Science Foundation funded effort to empower (geo)scientists to respond to and prevent harassment, discrimination, bullying and other exclusionary behaviors in research environments. Her scholarship on how physical processes such as erosion, fire, and changes in climate affect the biogeochemical cycling of essential elements in the earth system and her efforts to ensure equity and inclusion of people from all walks of life in the scientific enterprise have received numerous awards and honors.

She is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, and a member of the inaugural class of the U.S. National Academies New Voices in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. In 2020, she was named a Great Immigrant, Great American by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Berhe was born and raised in Asmara, Eritrea. She received a bachelor of science degree in soil and water conservation from the University of Asmara, a master's of science degree in political ecology from Michigan State University, and a doctor of philosophy degree in biogeochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

Susan Margulies

Susan Margulies
Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation

Dr. Susan S. Margulies leads the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Engineering in its mission to transform our world for a better tomorrow by driving discovery, inspiring innovation, enriching education, and accelerating access. With an annual budget of nearly $800 million, the NSF's Engineering Directorate provides over 40 percent of federal funding for fundamental research in engineering at academic institutions, and it distributes more than 1500 awards supporting research and education each year. Projects funded by the Engineering Directorate span frontier research to generate new knowledge, problem-driven research to identify new solutions to societal challenges, and application-driven research to translate discoveries to uses that benefit society.

In partnership with industry and communities across the nation, the NSF's investments in engineering research and education lead to innovative technologies and sustainable impacts in health, agriculture, clean energy and water, resilient infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and communication systems, and many other areas. NSF support also builds the Nation’s workforce capacity in engineering and supports the diversity and inclusion of engineers at all career stages. Together, the NSF’s investments in engineering research and education enhance prosperity, equity and quality of life for all Americans.

Margulies joined the NSF as the assistant director for the Directorate for Engineering in August 2021, after leading the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. While on detail at the NSF, she is a professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar at Georgia Tech and Emory. She received her B.S.E. in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, her Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and post-doctoral training at the Mayo Clinic. She joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993 as an assistant professor, rising through the ranks to professor. In 2017 she became the first faculty member tenured in both the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, and she was a department chair in both the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory's School of Medicine. 

Margulies is internationally recognized for pioneering studies spanning the micro-to-macro scales and across species to identify mechanisms underlying brain injuries in children and adolescents and lung injuries associated with mechanical ventilation, leading to improved injury prevention, diagnosis and treatments. She has launched numerous training and mentorship programs for students and faculty, created institute-wide initiatives to enhance diversity and inclusion, and led innovative projects in engineering education. 

Margulies' transdisciplinary scholarly impact has been recognized by her election as fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine.

Rodney Cluck

Rodney Cluck
Chief of Environmental Sciences Division, Environmental Studies Program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Dr. Rodney Cluck holds a Ph.D. in environmental sociology from Mississippi State University and a master's degree in rural sociology from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. For 6 years, beginning in 1999, Dr. Cluck served as the senior Bureau social scientist where he developed and oversaw scientific studies and conducted National Environmental Policy Act analysis. In 2005, Dr. Cluck joined the Office of Renewable Energy Programs and became the project manager for the United States' first proposed offshore wind facility. 

Dr. Cluck is currently the chief of the Division of Environmental Sciences, where he leads the Environmental Studies Program, the scientific backbone that informs policy decisions regarding leasing and development of ocean energy.

2:50 p.m. ET | Roundtable: Interagency Infrastructure and Development Priorities and Resources

Marissa Knodel
Senior Advisor, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Marissa Knodel serves as senior advisor to the director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration in January 2021, she was Legislative Counsel with Earthjustice and a Climate Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, where her areas of expertise included federal onshore, offshore, and Arctic energy policy and regulations.

Knodel holds a bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College and a dual juris doctoral and master of environmental management degree from Vermont Law School and the Yale School of the Environment. 

Maria Robinson is the Director of the Grid Deployment Office
Maria Robinson is the Director of the Grid Deployment Office

Maria Robinson
Director, Grid Deployment Office

Maria Duaime Robinson was the first Korean-American elected to the Massachusetts General Court, where she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019–2022. While in office, she led the bicameral Clean Energy Caucus, was the Massachusetts state lead for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators where she also served on the board, and was the only state legislator on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Act Advisory Committee. She also served on faculty at Tufts University's School of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, bringing her expertise in energy policy to graduate students. Prior to her election in 2018, Maria led Advanced Energy Economy's Wholesale Markets Program, including engagement at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the regional transmission organizations.   

Previously, she focused on regulatory issues relating to energy and air, including a 27-state campaign with Governors' offices, legislatures, and energy and environmental regulators. She also managed Advanced Energy Economy’s report development and data-driven analysis at both the state and national level. She worked for Navigant Consulting in the renewable energy practice, supporting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in analyzing and procuring contractors for statewide renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.   

Robinson is a proud lifetime Girl Scout. She holds an bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's of jurisprudence in energy law from the University of Tulsa.

Headshot of Jigar Shah, LPO Executive Director

Jigar Shah
Director, Loan Programs Office

Jigar Shah was most recently cofounder 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. Originally from Illinois, Shah holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Illinois Urbana Champagne and an master of business administration degree from the University of Maryland College Park.

David Crane

David Crane
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations

David Crane is a leading business voice in the field of sustainability, clean energy, and climate change. Previously Crane was the CEO of Climate Real Impact Solutions and served on the boards of Heliogen Inc., Source Global, JERA Co. Inc., and Tata Steel Ltd. along with the not-for-profits Elemental Excelerator and The Climate Group NA.  

Prior to Climate Real Impact Solutions, Crane was CEO of NRG. During his 12-year tenure, he took NRG from Chapter 11 to a Fortune 200 company. Crane also led NRG to the forefront of next-generation clean energy development through large-scale initiatives in utility scale renewables (now Clearway), residential solar, post combustion carbon capture (Petra Nova), and DC fast charging (EVGO).

Prior to NRG, Crane was CEO of International Power plc, a United Kingdom-domiciled FTSE 100 company. During Crane’s tenure, NRG won numerous industry, community, and environmental awards, including multiple “transaction of the year” awards. Crane was named Energy Industry “CEO of the Year” by EnergyBiz in 2010, top CEO in the electric utility sector by Institutional Investor in 2011, and “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young in 2010. Crane was also awarded the Corporate Environmental Leadership award by GlobalGreen in 2014 and the Equinox Solar Champion Award and The C.K. Prahalad Award for Global Sustainability Business Leadership, both in 2015. NRG, under Crane’s leadership, was a key member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership from 2008 to 2011. 

Crane is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Princeton University.

Maeve Bartlett

Maeve Bartlett
Senior Counsel, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the General Counsel

Maeve Bartlett is senior counsel in the Office of General Counsel at U.S. Department of Transportation. She concentrates on climate and environmental matters throughout the U.S. Department of Transportation operating agencies and offices. Her duties include drafting and reviewing regulations, assisting with oversight of grant programs, and reviewing departmental testimony and public comments. 

Bartlett has over 30 years of legal and regulatory experience having worked for many years in various roles in state and federal government. Her final role in the commonwealth of Massachusetts was as secretary of energy and environmental affairs, where she was heavily involved in the burgeoning offshore wind industry, as well as green technologies generally. 

After leaving state government, Bartlett worked as a consultant focused on smart cities, the resilience of transportation infrastructure, and renewable energy before returning to government in her current role.

3:20 p.m. ET | Day 2 Introduction

head-shot of Kelly Visconti

Kelly Visconti
Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation

For 10 years, prior to joining the U.S. Department of Energy, Visconti gained broad industrial experience as an engineer and manager at The Linde Group, the world's largest industrial gas company. She led R&D projects, was the quality assurance manager for North America carbon dioxide operations, developed and standardized engineering solutions, and conducted technical training courses around the world. She is a licensed professional engineer and received her master of science degree in civil and environmental engineering from Rutgers University and a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University.

3:30 p.m. ET | Adjourn

 

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Day 2 (Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023)

11 a.m. ET | Welcome and Review of Day 1

Dr. Geraldine Richmond smiling at the camera.

Geraldine Richmond
Under Secretary for Science and Innovation, U.S. Department of Energy

Geraldine (Geri) Richmond is the under secretary for science and innovation at the U.S. Department of Energy. In this role, she oversees the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, the nation’s largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences, the U.S. Department of Energy’s applied R&D areas of nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy, and energy system integrity, and 14 the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and their facilities. 

She is currently on leave from the University of Oregon, where she holds the presidential chair in science and is a professor of chemistry. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been honored by numerous awards including the National Medal of Science (2016), the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society (2018), and the Linus Pauling Medal Award (2018). 

11:10 a.m. ET | Keynote – State Leadership and Coordination for Achieving National Floating Offshore Wind Goals

Robert Golden

Robert Golden
Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Infrastructure, White House

Robert Golden most recently served on the policy team for the Biden-Harris Administration transition, focusing on the climate and energy portfolio. He was previously the deputy chief of staff for Ørsted’s Offshore Wind Division in North America, where he started as a manager for strategy and business development.

Prior to joining Ørsted, Golden worked at McKinsey in the Sustainability Practice and in the Obama Administration White House Office of Energy and Climate Change. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Gov. Janet Mills

Janet Mills
Governor of Maine

Janet Trafton Mills is the 75th Governor of Maine and the first woman governor of Maine. In her historic victories, she earned more votes than any governor in state history and is the first governor since 1970 to be elected with a majority of the vote for both terms.

As governor, she has expanded health care to more than 90,000 people in Maine, cut the uninsured rate by more than any other state in the nation, fully funded schools for the first time in Maine history, raised the minimum teacher salary, delivered free community college, cut taxes for Maine retirees, and provided significant tax relief for the people of Maine, among many other bipartisan accomplishments.

Under her leadership, Maine’s GDP has grown by 10.1%—the ninth best rate of growth in the nation and the best rate of growth in New England. In fact, Maine has experienced more economic growth over the last four years than it did in the preceding fifteen. Working closely with republicans, democrats, and independents, she increased the state's Rainy Day Fund to a record high of more than $900 million and delivered one of the strongest inflation relief measures in the nation—sending $850 to most Maine taxpayers.

Through her Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, she is now focused on addressing Maine’s longstanding workforce shortage, investing millions of dollars in job training programs and initiatives to build more housing for Maine people.
 

David Hochschild

Commissioner David Hochschild
California Energy Commission

David Hochschild was appointed chair of the California Energy Commission by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2019. He fills the environmental position on the five-member commission, where four of the five members are required by law to have professional training in specific areas—engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics, and law.

Hochschild's career has spanned public service, environmental advocacy, and the private sector. He first got involved in the solar energy field in 2001 in San Francisco as a special assistant to Mayor Willie Brown, where Hochschild launched a citywide $100 million initiative to put solar panels on public buildings. He also cofounded the Vote Solar Initiative, a 60,000-member advocacy organization promoting solar policies at the local, state, and federal levels. Hochschild was executive director of a national consortium of leading solar manufacturers and worked for 5 years at Solaria, a solar company in Silicon Valley. From 2007 to 2008, he served as a commissioner at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

For his work to advance clean energy, Hochschild was awarded the Sierra Club's Trailblazer Award, the American Lung Association's Clean Air Hero Award, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Million Solar Roof True Champion Award. Hochschild holds a bachelor of arts from Swarthmore College and a master of public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also was a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs.

John Bel Edwards

John Bel Edwards
Governor of Louisiana

11:50 a.m. ET | Panel: Technology Innovation and Cost Reduction Pathways

Nathan McKenzie

Nathan McKenzie
Technology Manager for Offshore Wind R&D, Wind Energy Technologies Office

McKenzie is the technology manager for offshore wind R&D within the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office. In this role, he is the federal lead for the offshore demonstration projects, the offshore R&D consortium, relevant awards, and lab projects related to developing and validating design tools and conceptual designs for offshore turbines and foundations. 

McKenzie has been working for 22 years in the maritime industry in ship research and development, design, and construction. He is a naval architect and marine engineer from Webb Institute with a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University.

Patrick Duffy smiling at the camera.

Patrick Duffy
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

As an offshore wind energy analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Duffy is focused on developing tools and analysis to better understand offshore wind energy cost and technology trends. He is currently leading a lab effort to map floating offshore wind cost reduction pathways in the context of the U.S. Department of Energy’s announced Floating Offshore Wind Shot target.

Prior to joining the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Duffy studied wind turbine blade design and aerodynamics at the Technical University of Denmark and Delft University of Technology.

Georges Sassine looks at the camera.

Georges Sassine
Vice President for Large-Scale Renewables, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

As the vice president for large-scale renewables, Sassine leads the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s work in advancing both land-based renewable energy and offshore wind resources. Prior to joining the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in September 2021, he spent nearly 10 years at General Electric, where he took on a wide scope of responsibilities including strategy, scenario planning, product management, innovation, marketing and business development. He started his career in engineering and policy analysis roles with the United Nations Development Program in the Middle East and think tanks in Washington, D.C. Sassine has also worked with several multinational corporations driving policy analysis, investment and business strategy including Deutsche Bank’s Energy & Climate Change Advisors team in New York and Man Group’s energy private equity fund in London. He is also the founder of a nonprofit that advocates for transparency and good governance in the energy industry. Sassine sits on the board of the Clean Energy States Alliance, a nonprofit platform for states and public agencies to collaborate to advance clean energy in the United States.

He holds a bachelor in engineering degree in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University.

Joel Cline

Joel Cline
Tropical Program Coordinator, National Weather Service

Joel Cline is the tropical program coordinator for NOAA's National Weather Service, overseeing the outreach, training and working with stakeholders for tropical program management. He is currently on a detail at the research branch of NOAA and working with the Global Systems Lab to set up a Program Management Office for the Boulder lab.

Prior to these positions, he led the Wind Forecast Improvement Projects and atmospheric research for the Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office.

Mario Garcia-Sanz

Mario Garcia-Sanz
Program Director, U.S. Department of Energy | Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy

Dr. Mario Garcia-Sanz serves as a program director at DOE/ARPA-E, is a veteran of the early European wind energy industry designing commercial multi-megawatt wind turbines, and is a university professor at Case Western Reserve University. He is also a control engineer, an entrepreneur and a technical leader with over 30 years of experience on multidisciplinary systems and advanced control co-design solutions for energy companies and space agencies.

Garcia-Sanz has excelled in academia and industry, holding appointments at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the European Space Agency, NATO, Case Western Reserve University, Oxford University, Manchester University, the Public University of Navarra and TECNUN/CEIT. Since the 1990s, he worked as a senior advisor for many European wind energy companies, electrical utilities, and corporations. 

Garcia-Sanz holds over 20 patents, published over 250 research papers, and wrote three control engineering books. He has been principal investigator of over 50 industry research projects. At ARPA-E, he proposed and developed the ATLANTIS Program on floating offshore wind, the SHARKS Program on tidal and riverine energy, and led the efforts on grid technology with the NODES Program, with 50+ research projects in about 30 states with a strong multi-institution cross-collaboration.

Lyndie Hice-Dunton headshot

Lyndie Hice-Dunton
Executive Director, National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium

Lyndie Hice-Dunton is the Executive Director of the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (Consortium). The Consortium, established in 2018, is a not-for-profit public-private partnership focused on advancing offshore wind technology in the United States through high impact research projects and cost-effective and responsible development to maximize economic benefits.

Prior to joining the Consortium in 2023, Lyndie served as the executive director of the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA), which works to enhance scientific understanding necessary to support the coexistence of wind energy development and sustainable fisheries.

Dr. Hice-Dunton is a marine scientist with a multidisciplinary background in marine ecology, environmental policy, and offshore development. Lyndie’s offshore wind efforts have allowed her to work closely with state and federal regulatory agencies, researchers, offshore wind developers and fishing industry representatives to identify the best science-based approaches that improve our understanding of the effects of wind energy development on ocean ecosystems and support research and technology innovation.

She holds a doctorate in marine and atmospheric sciences from Stony Brook University.    

12:30 p.m. ET | Roundtable: Innovators' Perspectives

Mike Olsen

Mike Olsen
Technology-to-Market Advisor at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy

Mike Olsen is a Technology-to-Market Advisor at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), where he helps prepare breakthrough energy technologies for transition from the lab to the market and deepen ARPA-E's private sector engagement.  

Olsen focuses on renewable generation technology commercialization, specifically, floating offshore wind, marine hydro-kinetics and  deep geothermal. Olsen is a member of the floating offshore wind interagency strategy group as well as the liaison between ARPA-E and state energy agencies, such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the Clean Energy Center, and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Prior to ARPA-E, Olsen was a Business Development Executive at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center where he commercialized concentrated solar technologies, chip level and data center energy efficiency technologies, and energy efficient parallel processing microelectronics. Olsen was also cofounder, legal counsel and Vice President of Business Development for a thin film solar startup. Olsen earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and a juris doctoral degree from Vermont Law School.

Adrienne Downey smiles at the camera.

Adrienne Downey
Principal Engineer and Country Manager, Hexicon

Adrienne Downey is the Principal Engineer and Country Manager for pure-play floating offshore wind developer and technology provider Hexicon in the United States and Canada. Downey most recently was the Principal Engineer for offshore wind for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. During her tenure, Downey led the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s nation-leading offshore wind energy program with the goal of reaching 9 gigawatts by 2035, and successfully procured an excess of 4.1 gigawatts. Previously, Downey supported the establishment of wind turbine original equipment manufacturer ENERCON’s operations in North America in addition to her own energy transition consulting practice, ADaptation. Downey holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineer from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a master’s degree in sustainable environmental systems from the Pratt Institute in New York City. 

Ralph Torr smiles at the camera.

Ralph Torr
Head of Floating Offshore Wind, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult

Ralph Torr is the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s head of floating offshore wind energy. Torr has spent more than a decade working in offshore renewable energy with a primary focus on technology development and assessment, and project design and optimization. Torr has experience in offshore technology design, development and qualification, both in a project and consultancy context. Torr is currently leading the development of a portfolio of floating wind energy projects and programs including the Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence. Central to this is working with partners to develop and deliver programs of activity to accelerate the deployment of floating offshore wind, whilst driving down the cost of this technology to a commercially sustainable rate. 

Habib Dagher smiles at the camera.

Habib Dagher
Executive Director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center University of Maine

Dagher is the founding executive director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC). Under his leadership, the Center has grown from four to 260 personnel and is now housed in a 100,000-square-foot laboratory, the largest university-based research Center in Maine. Dagher is a world-leading advocate for developing sustainable infrastructure and energy systems which simultaneously optimize structures, materials, manufacturing, construction and maintenance. Dagher initiated a number of major research programs which have gained ASCC national and international reputation, such as:

  • Floating offshore wind energy technology research program to address the state’s and nation’s energy transformation. He assembled and led a team that deployed the VolturnUS 1:8, the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in the United States. Success of the technology led to over 60 patents, a further $150 million investment from the U.S. Department of Energy, and two of the world’s largest offshore wind energy developers. He led development of unique research facilities including the Alfond W2 Wave-Wind basin, the first U.S. ocean engineering basin combining a high-quality wind machine with a wave basin to develop floating wind energy technology and the second largest wind blade testing facility in the United States.
  • The large-scale bio-based additive manufacturing program in which the largest polymer 3D printer in the world was installed, earning three Guinness World records, including for the largest 3D printed boat in the world in 2019.
  • Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center to address the nation’s crumbling roads and bridges. Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, it brings together the New England State Department of Transportation and universities to develop more sustainable materials and construction methods. Some bridge technologies developed at ASCC include:
    • The Bridge-in-a-Backpack technology, which are inflatable composite arch bridges that are approved in the AASHTO bridge Code, and have been spun off into a growing private business.
    • The longest composite materials highway bridge in the United States, a 540-foot girder bridge in Maine, in cooperation with the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Other composite technologies include:
    • The Modular Ballistic Protection System, the first such technology to be approved and fielded by the U.S. Army to protect troops in tents from blast and ballistic threats
    • The longest carbon-fiber composite vessel built for the U.S. Navy, an 83-foot-long high-speed interceptor.

Dagher holds more than 80 patents, has over 100 publications, and has received numerous awards, including the 2015 White House Transportation Champion of Change, The Carnegie Foundation Maine Professor of the Year, The Distinguished Maine Professor Award, The American Society of Civil Engineers Charles Pankow Innovation Award, the Maine Better Transportation Association Transportation Champion, WindPower Engineering and Development Innovator 2017, Engineering News Record Top 25 Newsmakers, Maine International Trade Center Innovator of the Year, and the Maine Development Foundation Champion for Economic Development.

Leif Delp

Leif Delp
Senior Advisor for Floating Offshore Wind, Equinor

Leif Delp has worked with floating wind technology and project management execution since 2006 as project manager for the Hywind Demo project (the world's first floating offshore wind turbine) and Project Director for Hywind Scotland project (the world's first floating offshore wind farm). Previous positions Delp held include head of floating offshore wind technology and head of marine structures and risers in Equinor.

Delp has over 30 years of Norwegian and international experience in O&G EPC projects within project management, engineering and construction of various offshore platforms (semi’s, FPSO’s, topsides, jackets) during all project phases incl. early phase studies, FEED, engineering, construction, installation, hook-up and offshore construction management on several operating O&G platforms at NCS.

Delp has a Master of Science in structural engineering from The Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway.

David Aqui

David Aqui
Principal Consultant at Kent

David Aqui has 25 years of offshore engineering experience and has supported U.S. offshore wind energy for more than 6 years. He has recently led feasibility studies of offshore substations, which included topsides design and permitting level engineering off the U.S. East Coast.

David’s most recent focus has been floating wind, where he is developing and implementing a strategy to enable a floating wind business centered around engineering excellence and innovation. He is currently project director of a multidisciplinary consortium to design and develop the first full-scale 10+-megawatt floating offshore wind turbine platform to be constructed and installed in the United States Outer Continental Shelf region; this project has recently completed Pre-FEED. FEED will see the continuation of this project with increasing interface and collaboration with supply chain to industrialize floating wind in the United States.

Aaron Smith looks at the camera.

Aaron Smith
Chief Commercial Officer at Principle Power

Aaron Smith serves as chief commercial officer at Principle Power with overall responsibility for business development, strategy, and public affairs. He is also a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee, the Business Network for Offshore Wind, and the Global Wind Energy Council. He has been with Principle Power since 2016 and previously served as vice president of strategy and commercial. Prior to joining Principle Power, Smith was an economist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he directed a portfolio of work designed to identify high-value R&D opportunities for land-based and offshore wind energy technologies, providing the U.S. Department of Energy with strategic decision support. Smith graduated with honors from the University of Vermont with degrees in economics and political science.

1:10 p.m. ET | Break

1:20 p.m. ET | Panel: Expanded, Just, & Sustainable Deployment and Ocean Co-Use

Necy Sumait smiles at the camera.

Necy Sumait
Regional Supervisor for the Office of Strategic Resources, Pacific Region for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

Necy Sumait is the regional supervisor for the Office of Strategic Resources, Pacific Region for the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. She leads the planning and leasing activities for offshore energy projects in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf. Sumait brings to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management her extensive and comprehensive experience in the development of a range of renewable energy projects from feasibility to development, construction and operations in the private sector. Sumait has a bachelor of science degree in biology and a master's degree in business administration. 

Headshot of a woman smiling.

Joy Page
Technology Manager, Wind Energy Technologies Office

Joy Page is the technology manager for the environmental portfolio within the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the Wind Energy Technologies Office’s investments in understanding and addressing environmental challenges to wind energy deployment. Her career has focused on addressing renewable energy and wildlife concerns for nearly two decades. Prior to joining the Wind Energy Technologies Office, Page led Defenders of Wildlife’s Renewable Energy Program where she collaborated with government agencies and developers on policies and strategies to minimize and mitigate wildlife impacts from renewable energy development. Prior to that, she practiced law on the environment and energy team at Godfrey & Kahn S.C., where she advised clients on a range of complex environmental permitting and corporate transactional matters. Page received her juris doctoral degree from Georgetown University Law Center, has a master's of science degree in environmental health from University of Illinois, and a bachelor of science degree from Bradley University. 

Stephanie Watson smiles at the camera.

Stephanie Watson
Offshore Wind Program Manager for the State of Maine

Stephanie Watson is the offshore wind program manager for the state of Maine in the Governor's Energy Office. Watson currently leads implementation of the Offshore Wind Roadmap that seeks to create an offshore wind energy industry that works for Maine’s people, Maine’s economy, and Maine’s heritage. Topics of focus include the alignment of offshore wind energy research and technology development, policy, supply chain and workforce opportunities, energy markets, and coexistence with fisheries and the environment. Watson has worked at the interface of the ocean and economy for the last 25 years in coalition-building roles in government and the private sector. Watson has master of science degrees in ecology and environmental science and in spatial information science & engineering from the University of Maine. She lives near Portland, Maine, with her husband and two children. 

Adena Leibman

Adena Leibman
Senior Advisor, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Adena Leibman serves as a senior advisor with a focus on offshore wind across the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and additional issues under the agency's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.

Prior to joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Leibman was a senior manager for federal affairs at Environmental Defense Fund where she led the oceans and wild-caught fisheries national policy work. Before joining Environmental Defense Fund, Leibman worked for U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island) as his lead ocean and natural resources policy staffer and appropriations manager. During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Leibman oversaw the development and passage of the bipartisan Save Our Seas and Save Our Seas 2.0 Acts, which address marine debris and plastic pollution; creation and initial funding of the National Coastal Resilience Fund; and drafting and introduction of the BLUE GLOBE Act, an ocean data and exploration bill. She previously served as plastics initiative manager and staff attorney with Ocean Conservancy, clerked with the U.S. Department of Justice and Bonneville Power Administration, and started her career in policy as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant Knauss Legislative Fellow.

Leibman has a juris doctoral degree from Lewis & Clark Law School, a bachelor of science and master of science degrees in marine science from the University of South Carolina, and a certificate in executive leadership from Cornell University.

2 p.m. ET | Roundtable: Perspectives on Floating Offshore Wind Deployment

Jason Busch smiles at the camera.

Jason Busch
Executive Director of the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust

Jason Busch is executive director of the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, an organization that promotes ocean based climate solutions. Busch is a cochair of the Marine Energy Council, the national trade group for the marine hydrokinetic energy sector. Busch is also the secretary/treasurer of Offshore Wind California and secretary of the Renewable Hydrogen Alliance. He sits on several advisory boards, including the Pacific Offshore Wind Energy Research group; Science and Technology Advisory Committee to the Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research Program (National Renewable Energy Laboratory/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory); Oregon Renewable Energy Siting Assessment project; Pacific Marine Energy Center Advisory Council; and the U.S. Department of State Lands Rulemaking Advisory Committee. 

Prior to joining Oregon Wave Energy Trust, Busch was an attorney specializing in land use, energy, and project development. Busch holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Texas A&M University and a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Southern Mississippi. He received a doctor of jurisprudence degree in 2006 from the University of Oregon School of Law, graduating with honors and admitted to the Order of the Coif. He has multiple publications, including most recently a chapter in Climate Change Impacts on Ocean and Coastal Law, published by Oxford University Press. 

Liz Burdock smiles at the camera.

Liz Burdock
President and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind

Liz Burdock cofounded the Business Network for Offshore Wind in 2013 and serves as its president and CEO. With a background in policy, Burdock has led the Network staff in launching the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, the largest offshore wind energy conference in the Americas, creating critical industry products like Supply Chain Connect, OSW Dashboard, Foundation 2 Blade training, and remains a thought leader in developing the U.S. offshore wind energy industry and domestic supply chain. Burdock has extensive experience running public/private partnerships. Her career is focused on convening and coordinating diverse stakeholders, including businesses, academics, government agencies, policy makers, community leaders, workforce organizations and strategic investors to develop sound solutions that facilitate the implementation of clean energy in the United States.

Prior to the Network, Burdock managed Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing, a White House initiative that focused on the adoption of new sustainable technologies in the home building industry. She also managed the Chesapeake Crescent, a regional initiative aimed at growing a green economy in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Burdock has a bachelor in science degree in sociology from Frostburg University. She is a graduate of Leadership Maryland and was named one of Windpower Monthly’s Influential and Interesting Leaders in the Offshore Wind Industry in 2018. Burdock has been featured in energy publications including ReCharge, reNEWS, RTO Insider, as well as the Baltimore Sun, Forbes, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal

Adam Stern smiling at the camera.

Adam Stern
Executive Director, Offshore Wind California

Adam Stern is executive director of Offshore Wind California, a trade group of offshore wind developers, technology companies, and consultancies dedicated to the responsible development of offshore wind energy in California. He previously was executive director of Acterra, a San Francisco Bay area climate advocacy organization. 

In earlier positions, Stern served as climate program manager for the San Francisco Department of the Environment, vice president for policy and strategy at TerraPass, deputy director for the Environmental Defense Fund, and special assistant for international affairs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Bill Gorham

Bill Gorham
Oregon Coast Energy Alliance Network

Bill Gorham is a marine biologist. After receiving his doctor of philosophy degree, he taught for a decade at universities in California and the U.S. Virgin Islands before starting a 30-plus year career in environmental consulting. He specialized in managing multidisciplinary environmental assessments and permitting projects, particularly for energy projects in the United States, Australia, and Canada. Gorham retired in 2017 and has since devoted much of his time to educating people about the critical nature of humanity's need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas pollution to limit the worst effects of climate change and ocean acidification.

Gorham serves on the board of directors and chair of the environmental committee of Oregon Coastal Energy Alliance Network, a cross-cultural community-based organization with the initial mission to explore the opportunities and challenges of floating offshore wind energy.

Mike Conroy

Mike Conroy
West Coast Director, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance

Mike Conroy is the West Coast director for the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a broad membership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies across the United States committed to improving the compatibility of new offshore development with their businesses. Conroy participates in the Pacific Fishery Management Council as vice chair of the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel and co-chair of the Marine Planning Committee. Before carving out this niche, Conroy practiced corporate law, operated commercial passenger carrying fishing vessels and commercial fishing vessels. He has been engaging in the offshore wind energy conversations since the call areas were announced off California in late 2018.

Francine Kershaw smiles at the camera.

Francine Kershaw
Natural Resources Defense Council

Francine Kershaw uses the best available scientific information to advocate for improved protections for marine mammals related to a variety of issues, including ocean noise, vessel strikes, and bycatch. She currently leads NRDC's work to end large whale entanglements and dedicates a large part of her portfolio to advancing responsible offshore wind development across the United States. Kershaw is an active member of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Environmental Technical Working Group and has published scientific and policy guidance on ways to monitor for and reduce environmental risks associated with floating offshore wind development. Kershaw holds a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Leeds, a master's degree in biodiversity, conservation, and management from the University of Oxford, and a doctor of philosophy degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from Columbia University. She is currently based in Charleston, South Carolina.

2:40 p.m. ET | Panel: Domestic Supply Chain

Patrick Gilman

Patrick Gilman
Program Manager for Modeling and Analysis, Wind Energy Technologies Office

Patrick Gilman is a program manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office. In this position, he leads the office’s analysis program, including activities in market research, economic modeling and other work to help evaluate potential innovations in wind energy technology and understand wind’s place in our energy mix today and in the future. In addition to leading the office’s analysis work, Gilman manages the office’s efforts to advance distributed wind energy technology and work with other federal agencies to address the impacts of wind development on radar. Gilman is a graduate of Whitman College and holds an master's of arts degree in China studies and international economics from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. 

Mark Higgins

Mark Higgins
Deputy Director for Technology and Project Management Division, U.S. Department of Energy Loans Program Office

Mark Higgins is the deputy director for the Technology and Project Management Division in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loans Program Office. In this role, Mark oversees the technical due diligence efforts of the Loans Program Office to finance innovative clean energy technologies that reduce emissions, build energy infrastructure and create jobs.

Prior to joining the Loans Programs Office, Mark served in various leadership roles in the Wind and Water Power Program; including acting director, deputy director, chief operating officer, and technology lead. Mark also stood up the Water Power Technology Office as its first director when the Wind and Water Power Offices were separated and made independent programs.  

Higgins has a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland.

Dave Effross

Dave Effross
Principal Policy Advisor for Energy and Climate for the AFL-CIO

Dave Effross is the principal policy advisor for energy and climate on the AFL-CIO side of the Labor Energy Partnership. Effross' extensive policy and regulatory background includes having stints at the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission. He also held several other energy policy positions before coming to the AFL-CIO. 

Effross holds a bachelor’s degree in Politics from Princeton University, a Master of Science in Management (MBA plus thesis) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, a Master of Science in Energy and Environmental Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Mastère Spécialisé en Politique et Gestion de l’Energie from the Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP).

Genevra Harker-Klimeš

Genevra Harker-Klimeš
Senior Offshore Energy Advisor, Wind Energy Technologies Office

Dr. Genevra Harker-Klimeš is a senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office. She is an experienced leader with scientific, and international policy and law expertise, focusing on strategic offshore energy development and environmental sustainability.  

In 2015, Harker-Klimeš joined the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to lead an initiative supporting the development of marine environmental monitoring technologies. She subsequently became director of the Coastal Sciences Division and the Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory from 2019 to 2022, leaving to become an independent advisor to DOE.

Before moving to the United States, Harker-Klimeš led her own energy and environmental consultancy in Europe for 13 years, having previously worked offshore for an oceanographic survey company. She has a doctorate in physical oceanography from Bangor University, Wales, and a Master of Laws in Energy Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, Scotland.

3:20 p.m. ET | Panel: Offshore Wind Transmission

Alissa Baker smiles at the camera.

Alissa Baker
Offshore Wind Transmission Lead for the U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Deployment Office

Alissa Baker is the offshore wind transmission lead for the U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Deployment Office. She is currently designing and managing DOE's Atlantic and West Coast offshore wind energy transmission convening efforts in partnership with the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Prior to this, Baker spent 9 years working on transmission planning, generation interconnection, stakeholder engagement, and cross-agency collaboration at the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest. Baker holds a master's degree in renewable energy engineering from the Oregon Institute of Technology. 

Jian Fu smiles at the camera.

Jian Fu
Systems Integration Program Lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office

Jian Fu is the Systems Integration Program lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office. In this role, she leads the development of research, development, demonstration and deployment portfolio that advances the wind energy integration with the electrical grid. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Energy in 2016, Jian had more than 15 years private sector experience, including various engineering positions at different product lines at Alstom Grid, and 3 years as a cofounder at a utility software start-up company. Jian is a trained Power System Engineer. She holds a doctor of philosophy degree from Iowa State University and a master’s and bachelor’s degree from Southeast University in China, all in electrical engineering. 

Dmitry Kosterev

Dmitry Kosterev
Principal Transmission Planning Engineer, Bonneville Power Administration

Dmitry Kosterev is a principal transmission planning engineer with Bonneville Power Administration. His responsibilities include transmission power system planning, reliable integration of renewable generation, power system modeling and controls, and technology innovation. 

Kosterev served also as a chairperson and member of several WECC and NERC subcommittees and working groups, and received a WECC outstanding contributor award in 2014.

4 p.m. ET | Panel: Co-Generation Opportunities

Jian Fu smiles at the camera.

Jian Fu
Systems Integration Program Lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office

Jian Fu is the Systems Integration Program lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office. In this role, she leads the development of research, development, demonstration and deployment portfolio that advances the wind energy integration with the electrical grid. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Energy in 2016, Jian had more than 15 years private sector experience, including various engineering positions at different product lines at Alstom Grid, and 3 years as a cofounder at a utility software start-up company. Jian is a trained Power System Engineer. She holds a doctor of philosophy degree from Iowa State University and a master’s and bachelor’s degree from Southeast University in China, all in electrical engineering. 

Jeppe Lundbaek

Jeppe Lundbæk
Danish Energy Agency

Jeppe Lundbæk is a regulatory affairs expert, collaborating government-to-government with partners in the U.S. offshore wind energy market at state and federal level. The aim of this work is to inspire and facilitate the making of ideal framework conditions for offshore wind in the United States. This work is part of the Energy Governance Partnership program, where the Danish Energy Agency collaborate with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and U.S. Department of Energy at the federal level, and the states of California (California Energy Commission), New York (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority), New Jersey (Board of Public Utilities), and Virginia on offshore wind energy.

Lundbæk's regulatory affairs background rests on providing the best possible framework conditions for offshore wind power in Denmark since 2017. He has been project managing the team behind the tender for the 1-gigawatt Thor Offshore Wind Farm since its early conceptualization in the 2018 Energy Agreement. At the international level, part of Lundbæk's work is also to represent Denmark in one of the working groups in the North Seas Energy Cooperation, where nine countries around the North Sea and the European Commission work on identifying areas that can benefit from harmonization, potential common hybrid projects on production/interconnection, coordination of tenders, sharing of best practices on tender design, etc.

4:40 p.m. ET | Future Engagement Opportunities

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino
Offshore Wind Energy Lead, U.S. Department of Energy

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino is the U.S. Department of Energy’s offshore wind lead and has been with the department for 13 years. Brown-Saracino contributed to the establishment of the joint agency 30 gigawatts by 2030 goal and is leading U.S. Department of Energy’s subsequent implementation efforts. This includes leading the department’s offshore wind energy strategic planning efforts, leading the establishment of the Floating Offshore Wind Shot, overseeing the initiation of U.S. Department of Energy’s Atlantic transmission analysis and convening efforts, and contributing to the establishment of the White House-led Federal State Offshore Wind Partnership focused on supply chain coordination.

Prior to assuming her current role, Brown-Saracino served as program manager for U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Environmental, Siting, Workforce Development and Grid portfolio, and managed the department’s Wind, Ocean Energy, and Hydropower environmental research portfolios. She came to U.S. Department of Energy through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. She holds a master’s degree in marine science from the University of New England and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Smith College.

4:55 p.m. ET | Adjourn

Additional Information

For questions about the Summit, contact offshorewindevents@ee.doe.gov.

Learn more about the Floating Offshore Wind Shot.