March 15
12:15pm CT
Sustainability: A Business Imperative
Professor Mark Cohen, Justin Potter Professor of American Competitive Enterprise and Professor of Law; University Fellow, Resources for the Future, Owen Graduate School of Management
Professor Mike Vandenbergh, David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair in Law; Director, Climate Change Research Network; Co-director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, Vanderbilt Law School
Join Professors Cohen and Vandenbergh to hear how sustainability has moved beyond a social and political movement to an issue facing leaders in every industry. The pair will discuss the evolution of sustainability and how it has influenced the curriculum at both Owen Graduate School of Management and Vanderbilt Law School.
1pm CT
Innovating the Energy Mix Dialogue
Matt Beasley (MBA’09), Chief Commercial Officer, Silicon Ranch
Eric Kopstain, Vice Chancellor for Administration, Vanderbilt
Ashley Lykins (MBA’09), Head of North America Sustainability, Nike
Aaron Melda (EMBA’11), Senior Vice President Transmission & Power Supply, Tennessee Valley Authority
M. Eric Johnson (Moderator), Ralph Owen Dean and Bruce D. Henderson Professor of Strategy
Every business across every industry uses energy. Reducing energy consumption is on the roadmap for every large enterprise, and progressive firms are finding innovative ways to add renewable energy into their portfolio and diversify their clean energy mix. Moderated by Dean Eric Johnson, this panel will discuss innovation in energy mix and the growth of an industry offering energy solutions to businesses big and small.
2:15pm CT
Diverse Energy Portfolios
Professor Jim Rossi, Judge D. L. Lansden Chair in Law, Vanderbilt Law School
Bill Baerg (MBA’95), Vice President, Investor Relations, Energy Transfer
Katrina Kaufman (MBA’96), Chief Commercial Officer – Penn LNG, Penn America Energy Holdings LLC
Lisa Ryder (MBA ‘06), SVP – Utilities, Power, & Renewable Energy, KeyBanc Capital Markets
M. Eric Johnson (Moderator), Ralph Owen Dean and Bruce D. Henderson Professor of Strategy
Energy portfolios have become increasingly important around the globe, creating interesting challenges such as the recent power grid failures in Texas, and opportunities such as the growth of a $23 trillion global clean energy market due to transitioning to a net-zero economy. What will a diverse portfolio mix need to look like in the future, what is the role of current energy sources, and how do new innovations in the clean energy space help towards this challenge? Could a more diverse energy portfolio help with blackouts and outages in extreme weather, as in the case of Texas? How does the government encourage diversification of energy sources?