Agenda

Friday, May 1, 2026

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Opening & Welcome

  • Jenny Martinez, Provost, Stanford University
  • Vicki Veenker, Mayor, Palo Alto, California

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM | Keynote

  • Steven Chu, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics, of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and of Energy Science and Engineering, Stanford University
  • Introduction by William Chueh, Director, Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM | Shaping the Future of AI Infrastructure in California

  • Josh Becker, Senator, 13th District, State of California
  • Diane Papan, Assemblymember, 21st District, California State Assembly
  • Patti Poppe, CEO, Pacific Gas & Electric
  • Moderator: Ira Ehrenpreis, Founder and Managing Partner, DBL Partners

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Break

10:45 AM – 11:30 AM | Powering AI in Practice: Community, Utility, and System Perspectives

  • John McFarland, SVP, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Portland General Electric
  • Lori Mitchell, Energy Director, City of San José
  • Tom Wilson, Principal Technical Executive, EPRI
  • Moderator: Inês Azevedo, Professor, Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford University

11:30 AM – 11:45 AM | Powering Data Centers in the South Bay with a Focus on Innovation

  • Nico Procos, Director, Silicon Valley Power

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM | Break & Lunch Pickup

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM | Lunch: Sustainability at Scale: Corporate Strategies for Responsible Data Center Growth

  • Vrushali Gaud, Global Director, Net Zero, Google
  • Susan Uthayakumar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Prologis
  • Christopher Wellise, Global VP of Sustainability, Equinix
  • Moderator: Liang Min, Managing Director, Bits & Watts Initiative, Stanford University

1:00 PM – 1:45 PM | Municipal Impacts: Land, Air, Water, and Local Infrastructure

  • Philip Fine, Executive Officer, Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  • Felicia Marcus, Landreth Visiting Fellow, Stanford University
  • Serena McIlwain, Secretary of the Environment, State of Maryland
  • Moderator: Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Mayors

1:45 - 2:15 PM | Fireside Chat with the Phoenix and San Antonio Mayors

  • Kate Gallego, Mayor, Phoenix, Arizona (remote)
  • Gina Ortiz Jones, Mayor, San Antonio, Texas (remote)
  • Moderator: Matt Rogers, Founder, Mill and Nest

2:15 - 2:45 PM | Federal Policy: A Conversation with Congressmember Liccardo

  • Sam Liccardo, Congressmember, U.S. House of Representatives
  • David Fedor, Stephenson Policy Fellow, Hoover Institution

2:45 PM – 3:00 PM | Break

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Workshop: Balancing Growth and Sustainability

Identify priority questions, top concerns (air quality, noise, traffic, water, reliability, affordability), and the tools/support cities need (model ordinances, data access, coordination frameworks). Facilitators:

  • Sarah Billington, Gary Retelny and Family Chair and UPS Foundation Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University
  • David Burns, Assistant Executive Director, United State Conference of Mayors

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM | Frameworks for Inter-Regional Collaboration & Next Steps

  • Iyad Kheirbek, Director of Air Quality, C40 Cities
  • Graham Richard, former Mayor, Fort Wayne, and State Senator, Indiana
  • Libby Schaaf, former Mayor, Oakland, California
  • Moderator: Vicki Veenker, Mayor, Palo Alto, California

5:00 PM – 5:15 PM | Closing Remarks & Next Steps

  • Vicki Veenker, Mayor, Palo Alto, California
  • Arun Majumdar, Dean, Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University

5:15 PM – 6:00 PM | Reception