Gavin Newsom

As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, then as mayor of San Francisco and now as Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom has been a visionary on issues of equality, the environment, homelessness and healthcare. Policies he has initiated and implemented have been duplicated in cities across the nation.

Thirty-six days into his first mayoral term, Newsom engaged one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics by allowing same-sex couples to marry in violation of state and federal law. His administration also instituted a first-of-its-kind universal health care program, and led San Francisco to economic vitality. Gavin Newsom pushed San Francisco to become one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the nation, demonstrating national leadership in renewable energy, combating climate change locally, and promoting environmental justice. As Lt. Governor, Gavin Newsom seeks to bring these goals to scale statewide, leading California in conversation and decision-making on its nuclear and renewable energy future.

Newsom came from a successful background in both the private sector, starting 19 small businesses and creating more than 1,000 jobs. He is the author of "Citizenville," which explores the intersection of democracy and technology, whose ideas have been widely accepted by both Democrats and Republicans as a blueprint for government innovation and reform.

Lyndon Rive

Lyndon Rive is the Co-founder and CEO of SolarCity. In nine years, he has helped SolarCity become one of the most recognizable brands in clean energy. In the process, the company has grown to more than 13,000 employees. Rive has led fundraising efforts for the finance of more than $8 billion in solar projects from investors including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Google, PG&E Corporation and U.S. Bancorp. He also helped the company enter new markets including 400 schools and universities, more than 100 regional and national homebuilders, and Fortune 500 companies such as eBay, Intel, and Walmart, as well as the U.S. military.

Prior to SolarCity, Rive co-founded Everdream, an industry leader in software and services for large-scale, distributed computer management. He negotiated the company’s partnership with Dell Computer, which acquired Everdream in 2007. A lifelong entrepreneur, Lyndon founded his first company at the age of 17. In his spare time, he’s a member of the U.S. National Underwater Hockey Team.

Bill Weihl

Bill Weihl is director of sustainability at Facebook. His group directs work on sustainability and energy efficiency across the company, driving projects to track and reduce the company's environmental footprint in all aspects of its operations. They also work collaboratively with other companies to scale sustainability solutions across the IT industry and into other industries. Prior to Facebook, Weihl was green energy czar at Google. In 2009, he was honored by Time Magazine as one of their Heroes of the Environment in recognition of the work he and his colleagues did at Google. Earlier in his career, Bill was a professor of computer science at MIT, a researcher at Digital's Systems Research Center, and CTO of Akamai Technologies. He holds an SB degree in Mathematics, as well as SB, SM, and PhD degrees in computer science, all from MIT.

Boris von Bormann

Boris von Bormann, born in Hamburg, Germany, has been in the international trade industry for over 17 years and in the solar industry for over eight years. Von Bormann is the CEO for sonnen, Inc., the U.S. branch of sonnen GmbH, a global pioneer and manufacturer of residential and commercial energy storage solutions. sonnen GmbH is headquartered in Bavaria, Germany, and its U.S. headquarters are located in Los Angeles.

In addition to his current CEO position with sonnen, Inc., von Bormann has ownership in SK Solar, Inc. a residential and commercial solar installation and engineering company with headquarters in Los Angeles. SK Solar operates across the United States with its parent company located in Germany. Prior to opening SK Solar, von Bormann was the director for Soltecture, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary for the German CIGS solar module manufacturer Soltecture GmbH. In 2002 he founded accessio, an independent consulting company that focuses on cross-cultural business aspects.

Loretta Lynch

Loretta Lynch served as president of the California Public Utilities Commission from 2000 through 2002 and as a commissioner through 2004. Lynch guided the PUC through the California energy crisis and fought against gouging and manipulation by energy sellers. She was an early critic of energy deregulation, opposed PG&E’s bankruptcy bailout, and fought to maintain the Commission’s regulatory authority. Lynch is a strong advocate of keeping rates reasonable and of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources for electricity.

After serving on the PUC, Lynch lectured at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and was named an Executive Fellow at the Institute for Governmental Studies. She was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley from 2007 to 2013. She is a lawyer who currently consults with consumer, community, labor and environmental groups on ratemaking, policy and legal issues. She was on the Pacific Environment board of directors from 2005 to 2010, and is a board member of the Protect Our Communities Foundation, advancing smart energy solutions.

Magali Delmas

Magali Delmas is a professor of management at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and the Anderson School of Management. She is the director of the UCLA Center for Corporate Environmental Performance. Her research interests are primarily in the areas of business strategy and corporate sustainability. Delmas has written more than 60 articles, book chapters and case studies on business and the natural environment. She works on developing effective information strategies to promote conservation behavior and the development of green markets. Her current work includes the investigation of the barriers and incentives to the adoption of energy efficient solutions.

George Minter

George Minter is vice president of external affairs and environmental strategy for SoCalGas. He leads the company’s public affairs, environmental and energy policy, community relations, and media and employee communications efforts.

Minter is a longtime public policy professional specializing in energy and environmental affairs, policy development, communications and political advocacy. Before re-joining SoCalGas in 2013, Minter was managing principal for L.A.-based public affairs firms Greer/Dailey/Minter and GM/Public Affairs. There he managed strategic communications programs and public policy initiatives to approve large land use and energy projects. Prior to that, he was the director of public affairs for SoCalGas.

He currently serves as co-chair of the Energy, Water and Environmental Sustainability Council of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce; is a member of the Land Use (GLUE) Council for SCAG; and a member of the Advisory Boards of the Clean Tech Initiative of the LAEDC, and of Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL).

Christina Bellantoni

Christina Bellantoni is the assistant managing editor for politics at the Los Angeles Times. She joined the team in August 2015.

Bellantoni, a California native and UC Berkeley graduate, came from the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, where she served as editor-in-chief. Under her leadership, Roll Call’s multimedia efforts expanded, traffic grew and the organization won awards for various projects, including a State of the Union webcast and an accounting of the net worth of every member of Congress.

Before taking over Roll Call, Bellantoni was the political editor at "The PBS NewsHour." She oversaw 2012 presidential campaign coverage, stories on politics, the national immigration debate, Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court. During the 2012 conventions, her team produced a 24/7 webcast livestream while she juggled on-air analysis and a daily email newsletter.

She frequently appears on television and radio, including NPR, C-SPAN, MSNBC, Fox News and HBO’s "Real Time With Bill Maher."

Michael Hiltzik

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Hiltzik writes the daily blog "The Economy Hub." His business column appears every Sunday and Wednesday. As a member of the Los Angeles Times staff, he has been a financial and technology writer and a foreign correspondent. He is the author of five books, including “Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age” and “The New Deal: A Modern History.” Hiltzik and colleague Chuck Philips shared the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for articles exposing corruption in the entertainment industry.

Natalie Kitroeff

Natalie Kitroeff covers the California economy for the Los Angeles Times. She previously reported on higher education and student debt at Bloomberg. Born outside of Philadelphia, she graduated from Princeton University and spent five years in New York City before deciding that it might be a good idea to get some sun.

Ivan Penn

Ivan Penn joined the Los Angeles Times in July 2015 from the other Sunshine State, Florida, after 23 years reporting on the East Coast. Penn covers all things energy on The Times’ Business staff – when not on trumpet behind his singer-songwriter wife. He's a father of three (four if you include the bunny, Snickett). Born in Washington, D.C., Penn grew up in Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Nancy Sutley

Nancy Sutley is the Chief Sustainability and Economic Development Officer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power where she oversees energy efficiency, water conservation, economic development, and electrification of the transportation network. Prior to LADWP, Nancy Sutley served as Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality from 2009 to 2014. Previously, she was the Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment for the City of Los Angeles, California under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.ek, New York Post, Los Angeles Times and others.

Tiffany Roberts

Tiffany Roberts serves as Director of Fuels and Climate Change Policy for Western States Petroleum Association. Roberts is responsible for working with association members to provide policy advice and to help craft a strategic approach to legislative and regulatory activities including key issues such as the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and climate policy regulations such as cap-and-trade.

An economist by training, Roberts has spent the past eight years advising California policy makers on energy and climate policy. She started her career in energy policy at the local government level conducting economic analysis of local energy and climate policies. She then transitioned to the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office — the nonpartisan advisor to the California Legislature — where she served as the LAO’s Senior Energy and Climate Policy Analyst for five years.

Roberts has extensive experience testifying before the California Legislature. Her work has been widely cited and quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, Bloomberg's Businessweek, New York Post, Los Angeles Times and others.

Patrick Currier

Patrick Currier is a partner and co-founder of S2C Pacific, a California-based policy consulting firm specializing in energy, environmental, technology, and infrastructure issues.

For more than 10 years, Patrick has worked at the intersection of energy and environmental law and policy as an attorney and public policy professional with two Washington, DC, law firms and, most recently, as Senior Energy Counsel to the Committee on Energy & Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives. From helping clients develop sophisticated advocacy campaigns to briefing Members of Congress on the evolving market and technology dynamics impacting today’s energy landscape, Patrick’s experience in both the public and private sectors has provided him with a unique perspective on how to understand and approach difficult policy and regulatory challenges and craft durable solutions.

September: Future Cities

In September, the discussion will focus on urban development, resiliency, architecture and the design of the urban environments. We will convene the world’s foremost thinkers, policymakers, developers, entrepreneurs and industry stars for a conversation on shaping the city of the future.

November: The Big Idea

Presenting a program of provocative discussions, inspiring presentations and engaging conversations, around the ideas and innovations shaping the future. Participants will cover topics ranging from cutting-edge technologies, artificial intelligence and virtual reality to advances in science and medicine.