About the Symposium

On September 30, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul designated Commissioner Rory M. Christian as the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Commission. On June 10, 2021, Mr. Christian was
appointed Commissioner, and his term runs through February 1, 2027.

Mr. Christian began his career in the energy industry with KeySpan Energy where he first served as a civil engineer before transitioning to a role engaging government agencies operating in Long Island and New York City. Mr. Christian then transitioned to Exelon Energy, where he developed new products targeting public sector clientele and helped facilitate the creation of multiple partnerships and alliances.

Mr. Christian then served as the Director of Energy Finance and Sustainability for the New York City Housing Authority, where he oversaw the Authority’s then $500M+ utility portfolio with the aim of reducing annual energy expenditures while achieving city, state and federally mandated greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements. More recently, he was the Director of New York Clean Energy at Environmental Defense Fund where he provided strategy management, programming, business development and stakeholder collaboration for the Clean Energy program in NY.

He enjoys teaching and has taught energy efficiency courses at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies. He also volunteers time with workforce development organizations such as Green City Force and is a longtime supporter and former Chair of WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s (WE ACT) Board of Directors. Mr. Christian is a long-time resident of New York City and currently resides in Brooklyn with his family.

Justin E. Driscoll is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the nation's largest state-owned electric utility.

He oversees NYPA’s 17 generation facilities and 1,550 circuit-miles of high-voltage transmission, as well as the Power Authority’s work as an energy efficiency project developer and as energy supplier for its governmental customers, including New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York City Housing Authority, state agencies and local governments. Under Justin’s leadership, NYPA is advancing New York State’s efforts to achieve an affordable and the transition to a clean energy economy.

Justin also leads a multidisciplinary effort to advance the development of at least 1 GW of new, zero‑emission nuclear energy in Upstate New York, building on the state’s broader efforts to ensure long‑term grid reliability and affordability. Additionally, he has prioritized the development of NYPA’s utility-scale renewable portfolio through the advancement of solar, battery storage, and other innovative clean energy projects.

Julie Kozeracki is the Acting Chief Investment Officer for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) and serves as the office's nuclear sector lead. Ms. Kozeracki has been instrumental in EDF's provision of both a $1.52 billion loan to restart the Palisades nuclear reactor in Michigan and a $1 billion loan to restart the Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania.

Previously, Ms. Kozeracki was the office's Director of Strategy and was the lead author for DOE’s Advanced Nuclear Pathways to Commercial Liftoff report. Prior to DOE, she was a Principal with the Boston Consulting Group, where she was a leader in the firm’s federal and operations practices. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rich Dewey is President and CEO of the New York Independent System Operator. The NYISO is responsible for operating New York’s high voltage transmission network, administering and monitoring the wholesale electricity markets, and planning for the state’s energy future

Rich previously served in roles as the NYISO Executive Vice President with responsibility for the NYISO Market Structures, Planning, and Information Technology organizations, as well as roles to manage the day-to-day Operations of the New York Power grid, evolve and maintain the infrastructure of the NYISO technology platforms, and manage physical and cyber security of the NYISO enterprise.

Before joining the NYISO in 2000, Mr. Dewey worked for Husky Injection Molding Systems in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and for Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in Syracuse, New York.
He earned a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University, a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering / Power Systems from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, as well as completion of the Harvard Business School General Management Program.

Rich Dewey is President and CEO of the New York Independent System Operator. The NYISO is responsible for operating New York’s high voltage transmission network, administering and monitoring the wholesale electricity markets, and planning for the state’s energy future

Rich previously served in roles as the NYISO Executive Vice President with responsibility for the NYISO Market Structures, Planning, and Information Technology organizations, as well as roles to manage the day-to-day Operations of the New York Power grid, evolve and maintain the infrastructure of the NYISO technology platforms, and manage physical and cyber security of the NYISO enterprise.

Before joining the NYISO in 2000, Mr. Dewey worked for Husky Injection Molding Systems in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and for Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in Syracuse, New York.
He earned a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University, a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering / Power Systems from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, as well as completion of the Harvard Business School General Management Program.

From 2024 to 2025, Lukas Savickas served as Minister of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania. Mr Savickas is in his second consecutive term as a Member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. In parliament, he has served on the Committees on Economics, Environmental Protection, Human Rights and European Affairs, and as Deputy Chair of the Committee for the Future. From 2019 to 2020, he was a member of the Vilnius City Municipal Council. In the Seventeenth Government of the Republic of Lithuania, he served as Adviser to the Prime Minister on economic affairs and strategic change management before becoming First Deputy Chancellor of the Government. Prior to that, he held senior positions at Investors’ Forum and Invest Lithuania.

Mr Savickas has also participated in a range of international and public initiatives. He was a member of the State Progress Council, an Atlantic Council Millennium fellow, president and one of the founders of the Create for Lithuania Alumni Association, and a member of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum.

Elina Teplinsky, Pillsbury’s Global Energy Industry Leader and a leading member of the firm’s International Nuclear Projects and Hydrogen teams, focuses on international nuclear energy matters, including advice to U.S. and global clients on transactional and regulatory issues.

Elina is a trusted advisor to nuclear owner-operators, reactor and equipment suppliers, investors, architect-engineering companies and technical consulting firms on complex nuclear transactional and regulatory matters. She frequently serves as lead outside counsel on new build projects, equipment and fuel procurements, M&A transactions and joint ventures in the nuclear sector. She has worked on transactions for more than 30 countries in North and South America, Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, Russia and the former CIS, Asia and Africa.

Emma Rebhorn was nominated to the NJ Board of Public Utilities by Governor Murphy and confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate in January 2026.
 
Prior to her appointment, Commissioner Rebhorn served as the Deputy Executive Director of Climate Jobs National Resource Center and Action Fund, the national hub of more than a dozen state-based, labor-led coalitions advocating for worker-centered climate action on behalf of millions of union members. At CJNRC/AF, Commissioner Rebhorn supported unions and climate jobs coalitions nationally and abroad in driving ambitious subnational action to create good union jobs, lower utility costs, and expand clean energy. Commissioner Rebhorn brings a deep understanding of the role working people—including those who build, operate, and maintain our utility infrastructure—must play in shaping energy and regulatory systems that are sustainable, reliable, and affordable.
 
Raised in a union family in New Jersey, Commissioner Rebhorn spent more than 15 years in the labor movement prior to her appointment, including as a member of the Communications Workers of America, and brings to her role extensive litigation, corporate counsel, and advocacy experience in practice areas including antitrust, bankruptcy, civil rights, labor, and employment law. Previously, Commissioner Rebhorn was General Counsel to Health Professionals and Allied Employees, a statewide federation of healthcare and allied workers affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, and began her career as Assistant General Counsel to the United Steelworkers International Union, the nation's largest private sector union.
 
Commissioner Rebhorn earned her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and her JD from Tulane University and is a graduate of the Harvard Trade Union Program.

Rita is currently Chief Executive Officer of Wyoming Energy Futures, LLC and is solely dedicated to TerraPower’s Advanced Nuclear Power Demonstration Project in Kemmerer, Wyoming. She previously served 10 years as Rocky Mountain Power’s Vice-president for Wyoming. Rita had a distinguished 23-year career in the United States Air Force. She is a combat Veteran with service in both Afghanistan and Iraq as well as with the National Guard’s Counterdrug Directorate in Washington, D.C.

Jake is the Co-Founder and CEO of Blue Energy. He leads the company’s mission to deliver the world's first project-financeable nuclear power plant through technological innovations in offsite prefabrication and gas-to-nuclear conversions.

Jake brings more than a decade of experience building, investing in, and advising companies across the energy, climate, security, and construction sectors. He previously co-founded Entropy Power, a developer of behind-the-meter co-located industrial loads at wholesale generators. He also served as Head of Transition Risk and Strategic Projects at Cervest, a UK startup where he helped scale high-resolution climate risk analytics for global real estate and infrastructure portfolios.  

Previously, Jake served on the corporate strategy team at Exelon Corporation, leading initiatives spanning R&D, strategic planning, and venture capital across nuclear, solar, hydrogen, energy storage, and distributed energy resources. Earlier in his career, Jake worked in nuclear security, conducted research in nuclear fusion, and apprenticed as a construction draftsman.

Randy Wolken is the President & CEO of MACNY, The Manufacturers Association, which serves over 350 companies employing more than 200,000 individuals across a 26-county region in Central and Upstate New York. He is also President & CEO of the Manufacturers Alliance of New York, a statewide coalition representing more than 2,500 companies from Long Island to Buffalo.

Mr. Wolken joined MACNY in 2001 and has dedicated the last 25 years to strengthening the business climate and expanding opportunity across Central and Upstate New York. Prior to joining MACNY, he served as Executive Director of the Samaritan Center; as a Senior Budget Analyst in the Onondaga County Division of Management and Budget; and as an officer on active duty at both Griffiss Air Force Base and Fort Drum.

Under his leadership, MACNY has evolved into a comprehensive resource for manufacturers, offering advocacy, workforce development, leadership training, HR services, and energy solutions. The organization plays a leading role in advancing Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, helping individuals access career pathways while supporting the talent needs of a rapidly changing manufacturing economy.

Ekin Senlet serves as co-chair of Barclay Damon’s Regulatory Practice Area and Co-Leader for the Firm’s Nuclear Energy Team. She concentrates her practice on complex energy regulatory, siting, permitting, and infrastructure matters throughout New York State. She represents utilities, independent power producers, developers, investors, and other energy-sector participants in proceedings before the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC), the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES), the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board), and the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).

Ekin’s practice spans the full life cycle of major energy projects, from early-stage regulatory and siting strategy through development, permitting, financing, construction, operation, acquisition, and disposition. Her experience includes major generation and transmission siting proceedings; regulatory approvals associated with ownership transfers, corporate transactions, and project financings; due diligence for financial closings involving significant energy assets; electric and natural-gas rate proceedings; management and operations audits; regulatory compliance; and other matters affecting utilities and generation facilities. Her portfolio includes domestic and international developers and owners of offshore and onshore wind, solar, hydropower, battery energy storage, biomass, conventional generation, and other complex energy assets.

A growing component of Ekin’s practice focuses on nuclear energy policy, the development and siting of new nuclear generation, and the evolving regulatory framework for advanced nuclear technologies in New York. Her work draws on extensive experience with New York’s historic generation-siting regimes and the State’s evolving approach to permitting large-scale electric generation facilities. She advises clients on how new nuclear development intersects with state generation-siting requirements, environmental review, transmission and interconnection considerations, reliability planning and the broader state and federal regulatory framework applicable to nuclear facilities.

Andrew Shaw uses his public policy experience and knowledge of Congress and the Executive Branch to guide clients on federal legislative and regulatory issues impacting the energy and environmental sectors. He advises clients on a range of issues, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations, climate change mitigation and adaptation, clean/renewable energy incentives, nuclear power, oil and gas, grid modernization, trade and foreign policy. In addition, he develops and implements government affairs strategies for domestic and international clients in engaging with Congress, the Executive Branch, industry associations and nongovernmental organizations.

Andrew worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a clerk for both the Federal Facilities Enforcement Office in Washington, DC, and the EPA’s Region 7 headquarters in Kansas City, Kansas. At the EPA, he focused on compliance and enforcement issues related to the CAA, the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

In addition, Andrew worked for Representative Dennis Moore (D-KS), advising on issues and initiatives in the agriculture, education, energy, environmental and transportation sectors. He assisted in developing consumer safety legislation — which subsequently became law — that requires companies manufacture child-resistant portable gasoline containers.

F. Marshall Weir Marshall Began serving as CEO in May of 2024. Previously, he served as Deputy CEO since 2015. Before joining Jefferson County Economic Development, he was Vice President of North Country Farms, an all-natural producer of agriculture products from 2011-2015. From 1997 to 2011, Marshall worked in marketing, representing major paper companies throughout the Northeastern United States, Canada, and Europe.

Mark Geise is a strategic thinker with extensive public and private-sector planning & economic development experience, and is skilled in the management of personnel, plan/proposal development, grant writing, business startups, budgeting, contracts management, written and oral communications, stakeholder engagement, problem solving, process development, and working in teams. Mark worked in the Private Sector as a Senior Planner for Ecology & Environment, as the Deputy Director of Planning & Economic Development for Chautauqua County, and as the Director of Economic Development for Monroe County. In March of 2018, Mark assumed his current position as the Deputy County Executive for Economic Development/CEO of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency.

Mark currently serves as Board Co-Chair of the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, Board Chair of the Chautauqua County Land Bank, Board Member of the Chautauqua County Visitor’s Bureau, Board Member of Invest Buffalo Niagara, Board Member of the Chautauqua County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, and several other volunteer positions throughout the County and Region.

Bob is a native of Massena has been working as a Business Development Specialist with the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency since early 2021. His primary focus is attracting new enterprises into St. Lawrence County. Bob works with both multinational firms and local enterprises interested in either expanding their businesses into St. Lawrence County or starting their venture here. He previously worked at Clarkson University in the Development and Alumni Relations Office as a major gifts officer and the Director of the Annie Clarkson Society, Clarkson’s Planned Giving Office.

Brian is the Director of Economic Development and Planning for Wayne County where he oversees Economic Development and Planning initiatives, as well as serving as CEO/Executive Director of the County Industrial Development Agency (WCIDA) and the Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). He has 20 years of experience working on a broad range of projects and programs. He has a bachelor’s degree and Masters degree in Urban Planning from the University of Buffalo, and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and in Economic Development finance by Grow America.

Matt Eldred is partner at Harter Secrest & Emery LLP in Rochester, New York, and leader of the Firm’s energy practice.  Matt represents municipalities, landowners, and developers in all stages of energy development, from utility scale generation to transmission project siting and high load factor development. He is seasoned in siting projects ranging from less than one megawatt of distributed generation to utility-scale projects of 160 megawatts and larger. Matt also maintains a regular practice supporting and leading buy- and sell-side acquisitions and transactions across a variety of industries.  Matt began his professional career as a land surveyor working for infrastructure projects across the Northeast.  Originally from the Southern Tier, Matt serves his home region as a director for the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development.

Adrienne has over 20 years of experience in the Power, Utilities and Renewables Industry. She focuses on helping clients design and achieve their overall strategic vision around modernizing energy infrastructure to ensure it is resilient, reliable, and affordable for customers. Currently, she helps both utilities and nuclear developers with strategy and compliance considerations as they look to deploy new nuclear. Adrienne also works with the Deloitte Research Center for Energy and Industrials to bring insights to industry trends and challenges and works with key industry associations to help advance discussions and innovations in the sector.

Assil Halimi, Ph.D., is a nuclear engineer and entrepreneur specializing in advanced reactor design, high-burnup fuel performance, and nuclear techno-economics. He is the Co-Founder & CEO of Apollo Atomics, Inc., a company developing a family of compact pressurized water reactors. He completed his Ph.D. at MIT, where his work quantified how power uprates, high-burnup operation, and CHF-margin-controlled strategies can significantly reduce reactor cost. He has published extensively in top nuclear engineering journals, collaborated with EDF, Westinghouse, NuScale, Rolls-Royce, and Holtec, and holds multiple patents on innovative fuel and reactor designs. Before MIT, he was a Core Physics Engineer operating Belgian nuclear plants and previously held R&D roles at Safran Aerosystems, National Instruments, and General Electric.

Erich Scherer is NYSERDA’s Director of Strategy and leads the Advanced Nuclear team at NYSERDA, having previously worked on a number of key clean energy policies including the Clean Energy Standard. Prior to joining NYSERDA in 2015, he developed renewable energy strategy and policy at the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change and the European Union Commission, as well as holding positions in the private sector as a clean energy financial services advisor.

Adam Stein is the Director of the Nuclear Energy Innovation program at the Breakthrough Institute. His focus is on solutions-based research in the areas of technology, policy, risk, and economics of nuclear energy. He also studies complex interdisciplinary systems and decision-making in risk, resilience, and clean energy systems.

He has spent over twenty years in the energy sector, working as an engineer, researcher, and consultant. He was a member of the National Academies committee for the Pathways to New Nuclear Development workshop and a member of the American Nuclear Society's Advanced Reactor Working Group. His work has been published by the Idaho National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, presented to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and contributed to many high-profile projects, including the first-ever license application for an advanced nuclear reactor in the U.S.

Dr. Ashley Finan is a senior fellow for the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, where she focuses on nuclear regulation and policy.

Ashley is a global fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, where she focuses on AI, energy, and national security. She is also a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and an independent consultant. Ashley previously served as chief science officer for National and Homeland Security as well as founding director of the National Reactor Innovation Center at Idaho National Laboratory. In those roles she focused on establishing and implementing testing and demonstration facilities, equipment, and collaborations to provide resources to reactor innovators, and on national security R&D strategy. Ashley also served as founding executive director for the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and director of nuclear innovation at Clean Air Task Force, roles in which she contributed to nuclear energy policy advancement and related activities.

Ashley earned her Ph.D. in Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds an SB degree in Physics as well as SB and SM degrees in Nuclear Science and Engineering from MIT.

Alexander C. Kaufman is an American writer and award-winning reporter who has covered energy, climate change, business and geopolitics for more than a decade.

He’s chased stories around the world, from the Brazilian Amazon to Greenland’s ice sheet, Mongolia’s frigid steppe to Finland’s underground nuclear waste repository, China’s first atom-smashing lab to the Netherlands’ only atomic power station. His scoop-driven reporting explores the nuances of the energy transition, at times challenging prevailing narratives on climate solutions and spotlighting the price people in places like Mississippi and Puerto Rico pay for policies written in faraway capitals.

He’s the author of the Substack newsletter FIELD NOTES and the chief writer of Heatmap’s weekday morning newsletter. He has written for The Atlantic, MIT Technology Review, Wired, Foreign Policy, Fortune, The New Republic, Canary Media, IEEE Spectrum, Latitude Media, Sherwood News, New York Focus, HuffPost, GZERO, City & State, Pacific Standard, Fronts.co, and OneZero (RIP). Yahoo, Mother Jones, Slate, Grist and Canada’s National Observer have syndicated his work.

A frequent public-affairs commentator, Kaufman has been a regular guest on BBC World Service’s “Business Matters” for the past nine years. He’s appeared on stage at conferences such as WebSummit, SXSW, and the American Nuclear Society and over airwaves on CNN, NPR, MSNBC and international broadcasters in Australia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Dr. Bohn is the Director Energy Economics at the Anthropocene Institute. He had been Chief Research & Innovation Officer and Head of Research & Engagement at the Swiss Re Institute. Most recently, he served as Chief Science Officer and Head of GX Labs at State Street Global Exchange in San Francisco. Before moving back to California, he established the Portfolio Analytics and Valuation Department within State Street Global Markets Japan in Tokyo. (He is fluent in Japanese.) He previously ran the Risk and Regulatory Financial Services consulting practice at PWC Japan.

Rachel Phillips is Team Pennsylvania’s Senior Vice President, Impact & Innovation. Her work has taken her across the globe to build and operationalize strategies for public and private organizations. Rachel’s work in North America has primarily centered on supply chain and operations challenges, while her work in the Middle East focused on large-scale transformations. She also brings firsthand experience in the nuclear energy sector from her time at Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California and now leads Team Pennsylvania’s work to advance nuclear energy as an economic and energy opportunity for the commonwealth, including leading the development of the Pennsylvania Nuclear Energy Roadmap.

Before joining Team Pennsylvania, Rachel served as Chief Operating Officer of Kearney’s Product Excellence and Renewal Lab (PERLab), where she honed her ability to build strategic partnerships, scale operations, and drive impact. Her career began in the U.S. Air Force and California Air National Guard; these experiences shaped her passion for unlocking team potential and building leaders. Rachel earned her Master of Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and her Bachelor of Science in Economics from California Polytechnic State University.

Carl is a native New Yorker and earned his degree from Babson College. In his final year of undergraduate studies, he began a decade-long career in nuclear energy as CEO of Elysium Industries, a molten salt reactor company -- where he led partnerships, technology development, and government relations.

In 2023, he co-founded Exodys Energy, a nuclear fuel recycling developer, alongside U.S. Navy nuclear system designers and recycling operators from La Hague, in France. The State of New York also partially owns the company.

Carl advises multiple nuclear initiatives across industry and government, including the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Recycling Task Force, and was elected as a co-lead of the DOE Nuclear Fuel DPA Consortium’s Reprocessing & Recycling Committee. He also serves on the advisory board of Nuclear New York, an independent, non-partisan advocacy organization that helped advance New York State’s recent nuclear expansion announcements.

He supports developing the next-generation nuclear workforce through his role on the Industrial Advisory Board of Excelsior University and authored a Chapter in the latest edition of the Molten Salt Reactor & Thorium Fuel Cycle textbook.

Hunter leads finance and capital formation for Oppenheimer Energy, a clean nuclear energy and speed-to-power project developer. He oversees corporate fundraising, project finance, capital structuring, and investor engagement. He is a seasoned finance professional who previously held banking roles at Goldman Sachs and Citibank and investment roles at several private funds. His experience spans energy and infrastructure, structured finance, debt capital markets, private equity, and commercial real estate investment.

He recently served as a Global Energy Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) and currently serves on the Steering Committee of Nuclear New York.

Kristin is a co-founder of 501(c)3 Mothers for Nuclear, and she is passionate about advancing all clean energy sources to improve human well‑being and protect the environment. Mothers for Nuclear has been an influential voice in clean energy since 2016, earning audiences with international policymakers and media including CNBC, Bloomberg, NPR, and The New Yorker, among others. Mothers for Nuclear has made important contributions to community engagement through their work on the US DOE’s Collaboration Based Siting Program, where they partnered with North Carolina State University and the Tribal Consent Based Coalition to run community-centered engagement on nuclear used fuel storage.

Kristin is a licensed professional civil engineer, project manager, and environmental advocate with 25 years of experience in energy. In Kristin leads Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s Supply Chain team for Generation, including strategic sourcing and materials value stream responsibility for California's largest source of emissions-free electricity at Diablo Canyon as well as strategic sourcing for PG&E's hydro, renewable, and fossil assets.

Kristin has previous experience in engineering, power plant decommissioning, planning, and projects. Kristin has three children who inspire her passion for environmental action. She is a past president of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear and has served on various environmental nonprofit boards. Kristin holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from Arizona State University WP Carey School of Business.

Philip Hult is a promoter of the dual goals of expanding access to energy and reducing the impacts of climate change. He currently works to promote nuclear power through public engagement and addressing the equity challenges surrounding the long-term disposition of spent nuclear fuel. He serves as the Development Director at Generation Atomic and holds a Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Cambridge.

Isuru Seneviratne is an energy and sustainability professional with two decades’ experience in holistic investment diligence, sustainable business development, and climate policy advocacy. He is a Director at LucidCatalyst, a specialized consultancy solving energy and climate challenges at scale and speed. He is a co-founder and board member of Nuclear New York, an independent, non-partisan advocacy organization working towards a prosperous decarbonized future and nature conservation.

Isuru founded Radiant Value Management in 2015, an investment and operational strategy advisor. In 2013 Isuru co-founded ART Logistics, an award-winning innovative logistics business servicing blue-chip clients in Sri Lanka. Before that, he oversaw the energy and resource portfolio of Equinox Partners in New York City.

Scott Cicora began his career in the late 70s as Production Engineer at Solarex Corporation, the first firm dedicated to terrestrial solar, and retired in 2021 as Senior Director of International Sales for Enphase Energy. In between, he spent 26 years at Hewlett-Packard in technical and leadership roles. While a longtime supporter, Scott recognizes the limitations of solar and sees nuclear as crucial to solving the climate crisis. A strong partnership between government and the private sector can solve remaining challenges to nuclear—just as direction and innovation drove solar costs from $80 to $0.20 per Watt. Scott was among the first 1,000 trained by Al Gore’s Climate Project and has trained over 1,000 others on climate action. He’s also a certified Atomic Ambassador with Generation Atomic.