April 16, 2026 | UC Davis Conference Center
Agenda
8:30 – 9:00 am
Check-in and Refreshments
9:00 – 9:30 am
Welcome and Introductions
- Kelly Kissock, Faculty Director, UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute
- Sabbie Miller, Faculty Director, UC Davis Materials Decarbonization and Sustainability Center
9:30 – 10:30 am
Opening Plenary Panel: Collaborating Toward a Decarbonized Future in a Shifting Landscape
Moderators
- Kelly Kissock, Faculty Director, UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute
- Sabbie Miller, Faculty Director, UC Davis Materials Decarbonization and Sustainability Center
Speakers
- Andrew McAllister, California Energy Commission
- Rajinder Sahota, California Air Resources Board
- Brenden Jiang, California Department of General Services
- Jeremy Peterson-Self, Caltrans
10:30 – 11:00 am
Break
11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Breakout Session 1: Industrial Decarbonization Tools and Methods
Moderator
Vijay Gopalakrishnan, DNV
Speakers
- Zach Siefker, Cleaver-Brooks
- Chris Fraughton, AtmosZero
- Tara Schuelke, Hilmar Cheese Company
- Ovais Khan, UC Davis
- Clay Monahan, Atlas602
Breakout Session 2: Producing, Specifying, and Designing with Low-Carbon Materials
Moderator
Somayeh Nassiri, UC Davis
Speakers
- Cheng Qi, Ash Grove Cement
- Jenny Emrick, Prologis
- Josefine Olsson, UC Davis/LBNL
- Steve Bryan, Ecocem Americas
- Sam Bailey, Clean Air Task Force
12:15 – 1:30 pm
Lunch and Poster Session
1:30 – 2:45 pm
Breakout Session 3: The Decarbonization Journey
Moderator
Edwin Hornquist, EPRI
Speakers
- Ali Qamar, UC Davis
- Vinod Narayanan, UC Davis Western Cooling Efficiency Center
- Mark Chung, Verdigris
- John O’Donnell, Rondo Energy
- Vedant Sinha, Sustainability Research Scientist, Amazon
Breakout Session 4: Advancing Low-Carbon Materials Adoption Through Policy and Technology Breakthroughs
Moderator
- John Harvey, UC Pavement Research Center
Speakers
- Ben Skinner, RMI
- Kyle Heinzman, Sparkz, Inc.
- Seth Kane, UC Davis
- Tom Tietz, CNCA
- Charley Rea, CalCIMA
2:45 – 3:15 pm
Break
3:15 – 4:30 pm
Closing Plenary: What Will Drive Adoption of Leading-Edge Solutions?
Moderator
- Richard Hart, ACEEE
Speakers
- Sean Mulderrig, NYSERDA
- Christy Stanker, ClimateWorks Foundation
- Lauren Kubiak, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Eric Masanet, UC Santa Barbara
- Jeffrey Rissman, Energy Innovation
5:00 – 5:15 pm
Closing Remarks and Next Steps
- Kelly Kissock, UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute
- Sabbie Miller, UC Davis Materials Decarbonization and Sustainability Center
5:15 pm
Reception and Networking
Symposium Conveners
Kelly Kissock
Faculty Director
UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute
Sabbie Miller
Faculty Director
UC Davis Materials Decarbonization and Sustainability Center
Symposium Speakers
Sam Bailey
Senior Manager of Industrial Innovation
Clean Air Task Force
Steve Bryan
President
Ecocem Americas
Mark Chung
Co-Founder and CEO
Verdigris
Jenny Emrick
Global Construction Sustainability Manager
Prologis
Chris Fraughton
Senior Director
AtmosZero
Vijay Gopalakrishnan
Principal Engineer
DNV
Richard Hart
Industry Director
ACEEE
John Harvey
Faculty Director
UC Pavement Research Center
Kyle Heinzman
Plant Manager
Sparkz, Inc.
Edwin Hornquist
Principal Technical Leader
EPRI
Brenden Jiang
Engineering Branch Chief
California Department of General Services
Seth Kane
Postdoctoral Scholar
UC Davis
Ovais Khan
Graduate Researcher
UC Davis
Lauren Kubiak
Senior Scientist
Natural Resources Defense Council
Eric Masanet
Professor and Mellichamp Chair in Sustainability Science for Emerging Technologies
UC Santa Barbara
Andrew McAllister
Commissioner
California Energy Commission
Clay Monahan
Co-Founder
Atlas602
Sean Mulderrig
Demonstrations Program Manager
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Vinod Narayanan
Director
UC Davis Western Cooling Efficiency Center
Somayeh Nassiri
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
UC Davis
John O’Donnell
Chief Innovation Officer
Rondo Energy
Josefine Olsson
Postdoctoral Scholar
UC Davis/LBNL
Jeremy Peterson-Self
Division Chief of Construction
Caltrans
Ali Qamar
Graduate Researcher
UC Davis
Cheng Qi
Technical Center Director
Ash Grove Cement
Charley Rea
VP of Policy and Communication
CalCIMA
Jeffrey Rissman
Senior Director of Industry
Energy Innovation
Rajinder Sahota
Deputy Executive Officer for Climate Change and Research
California Air Resources Board
Tara Schuelke
Director of Engineering Services
Hilmar Cheese Company
Zach Siefker
Director of Integrated Thermal Systems
Cleaver-Brooks
Vedant Sinha
Sustainability Research Scientist
Amazon
Ben Skinner
Climate-Aligned Industries Manager
RMI
Christy Stanker
Industry Program Manager
ClimateWorks Foundation
Tom Tietz
Executive Director
California Nevada Cement Association