2015 Sun Valley Forum for Resilience
9 – 10am Welcome and Opening Keynote
Welcome: The Honorable Nina Jonas, Mayor of Ketchum, ID
Keynote Address: The Honorable Cory Booker, U.S. Senator, NJ
Senator Booker will share his insights on resilience from his experience as U.S. Senator and as Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, including rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy and catalyzing an economic resurgence in Newark. Senator Booker attended Yale Law School and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, played football as a tight end for Stanford University. He’s also known for his use of technology to directly engage constituents and improve government responsiveness to its citizens.
10 – 11:30am Opening Panel: Why Resilience?
Leaders around the world are prioritizing resilience. Learn why resilience is so critical for business, government, infrastructure and universities, and how resilience can become a great opportunity for the Wood River Valley, for Idaho, and far beyond.
Introduction: Wendolyn Holland, Author of Sun Valley: An Extraordinary History
Harry Griffith, Executive Director, Sun Valley Economic Development
Moderator: Jeff Goodell, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone
Nancy Kete, Managing Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
Gary Dirks, Director, Global Institute of Sustainability, ASU
Brent Stacey, Associate Laboratory Director for National Homeland Security, Idaho National Laboratory
Steve McBee, President & CEO, NRG Home
Jeffery Sayer, Director, Idaho Department of Commerce
11:30 – 12:45 Investing for Resilience
Resilience requires investment, whether in infrastructure or new businesses: what are the kinds of investments attracting financing and why? How can local investment dollars be mobilized for resilience?
Moderator: Werner Morawitz, SVIR Board of Directors
Brooks Preston, Vice President of Investment Funds, Overseas Private Investment Corporation & SVIR Advisory Board
Marco Krapels, Senior Vice President of Strategy, SolarCity
John Chlebowski, Lead Director, NRG Yield, Inc. & SVIR Advisory Board
Jennifer Leonard, Vice President, Impact Investing, The CAPROCK Group
Rosalie Sheehy Cates, Senior Adviser, Philanthropy Northwest
Michael Shuman, Author of The Local Economy Solution
12:45 – 1:45pm Lunch
2:00 – 3:30pm Strategies for Resilience
The Wood River Valley is facing urgent threats to its resilience from fire to drought and erratic snowfall to energy and food insecurity. What are the strategic approaches and tools to enable resilience including for key sectors like food, energy and natural systems that underpin resilience in this region and around the nation? How can this community and others build resilience into priority sectors at risk?
Moderator: Harry Griffith, Sun Valley Economic Development & SVIR Board Member
Ken White, Associate Director, Post Carbon Institute
Astrid Scholz, Founder, The Resilience Exchange
Shawn Benner, Professor, Boise State University
Carol Brown, Sawtooth Forest Environmental Coordinator, U.S. Forest Service
Jim Keating, Executive Director, Blaine County Recreation District
Aimée Christensen, SVIR & Ketchum Energy Advisory Committee
Mark Davidson, Director, Idaho Water Project, Trout Unlimited
3:30 – 4:30pm Local Investment Opportunities
How can resilience improve local quality of life while strengthening the Wood River Valley economy and presenting great investment opportunities?
Moderator: Rick LeFaivre, SVIR Board of Directors
Overview of Impact Investment: Ali Long, Local Food Alliance & SVIR Board Member
Deal #1 Idaho’s Bounty: Ian Jameson, Director, American Capital Advisory
Deal #2 Solar for Businesses: Billy Mann, Founder, Sagebrush Solar & SVIR Advisory Board
Deal #3 Nonprofit Resilience: Jason Fry, CEO & Executive Director, Wood River Community YMCA
Deal #4 Cross-Sectoral Impact: Ali Long
4:30 – 5pm Forum Summary and Closing
Wrap up from the day’s discussions and recommend actions for the future.
Moderator: Aimée Christensen, SVIR
Peter Horton, Pico Creek Productions & SVIR Advisory Board
Collin O’Mara, CEO, National Wildlife Federation
Raúl Pomares, Founder, Sonen Capital