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Agenda Details

Wednesday, March 1

Pre-Summit Workshops

9:00  – 12:15  Session

Design Thinking & Food in North Carolina

Moderator: Liz Tracy
Facilitator and Co-Instructor
Citrix-Red Hat Startup Accelerator

This hands-on workshop in design thinking will take you through a complete design cycle and help you leverage user studies to create a low-resolution prototype. The focus problem for this session will around North Carolina food systems in celebration of UNC’s campus-wide Food for All theme.

 Takeaways: 1) You will walk away with the knowledge of how to conduct basic user studies and testing. 2) You will learn how to perform interviews and develop focused problem statements. 3) You will get experience in brainstorming and rapid prototyping a solution.

1:15  – 4:30  Session

Perfecting Your Pitch Techniques

Moderator: Tim Flood
Associate Professor of Management and Corporate Communication
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

This interactive session will involve both instruction and opportunities to workshop a pitch.  Participants will not need to have a specific innovation or venture to pitch: all are welcomed with or without a specific idea!  We will use our time together to discuss the structure of any effective venture pitch (from 15 seconds to any length), the value and flow of story-telling, managing nervousness, conveying confidence and the basics of effective slide design and usage.  Participants will then have a chance to workshop idea pitches and, as time allows, present to the group. 

 Takeaways: a great opportunity to walk away with the 1) expandable model for effective pitch making, 2) some tips and tricks toward conveying confidence in any situation, 3) the ability to customize your message depending on your audience.

Thursday, March 2

10:45 – 12:00  Sessions

 INNOVATION

Public-Private Partnerships Between Universities and the Private Sector: A Powerful Way to Advance Innovation

Moderator: Carol L. Folt: Chancellor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

CLEAN ENERGY

The Value of Energy Efficiency Programs: A Closer Look at On-Bill Financing in North Carolina

Moderator: Carol Rosenfeld: Senior Project Director, Environmental Finance Center at UNC-Chapel Hill

  • Marshall Cherry: Chief Operating Officer, Roanoke Electric Cooperative
  • Tim Duff: General Manager, Retail Customer and Regulatory Strategy, Duke Energy Corporation
  • Marilynn Marsh-Robinson: Partnership and Alliances Manager, Environmental Defense Fund

  • Miguel Yanez: Program Associate, Environmental and Energy Study Institute

FOOD

Agricultural Innovation and Rural Development

Moderator: Alice Ammerman: Professor and Director, UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

WATER & ENERGY

Restoring the Gulf Coast

 Presentation:   George Howard: Co-Founder /CEO, Restoration Systems, LLC

PANEL AND LUNCHEON

Triangle Women In STEM

Moderator: Pat Parker: Chair, Department of Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

1:30 – 2:45 Sessions

INNOVATION

Venture Capital in Ag Tech

Moderator: Mark Little: Executive Director, Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise

  • Adam Bergman: Senior Vice President, CleanTech Banking at Wells Fargo
  • Derek Norman: Head of Corporate Venture Capital, Syngenta

CLEAN ENERGY

What is on the Horizon for Energy Storage?

Moderator: Diane Cherry: Strategic Director, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association

  • Chris Ayers: Executive Director, North Carolina Utilities Commission Public
  • Ronald DiFelice: Co-founder and Managing Partner, Energy Intelligence Partners
  • Zachary Kuznar: Director, Energy Storage and Microgrid Development-Duke Energy
  • Michelle Meyer: Marketing Manager for Power Grids, ABB

FOOD

Oyster Restoration as an Economic Development Tool

Moderator: Brad Ives: Associate Vice Chancellor, UNC at Chapel Hill Campus Enterprises

Trends in Energy and Climate Policy

Moderator: Heather Payne: Assistant Director, Center for Climate, Energy, Environment and Economics

  • Victor Flatt: Director, Center for Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics
  • Jonas Monast: Co-Director, Center on Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics

3:00 – 4:15 Sessions

 INNOVATION

Frontiers in Entrepreneurial Finance

Moderator: Greg Brown: Director, Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise

  • Rye Barcott: Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Double Time Capital
  • Tom Darden: Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Cherokee
  • Rick Larson: Senior Vice President & Director of Strategic Initiatives, Natural Capital Investment Fund
  • Rob Mazzoni: Principal, TrueBridge Capital Partners

CLEAN ENERGY

Opportunities and Challenges for Commercial and Industrial Solar

Moderator: Brian Bednar: President and Owner, Birdseye Renewable Energy, LLC

FOOD

How the Revolution in Genomics is Improving our Food Security 

Moderator: John Salmeron: Director, PlantSciences at Precision BioSciences

WATER & ENERGY

Innovative Ways to Deliver Energy and Water to the Developing World

Moderator: William Davies: Africa Lead – 2030 Water Resources Group, International Finance Corporation

  • Samantha Childress: Director of Community Engagement, United Solar Initiative, Inc.

  • Mark Sobsey: Kenan Distinguished Professor, UNC Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Friday, March 3

11:00 – 12:15  Sessions

 INNOVATION

Analytics for a Sustainable World

Moderator: Al Segars: PNC Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship & Director, UNC Center for Sustainable Enterprise

CLEAN ENERGY

A Look at Solar Farms and Agricultural Lands

Moderator:Betsy McCorkle: Partner, Kairos Government Affairs

  • Robin Aldina: Manager of Energy Research, NC Sustainable Energy Association
  • Gary Freeman: General Manager, Renewable Energy Compliance at Duke Energy Corporation
  • Brock Phillips: Grounds Maintenance Manager, Sun Raised Farms
  • Paul Sherman: Associate State Legislative Director, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation
  • David Williams: Landowner, Retired

FOOD

Can Biologicals Meaningfully Increase Food Production While Protecting The Environment?

Moderator: Dan Tomso: Chief Science Officer, AgBiome

  • Adrian Duehl: Research Entomologist, Bayer CropScience
  • Todd Leister: North America Agronomy Manager, Novozymes Biologicals
  • Kelly Smith: Biotechnology Innovator, AgBiome
  • Maggie Wagner: NSF Plant Genome Postdoctoral Fellow, North Carolina State University

WATER & ENERGY

Water Research at UNC: Assisting Communities Across North Carolina

*Interactive workshop

Moderator: Kathleen Gray: Director/Associate Director, Environmental Resource Program/Outreach and Public Service

  • Greg Characklis: Director/ Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Grant Parkins: Watershed Education Coordinator, Environmental Resource Program

  • Jill Stewart: Associate Professor and Deputy Director, UNC School of Public Health

1:45 – 3:00 Sessions

INNOVATION

Universities Creating the Next Great Companies

Moderator: Jeff Rosichan: Chief Scientific Officer, AgTech Accelerator

  • Lydia Abebe: Focus Area Lead, The Water Institute at UNC
  • Greg Copenhaver: Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Mary Beth Miranda: Senior Manager, Technology Sourcing and External R&D, Novozymes North America
  • Bryant Moore: Director of Strategic Partnerships, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

CLEAN ENERGY

Opportunities for Growth in the Bioenergy Sector

Moderator: Gus Simmons: Director of Bioenergy, Cavanaugh

FOOD

The Entire Value Chain for Craft Beers

Moderator: Sebastian Wolfrum: Executive Brewmaster, Bull Durham Beer Co.

WATER & ENERGY

Innovative Financing for Water Projects

Moderator: Jeff Hughes: Lecturer and Director, UNC Environmental Finance Center

  • Christine Boyle: Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Valor Water Analytics
  • Annalee Harkins: Data Specialist and Project Manager, Environmental Finance Center