SPEAKERS

Please be patient for updates as we are currently in the process of updating speakers lined up for GEMFS 2023!

OPENING KEYNOTE

EDWARD B. BARBIER

Author & University Distinguished Professor

FEATURED SPEAKERS

AMY BOURNE

Director, Global Sustainability, Marriott International

DAVID HILL

Chairman, The Environment Bank, UK

MATHEW NESPECA

Head of ESG and New Business Models, Envu

LAURA GRANT

Biodiversity Net Gain Market Policy Lead, UK Defra

KATIE WU

Director, Global Impact, KKR

CHARLES BEDFORD

Chief Impact Officer, Carbon Growth Partners

JODY BICKEL

Chief Executive Officer, Creekbank Associates

ELLIOTT BOUILLION

Founder and Vice Chairman, Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

BRETT BOVEE

President, WestWater Research

ANGELA BRICMONT

Chief of Finance, Denver Water

TED BROWN

Senior Water Resources Engineer, Practice Leader, Biohabitats

TIM BROWN

CEO, Tradewater, LLC

JAY CASHUBEC

Head of Business Development, North America, Nature Metrics

MARK CASSALIA

Senior Business Engagement Manager, Pacific Institute

MEGAN REILLY CAYTEN

Senior Investment Manager, Climate Asset Management

TIM COLES

Director & CEO, re-PLANET

STEPHEN D'ESPOSITO

President & CEO, Resolve and Regeneration | Board of Trustees

ADAM DAVIS

Managing Partner, Ecosystem Investment Partners

MARK DESANTIS

CEO, Bloomfield Robotics

PAUL DETTMANN

Founder, Cassinia Environmental

SUSAN N. DORSEY

Senior VP-Finance, Administration & Impact Investing, Gates Family Foundation

CRAIG EBERT

President, Climate Action Reserve

HANNIE FISHER

Director, Sustainability and Decarbonization, Civitas Resources

CONOR GILLESPIE

CEO, Ecotone, Inc.

SAM GLEDHILL

Head of Commercial, Trove Research

BEN GUILLON

CEO, Conservation Investment Management

NED HARVEY

CEO and Co-Founder, Digital Gaia

TRAVIS HEMMEN

President and General Manager, Westervelt Ecological Services

PETER HOWELL

Interim Executive Director, The Conservation Finance Network

GEORGE KELLY

Chief Executive Officer, Earth Recovery Partners

MARK KIESER

Senior Scientist & Principal, Kieser & Associates, LLC

PIETER KRANS

Deputy Director, ICF Climate Center

DAVID LACH

Director Natural Climate Solutions, Anew Climate

JASON LEE

Director, Quantified Ventures

DOUG MACNAIR

Technical Manager, Capitals Coalition

TIM MALE

Executive Director, Environmental Policy Innovation Center

STEVEN MARTIN

Mitigation Specialist

LAUREN MECHAK

Senior Director, Asset Innovations, ClimeCo

TIM MOORADD

Director of Investments, HASI

LAURA NELSON

Associate Director of Market Engagement, International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation

KATHLEEN NIESEN

Sustainability Professional

MARK O'LEARY

Client Solutions Manager, Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

BEN PARKHURST

Vice President of Technical Development – Anew Climate

SPENCER PLUMB

Manager, Forest Carbon Innovation, Verra

EDWARD POLLARD

Strategic Director, Corporate Services, The Biodiversity Consultancy

JAY POTTER

Director, CEO, & Co-Founder, ECOR

DEBBIE REED

Executive Director, Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

GRACE RINK

Chief Climate Officer, City of Denver

STEVEN ROWE

President, BioFiltro U.S. and Senior Advisor, Michael Best Strategies

KATE RYAN

Executive Director, Colorado Water Trust

RICK SAINES

Managing Director, Pollination Group

PHIL SAKSA

Co-Founder & Chief Scientist, Blue Forest

MARIANA SARMIENTO

CEO Terrasos

KEVIN SCOTT

President, RESOLVE Canada

JORDAN SHOCKLEY

Chief Executive Officer, Blue Oyster Environmental

ELIZABETH SHEPPARD

Manager, ISC and Agriculture Strategy, McCain Foods

DOMINIC SUTTON-VERMUELEN

Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of MillPont

JEFF WEST

Senior Director, Environmental Services, Xcel Energy, Inc

JOHN GILBERT

CFO, The Conservation Fund

HOLT THRASHER

CEO and Founder, Synovia Capital

ELLIOTT BOUILLION

Founder and Vice Chairman, Resource Environmental Solutions

DAVID TUCHMANN

Vice President of Development, Akridge Development

SONIA VERHAGEN

Business Development Manager, Nature Based Solutions and Decarbonization and Sustainability Leader, SHELL

DAN YEOMAN

Managing Director, Soil and Water Outcomes Fund

ERON BLOOMGARDEN

CEO, Emergent

ANNA WILDEMAN

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water, EPA

MANUEL PULGAR-VIDAL

WWF International and Former Minister of Environment Peru

HELEN CROWLEY

Head of Sustainability Sourcing, Kering

MICHAEL JENKINS

CEO, Forest Trends

KEN MELMAN

Member and Global Head of Public Affairs, KKR

PETER STEIN

Manager, Lyme Timber

JOHN KADYSZEWSKI

Director, American Carbon Registry

LENISE LAGO

Associate Chief of Forest Service, USDA

KEVIN SMITH

Vice President, Sustainable Finance Group, Goldman Sachs

CHARLOTTE KAISER

Managing Director, NatureVest

JOHN MATTHEWS

Executive Director, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation

DAVID BRAND

CEO, New Forests

DAVID ANTONIOLI

CEO, Verra

CHRIS ADAMO

Vice President, Danone North America

ROGER WILILAMS

President, Blue Source

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Edward B. Barbier

Author and University Distinguished Professor

Edward B. Barbier is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, Colorado State University and a Senior Scholar in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. His main expertise is environmental and resource economics as well as international environmental policy. He has consulted for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organizations, the World Bank and the OECD. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, written or edited 27 books, and published in popular journals and social media. Barbier is a Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and is a highly cited scholar on global environmental and sustainability issues.

His latest book is Economics for a Fragile Planet, Cambridge University Press

www.edwardbbarbier.com

Amy Bourne

Director, Global Sustainability, Marriott International

Amy Bourne is the Director, Global Sustainability, at Marriott International. In this role she develops and manages global programs in areas such as responsible sourcing, food waste reduction and climate action for 8,300+ hotels in 130+ countries. Previously, Amy managed sustainability programs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the General Services Administration (GSA) where she focused on high performance and healthy buildings, sustainable building operations and waste diversion. Amy holds an MA in Energy and Environmental Analysis from Boston University and earned Certified Energy Manager (CEM), LEED Green Associate and TRUE Zero Waste Advisor credentials.

David Hill

Chairman, The Environment Bank, UK

With a doctorate in ecology from the Department of Zoology at Oxford, David brings an abundance of ecological expertise to the table. A passionate conservationist, he was a founding member of Natural England, a member of the Government’s Ecosystem Markets Taskforce, and a Commissioner with the independent Food Farming and Countryside Commission. When it comes to implementing BNG, there’s nobody better. In fact, he introduced the concept to the UK in 2006 and his unparalleled work has now been embedded into the Environment Act.

Mathew Nespeca

Head of ESG and New Business Models, Envu

Matt Nespeca works for Envu as the head of ESG and New Business Models, with a focus on delivering global solutions related to environmental and social outcomes.  Matt previously worked as the global marketing manager for Vegetation Management for Bayer Environmental Science, which includes segments such as industrial vegetation management, forestry and range & pasture.  Before he took the global role, Matt Nespeca spent 8 years launching and managing the US Vegetation Management business for Bayer.  In previous years, Matt held marketing, sales and technical service positions with Nufarm, BASF and American Cyanamid, mainly working in industrial vegetation, forestry and aquatics markets.  Matt also spent 4 years working as a project manager for the South Carolina Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, where he worked on land conservation and invasive plant control projects.  Matt has an MS from Virginia Tech in Forest Biology, and a BS from Auburn University in Forest Resource Management.  Currently, Matt lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife and two children.