James W. Keyes is a global business leader, philanthropist, educator, artist, musician, commercial pilot, and modern renaissance man. He is the former CEO of two internally recognized Fortune 500 companies, 7-Eleven and Blockbuster. His other business interests cover various industries, including retail, consumer products, technology, healthcare, cyber security, new space, energy, and advanced nuclear. He sits on several public company boards and is a board adviser to a venture capital firm and several start-up companies.

Keyes’s philanthropic initiatives have an equally broad focus, including serving a three-term seat on the Board of Governors for the American Red Cross, acting as the former Chairman of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and serving on the board of directors for institutions such as UT Southwestern Medical School, Cooper Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dallas Performing Arts Center, SMU Cox School of Business, Columbia Business School, and his alma mater, College of the Holy Cross. He has had a lifelong commitment to education, serving as a founding director of the Dallas Education Foundation and is the founder of the Education Is Freedom Foundation. Keyes is a personification of the American Dream, as he comes from humble beginnings. He was inducted 2005 as a Member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

Trevor Best ditched the oil fields to take up his role in fighting climate change. His startup has now raised over $100M on its journey, as it sets a fast pace for fueling the transition to greener energy sources. The venture, Syzygy Plasmonics, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, Equinor Ventures, Goose Capital, and The Engine.

Syzygy Plasmonics Inc. (siz-uh-jee) develops chemical reactors that are both environmentally friendly and capable of disrupting the market. Invented at Rice University, our ‘Antenna-Reactor’ nanoparticle system turns traditional catalysts into high-efficiency photocatalysts. It can utilize light to perform high-volume chemical reactions at lower costs than today. Syzygy will enter the market with a low-cost, low-emission Hydrogen production system. After a beachhead is established with Hydrogen, Syzygy will develop low-cost, low-emission production systems for other high-value chemical reactions that create commodity chemicals such as Ethylene, Ammonia, and Methanol.

Adam is Climate Group's Head of Engagement North America. He is based in the New York office and leads communications, media, and engagement across Climate Group’s work in North America and LATAM countries. This includes overseeing communications for our systems initiatives (RE100, EV100), subnational engagement (Under2 Coalition), and core activations (US Climate Action Summit, Climate Week NYC).

Before this, Adam served as Head of Climate Week at Climate Group, leading Climate Week NYC for the last five years and overseeing brand, development, content, communications, and partnerships. This role involved growing Climate Week NYC to become the largest climate event of its kind, negotiating a range of partnerships with NYC, the media, and NGOs, and working closely with international partners to ensure its integration as a major moment on the climate calendar. 

In previous roles, Adam served as Head of Communications for the International Rescue Committee, Head of Communications for UK poverty charity Turn2us, advisor to the Press Complaints Commission media regulatory body, communications lead in UK Parliament, and freelance writer and editor for various publications. He has contributed as a spokesperson for CNN, BBC, Sky News, Channel 4 News, ITV, BBC Radio 4, and various international outlets. For the last five years, he has also sat on the Board of Directors for Lewisham Refugee & Migrant Network (LRMN), a charity that provides support, training, and counseling for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers.

Elizabeth Carlson is Tricon Energy’s Chief Sustainability Officer, responsible for developing and driving the company’s global sustainability strategy. In addition to day-to-day sustainability work, she focuses on impact projects related to product carbon footprint, responsible sourcing, and circularity, as well as building coalitions and multistakeholder engagement via Together for Sustainability in the chemical industry and as the chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee for the Houston 2026 World Cup Host Committee. Her background is in corporate responsibility, economic development, and environmental and social impact in non-profit and private sector organizations. She has experience across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Before joining Tricon, Elizabeth worked in various sustainability-related roles on construction and engineering projects in the oil, gas, and mining industries. She holds a B.A. in International Studies and Russian from the University of North Carolina and an M.Phil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge.

A graduate of Texas Tech University, Jason Fischer launched his career in operations with a non-profit that supports organizational and leadership development, as well as volunteer and management assistance for West Texas non-profits, schools, and businesses. After being diagnosed with a blood disorder, Jason endured a stem cell transplant and recovered from bone marrow failure, which inspired his pursuit of a healthcare career. Upon completing Texas Tech University’s Executive MBA program in 2014, Jason joined Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital in 2017, establishing their Environmental Services Department, developing a networkwide Environmental Services Council of Directors, and launching the entity’s Patient Transportation Department.

Jason joined the Houston Methodist Research Institute to develop its Office of Sustainability in February 2023 to lead Houston Methodist in aggregating sustainability efforts while strategically aligning current and future projects through innovation and conservation to meet the organization's corporate sustainability goals in support of health and well-being. Sustainability projects led or supported by his Office of Sustainability include the development of hospital network baseline emissions and implementation of emissions management software; deployment of the first solar panel array in the Texas Medical Center with go-live September 2024; and roll out of the first medical PVC recycling program in the United States with go-live slated for September 2024. Ongoing additional research collaborations include the development of care pathways lifecycle assessments; use case and ROI determination in the deployment of reclaimed water solutions for hospital sustainability and resiliency; analysis of deployment of low-voltage circadian lighting’s impact on energy efficiency and patient/employee wellness; and exploration of advanced chemical and non-chemical recycling of hospital waste streams including regulated medical waste.

As a passionate energy industry leader with over 15 years of experience, Lindsay Roe drives digital transformation and innovation in the oil and gas sector while championing balanced, practical solutions for a sustainable future. She is Director of Digital Innovation at Core Laboratories and President and Interim CEO of  Allies in Energy.

Lindsay is committed to fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and facilitating the exchange of ideas to address the complex challenges faced by the energy sector.

Juliana Garaizar is a Founding Partner at Energy Tech Nexus. A Board Member of the Angel Capital Association, Juliana is a Lead Investor of the Portfolia Rising America Fund. She is also an Advisory Board Member of the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator, the Latinx Startup Alliance, the Houston Diversity Fund, the Investors of Color network, the French Tech and Impulse4women.

Juliana was previously Chief Development and Investment Officer for Greentown Labs, the Texas Medical Center Venture Fund Director, and the Managing Director of the Houston Angel Network.  Juliana obtained an MBA at the London Business School and Haas School of Business in Berkeley, specializing in Entrepreneurship.

Juliana is co-chair of this year's inaugural Houston Energy & Climate Week.

The modern architect of the energy workforce, Katie Mehnert, is the Founder and CEO of ALLY Energy™, an AI-powered network that accelerates connections, jobs, and skills to drive an equitable energy transition.

Ms. Mehnert has held global leadership roles with BP and Shell in safety and environment during financial crisis, spills, divestment, and globalization. Her early career included assignments with Duke Energy, Entergy, and Enron. Her corporate path drove her to entrepreneurship to help energy companies prepare for the looming talent shortage, and workforce diversity needs to address energy poverty and climate change.

She was appointed Ambassador to the United States Department of Energy in 2020 during the Trump Administration and has testified before Congress on the energy workforce of the future. She was most recently appointed by the Biden Administration to the National Petroleum Council, a 220 cabinet of top CEOs in the United States who advise the US Secretary of Energy. She’s a former Energy Institute Fellow and Clean Energy for America advisor.    

Ms. Mehnert is a leading authority, speaker, author, and trusted source in the energy industry. She has been published in Scientific American, Forbes, Barrons, The Hill, CNBC, The New York Times, and CNN. Her first book, Grow with the Flow, was published in 2020.

She recently co-authored Everyday Superheroes: Women in Energy, a children’s book about energy careers. Mrs. Mehnert has also appeared in Hot Money, a documentary produced by Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges and Retired NATO General Wesley Clark about the financial complexities of climate change and finance, and Dirty Nasty People, a film about the future of the energy workforce.

Katie is a four-time World Major marathoner, completing London, Chicago, New York, and Berlin. She graduated from Louisiana State University, Rice University’s Executive Energy Program, and the University of Texas LBJ Women’s Campaign School. Her husband is a legal executive with Baker Hughes. They live with their 13-year-old daughter, Ally, in West Houston.