Plenary Session Will Feature Semple, Bacow, Shaheen and DeStefano

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Semple, deputy editorial page editor of the New York Times, will speak at and moderate Perspectives on the Case for Leadership on Climate Action, a plenary session Monday, May 12, at 10:30 a.m.

Tufts University President Lawrence Bacow

Lawrence Bacow, president of Tufts University, will offer the view from campuses of higher education and research—an important component of the Regional Climate Action Plan endorsed by the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in 2001.

The twelfth President of Tufts University, Bacow holds faculty appointments in five departments: Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning; Economics; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Family Medicine and Community Health in the Medical School; and in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

An active contributor to the higher education community, President Bacow serves on the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education and on the Executive Committee of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts.

Prior to coming to Tufts, Bacow was the chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies.

Former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen and New Haven, CT, Mayor John DeStefano will join Bacow on the panel.

Shaheen, who was important in the development and acceptance of the Regional Climate Action Plan, will discuss the role of state leaders in addressing climate change through public policy, legislation, and regulation.

DeStefano’s administration has overseen effective changes in infrastructure in New Haven aimed at reducing greenhouses gases and energy costs for the people of his city. He will talk about the issue from the point of view of an office holder and the president of the National League of Cities, representing some 18,000 American cities and towns.

Connecticut State Treasurer to Keynote

Denise Lynn Nappier, the Treasurer of the State of Connecticut and the first woman elected Treasurer in Connecticut’s history, will speak to assembled participants at Climate Solutions for the Northeast in Hartford on May 12th.

Under her leadership, the CT Treasurer’s office has been involved in a number of shareholder resolutions aimed at encouraging corporations to take action against climate change.

A strong advocate for corporate accountability, financial education and economic opportunity, Treasurer Nappier has been an effective advocate for responsible corporate behavior, greater shareholder rights and strengthened regulatory oversight of corporate governance.

Nappier is the first African-American woman elected to serve as a State Treasurer in the United States and the first African-American woman elected to a statewide office in Connecticut. Her effective leadership has saved Connecticut taxpayers and businesses millions of dollars.

A native of Hartford, Denise Nappier served as City Treasurer for nearly ten years, having been elected to five consecutive terms. Before that, she served as Executive Director of Riverfront Recapture, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that successfully spearheaded the redevelopment of Greater Hartford’s riverfront area.

Other keynote speakers at the conference include Amory Lovins, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Frank Cassidy, president and COO of PSEG Power, and the Rev. Sally Bingham, executive director of the Regeneration Project.

Supported by a generous grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation

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