ONLINE: Leading the Change: Deep Resilience, Smart Communities

media release: In our fifth Local Government Summit, the Wisconsin Academy and partners will hold a virtual Summit to share practical resources and explore emerging issues in local energy planning and resilience in Wisconsin communities. Local government and tribal leaders and representatives from organizations actively serving as resources to these communities are invited to attend the Summit.

The Summit will consist of a keynote speaker, a plenary session (featuring Steve Vavrus), and breakout sessions led by community leaders and energy experts. Sessions include the following.

8:30 – 8:45 am: Welcome & Introduction

8:45 – 9:15 am: Keynote Address: Kevin Bush, deputy assistant secretary for grant programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Kevin Bush oversees affordable housing and community development programs, including the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships program, the Housing Trust Fund, and CDBG Disaster Recovery funds, in addition to Department-wide energy and environmental policy. In this keynote address, Bush will provide an overview of HUD grant programs and how they can be used for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. He will also discuss the Biden administration’s “Build Back Better” plan and give a preview of future funding opportunities coming for local municipalities. He will highlight HUD’s Community Resilience Toolkit and introduce the Department's new Climate Adaptation Plan, which provides opportunities to strengthen disaster recovery and improve resilience on the local level.

9:15 – 10:00 am: Concurrent Sessions I

Session One: How municipalities are leading the transition to electric vehicles

Moderated by Jeremy Orr, Emerging Technologies Program Manager at RENEW Wisconsin

Speakers:

Kelly Hillyard – Sustainability Coordinator, City of Middleton

Mahanth Joishy – Fleet Service Superintendent, City of Madison

Trevor Jung – Transit Manager, City of Racine

Session Two: Understanding local government opportunities in a changing energy world with PSC Commissioner Tyler Huebner

Moderated by Gary Radloff, Principal at The Radloff Group

Speakers:

Commissioner Tyler Huebner – Public Service Commission

10 – 10:15 am: Break

10:15 – 11:00 am: Plenary Session

“Climate Change, Resilience and Impact" with Steve Vavrus, senior scientist in the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research: Steve Vavrus will give a plenary address entitled "Climate Change, Resilience, and Impact" which will highlight his research using computer climate models and observational data to understand how our climate is changing across the world, including in Wisconsin. Extreme weather events are an important theme of his research, particularly how they might be affected by climate change. Vavrus is co-director of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) and has been a long-time member of its Climate Working Group.

11 – 11:15 am: Break

11:15 am – 12:00 pm: Concurrent Sessions II 

Session One: Housing: Affordable & Low-carbon footprint

Moderated by Kathy Kuntz, Director of Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change

Speakers

Abby Corso, Chief Strategy Officer at Elevate

Neil Whitegull, Modernization and Development Director of Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency

Session Two: Tools for Climate Change Adaptation Planning

Speakers

Rob Montgomery, Infrastructure Working Group, Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts

Maria Hart, Infrastructure Working Group, Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts

12 – 12:30 pm: Synthesis & wrap up