The South Is on Fire: The Future of Southern Climate Leadership - Panel, Technology Demonstrations, and Reception
The South Is on Fire: The Future of Southern Climate Leadership - Panel, Technology Demonstrations, and Reception
Panel Speakers:
Michael Shank, Ph.D. - Moderator; NYU Center for Global Affairs
Mayor Indya Kincannon — Mayor of Knoxville, TN
Scott Tew — Global Head of Sustainability Strategy, Trane Technologies
Rob Phocas — Executive Director, Southeast Sustainability Directors Network
Michelle Moore - Executive Director, Groundswell
Melanie Allen — CEO, The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender JusticeProgram
2:30–3:45 PM | Green Grants Exchange Launch Live Technology Demonstration + Networking with Panel Partner Organizations
See innovation in action with a live demonstration of Green Grants Exchange, developed by SSDN with Georgia Tech that makes information on more than 50 sustainability grant programs accessible to members and partners. Then explore practical solutions taking shape across the Southeast, meet the practitioners behind the work, connect with others advancing sustainability across the region, and enjoy light refreshments.
4:00–5:15 PM | Panel: The South Is on Fire
A moderated conversation featuring:
Michael Shank, Ph.D. — Moderator; NYU Center for Global Affairs
Mayor Indya Kincannon — Mayor of Knoxville, TN
Scott Tew — Global Head of Sustainability Strategy, Trane Technologies
Rob Phocas — Executive Director, Southeast Sustainability Directors Network
Michelle Moore - Executive Director, Groundswell
Melanie Allen — CEO, The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice
5:15–6:00 PM | Southern Solutions Reception + Technology Demonstrations
Continue the conversation over drinks and Southern fare while exploring live technology demonstrations with Panel Partners.
Together, We Will Explore These Questions
What does it take to deliver real wins—across energy, water and flood resilience, infrastructure, and economic development—in some of the toughest political terrain in the country?
How are we effectively working around the structural barriers shaping this work: state preemption laws that limit local control, redistricting and representation, gaps that leave frontline communities underrepresented in state legislatures, and the retreat of federal funding and support that many local governments had built plans around?
When we reframe climate work around affordability, public health, and economic opportunity, building unconventional coalitions, how does that tap non-traditional climate partners—and what does this playbook offer the rest of the country now that they are also facing adverse political and financial conditions?
Hosted by
Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN)
For more than two decades, SSDN has helped local government sustainability leaders learn from one another, strengthen their capacity, and accelerate practical solutions across the Southeast. Today, the network is helping surface and share lessons from communities confronting challenges that increasingly define the national climate landscape.
In partnership with NYU