​Learn from the panelists about how they navigated changes in innovation, regulation and markets to become leaders in their industries and roles.

​Explore the possibilities for you by considering the stories, lessons and insights from the panelists and the strategies they employed to achieve success over the course of their careers.

​Grow your opportunities by applying the lessons you learn from our panelists to your own career, build your learning plan and brainstorm the connections you need to advance your career in addressing climate change.

​Panelists

​Katherine Canoy is Vice President of Sustainability Services at Environ, with more than 24 years of experience in energy, sustainability, and climate strategy. She advises organizations on greenhouse gas accounting, sustainability reporting, renewable energy procurement, regulatory compliance, and decarbonization planning. Throughout her career, she has worked with leading companies including Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon Web Services, Equinix, and Micron, and previously founded Stonefly Climate and served as Senior Director of Climate Strategy Consulting at 3Degrees. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade at Walmart leading renewable energy, greenhouse gas, and supply chain sustainability programs. Katherine is a frequent speaker on corporate sustainability, climate strategy, and supply chain decarbonization. She holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University, and a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Mary Washington. Katherine lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband and two children.

​Ray Daniels is a sustainability and market development leader working at the intersection of agriculture, business strategy, and public policy. As North American Sustainability Manager for BASF Agricultural Solutions, he partners with farmers, supply-chain stakeholders, brands, and policymakers to advance practical, scalable approaches to sustainable agriculture across the United States and Canada. His work focuses on aligning environmental stewardship with economic viability and market opportunity, ensuring farmers remain competitive while meeting evolving expectations for climate, resource use, and responsible production.

​Ryan Gragnano is a Partner in ERM’s M&A Advisory Services practice with more than 20 years of experience in environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S). He has extensive domestic and international experience leading EHS&S due diligence for complex transactions and has advised on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and IPOs across a wide range of industries. Ryan regularly supports private equity, commercial, industrial, and oil & gas clients on both buy‑side and sell‑side transactions, including assessing potential environmental liabilities and translating technical findings into actionable insights that support valuation, negotiation, and closing. As a strategic advisor, Ryan focuses on aligning ERM’s technical expertise with each client’s most pressing commercial and operational challenges.

​Shawn Jones is a jack-of-all-trades currently serving as Project Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; an Operations Enablement & Transformation Advisor to Better Together Brain Trust, LLC (BT2 Energy); and General Manager of FW Grocery HVACR Smart Tech LLC (FridgeWize). He additionally volunteers as an entrepreneurship coach for ECON 125 at UNC Chapel Hill and as Audit & Finance Committee Co-Chair for the Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT), Board President for the Warbirds Lacrosse Association, and is a City of Durham Racial Equity Commissioner (2025–2028). Shawn holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and co-owns U.S. Patent #8877992 for a hydrothermal liquefaction waste-to-energy conversion process — a technical foundation that continues to inform his approach to commercialization and technology transfer. The youngest of ten kids and the first in his family to attend college, Shawn draws on that experience to help founders and students navigate unfamiliar systems with clarity and confidence. He lives in Durham, NC with his wife Shandra (Dr. J), three kids, and two elderly dogs, Pip and Percy Jackson.

​Kal Trinkner is a Partner in EY's Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice and serves as the firm's U.S. Consumer Products Sustainability Lead. His work focuses on helping organizations integrate sustainability into core business operations, prepare for emerging global reporting requirements, and drive impact across complex value chains. He holds a Master of Accounting and a B.S. in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a licensed CPA in North Carolina.

​​About NC Climate Week

​This event is part of NC Climate Week 2026, a statewide series of workshops, community events, and conversations designed to accelerate North Carolina forward from climate concern to climate action.

​Hosted by EarthShare North Carolina, the week brings together the people, businesses, and organizations shaping our environmental future. Free virtual Climate Action Workshops and partner-led events offer practical tools and opportunities to learn, connect, volunteer, and take action.

​​Join Us at the NC Climate Week Summit

​NC Climate Week culminates with the NC Climate Week Summit on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Durham.

​This one-day, in-person event features interactive sessions, cross-sector conversations, and leaders from Trane Technologies, NASCAR, ICF, NC Department of Environmental Quality, Clean Energy Fund of the Carolinas, MountainTrue, Xylem, NC Sustainable Energy Association, UNC Humanities, NC Wildlife Federation, NC Coastal Federation, NC League of Conservation Voters Foundation, and more.

​Explore the full program and register at ncclimateweek.org/summit.

​Let’s meet the moment, together. 🌎

​​Sponsor

​The Climate Action Workshops at NC Climate Week are supported by Xylem.