Business Needs for Climate Information

A panel of business leaders will address the conference participants on the private sector needs and opportunities for climate science.

The organizers of this event are Nancy Colleton, President of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, and Antonio Busalacchi, Chair of WCRP Joint Scientific Committee.

Panelists

Timothy E. Carone

Director, Global Climate Monitoring Systems, Advanced Programs & Technology Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems

Dr. Timothy E. Carone is director, Global Climate Monitoring Systems (GCMS), for the Advanced Programs & Technology Division of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, a premier provider of manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile systems and advanced technologies critical to our nation’s security.  Carone leads the GCMS practice in Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems and is responsible for integrating these efforts with other climate efforts across the corporation.  He developed the Aerospace Systems strategy to address global climate, energy and water issues and problems in a holistic manner leveraging the leading edge technologies and services developed and fielded by Northrop Grumman.  Carone is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the Association of Computing Machinery.  He also serves on the board of directors for HOPE, a non-profit student services organization.

Sharon L. Hays
Vice President, Office of Science and Engineering, Computer Sciences Corporation

Dr. Sharon L. Hays is a Vice President within CSC’s North American Public Sector, where she leads a team focused on strategic development of the emerging federal market for climate change, energy and sustainability services.  Before joining CSC, Dr. Hays served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) where, after confirmation by the U.S. Senate, she was a deputy to the President’s Science Advisor.  In that role, she led the strategic direction for all OSTP activities related to a range of science initiatives and advised senior White House officials on environmental and security policies.  In 2007, Dr. Hays led the U.S. delegation to the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  Earlier in her career, she worked on Capitol Hill, serving in several senior staff positions in the House of Representatives.  Dr. Hays received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Stanford University, where she studied in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Paul Berg.  She also holds a BA in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Paul Walsh

Vice President, Weather Analytics, The Weather Channel Companies

Currently Vice President, Weather Analytics with The Weather Channel Companies, Paul helps companies affected by weather-related risks integrate weather and climate science into their business processes. Since 1997, he has helped business leaders in large corporations - as well as investors and analysts - use weather and climate intelligence to increase sales and maximize profits. Prior to joining The Weather Channel Companies, Paul served as Senior Vice President, Business Solutions at Atmospheric and Environmental Research (a Verisk Analytics company), Chief Strategy Officer at Storm Exchange, Inc., and Senior Vice President, Client Services/Analytics at Planalytics, Inc. Paul's observations on weather impacts on consumers and business have been featured on CNBC, The Weather Channel, NBC Nightly News, Fox Business News, Bloomberg Television/Radio, and in dozens of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, USA Today, The New York Times, and Forbes. Prior to 1997, as a meteorologist in the United States Air Force, Paul provided weather-based intelligence support to war fighters and mission planners and served as the chief of weather operations for the US Army's elite 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm.

Lindene Patton

Chief Climate Product Officer, Zurich Financial Services

Lindene Patton is Chief Climate Product Officer for Zurich Financial Services (Zurich). She is responsible for product development and risk management related to climate change. She is a member of the Green Growth Platform and has served as a project Board Member for the World Economic Forum Low Carbon  and the Forest Carbon Finance Initiatives. She is an advisory board member for the University of California at Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. She is a member of the ICLEI* for Sustainable Governments Adaptation Experts Advisory Committee. Ms. Patton serves as the Vice-Chair of the Climate Change and Tort Liability Sub-Committee of the Geneva Association. Ms. Patton also serves on numerous government and non-governmental advisory boards, including the Executive Secretariat of the U.S. National Climate Assessment Development and Advisory Committee; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Financial Advisory Board, the Bureau of National Affairs' monthly publication, the Environmental Due Diligence Guide, and the US EPA Environmental Technology Verification Program. Ms. Patton is an attorney licensed in California and the District of Columbia and an American Board of Industrial Hygiene Certified Industrial Hygienist. She holds a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of California, Davis, a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law.

*ICLEI  - International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives

Nancy Colleton

President & Founder, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Executive Director, Alliance for Earth Observations

Nancy Colleton is a proven leader and facilitator of Earth and environment-related information activities.  While her background is primarily in space-based Earth monitoring systems, her experience extends far beyond that and includes promoting public-private sector partnerships and cooperation, building knowledge and support for measuring and monitoring the Earth, and promoting Earth science education.  She writes and speaks extensively on the need for improved environmental information and economic opportunity for U.S. business in its development and delivery.  She is one of the pioneers to promote the concept of Earth observations data and information as environmental intelligence, as well as to promote awareness of the U.S. environmental information supply chain.  Ms. Colleton is the founder and president of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), a 501(c)3, non-profit corporation.   She also is a co-founder of the Alliance for Earth Observations, which works with private, academic, and non-governmental organization stakeholders in partnership with government leaders to promote the need for improved environmental information.

Gemma Heddle

Senior Carbon Advisor, Chevron Services Company

Gemma Heddle is a Senior Carbon Advisor with the Chevron Services Company.  She is responsible for leading Chevron's internal carbon credit generation activities, as well as managing the development and deployment of a system to manage Chevron's compliance with carbon-based emissions trading schemes.  During her time with Chevron, she has also managed the development and deployment of Chevron’s new energy and GHG emissions inventory system, and the revision of Chevron’s GHG reporting protocol.  Prior to joining Chevron in 2005, she worked as a senior associate with ICF Consulting in Washington DC, and as a technology policy analyst at the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) in Australia. Ms. Heddle holds a dual Master of Science in technology and policy and in civil and environmental engineering from MIT, a Master of Engineering Studies in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia, and Bachelor of Engineering in civil engineering and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Adelaide, Australia.


David C. Nagel
Executive Vice President, BP America Inc.

David Nagel has over 30 years experience in the global energy industry.  Currently he is Executive Vice President of BP America Inc.  In this role, Nagel is responsible for BP’s engagement with the Administration, Congress, federal regulators, trade associations, and other DC and national stakeholders.  He took this post in July 2009, and oversaw BP’s Washington operations during the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010.  Nagel reports to Lamar McKay, Chairman and President of BP America, who is based in Houston, Texas. Nagel, a native of Wisconsin, was educated at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he earned a B.S. with honors in Chemistry and an MBA in International Finance. In 1976, he joined Amoco International in Chicago.  His Amoco career included management positions in treasury, planning & administration, shared services, and international negotiations and business development. Mr. Nagel joined BP following the merger with Amoco in 1999, and moved to Egypt as the company’s chief representative and business unit leader for natural gas. In 2001 he was appointed President and CEO for BP Algeria, where he worked with Sonatrach and the Ministry of Energy to restructure and expand BP’s business there.  In 2005 he moved into BP Group Finance positions, where he was head of Mergers and Acquisitions, Controller for Exploration and Production, and VP for Finance Transformation. Nagel chairs the Advisory Board for the Vice Provost of International Studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Antonio J. Busalacchi
Professor and Director, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center
University of Maryland

Antonio J. Busalacchi is the Chairman of the Joint Scientific Committee for the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). He received his Ph.D. degree in oceanography from Florida State University in 1982.  He began his professional career that year at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. In year 2000, he was selected as the founding director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) at the University of Maryland and appointed to the faculty as Professor in the Department of Meteorology. Presently, he serves as Chair, National Academy of Science/National Research Council Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Chair, NOAA’s Climate Working Group, and Member, NAS/NRC Committee for the Assessment of NASA’s Earth Science Program. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and in 2006 was selected by the AMS to be the Walter Orr Roberts Interdisciplinary Science Lecturer.