2022 Democracy and Climate Change Conference

Lee Drutman

Senior Fellow, New America

Lee Drutman is the author of "Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America." He is a senior fellow at the think tank New America, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, the co-host of the podcast "Politics in Question" and the co-founder of Fix Our House, a campaign for proportional representation in America. 

Richard Revesz 

AnBryce Professor of Law, Dean Emeritus and Director of Institute for Policy Integrity at the New York University School of Law

Richard L. Revesz is the AnBryce Professor of Law and dean emeritus at the New York University School of Law. He is also the Director of the American Law Institute, the leading independent organization in the U.S. producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize and improve the law. He is one of the nation’s leading voices in the fields of environmental and regulatory law and policy and has published 10 books and dozens of articles advocating for protective and rational climate change and environmental policies. Revesz is the founder of the Institute for Policy Integrity, a think tank and advocacy organization that promotes desirable climate change and environmental policies.

Michael P. Vandenbergh 

David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair in Law and Director of the Climate Change Research Network at Vanderbilt University Law School

Michael Vandenbergh is the David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law at Vanderbilt University Law School, director of the Climate Change Research Network and co-director of the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program. He is an award-winning teacher who has published numerous articles and book chapters on private environmental governance and household energy. "Beyond Gridlock," his article on private climate governance with physicist Jonathan Gilligan, won the Morrison Prize as the top sustainability article in North America in 2015.

Stephanie Lindquist (moderator)

Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, ASU

Stephanie Lindquist is an expert on the U.S. Supreme Court, Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. She has co-authored three books and has authored dozens of published articles and book chapters. Her book, "Measuring Judicial Activism," is the first publication to define the oft-used term quantitatively.

Ruth Greenspan Bell

Public Policy Fellow, The Wilson Center

Ruth Greenspan Bell has extensive experience in the governance of greenhouse gas emission management, both domestically (including, most recently, initiatives to harvest insights from behavioral social science research for re-motivating how humans engage with energy) and internationally (including efforts in Poland preparatory to its hosting of UNFCCC COP14).

Among several other publications, Greenspan Bell is the co-author of the World Resources Institute's "Building International Climate Cooperation: Lessons From the Weapons and Trade Regimes for Achieving International Climate Goals" and is a long-standing member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Daniel Lindvall

Researcher at the Climate Change Leadership Initiative, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University

Daniel Lindvall has a PhD in sociology and is conducting research on climate policies at the Climate Change Leadership Initiative at the Department of Earth Sciences in Uppsala University. He has written books on climate change and democracy and has for several years worked on democratic affairs for the Swedish government as well as for the EU and other international organizations. He was the Principle Inquire Secretary for the Swedish Government’s Democracy Commission in 2014-16.

Michael Gerrard

Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia Law School

Michael Gerrard is a professor of environmental and energy law at Columbia Law School and the founder and director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. He formerly chaired the faculty of Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the environmental section of the American Bar Association. He practiced environmental law in New York before entering academia in 2009. The latest of his 13 books is "Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States."

James R. May

Distinguished Professor of Law and Founder of the Global Human Rights Institute, Delaware Law School, Widener University

James R. May, Esq. is a visiting professor of law at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at University of Utah. He is a Distinguished Professor of Law, founder of the Global Environmental Rights Institute and co-founder of the Dignity Law Institute at Widener University's Delaware Law School.

May has litigated hundreds of environmental and human-rights based claims, including involving climate change and democracy. May serves as the Special Representative on Harmony With Nature for the International Council of Environmental Law and as Special Advisor to the new ABA Presidential Task on Environmental Justice.

Rhett Larson (moderator)

Richard Morrison Professor of Water Law, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU

Rhett Larson is the Richard Morrison Professor of Water Law at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. He is a faculty fellow in the Center for Law and Global Affairs, and the Center for Law, Science and Innovation.

Larson works on dispute resolution and improved processes in water rights adjudications in Arizona and the Colorado River Basin with the Kyl Center for Water Policy. He is the Principal Investigator on a USAID-funded applied research project improving water supplies for refugee host communities in Lebanon and Jordan. He is the author of "Just Add Water: Solving the World’s Problems Using its Most Precious Resource" (Oxford University Press, 2020).

Troy Rule (moderator)

Joseph Feller Memorial Chair in Law and Sustainability; Faculty Director, Law and Sustainability Program, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU

Troy Rule is the Joseph Feller Memorial Chair in Law and Sustainability and serves as Faculty Director of the Law and Sustainability Program at ASU Law. 

Prior to entering academia, Rule was an attorney at K&L Gates LLP in Seattle, where his practice focused primarily on commercial real estate transactions and wind energy development. Rule is the author of "Solar, Wind and Land: Conflicts in Renewable Energy Development" (Routledge-Earthscan, 2014) and "Renewable Energy:  Law, Policy and Practice" (West Academic Publishing, 2018).

Daniel Bodansky

Regents Professor at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, ASU

Daniel Bodansky is Regents Professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He is the author of "The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law," which received the 2011 Sprout Award from the International Studies Association, and he co-authored "International Climate Change Law," which received the 2018 Certificate of Merit from the American Society of International Law. Prior to joining the ASU faculty in 2010, he taught at the University of Washington, served as climate change coordinator at the U.S. State Department and held the Woodruff Chair of International Law at the University of Georgia.

Ann Florini

Clinical Professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management, ASU

Ann Florini is the co-director of Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management Washington Center activities. She is also currently a fellow in the Political Reform Program at New America, a founding board member of the Economics of Mutuality Foundation, a founding member and former board member of the Council on Economic Policies and an advisor to the Finance for Biodiversity Initiative. Her work focuses on governance of complex systems, the climate crisis, energy policy and cross-sector collaborations involving business, government and civil society.

Daniel Lindvall

Researcher at the Climate Change Leadership Initiative, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University

Daniel Lindvall has a PhD in sociology and is conducting research on climate policies at the Climate Change Leadership Initiative at the Department of Earth Sciences in Uppsala University. He has written books on climate change and democracy and has for several years worked on democratic affairs for the Swedish government as well as for the EU and other international organizations. He was the Principle Inquire Secretary for the Swedish Government’s Democracy Commission in 2014-16.

Catherine A. Novelli (virtual)

Senior Advisor, Shearwater Global; President, Listening for America

Ambassador Catherine A. Novelli served as Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, where she spearheaded the first-of-its-kind Our Ocean movement. She is currently a Senior Advisor at the strategic consulting firm Shearwater Global and serves as president of Listening for America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to forging a new vision of U.S. international trade engagement. Novelli is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and Arizona State University and a non-resident fellow at the Center for New American Security.

Anne-Marie Slaughter (virtual)

CEO, New America; Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University

Anne-Marie Slaughter is the CEO of New America and the Bert G. Kerstetter ’66 University Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. She served as the director of policy planning for the United States Department of State, the first woman to hold that position. Upon leaving the State Department she received the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award for her work leading the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, as well as meritorious service awards from USAID and the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe.

Slaughter has written or edited eight books as well as over 100 scholarly articles. She wrote The Altantic article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” (2012), which helped spark a renewed national debate on the continued obstacles to genuine full male-female equality.

Magda Hinojosa (moderator)

Director and Professor at School of Politics and Global Students, ASU

Magda Hinojosa is Director and Professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at ASU. She is the author, with Miki Caul Kittilson, of "Seeing Women, Strengthening Democracy: How Women in Politics Foster Connected Citizens" (Oxford University Press, 2020). This work examines how the increased descriptive representation of women as legislators affects citizens' political engagement. The book draws on a panel survey of 1200 Uruguayans, funded by USAID, that was carried out before and after the implementation of a national gender quota.

William J. Barber III

Director of Climate and Environmental Justice at The Climate Reality Project

William J. Barber III is an environmental and climate justice scholar and advocate, with nearly a decade of social justice organizing experience and deep academic training in both the science and law behind environmental and climate issues. Barber received his B.S. in environmental physics from North Carolina Central University and earned his juris doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, where he focused on environmental law and policy.  He is founder and CEO of the Rural Beacon Initiative, and has been featured in PayPal's Rising Leaders series, as well as recently named in NextGen America’s "30 Around 30: Young Black Changemakers for 2022.”

Saiarchana Darira

Assistant Producer of the UN COP26 Conference project "Turn It Around!"; Research Assistant at Global Mental Health Lab, ASU; Sustainability Researcher at Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, ASU

Saiarchana Darira, a senior at ASU, is the assistant producer of a global climate art project called "Turn It Around! Flashcards for Education Futures," where she traveled to the United Nations COP26 to share with world leaders the artwork and writing of youth around the world about what changes they envision in environmental policy and education.

Darira is currently a research assistant for the Global Mental Health Lab, where she is studying mental health tools environmentalists can use to navigate eco-anxiety, burnout and climate doomism. She is also a campus ambassador for Defend Our Future, where she works with youth to advocate for the environment. 

Brian Mecinas

Member of Sunrise Movement Tempe; Outreach coordinator at Future Coalition

Brian Mecinas has been an organizer working within the youth climate movement in Arizona and nationally for the past three years, focusing on driving justice-oriented policies that will build resilient, healthy communities. Outside of his studies as a current junior majoring in sustainability at ASU, he also serves as an advisor in the area of climate justice for various national nonprofits.

Elizabeth Gulugulu (virtual)

Global Focal Point for the Official Children and Youth Constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Based in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth Gulugulu is currently the Global South Focal Point for the Official Children and Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She has been leading youth consultations in climate change and has six years of experience in climate change and environmental conservation. She holds a B.S. in environmental science and natural resources management and is currently pursuing her M.S. in biodiversity conservation.

Richard Amesbury (moderator)

Director and Professor, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at ASU

Richard Amesbury is a philosopher and scholar of religion with three main (occasionally overlapping) areas of interest: (a) religion and contemporary political thought; (b) Wittgenstein; and (c) the politics of the secular. 

Prior to joining ASU he held the chair in Theological Ethics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and chaired the Philosophy and Religion Department at Clemson University, where he was Professor of Philosophy and of Religious Studies.

Nadya Bliss

Executive Director of the Global Security Initiative at ASU

Dr. Nadya T. Bliss is the Executive Director of the Global Security Initiative at ASU. She has expertise in growing mission-focused research organizations, deep knowledge of the technology transition pipeline and significant experience identifying advanced research capabilities to address mission needs, with almost two decades specifically in defense and security sectors.

A computer scientist, Bliss is actively involved in national service, including currently as an Executive Committee member of the Computing Community Consortium and the vice chair of the DARPA ISAT (Information Science and Technology) study group.

Frank Sesno

Professor and Director of Strategic Initiatives, George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs

Frank Sesno served as director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University for 11 years. He is now the Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Sesno is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and creator of Planet Forward, a user-driven web and television project that highlights innovations in sustainability. He hosts and facilitates the Planet Forward Salon Series focusing on topics such as energy policy, green jobs and food production.

Steven Beschloss (moderator)

Award-winning writer, editor, journalist, filmmaker and content strategist; Professor of Practice with a joint appointment from the College of Global Futures, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU

Steven Beschloss is an award-winning writer, editor, journalist, filmmaker and content strategist. He is a Professor of Practice with a joint appointment from the College of Global Futures, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is the Founding Director of the Narrative Storytelling Initiative across the university, leads the Narratives focus of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and is a Senior Global Futures Scholar.

Mi-Ai Parrish (moderator)

Sue Clark-Johnson Professor for Media Innovation and Leadership, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU

Mi-Ai Parrish leads Arizona State University Media Enterprise and is the Professor for Media Innovation and Leadership at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is president and CEO of MAP Strategies Group, based in Phoenix.

She continues work in diversity and inclusion in media, the weaponization of information, and coverage of justice and equity. She is the chairwoman of Poynter Institute Board of Directors, vice-chairwoman of Banner Foundation Board of Directors, secretary of Greater Phoenix Leadership and serves on the boards of the Associated Press, Common Sense Media, the O'Connor Institute for American Democracy, Arizona Community Foundation and others. She's served four times as a Pulitzer Prize juror.

Haley Case-Scott (virtual)

Junior Policy Advisor, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy 

Haley Case-Scott is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and a descendant of the Yurok Tribe, Klamath Tribes and the Sakoagan Band of Chippewa Indians. Case-Scott has primarily worked to support Tribal climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, including working for non-profit organizations, federal agencies and research organizations.

Aulani Wilhelm  (virtual)

Assistant Director for Ocean Conservation, Climate and Equity; White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Aulani Wilhelm currently serves as Assistant Director for Ocean Conservation, Climate and Equity at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her work bridges culture, community and science to drive innovations in ocean conservation.

Wilhelm has played a pivotal role in shaping the emerging field of large-scale ocean conservation, leading the establishment of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and World Heritage Site in Hawaiʻi, and as founder of Big Ocean, a network of the world’s largest marine managed areas.

Frank Ettawageshik (virtual)

President, Association of American Indian Affairs

Frank Ettawageshik is the president of the Association of American Indian Affairs. He served in tribal elected office for sixteen years, fourteen as the Tribal Chairman of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in Harbor Springs.

During his tenure as Tribal Chairman he was instrumental in the adoption of the Tribal and First Nations Great Lakes Water Accord in 2004 and the United League of Indigenous Nations Treaty in 2007.  Now serving as the Executive Director of the United Tribes of Michigan, he is also the Chairman of the United League of Indigenous Nations Governing Board and the Co-chair of the National Congress of American Indians Federal Recognition Task Force.

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee

Director, Indian Legal Clinic; Clinical Professor of Law, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, ASU.

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee is faculty director of the Indian Legal Program and the director of the Indian Legal Clinic at ASU. She has testified before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the Louisiana State Legislature regarding tribal recognition, and has successfully assisted four Louisiana tribes in obtaining state recognition.

Ferguson-Bohnee has represented tribal clients in administrative, state, federal and tribal courts, as well as before state and local governing bodies and proposed revisions to the Real Estate Disclosure Reports to include tribal provisions. She has assisted in complex voting rights litigation on behalf of tribes, and she has drafted state legislative and congressional testimony on behalf of tribes with respect to voting rights’ issues.

Bryan Brayboy (moderator)

Senior Advisor to the President; President's Professor, School of Social Transformation; Director, Center for Indian Education, ASU.

Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy (Lumbee) is President’s Professor in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. At ASU, he is senior advisor to the president, director of the Center for Indian Education, and co-editor of the Journal of American Indian Education. From 2007 to 2012, he was visiting President’s Professor of Indigenous education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

He is the author of more than 95 scholarly documents, including being the author/editor of eight volumes, dozens of articles and book chapters, multiple policy briefs for the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and the National Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on the role of race and diversity in higher education, and the experiences of Indigenous students, staff, and faculty in institutions of higher education.