What: On November 14, the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge will host what are bound to be heated discussions on alternative energy, clean technology and policy solutions for combating the effects of global warming. The program kicks off with a keynote address by Ian Bowles, secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Following Bowles' presentation, a panel of experts will discuss the critical role businesses play in preserving the global climate along with the technological and financial challenges they face in tackling the issue. The panel will feature Brian Bolster from Goldman Sachs, Phillip Boyle from Powerspan, Daniel Goldman from GreatPoint Energy and Daniel Schrag from Harvard University. Scott Kirsner, a columnist for the Boston Globe, will serve as moderator. Keynote Speaker: Bowles is secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy and environmental sectors and was previously a director or advisor to three clean energy technology companies. Bowles also served in the Clinton administration as associate director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as senior director of the Global Environmental Affairs directorate at the National Security Council. Panelists: Bolster is a vice president in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs' Natural Resources Group. He has worked on a variety of financing, merger and acquisition transactions in the power, utility and renewable energy sectors. Boyle is president and CEO of Powerspan Corporation, a developer of pollutant control technology for electric power plants. Boyle joined Powerspan after spending 20 years with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. He also served as the naval reactors representative at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, overseeing maintenance and refueling of nuclear submarines. Goldman is executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of GreatPoint Energy, where he is responsible for raising capital, financial and risk management, compliance and strategic planning. Previously, he was a founder, CFO and a member of the board of directors of New Energy Capital Corporation, one of the first investment companies focused exclusively on investments in clean energy projects. Schrag is a professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University and the director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment. Schrag studies climate and climate change over the broadest range of Earth history. He is currently working on technological approaches to mitigating future climate change. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2000. The panel moderator will be Scott Kirsner, the "Innovation Economy" columnist at the Boston Globe. Kirsner also edits the Innovation Economy blog and is the author of The Future of Web Video: New Opportunities for Producers, Entrepreneurs, Media Companies and Advertisers. Kirsner's writing has appeared in the New York Times, BusinessWeek and Newsweek.
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Networking: 5:30 p.m. Program: 6:15-8:00 p.m. Reception: 8:00-9:00 p.m.Where: Tang Center (Bldg. E-51), Wong Auditorium, 70 Memorial Dr., Cambridge Sponsor: Mintz Levin Registration and information: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/nov07.htm Forum members: $20; Non-members: $30; Students from all universities, free with college ID.
Contact Information: MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM OF CAMBRIDGE CONTACT: Rob Butler MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge 617-253-2568 PRESS CONTACT: Brad Baker for MIT Enterprise Forum CHEN PR, Inc. 781-672-3118