DC Launches Inaugural Climate Week to Drive Global Action and Local Impact
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: For the very first time, the nation’s capital will host its own Climate Week with the official launch of DC Climate Week during the week of April 28 – May 2, 2025. In strategic alignment with other global events, such as the World Bank Spring Meetings, DC Climate Week (DCCW) is an entirely volunteer-led initiative that aims to establish the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia as global leaders in climate innovation, policy, and action. Through a week-long series of curated events, panels, workshops, and networking opportunities, DCCW will foster collaboration among thousands of policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and community leaders to drive tangible climate solutions and to transform our nation's capital into a global model for climate action.
Guests in attendance can expect over 125 events hosted throughout the week between DCCW’s official programming and the many affiliate events hosted by partnering and participating organizations. All of DCCW’s core programming is organized into five different themes for each day of the week, each housed at one of six unique “hub” venues situated across different sectors of the District.
These five themes in chronological order are:
“Climate Innovation and Technology” at the John Hopkins Bloomberg Center;
“Policy and Advocacy” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library;
“Finance and Economy” at The Square;
“Nature” at the University of Southern California’s Capital Campus;
“Urban Development” and “Mobility and Water” located at Sycamore & Oak and DC HQO, respectively.
All events organized by DCCW are open to the public and are free to register; however, a lottery will determine which registrants receive final admission to fairly accommodate the limited capacity of the hubs.
Global Voices, Local Action: A Powerful Speaker Lineup
DCCW will feature an impressive lineup of over 90 distinguished speakers from across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including:
Opening Keynote: Sir Andrew Steer, Former President and CEO, Bezos Earth Fund
Kiran Bhatraju, CEO, Arcadia
Maria Lettini, CEO, US SIF
Vanessa Miler-Fels, Chief Sustainability Officer, Schneider Electric
Rachel Kibbe, CEO, Circular Services Group
Francesco Mariani, EU Delegation to the United States
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i)
U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06)
Congressman Donald S. Beyer Jr. (D-VA-08)
Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities
Heather Reams, CEO, CRES Forum
Chris Bradshaw, Chief Sustainability Officer, Bentley Systems
Mary Cheh, Professor, George Washington University, former Member of the Council of the District of Columbia
Julia Cohen, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Plastic Pollution Coalition
Kathleen Rogers, President, EARTHDAY.ORG
Amit Singh, CEO, NearStar Fusion
Aviva Schwaid, Head of Innovation Partnerships, Tapestry
Jess Adkin, CEO, Calcarea
Tomás Villalón, CTO & Co-Founder of Phoenix Tailings
Grant Canary, CEO, Mast Reforestation
Gregory Thiel, Managing Director of Technology, Energy Impact Partners
Campbell Moore, Managing Director, The Nature Conservancy
Shannan Herbert, CEO, WACIF
Sri Sekar, Chief Investment Officer, DC Green Bank
Megan Carras, Head of Sustainability, WACIF
Chris Castro, EVP & CSO, Climate First Bank
Mafalda Duarte, CEO, Green Climate Fund
Rev. Eugene Cho, CEO, Bread for the World
Jackie Roberts, Former CSO, Carlyle Group
Mike Parr, President, American Bird Conservancy
Wawa Gatheru, Founder & Executive Director, Black Girl Environmentalist
Lucy Westlake, USC student and youngest American woman to summit Everest
Alison Cohen, Founder, Capital Bikeshare & Bicycle Transit Systems
Melissa Fleming, Assistant Secretary General for Communications, United Nations
Sam Read, Executive Director, Sustainable Entertainment Alliance
Sue Crothers, Founding Director, One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest
John Walsh, CEO, Endera Motors
William McDonough, Architect, Time100 Honoree
Peter Templeton, CEO, U.S. Green Building Council
Illya Azaroff, 2025–26 AIA President-Elect & COP29 Delegation Chair
Chad Frischmann, Founder & CEO, Regenerative Intelligence (RegenIntel)
Dan Tangherlini, Managing Director, Emerson Collective
In addition to the theme-focused events, DCCW offers several special activations throughout the week:
On Wednesday, April 30th, attendees seeking a career in climate can attend the “National Job Fair” powered by the Clean Energy for America Education Fund.
On Thursday, May 1st, for those seeking a more multi-dimensional take on climate, guests can explore “The Marketplace of the Future,” a World’s Fair-inspired experience hosted by Future Meets Present that celebrates all things related to climate innovation.
More information on DCCW’s programming and registration, special activations, and other participating events can be found on the official DC Climate Week event calendar here.
“DC Climate Week was built by the community, for the community—with the singular goal of making climate action local and real,” said C’pher Gresham, a founding organizer of DC Climate Week. “Washington, DC is where policy, innovation, and global influence converge. That’s why this week isn’t just about conversation—it’s about unlocking unconventional collaboration to drive meaningful change. We’re not just inviting people to the table—we’re inviting them to take the wheel.”
The mission of DC Climate Week is to create a lasting impact within both the DC region and globally, by convening diverse stakeholders, amplifying innovative solutions, and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future. While the organizing team is composed of many individual contributors, DC Climate Week is made possible thanks to the support of its partners, and sponsors including Sycamore & Oak, Arcadia, Golden Triangle, National Public Utilities Council, Advanced Energy United, Bentley, Casey Trees, CIFAR Alliance, Exelon Foundation, Farmer's Organic Gin, Counterspark, Goodwin, Plastic Pollution Coalition, and SEED Institute.
DC Climate Week is led by an Executive Board:
Kiran Bhatraju, CEO, Arcadia
Deborah Brosnan, President & CEO, Deborah Brosnan & Associates
Dan Delurey, Senior Fellow for Climate & Energy, Vermont Law School
Chad Frischmann, CEO and Co-Founder, RegenIntel
Sherri Goodman, Author, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security
Sarah Hunt, President, Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy
Jigar Shah, Serial Entrepreneur and Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute
Robert Stout, Senior Fellow, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
Additionally, a working Advisory Board has supported DC Climate Week from the beginning:
Daniel Barker, President and CEO, Halcyon
Justin Brodie-Kommit, General Partner, Lichen Ventures
Tom Chinnock, Co-Founder, Tech for Climate Action
Cedric Craig, Co-Organizer, Climate DC
Dr. Naamal De Silva, Vice President, Together for Birds at American Bird Conservancy
Uri Fishelson, Climate Tech Consulting Leader
C’pher Gresham, Co-Organizer, DC Climate Week and Co-Founder, GridVolve
Simon Hayman, Co-Founder, Tech for Climate Action
Marissa Jennings, Partnership and Youth Engagement Leader
Lex Kiefhaber, COO, Haddy
Skye Lawrence, Co-Founder, Ampere
Michael Luciani, Managing Partner, Juniper VC
Anjali Mahadevia, Head of Climate, DC Startup and Tech Week
Ben Margolis, Director of Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator
Vid Micevic, Co-Organizer, DC Climate Week and Founder, Climate DC
Uros Simovic, Senior Specialist, Motive Power, Inc
Claire Smalley, Founder and Creative Director, small c studio
Jamil Wyne, Co-Founder, Riffle Ventures
For media inquiries or to request more information, please contact hello@dcclimateweek.com.