Agenda

Badge Pick Up and On-Site Registration  |  7:00am – 3:30pm

Exhibit Hall Open  |  8:00am – 4:00pm

Breakfast Briefing  |  Cultivating an Interest in STEM: Mutually Beneficial Partnerships to Engage the Next Generation of Environmentalists  |  8:00am – 9:00am
Conservation programs not only have a positive benefit on local habitats and native wildlife — they can also expand beyond the corporate fence line to meet community and educational needs. By engaging students in STEM education, corporations can support the educational endeavors of local students and build positive relationships with schools and youth-serving organizations. This session will feature the stories of three WHC member companies who partnered with educational institutions to support site-level needs and encourage next-generation environmental stewards.

• Lisa Chiffolo, Environmental Engineer, Toyota
• Edward McGinnis, Project Manager / Manufacturing Rep, Bayer
• Sheri Spivey, Community Relations Specialist, Cemex
• Joey Mendolia, Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

Mainstage Keynote Presentation    |  9:00am – 10:00am

• Matthew Cappucci |  Meteorologist, Storm Chaser, FLASH 2023 National Weatherperson of the Year
  

Concurrent Sessions (there are 3 concurrent sessions during this time)  |  10:30am – 11:30am

Achieving Gold: Enhancing Your WHC Certification® for Top-Tier Recognition
Since 1989, WHC Conservation Certification® has been an objective standard recognizing meaningful and voluntary corporate conservation efforts around the world. WHC-Certified Gold programs represent the strongest, most robust conservation efforts captured in an excellent application. Want to achieve gold during your next application? Whether you’re overseeing the applications of multiple sites or focusing efforts on just one program, ensure you’re not leaving points on the table with helpful hints from these experienced, Gold-tier applicants — including one that achieved Gold Certification on their first-ever application!

• Karen Fernandes Alonso, South America ESG and Sustainability Engineer, General Motors
• George Cella, Property Manager, BXP
• Randy Roths, Community Outreach Director, Summit Materials
• Delainey Williams, Manager, Certification, WHC (Moderator)

Crafting Standards for Biodiversity: An Interactive Workshop
Whether directly or indirectly, all business depends on nature. Being responsible stewards of nature means ensuring that proposed industrial development or processes exist in harmony with habitats and species, both at the operational level and across the supply chain. In this interactive workshop, participants will work together across sectors to develop standards for biodiversity conservation and restoration that will help industry leaders in the prioritization, adoption and implementation of biodiversity uplift efforts.

• Mechelle Engemann, Senior Sustainability Officer, Syensqo
• Adrianne Pedrosa, Sustainability Business Partner, Syensqo
• Hannah Tailor, Senior Manager, Certification, WHC (Moderator)

Everyone In! How Citizen Science Benefits the Community and the Company
Connecting members of the community to active conservation projects is a mutually beneficial way to support local habitats and wildlife species while simultaneously building expertise and knowledge on various ecological techniques. For many corporate conservation programs, the general public provides a largely untapped source of participation in conservation efforts, from gathering monitoring data to engaging in on-the-ground actions. In this session, WM and Vulcan Materials Company will share how they’ve incorporated public engagement in their programs the form of citizen science efforts — and how the involvement of volunteers benefits both the local community and the corporation.

• Adrienne Fors, Senior Community Relations Specialist, WM
• Karla Gonzalez, Sustainability Manager, Vulcan Materials Company
• Omar Vidal, Vulcan Materials Company
• Jacque Williamson, Senior Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

Lunch and Mainstage Session  |  State of Corporate Conservation   |  12:00pm – 1:45pm

• Margaret O’Gorman, President, WHC

Concurrent Sessions (there are 3 concurrent sessions during this time)  |  2:00pm – 3:00pm

If You Plant It, They Will Come: The Benefits of Wildlife-Friendly Planting
From boosting biodiversity to feeding pollinators, native plants deliver a host of positive impacts — and their benefits for wildlife cannot be understated, either. Native plants provide crucial food and shelter for birds, insects, mammals and more. When developing a corporate landscape, it’s always important to keep local wildlife in mind by choosing native plants that will not only support the ecosystem, but also the species that rely on them. This session features native plant experts who will discuss why using native plants is critical, how to source native plants for your area and sustainable maintenance tips that benefit biodiversity and wildlife.

• Damon Abdi, Assistant Professor of Landscape Horticulture, Louisiana State University
• Shubber Ali, CEO, Garden for Wildlife
• Doug Tallamy, Founder, Homegrown National Park
• Savanna Delise, WHC (Moderator) 

Leveraging the Latest Tech for Better Biodiversity Outcomes
Permitting, implementing and monitoring a conservation program takes time, energy and money — all of which are extremely valuable. By leveraging the latest innovations in technology, corporate conservation professionals can save time and money while building a more resilient future. In this session, learn how technological advances like remote sensing and machine learning can merge with on-the-ground science to result in a better understanding of an area’s biodiversity-related needs, as well as how making data accessible at a large scale can help drive positive outcomes for nature.

• Brittni Engels, Senior Consultant, Ramboll
• Lee Lance, Co-Founder and CEO, Ecobot
• Maya Webb, Innovation Lead, Constellation Clearsight
• Mitchell Robinson, Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

Now is the Time to Act: Embarking on the Corporate Nature-Positive Journey
With an increase in external expectations regarding the private sector’s impact on nature comes the need to shift from mere discussion about nature positivity to concrete actions. For the first time, many companies are developing a corporate strategy to support nature, but various questions arise in the process. Why act now? What does success look like? How can existing initiatives support nature-positive aspirations? These queries and more will be addressed in a dynamic conversation between WHC and Freeport-McMoRan, a company that has recently embarked on a nature journey. From making the business case for engaging in nature to determining priority locations, the panelists will share concrete, tangible examples of what it looks like to start a corporate nature-positive journey.

• Josiane Bonneau, Manager, Nature Programs, Freeport-McMoRan
• Shaun Clark, Senior Consultant, WHC
• Sheila Deely, Assistant General Counsel & Sr. Director of Corporate Environmental Affairs, Freeport-McMoRan
• Rob Campbell, Director, Consulting, WHC (Moderator)

Networking Break Sponsored by Chevron  |  3:00pm – 3:30pm

Concurrent Sessions (there are 3 concurrent sessions during this time)  |  3:30pm – 4:30pm

Beyond Reclamation: Providing New Life for Business, Nature and Community
Once a mining site is shuttered, it undergoes a remediation and reclamation process to remove harmful substances and return the landscape to as close to its original state as possible. While this is standard practice, there are ways to go beyond the regulations and enhance a reclaimed site even further to benefit the company, the community and the ecosystem. In this session, NSSGA will discuss the basics of enhancement reclamation, including whether a site is a good candidate and stakeholder involvement. Then, Freeport-McMoRan will share the company’s journey to enhance a reclaimed Arizona mining operation by opening it up to the community and incorporating various biodiversity, cultural and education-related elements.

• Libby Pritchard, Director of Occupational Health, Safety & Sustainability, National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA)
• Michael Steward, Remediation Manager, Freeport-McMoRan
• Doreen Tadde, Senior Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

Building Champions for Biodiversity: How to Empower and Encourage Your Entire Workforce
Across many companies, the guiding force behind a conservation project is often just a few passionate, motivated employees using their ecological knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife to bring a thriving program to life. In order to sustain and expand corporate efforts for biodiversity, this same passion for nature must be instilled across all departments and in all decisions. This session will explore how companies can encourage their entire workforce to take an active role in conservation, transforming nature-related projects from the work of a few to the work of all.

• Doug Losee, Vice President Environmental and Land Management, Covia
• Molly Morrissey, Senior Community Relations Specialist, WM
• Carolyn Jewell, Global Biodiversity and Natural Resources Senior Manager, CRH (Moderator)

Resilient Communities: Nature-based Solutions on Operational Land
As biodiversity becomes a larger topic within strategic conversations, teams are unlocking creative ways to make communities more resilient. In this session, hear from WHC members on how they used operational land to make a big impact for their employees and the community. Learn from WM and how they took an enterprise initiative local to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide a valuable educational experience for students, support climate change resilience, and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in conservation. Attendees will leave this session with actionable nature-based approaches for local, community-first, on-the-ground activities.

• Kailey Miller Davis, Senior Manager, Social Impact, WM
• Kellen Mahoney, Director, Suppliers Partnership for the Environment
• Patricia Billette, Program Manager, Social Impact, WHC (Moderator)

WHC Elevate Networking Event Sponsored by CRH (separate registration required)  |  4:30pm – 6:00pm