Gail Conenello
K&L Gates
Breakout Session -ESG in the Real World

Gail Conenello’s environmental practice is focused in the areas of CERCLA and Spill Act remediations and liability actions, private cost recovery actions, environmental justice actions, RCRA, environmental insurance coverage actions, due diligence for corporate and real estate transactions, and various environmental remediation, permitting, compliance, regulatory and enforcement matters.

Notably, Gail has been on the cutting edge of issues involving site remediation and environmental justice. She has spoken before various professional and trade associations, such as the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Chemistry Council of New Jersey and the New York State Business Council, on these topics.

At K&L Gates, Gail has also counseled clients on environmental issues in order to facilitate corporate and real estate transactions. She has worked on numerous multi-million dollar transactions for a wide range of clients, from pharmaceutical companies to manufacturers, and has extensive experience assisting clients with compliance and remediation issues associated with New Jersey’s Industrial Site Recovery Act.

As a complement to her work in the environmental arena, Gail has also been involved in developing community outreach programs for major industrial clients. These outreach programs develop and maintain ongoing forums for positive working relationships and effective communication between manufacturers and key stakeholders in the local and regional communities on key issues related to the daily operations of industrial facilities and legacy site remediation issues associated with former industrial operations.

Gail is a graduate of NYU and Rutgers University. Prior to entering private practice, Gail served a one year judicial clerkship in the New Jersey Superior Court, Law Division for the Honorable Douglas K. Wolfson and the Honorable Yolanda Ciccone.

Ken Gish
K&L Gates
Breakout Session -ESG in the Real World

Ken Gish is of counsel at the firm's Charlotte and Seattle offices where he is a member of the power practice group. Ken is a prominent member of K&L Gates’ Corporate Sustainability Group and assists corporate and institutional customers in meeting sustainability goals through renewable energy purchases. Ken also represents clients in the energy industry, including renewable energy developers and hydropower operators in transactions, before state and federal regulatory bodies and in all aspects of complex project development including defending permit appeals at the administrative and judicial level. Additionally, Ken counsels clients with regard to compliance with federal, state and local environmental regulations.

Prior to joining the firm Ken was a member of the environmental, natural resources, and energy services group at a national law firm. In addition, he served as an associate at the K&L Gates Seattle office for seven years. Before law school, Ken served as a watch and division officer on USS San Juan (SSN-751), a nuclear-powered, fast attack submarine. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Georgetown University.

LaToya Johnson
Federal Highway Administration Office of Infrastructure
Breakout Session with FHWA/EPA

LaToya Johnson is the team leader for the Pavement Design and Performance Team in the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Infrastructure. In this position, LaToya manages a team of technical experts that set Agency priorities, develop and implement policy, and assist in the deployment of related tools and products in the areas of pavement design, preservation, performance management, sustainability, resilience, and materials quality assurance. Previously, she held positions with FHWA with the HQ Major Projects Team and in the New York and Georgia FHWA Division offices as a Transportation (Area) Engineer. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in physics from Spelman College and civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She obtained a Master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland-College Park. LaToya is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Georgia.

John Joyce
House of Representatives
Board of Directors Meeting (lunch included)

Congressman John Joyce, M.D. has represented Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2019.

In Congress, Congressman Joyce serves as a Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and as the Vice-Chair of the House GOP Doctor’s Caucus. Since arriving on Capitol Hill, Congressman Joyce has prioritized and championed legislation and initiatives focused on delivering affordable, quality healthcare in rural communities, lowering energy prices, and expanding access to high-speed internet across South Central Pennsylvania.

The son of Bernard and Peggy (Hallinan) Joyce, Congressman Joyce is the third generation of the Joyce family to be born and raised in Altoona. After graduating from Bishop Guilfoyle High School and attending Penn State Altoona, Congressman Joyce received his undergraduate degree with honors from Penn State University Park in 1979 and his Doctor of Medicine from Temple University in 1983 before continuing his medical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and with the U.S. Navy in Portsmouth, Virginia.

A fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Dermatology, Congressman Joyce and his wife Dr. Alice Plummer Joyce established Altoona Dermatology Associates in 1991, and for over 25 years, the Joyce’s have cared for families across Central Pennsylvania, serving patients from all ten counties in the 13th Congressional District.

A lifelong member of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, Congressman Joyce has given back to his hometown through volunteer service at the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen and service on the Advisory Boards of Penn State Altoona, the American Cancer Society, the United Way, and the Goodman Trust.

Bill Le Roy
EPA
Breakout Session with FHWA/EPA

Bill works at EPA on the Environmental Pollution Prevention Team assisting in implementing IRA in its focus on low embodied carbon construction materials. As a licensed architect with over 20 years of experience, his previous responsibilities included managing design and construction projects for FDA. Served as TPOC leading data calls for FDA’s energy and water reporting to HHS. Also previously managed EPAs high performance building program and edited architecture/engineering design guidelines in Office of Mission Support. Much of the work included technical reviews of submissions for laboratories, offices ensuring sustainability, constructability and code compliance. Guiding Principles, EOs, CFR, P100, EISA, EPAct and EPA Architecture + Engineering Guidelines were typically reviewed for Federal Projects. Performed duties related to and maintained COR 2 Certification.

While in private practice he managed historic preservation and climate responsive design projects for institutional and private clients. Additionally, he established an environmentally friendly materials library for reference by designers. Volunteered to co-chair the AIA-Potomac Valley task force reviewing the ICC/IgCC for adoption by Montgomery County, MD. Since 2010, contributed to several subcommittees at the Whole Building Design Guide. A colleague invited him to lecture at local university on sustainability issues related to historic preservation. Served as founding volunteer and former vice president of a Baltimore non-profit whose mission is to promote actionable sustainability.

Outside the profession, he is the vice president of a local civic organization where he tracks local infrastructure projects totaling about $70M. As a board member, he advocates for safety improvements on behalf of the community. Outside of work and volunteering he enjoys the seasons visiting national and local parks with his family.

John Richards
Air Control Techniques, P.C.
Environmental Committee Meeting

John has worked in the air pollution control field for fifty years. He continues to enjoy field work involving the diagnostic testing and performance optimization of air pollution control equipment and ventilation systems. He has a strong interest in the development of new and modified stack testing methods and ambient sampling procedures, especially ambient sampling for respirable crystalline silica, He has helped develop some innovative procedures for the accurate measurement of fugitive PM10 and PM2.5 emissions. He is continuing research on possible applications of photochemical systems to destroy toxic, persistent organic compounds such as dioxin-furans.

John is a graduate of Penn State University and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Chris Stirewalt
American Enterprise Institute & NewsNation
Inside the Beltway Luncheon with Keynote Chris Stirewalt + Community Relations Awards

For more than two decades, Chris Stirewalt has been a leading and trusted voice in U.S. politics. One of today’s liveliest political commentators, he is highly regarded for his candid and straightforward analysis of our current political climate — using his signature ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ approach to cover the most significant issues of the day and provide his expert outlook for the future. Stirewalt is also the bestselling author of the books Broken News: How the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back, a deeply researched, conversation-provoking study of today’s profit-driven news cycle and how it can be repaired, as well as Every Man a King, a dynamic account of America’s populist tradition. Today, Stirewalt is the political editor for NewsNation, America’s fastest growing cable news channel.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Stirewalt is an expert storyteller and astute speaker who keeps audiences engrossed with his trademark humor while breaking down complex political issues. He offers candid and witty insights on the current political climate and the latest happenings on Capitol Hill and in the White House, as well as a breakdown of how our political party system reached its current state of polarization and what he sees coming down the pike in Washington and across the nation. Stirewalt is a quickly rising star on news and within political circles whose speeches offer the perfect balance between meaty and hard-hitting takeaways and entertaining personal and professional anecdotes.

In addition to being the political editor as NewsNation, Stirewalt is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, focusing on American politics, voting trends, public opinion, and the media. He is also a contributing editor for The Dispatch, where he publishes a weekly column and his newsletter, Stirewalt on Politics. As co-host of the “Ink Stained Wretches” podcast, he helps listeners cut through media bias and separate fact from fiction in the news they consume.

Previously, Stirewalt served as the politics editor for Fox News Channel, where he helped coordinate political coverage across Fox. While at Fox, Stirewalt appeared in front of some of the largest audiences in cable news history, including tens of millions of viewers for debate and election night coverage. The podcast he co-hosted with Dana Perino, “I’ll Tell You What,” was so successful that it was spun off into a television show of the same name leading up to the 2016 election — an industry first. Joining FNC’s Washington bureau in 2010, Stirewalt made daily appearances on multiple Fox network programs, including America’s Newsroom, Outnumbered, Special Report with Bret Baier, and Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. He was also a part of the Fox News Decision Desk team, where he called races on election nights, and hosted the Fox Nation Halftime Report streaming show.

Prior to joining FNC, Stirewalt served as political editor for The Washington Examiner where he wrote a twice-weekly column and led political coverage for the newspaper. He also served as politics editor at the Charleston Daily Mail and West Virginia Media. Stirewalt began his career at the Wheeling Intelligencer in West Virginia.

He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.