About
Despite the void in national climate leadership, climate action can’t wait. With some of the most ambitious climate goals of any U.S. state, Maryland and its localities must now mobilize and energize local and state actions to advance climate and environmental justice, secure energy independence, strengthen resilience, bolster economic competitiveness, create good jobs, and ensure adequate housing and infrastructure.
This forum is more than a conference: it is a call to action. Join us for dynamic keynotes, peer-to-peer exchanges, and new connections that will provide inspiration to achieve local and state climate and sustainability goals. Breakout sessions will feature local experts and case studies, with questions and discussion encouraged.
Hosted by Howard County Government in partnership with The Howard County Conservancy at the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center in Columbia, Maryland. Registration closes November 7.
Program Agenda
- 8:00am - Registration, Continental Breakfast, & Networking
- 8:45am - Welcome from Howard County Executive Calvin Ball
- 8:55am - Fireside Chat with Maryland Secretary of Commerce Harry Coker, Jr. and Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul Pinsky
- 9:30am - Networking Break
- 9:45am - Breakout Session 1
- Securing Energy Independence
- Building Resilient Communities
- 10:45am - Networking Break
- 11:00am - Breakout Session 2
- Strengthening Community Engagement
- Mobilizing Climate & Sustainability Finance
- 12:00pm - Lunch, Closing Remarks, and Networking
- 12:45pm - Optional Networking Hour or Field Visit: Historic Ellicott City "Safe & Sound" Resiliency Tour (pre-registration required)
- 1:45pm - Doors close.
Fireside Chat
Maryland Secretary of Commerce Harry Coker, Jr. and Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul Pinsky discuss how to advance public and private sector collaboration on climate.
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Harry Coker, Jr. The Honorable Harry Coker Jr. was appointed by Governor Moore as Maryland’s Secretary of Commerce on February 5, 2025. At Commerce, the state's primary economic development agency, Coker is focused on working collaboratively to help Maryland “Win the Decade” by developing and sustaining an equitable, robust and competitive economy. Secretary Coker is a retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) senior executive, former National Security Agency (NSA) senior executive and career Naval Officer. He was previously the national cyber director, serving in the White House from 2023 - 2025. |
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Paul Pinsky Paul Pinsky was appointed by Governor Moore to be the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration and he took office on January 18, 2023. Prior to his appointment as director, he was elected to the Maryland State Senate seven times. As a senator, he chaired the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. He has also served on the Maryland Commission on Climate Change since its inception. Pinsky has been a long-time champion in the fight to address climate change and clean up the Chesapeake Bay. He is the principal author of dozens of environmental laws that have helped shape most major state environmental policies in Maryland over the last two decades. |
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Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1
- Securing Energy Independence: Accelerating clean energy development with public/private partnerships.
- Building Resilient Communities: Innovative solutions to create climate resilient communities.
Breakout Session 2
- Strengthening Community Engagement: Mobilizing communities toward equitable, lasting change that aligns with climate goals.
- Mobilizing Climate & Sustainability Finance: Learn about local funding strategies to accelerate climate mitigation and resiliency.
Closing Address
Maryland Chief Sustainability Officer Meghan Conklin offers parting thoughts and inspiration on taking Maryland forward on climate.
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Meghan Conklin Meghan Conklin has more than 20 years of experience in climate change, environment, and energy policy, having served in senior roles in the Obama Administration, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. Conklin previously served for four years as policy advisor to U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen on issues including climate, environment, energy, agriculture, and more. In the Obama Administration, she served as deputy assistant secretary for transmission permitting in the Office of Electricity at the Department of Energy and Associate Deputy Secretary of the Interior. |
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Optional Field Visit: Historic Ellicott City "Safe & Sound" Resiliency Tour
**Limited spots available; pre-registration required.
1:00-2:45pm
Nestled in the heart of Maryland, Historic Ellicott City has been a “poster child” for the devastating impacts of flash floods, which struck the community in 2011, 2016, and 2018. Now it’s becoming a model of climate resilience and community spirit. Pre-register to attend this guided driving and walking tour featuring elements of Howard County’s Ellicott City Safe & Sound Plan, an aggressive stormwater mitigation and public safety strategy.
The one-and-a-half hour guided walking and bus tour will highlight key features of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound program, including a hard hat tour of the North Tunnel, a $141 million, mile-long, 18-ft. diameter tunnel. Participants should be comfortable walking approximately 0.5 miles. Mobility accommodations may be available upon request.
Pre-registered attendees will be responsible for their own transportation to the tour meeting location in Historic Ellicott City from the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center at the conclusion of the Maryland Climate Forward Forum (approximately 12:45pm). Driving time from Oakland Mills Interfaith to Historic Ellicott City is an estimated 15 minutes.
Public bathrooms are accessible at the Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum near Tiber Park or at the nearby Howard County Tourism Office.
Venue Information
The Meeting House is home to Oakland Mills Interfaith Center, a five-congregation interdenominational house of worship in Columbia, Maryland, and its Green Team. The property is owned and operated by Oakland Mills Interfaith, Inc. (OMII), a religious, non-profit corporation in which the five resident OMIC congregations are shareholders.
Interfaith centers, or shared religious facilities, are a hallmark of Columbia’s new town planning and part of the original vision of developer James Rouse and the Rouse Company. As was the planners' intent, the centers build a stronger sense of community by fostering understanding of and respect for religious diversity. The centers also offer opportunities for mutual cooperation in community outreach efforts and mission.
Ample free parking is available on site.
Accessibility: All meeting halls, meeting rooms, and restrooms are fully accessible to people with impaired mobility.
Oakland Mills Interfaith Center
5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia, MD 21045
Sustainability Efforts
Oakland Mills Interfaith
Supported by its Oakland Mills Interfaith Green Team, recipients of the 2024 Howard County Green Leadership Award, the Oakland Mills Interfaith meeting facility and grounds are home to a variety of climate solutions. The Green Team has installed and maintains a conservation landscape featuring pollinator and rain gardens with more than 2,000 native plantings. Waste reduction is a priority, with a water bottle filling station available to reduce single-use plastics and waste sorting stations to encourage recycling and composting of food scraps.
The Maryland Climate Forward Forum
In accordance with our state and local climate goals, Howard County and the Howard County Conservancy encourage forum participants to practice what we preach. Event materials are provided with an eye on waste reduction, featuring recycled materials where possible. Please bring your own water bottle to take advantage of the water bottle filling station on-site at Oakland Mills Interfaith. Waste station monitors will be available during meals to assist with sorting refuse into trash, recycling, or composting.
About the Organizers
The Howard County Conservancy
For more than 30 years as a local nonprofit, the Howard County Conservancy has worked to connect people to nature. The mission of the Conservancy is to educate children and adults about the natural world, to preserve the land and its legacy for future generations and to model responsible stewardship of our environment.
The Howard County Office of Community Sustainability
The Howard County Office of Community Sustainability (OCS), Maryland’s oldest sustainability office, aims to protect and enhance the quality of life in our communities by addressing environmental and economic issues affecting County citizens and future generations.
Howard County boasts the state’s oldest Office of Sustainability and works to coordinate efforts throughout other Howard County Departments, governments throughout the state and region, and community institutions. OCS leads the implementation of Howard County’s Climate Forward climate action and resiliency plan. OCS engages the community with its Live Green Howard website and social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.