2026 Theme: Adapt Today, Thrive Tomorrow!
Adapt Today, Thrive Tomorrow calls us to put resilience into practice—to not only withstand the shocks of our time, but to evolve and thrive through them. Across the Midwest, communities are already grappling with extreme weather, shifting economies, and growing social and political divides. Changing political priorities, the rapid emergence of AI, the spread of misinformation, and the erosion of shared truths all test our ability to navigate uncertainty with clarity and purpose. This year’s Summit asks: How do we adapt today so we can thrive tomorrow? How can we—across sectors and systems—build the agility, creativity, and collective strength needed to endure disruption, accelerate innovation, and sustain progress in an increasingly complex and polarized world?
To thrive tomorrow, we must ignite real change today. That means strengthening the resilience of individuals, organizations, and communities; cultivating solutions that endure; and working together across differences to build lasting capacity and shared impact. At the same time, we must keep working to reduce the impacts that drive climate change—cutting emissions, restoring ecosystems, and reimagining how we power and sustain our communities. Adapt Today, Thrive Tomorrow is a call to leaders in business, government, education, and the nonprofit sector to embrace transformative collaboration in the face of change. By adapting with intention and acting with courage and connection, we can move beyond resilience to create a future where the Midwest not only weathers uncertainty—it grows stronger because we rose to meet it, together.
2026 Keynote Speaker
Dr. Rebecca Carter brings a global perspective to the Midwest’s most pressing sustainability challenges. She is a leading voice in advancing transformative climate adaptation to build resilient economies and communities—particularly as regions face more extreme weather and shifting environmental conditions.
Rebecca is the former Director of Climate Adaptation and Resilience at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and previously served as a USAID Foreign Service Environment Officer in Indonesia, Uganda, and the Philippines. With a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona, she brings a deeply human-centered lens to sustainability, helping leaders move beyond incremental change toward more enduring systems that allow communities to adapt and thrive.
2026 Plenary Panel
A Resilient Midwest:
Building Thriving Systems That Last
What does it take to build communities, economies, and institutions that can endure disruption and emerge stronger? As the Midwest faces increasing climate impacts alongside economic uncertainty and political polarization, true resilience requires more than short-term technical solutions. It demands a shift toward collective, intergenerational thinking—creating systems that can adapt, evolve, and sustain progress across the next seven generations.
This plenary conversation brings together leaders working across climate adaptation, energy policy, water systems, land use, and community resilience. Grounded in the understanding that our prosperity is inseparable from the health of our land, water, and communities, the panel will explore how the Midwest can prepare for an increasingly uncertain future.
Panelists will discuss practical examples of resilience in action—from flooding and infrastructure to energy transition and cross-sector collaboration—while examining how we might move from extractive models toward systems of reciprocity and collective leadership. This conversation challenges attendees to think beyond surviving disruption. Instead, we invite you to imagine building systems designed to honor our shared well-being and the enduring vitality of the places we call home.
Elizabeth Riggs
Great Lakes Regional Director, American Rivers
Elizabeth Riggs is the first Great Lakes Regional Director for American Rivers. In this role, she grows the organization’s impact across six states (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI) to make every river clean and healthy for people and wildlife. Prior to joining American Rivers, Elizabeth served as director of environment at a nonpartisan public policy research and consulting firm leading projects such as the Michigan Governor’s Dam Safety Task Force support team.
Tremaine Phillips
President, Third Coast Strategies, LLC
Tremaine Phillips is the President of Third Coast Strategies, LLC, a Cincinnati-based consulting firm that advances policy, regulatory, and programmatic solutions at the intersection of climate change, energy infrastructure, and community resilience. Tremaine also serves as a Senior Advisor to PowerLines, a national consumer affordability advocate. Previously, Tremaine was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to serve as a Commissioner on the Michigan Public Service and served as the first Director of the Cincinnati 2030 District.
Briana Mazzolini-Blanchard
Executive Director, Urban Native Collective
Briana Mazzolini-Blanchard is CHamoru, of the Tugong clan from the Island of Guam. She is a community organizer, an environmental conservation advocate, educator, the Executive Director for the Urban Native Collective, CoFounder of the Indigenous Field Guide, and former board member of the Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition. Through her work, Briana has worked in partnership with local, regional, and national partners and environmental conservation agencies, Indigenous led organizations, athletes, and Tribal Nations across Turtle Island, to advocate and educate on cultural land protection, treaty rights, climate justice, Tribal sovereignty and self determination, as well as health and human rights. Briana is a mother, an artist, a sponsored athlete, and the first rock climber to be inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.
Dr. Rebecca Carter
Rebecca is the former Director of Climate Adaptation and Resilience at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and previously served as a USAID Foreign Service Environment Officer in Indonesia, Uganda, and the Philippines. With a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona, she brings a deeply human-centered lens to sustainability, helping leaders move beyond incremental change toward more enduring systems that allow communities to adapt and thrive.
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Thank You to Our 2026 Summit Sponsors!
Interested in sponsoring the Summit?
Contact Green Umbrella's Director of Engagement & Strategic Partnerships, Charlie Gonzalez
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Cincinnati Public Radio · CET PBS · UC Sustainability · Rumpke · Sustainergy
ASSA ABLOY · Electric Vehicle Association of Ohio · emersion DESIGN · Heads Up, Ohio! · Interfaith Cincy · Ohio Environmental Council · GoZERO Services · Ohio Air Quality Development Authority