2026 Michigan Climate Summit

The theme of our 2026 Michigan Climate Summit, Collective Courage, uplifted the power of solidarity and collective action, and the courage it takes to keep speaking up and defying the status quo.

Why Collective Courage?

This recap of the 2026 Michigan Climate Summit recap outlines the day.

Keynote and Plenary Sessions

The Keynote session grounded us in the summit’s theme. Speakers share their stories of standing strong for climate action and how collective courage drives the fight forward at every level. Part 2 starts with a musical performance, followed by the panel discussion, “Rewiring the Regulatory System: Data Centers, Utilities, and Energy Justice.”

Part 3 includes the session “Taking Back the Grid: Building the Bold Future We Want.” Part 4 includes the session “Nature-Based Solutions: Food, Forests & Our Climate Future.” Part 5 closes out Summit on a high note, with a no-holds-barred panel on climate justice and how to put it at the center of the fall election, the announcement of our Public’s Choice Art Prizes, followed by a Singing Resistance singalong.

Student Eyes on the Summit

Grand Valley State University film student Bryson Atkins takes viewers inside Michigan’s Climate Action Network summit, gathering voices from the young activists, students, and organizers who packed the room. Between a fired-up spoken-word opener and closing reflections on “collective courage,” the video captures what brought this generation to climate work and what keeps them showing up: community, family, justice, and a refusal to give in to hopelessness.

2026 Summit Schedule

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Friday, June 12

8:00 am

–

4:00 pm

Big Ten AB

Registration Open

8:00 am

–

10:00 am

Big Ten AB

Continental Breakfast

9:00 am

–

10:30 am

Big Ten AB

Welcome & Keynote Series

Courage of Our Convictions

Denise Keele Ph.D.Executive DirectorMichigan Climate Action Network
Attorney General Dana Nessel2023 Climate Champion Award Winner
Tawana PettyExecutive DirectorPetty Propolis, Inc.
Shalanda BakerVice Provost for Sustainability and Climate ActionUniversity of Michigan
Teresa HomsiExecutive DirectorMichigan Clinicians for Climate Advocacy
Francesca ReznikSenior AssociateConverge Strategies

10:00 am

–

5:00 pm

Red Cedar AB

Art Exhibit

Art & Poster Showcase

Gallery, Art, Poetry, Song

10:00 am

–

5:00 pm

Red Cedar AB

Showcase

Community Climate Action Fellowship

10:30 am

–

11:00 am

Morning Break

11:00 am

–

12:15 pm

Big Ten AB

Rewiring the Regulatory System

Courage of Our Convictions

Data Centers, Utilities & Energy Justice

Marnese JacksonChief Executive OfficerMidwest Building Decarbonization Coalition
Wesley WatsonMichigan Environmental Justice Coalition
Boratha TanSenior Regulatory Manager, MidwestVote Solar
Rick BunchLead Consultant, Regulatory Team5 Lakes Energy
Sergio Cira ReyesClimate Justice CatalystUrban Core Collective, Grand Rapids

11:00 am

–

12:15 pm

Big Ten C

Youth Pathways to Climate Action

Collective Courage

Deirdre NievesEducation AdvisorMichigan Climate Action Network
Evyatar EliavMembership ChairMSU Sierra Club
Naz CimsitPresidentSchoolcraft College Environmental Club
Saiabhiram AkkarajuMYLES
Jihyun KoMYLES
Nicole GiangStudentUniversity of Michigan
Varun SwamyStudentNovi High School

11:00 am

–

12:15 pm

Lincoln

Speaking Climate Truth in a Post-Truth Era

Practicing Courage

Storytelling from the Ground Up

Andrew SarpolisCommunications DirectorMichigan Climate Action Network
Trevor Tejeda-GervaisFounderData Driven Narratives
Torri MathesSenior Account ExecutiveSachs Media

11:00 am

–

12:15 pm

Nook 106

Network Fishbowl Conversations

Powering the Network

Line 5 Pipeline

Sarah BrabbsOwner and ConsultantOptimizing Relationships, LLC

12:15 pm

–

1:15 pm

Big Ten AB

Lunch

1:30 pm

–

2:45 pm

Big Ten AB

Taking Back the Grid

Courage of Our Convictions

Building the Bold Future We Want

Michelle JonesCommunity Engagement SpecialistSoulardarity
Jeff SmithGroundwork Center for Resilient Communities
Peter SinclairVideographerMichigan Homegrown Power
Ed RivetExecutive DirectorMichigan Conservative Energy Forum
Charles GouldExtension Bioenergy EducatorMSU Extension
Crystal BernardState Initiatives StrategistJust Solutions
Richard BoehnkeFounder & PrincipalLake State Labs

1:30 pm

–

2:45 pm

Big Ten C

Election Integrity & Mobilizing the Climate Vote

Collective Courage

Denise Keele Ph.D.Executive DirectorMichigan Climate Action Network
Joanne WinkelmanVP of Voter ServicesLMV Lansing Area
Nina WimberlyVoting Rights CoordinatorMichigan LCV

1:30 pm

–

2:45 pm

Lincoln

Extractive Infrastructure: Data Centers and the Continuation of Colonization

Practicing Courage

Jaike Spotted WolfOwner and ConsultantSpotted Wolf Consulting

1:30 pm

–

2:45 pm

Nook 106

Network Fishbowl Conversations

Powering the Network

Militarism & the Climate Crisis

Sarah BrabbsOwner and ConsultantOptimizing Relationships, LLC

2:45 pm

–

3:15 pm

Afternoon Break

3:15 pm

–

4:30 pm

Big Ten AB

Nature Based Solutions: Food, Forests & Our Climate Future

Courage of Our Convictions

Erik NordmanDirectorInstitute of Public Utilities, Michigan State University
Jerry JondreauTribal MemberDynamite Hill Farms
Dr. Jason RowntreeProfessor of Animal ScienceMichigan State University
Nicole FrostExecutive DirectorMichigan Forest Association
Patrick DoranDivisional Director of Strategy, Measures and ScienceThe Nature Conservancy