Details
DATE: Wednesday, November 8
TIME: 5:30 – 7:30 PM EST
LOCATION: Duane Morris LLP, 1540 Broadway, 14th floor New York, NY 10036
(The entrance is on 45th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue)
COST: $10.00
About this Event
This dynamic panel will examine the economic implications of climate change and flooding in NYC, including the costs of inaction versus the benefits of investing in resilience measures.
Join us for an evening of intellectual camaraderie with distinguished local experts, thought-provoking discussions, and the opportunity to forge connections with fellow professionals.
We encourage attendance from all industries.
Speakers
David Amerikaner
David is a member of Duane Morris’ Real Estate Practice Group and focuses his practice on land use, project development, environmental law, eminent domain, and sustainability. Mr. Amerikaner advises developers, energy companies, and other large users of land through the process of obtaining permits and approvals to develop their land. This practice includes representation before local and state planning commissions, boards, councils, agencies, and other decisionmakers, as well as outreach to and negotiation with project opponents. Mr. Amerikaner’s experience spans several states and local jurisdictions, particularly the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and other environmental and municipal regulations in California. He also handles litigation matters that arise from land development. Mr. Amerikaner handles eminent domain matters for utilities seeking to condemn private properties for public use, and on behalf of private property owners whose properties have been condemned. He also represents private property owners in tax assessment appeals.
Kate Killerlain Morrison
Kate Killerlain Morrison is the External Relations Director at The Ocean Foundation. Previously, Kate has served as Executive Director for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean and supported the development and early implementation of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan. Additional prior roles have included Deputy Executive Secretary for the Sargasso Sea Commission (focusing on high seas conservation), Marine Program Director for the Massachusetts Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (focusing on fisheries shellfish and eelgrass restoration), and Ocean Policy Analyst at Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (focusing on the first Massachusetts Ocean Plan, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and regional collaborations including the Northeast Regional Ocean Council and the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment). Kate holds a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. Kate has an MA degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and a BA in Environmental Studies/Minor Political Science from Eckerd College.
Yael Levine
Yael Levine is the Director of Mitigation in New York City Emergency Management’s Risk Reduction & Recovery Division. Yael leads the Mitigation Unit, which manages resiliency operations and implementation efforts, including hazard mitigation grants technical assistance and the Interim Flood Protection Measures program. Prior to joining New York City Emergency Management, Yael worked at New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, managing policy development and projects for post-Sandy infrastructure recovery and resiliency. Yael holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Yeshiva University and an M.S. in Urban Infrastructure Systems Management from New York University.
Paula Pagniez
Paula Pagniez is the Sr. Director, Climate Risk and Resilience at Howden, FEMA National Advisory Council Member, and a Former United Nations’ UNDRR ARISE Global Board Director. She works to advance societal resilience to climate risks and to accelerate the transition by fostering de-risking innovation and private / public impact via insurance and financial services solutions and advisory. Paula Pagniez brings to this climate resilience challenge a career spanning climate strategy advisory for corporates and the public sector, disaster risk reduction and resilience advisory, parametric insurance at the micro/meso/macro levels, microfinance solutions, public private partnerships management, humanitarian and public sector work, and across it all, financial services.
About SILC
The Sustainability Investment Leadership Council (SILC) was founded in 2015 to foster insight on how accountants and attorneys can incorporate sustainability practices that align economic opportunity with sustainable policies. SILC attracts members from the accounting, legal, compliance, and other professions across a variety of industries. SILC serves as a consortium for professionals to launch forward-looking concepts that will advance sustainability in their professions and companies.
Stanley Goldstein, one of the founders of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council, launched the accounting firm Goldstein Golub & Kessler (now part of RSM). After the firm was bought, Stanley became a private equity investor and is now the Chairman of Knickerbocker Financial Group. Mr. Goldstein has served on numerous corporate boards and is the founder of American Friends of James Joyce, The New York Hedge Alternative Investment Roundtable and Donors' Forum (a philanthropic roundtable).
Rebecca Craft
Andrea Schmitz
Nidhi Chadda
Jeffrey Yin currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel of Artsy (
Sarah Tomolonius is the Vice President of Investor Relations at M13, a consumer tech-focused full-service venture capital engine. Ms. Tomolonius is the co-founder of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council. Ms. Tomolonius served as Vice President, Marketing and Investor Relations for Arlon Group, a food and agriculture investment firm, from December 2012 to June 2018, and served as Senior Professional, Management Reporting & Analytics from December 2010 to December 2012. From October 2008 to December 2010, Ms. Tomolonius served as Associate, Investor Relations for Citi Private Equity, a private equity group that was acquired by StepStone Group in October 2010. From October 2005 to September 2007, Ms. Tomolonius served as Research Analyst, Corporate & Public Affairs Group of Edelman, a global public relations firm. Ms. Tomolonius served as Program Assistant, Water & Coastal Program of Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit international environmental advocacy group, from October 2002 to September 2005. Ms. Tomolonius has served as a Director on the Board of Quest Resource Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: QRHC) since 2016 and is a member of the Audit and Nominations & Governance Committees. Ms. Tomolonius also served in numerous board capacities for non-profit organizations, including Chair of the Sustainability Committee for the New York Alternative Investment Roundtable and President of the Board of HeARTs Speak, a nonprofit organization, from February 2014 to February 2017, and she remains a board member for the organization.
Mohita Sinha serves as the Co-Chair of SILC’s Education Committee. With extensive experience leading complex finance and risk regulatory reporting transformations at global financial institutions, Mohita helps organizations evolve from voluntary action to regulatory compliance to true value creation. Her current focus is on climate risk integration, guiding companies to understand, operationalize, and embed risk considerations into business strategy while meeting compliance requirements.
Jessica Moon, Education Co-Chair, is a strategic leader at the Sustainable Investment Leadership Council (SILC), where she champions the integration of sustainability into core business and investment strategies. She designs and leads convenings that unite leading cross-sector professionals in critical dialogues focused on unlocking sustainable financial returns through innovative solutions. With over two decades of experience, Jessica brings a unique perspective, combining her legal acumen with deep sustainability expertise and a holistic understanding of the interconnectedness of business functions. Her leadership at Scholastic Inc., where she pioneered their ESG & Sustainability function, demonstrates her ability to develop and implement strategies that drive both environmental and financial value. Jessica empowers leaders to see sustainability as a key driver of strategic advantage and long-term financial success, fostering a future where impact and returns are intrinsically linked.
Dr. Michael Kraten is an executive management consultant and business educator. He maintains specialties in entrepreneurship, business modeling, decision analysis, sustainability and resilience, educational gaming, strategic planning, valuation, risk management, and forensic analysis.
Sophia Shahabadi
As a Managing Director at Silver Leaf Partners and sustainable finance subject matter expert, Marc Tannous established the Sustainable Finance Practice as a service organization to represent managers and companies seeking alpha by scaling sustainability / impact solutions. The Practice provides capital introduction, customer referral, and advisory consulting. 
Sydney Improta
As a coach, facilitator and consultant, Deborah Goldstein works with NY, U.S. and international organizations and individuals who are motivated to thrive in the 21stcentury workplace environment.
Jason Dodier is an American international business professional at Schneider Electric, which is the global specialist in energy management. Since commencing his career with Schneider Electric, Jason has lived in the United States, Middle East and Europe, while performing a variety of functions on behalf of the company in operations, business development, marketing and sales management. Jason is currently a Corporate Ambassador for electrical distribution, communications technology, sustainability, and innovation, activity on social media and delivering speeches on these topics worldwide.
Fitzgerald Angrand is a transactional attorney specializing in debt finance and alternative investments in the cannabis industry, representing investors, private equity funds, private debt funds, family offices, distressed debt funds, lenders and operating companies.
Matthew Levy is a Manager with PKF O’Connor Davies in the Not-for-Profit Services Group. He is a CPA and has been with PKFOD since 2012. He graduated from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. He currently serves as the treasurer of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council.
Heather Loebner leads Sustainability and ESG strategy at CircleIT, a B Corporation in the IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) industry. Sustainability plays a critical role at CircleIT, focused on repurposing IT devices at end-of-life and eliminating e-waste aligned with a circular economy model. Loebner leads an internal and client-facing ESG strategy that increases transparency, establishes a path to carbon neutrality and net zero, and builds social and environmental impact through strong governance aligned with B Corporate values and certification.
J. Michael Kirkland, CPA, CGMA is a veteran financial executive with over 30 years of experience in accounting, industry, consulting, and business development. He also serves the CPA profession with distinction, lending strong and visible leadership to professional and student groups.