Half-Day Forum at the Burke Museum, University of Washington

Date & Time: Tuesday, Dec. 2nd 2025 · 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM PDT (Doors open at 10:00 AM)

Location: Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture4303 Memorial Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98195

About this Event

Join us at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture for an in-depth forum exploring the intersection of climate risk, energy systems, and the resilience of data infrastructure in Washington State.

As extreme weather events—heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, and storms—become more frequent and severe, they pose escalating threats to the energy systems and data infrastructure on which businesses, governments, and communities depend. Data centers, cloud platforms, and network operations increasingly face operational, financial, and regulatory challenges linked to energy reliability and extreme weather.

This in-person event will bring together technology leaders, policymakers, and researchers to examine strategies for hardening energy and data systems, integrating climate risk forecasts into operational planning, and ensuring continuity in an era of accelerating change.

Program Schedule

Registration (10:00 – 10:30 AM) Check in, enjoy coffee and light refreshments, and network with peers.

Welcome (10:30 – 10:40 AM) Prof. Phillip Bruner, Executive Director, UW Climate Risk Lab

Keynote Address (10:40 – 11:00 AM) Joe Nguyen, Director, Washington State Department of Commerce

Expert Panel Discussion (11:00 – 11:45 AM)

-Dave Sabey, Chairman of Sabey Corporation

-Josh Jacobs, VP of Clean Energy Strategy for Puget Sound Energy

-Doug Mouton, Fmr Datacenter Design Engineering for Meta will share perspectives on:

Building climate-resilient data centers and cloud operations
Integrating renewable energy and storage into mission-critical infrastructure
Regulatory and policy considerations for energy and data resilience
Leveraging forecasting, automation, and redundancy to minimize downtime

Audience Q&A (11:45 AM – 12:00 PM) Engage directly with our expert speakers and explore practical strategies for your organization or community.

Networking Reception (12:00 – 1:00 PM) Continue the conversation over a light lunch, tea, and coffee.

Event Chair

Prof. Phillip Bruner, Executive Director, UW Climate Risk Lab

Presented By

UW Foster School of Business
UW Climate Risk Lab
Amazon
Washington State Department of Commerce
Net Impact Group

Who Should Attend

Energy and technology executives
Policy makers and regulators
Cloud, data center, and network operations leaders
Utility managers and planners
MBA and graduate students in business, policy, or engineering
Climate resilience and sustainability leaders

Parking

Guests may park in the Burke Museum lot (N1) on a first-come, first-served basis and pay via pay station or phone. Rates are $5/hour from 6 AM – 4 PM. Street parking is also available. For more parking details, visit the UW Transportation Services website.

Climate risk, energy & data infrastructure: a Washington state perspective