CampusEnergy2025 Plenary Panel

Opening Plenary Panel: Accelerating the Energy Transition

District energy systems are pivotal to achieving a sustainable, low-carbon future. Join our panel of industry leaders for "Accelerating the Energy Transition", and learn how district energy is transforming how their universities heat, cool, and power their communities at scale. This discussion will highlight their efforts to reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and cultivate resilience. Panelists will share insights into how cutting-edge technologies, collaboration, and policy initiatives are driving the transition to cleaner energy systems in the communities they serve.
 
Our panelists will delve into the challenges and opportunities in advancing district energy solutions and offer guidance on charting a mission-centered career in our space.  Attendees will gain practical knowledge on accelerating project deployment, aligning with net-zero targets, and the importance of collaboration between campus departments of utilities, facilities and sustainability to achieve larger goals. No matter what sector of district energy you work in,  this session offers valuable strategies for shaping a sustainable future through innovative district energy solutions.

Robert Bland, Associate Vice President, Energy and Sustainability, Cornell University

Robert R. “Bert” Bland, PE, is associate vice president for energy and sustainability at Cornell University.  He is responsible for the production and distribution of all campus utilities.  He also leads the decarbonization initiative, and his particular interest is how campus utilities interact the New York grid as a system.



Jennifer Meisenhelder, Associate Director of Construction, University of Florida

Jennifer Meisenhelder is the Associate Director of Construction at the University of Florida. She began her career in consulting where she focused on design and construction of large and complex municipal utility projects. At the University of Florida, Jennifer directed large infrastructure projects, utility planning and the operational aspects of steam and chilled water distribution, before moving to large capital construction.  

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resource Management from the Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, a MBA from the University of Florida and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Florida.




Jessica Prata, Assistant Vice President of the Office of Sustainability, Columbia University

Ms. Prata is the Assistant Vice President of the Office of Sustainability at Columbia University in New York City. She leads a University-wide initiative that brings together staff, students and faculty to embed sustainability into every aspect of operations at the University. In collaboration with stakeholders in both University Facilities and Operations and Columbia Climate School, Ms. Prata implemented a governance model to centralize this important work and led the creation of the university's first ever sustainability plan in 2017. To position Columbia as a climate leader she ensured the second plan released in 2021, Plan 2030, set science-based targets vetted by University climate scientists and the UNEP to put the University on a path to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. Now in the Plan’s implementation phase, Ms. Prata plays an instrumental role at the table to advance the critical projects that will ensure it’s success, including University electrification strategies across multiple campus portfolios which includes one of New York City’s largest district energy systems. Prata also oversees activity including the Columbia’s GHG inventory/verification/reporting, transportation demand management, and an ever-expanding Campus as Lab program that empowers student to take what they learn in the classroom and create solutions that advance Columbia’s Plan 2030 in partnership with operators.
 
Prata has served as the Co-Chair of the Ivy Plus Sustainability Consortium, and as an Advisory Board member for the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN). She is a member of Urban Green. 
 
Prior to her current role, Ms. Prata served as the first named Corporate Sustainability Officer at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP), of the top hospitals in the nation by US News & World Report where she launched an expansive sustainability program that functioned at both the grassroots and executive level and sparked an organizational shift towards sustainable practices and policy. 
 
Ms. Prata received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Colgate University, and a Master of Public Administration degree at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

Rob Roman, Director of Utilities & Energy Services
University of Illinois

Rob Roman brings more than 30 years of industry and higher education experience to the role of Director of Utilities & Energy Services at the University of Illinois. Rob is responsible for all aspects of the utilities production and distribution, energy management and conservation measures, temperature controls systems, energy performance contracting, and business operations since accepting the position in 2020. 

This is his second stretch on the Urbana campus. From 2006 to 2012, Rob worked as the Chief Utility Plant Operating Engineer at Abbott Power Plant, and then as Director of Resources for Utilities Administration, providing project planning support for the University of Illinois System and acting as a legislative affairs liaison for utilities infrastructure and investment matters. 

Rob came to Illinois from the University of Illinois Chicago campus (UIC), where he has served as the Director of Utilities & Energy Services since 2012. At UIC, Roman managed the planning, budgeting, operation, engineering, and maintenance of co-generation power plants, chilled water plants, and utilities distribution systems for both the west and east campuses.

Since 2012 Roman has also served as the Vice President of Prairieland Energy, Inc. (PEI), the corporation solely owned by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. His responsibilities at PEI include overseeing energy hedging and purchasing. 

Starting his career as an Electrical Equipment Repairman in the US Marine Corps, Roman went on to hold positions at Lewis University in Romeoville IL as a district energy system operator, Nuclear Operations Supervisor for ComEd in Illinois, and then as Construction & Maintenance Coordinator for the northern territory of Illinois Power.

Roman holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science from the University of St. Francis in Joliet and is a Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP). He has previously served as the President of the Illinois APPA chapter and the Chicago Energy Economists. In different capacities, he has also worked for the Ross Township and Road District, and he was the owner/general manager of Total Maintenance Services, which provided consulting and sales to utility and industrial companies.




Dano Weisbord, Chief Sustainability Officer and Executive Director of Campus Planning, Tufts University

Dano Weisbord joined Tufts University in 2022 and serves as Chief Sustainability Officer and Executive Director of Campus Planning. This joint role is intended to further Tufts’ commitment as a higher education leader in sustainability and to bridge campus operations with education, co-curricular, and research activities. Prior to Tufts, Dano was Associate VP for Campus Planning & Sustainability at Smith College, where he oversaw large-scale projects including the electrification and decarbonization of a thermal and electric district energy system.
 
Earlier in his career, Dano advised on corporate environmental responsibility strategy for CLF Ventures in Boston, where clients included international mining, energy, and real-estate companies, and organized a regional wind-power industry alliance. He was a director of the Global Association of Corporate Sustainability Officers in London, and lead author on Sustainable Endowments Institute’s Greening the Bottom Line.
 
Dano has a Master of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design.



David Woodson, Executive Director of Campus, Energy, Utilities, and Operations, University of Washington

David Woodson is the Executive Director of Campus, Energy, Utilities, and Operations at the University of Washington where he is leading the effort to decarbonize the district heating system at the flagship Seattle campus.  David previously had as similar role at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and now is enjoying the opportunity to apply the lessons learned from UBC at UW.  David is a UW Alum (Aero and Astro ‘91) and has his MBA ‘06 from UBC. 

David is presently the Vice-Chair of the International District Energy Association (IDEA).