Lehigh @ SF Climate Week
Thursday, April 23 | 6:00 pm
About the Event
Lehigh FutureMakers: Alumni Building the Climate Economy
During SF Climate Week, join the Lehigh community at our West Coast Hub in San Francisco for an evening with alumni helping build the next generation of climate solutions.
From carbon removal and fusion energy to sustainable fashion and the circular economy, this conversation brings together alumni working on some of the most ambitious ideas shaping the climate economy. Hear how they’re scaling breakthrough technologies, building new markets, and navigating careers at the frontier of climate innovation in the Bay Area and beyond.
Expect a lively conversation, practical insights, and plenty of time to reconnect with fellow alumni and friends from across the Bay Area.
Agenda
6:00 p.m. — Doors open and guest check-in (light refreshments)
6:30 p.m. — Welcome from Sam Dewalt, Lehigh West
6:40 p.m. — Moderated panel discussion
7:10 p.m. — Open networking reception
8:00 p.m. — Event concludes
Staff Contact: Brittany Erdman
About the Panelists
Nicole Ganot ’06 is vice president of operations strategy at The RealReal, where she helps scale the world’s largest authenticated luxury resale marketplace. Her work focuses on operational innovation and building the systems that power circular fashion — extending the life of luxury goods and advancing more sustainable consumption.
Nishad Pai ’93 has scaled transformative technologies and executed industry-defining deals, with over 25 years of leadership across climate tech, high-growth software, and finance. He is currently Chief Commercial Officer at Arbor Energy, which develops clean baseload energy turbines to support increasing energy demand from AI/data centers and industrial processes. Prior to Arbor, he served as head of business development and partnerships at Heirloom, a leading direct air capture (DAC) carbon dioxide removal (CDR) company. During his tenure, he was instrumental in negotiating over $300M in carbon removal offtake agreements, supporting a $150M Series B financing round, and developing and executing energy and MRV strategies. His prior experience includes two decades leading business development and partnership teams at Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Adobe, Snap, and Napster. Pai began his career in investment banking at J.P. Morgan and holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Lehigh University.
Joseph Paluska M’91 is the first ever chief marketing officer for Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the world’s largest fusion technology company. He is a three-time CMO for pioneering climate tech companies. Before committing his career to climate tech, he led the global technology practices for the world’s largest communications firms, Edelman and Hill & Knowlton.
Sarah Woogen ’13 is the VP of product and delivery for North America at The Mobility House (TMH). She believes that an excellent experience with The Mobility House products and services is vital for their customers. She is also focused on vehicle-grid-integration (VGI) research and product development. Prior to The Mobility House, she worked at Stem Inc. leading stationary battery storage operations with various technologies and programs and has experience in utility consulting for demand side management.
Event Details
When: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 6-8 p.m. Pacific
Location: Lehigh West
Address: 201 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
RSVP by: Wednesday, April 22
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