Leading Campus Decarbonization Efforts 2026
Join this free engaging session featuring a dynamic panel of experts from diverse higher education institutions HEIs—spanning private and public, large and small campuses—who are driving innovative decarbonization initiatives. Panelists will showcase that decarbonization of a majority of direct emissions is possible today, share practical insights on the strategies they’ve implemented, the challenges they’ve navigated, and the creative solutions they’ve employed to achieve significant carbon reductions. Topics will include financing mechanisms, available technologies, and specific case studies. This webinar is ideal for anyone seeking to understand and implement impactful campus decarbonization projects.
The session will also introduce participants to the 2026 Campus Decarbonization Academy, a comprehensive six-month, cohort-based program designed to empower higher education institutions in advancing their decarbonization efforts. Developed by AASHE in partnership with NACUBO – National Association of College and University Business Officers, SCUP – Society for College and University Planning, Second Nature, Sustainable Endowments Institute and U.S. Green Building Council. The Academy equips sustainability, energy, lab, facilities, finance, and planning professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to lead effective campus decarbonization initiatives. Participants gain actionable guidance on renewable energy adoption, electrification, stakeholder engagement, and accessing funding sources and state resources, ensuring they are well-prepared to overcome key challenges and drive impactful change.
Tailored to institutions at various stages of their sustainability journey, the Academy fosters collaboration and innovation, providing participants with access to expert-led sessions, peer learning opportunities, and practical resources. Real-world case studies and cutting-edge strategies offer actionable insights to accelerate progress toward carbon neutrality. By connecting participants to a network of sustainability leaders, the Academy helps campuses lead the charge in creating a sustainable and equitable future for all.
Moderator: Aurora Winslade, Director of Sustainability, Edison International
Aurora has twenty years of experience in higher education and private sector sustainability and clean energy work. Aurora serves as the Director of Sustainability for Edison International. Aurora serves as the main advisor and lead for the Campus Decarbonization Academy. Edison International and its subsidiaries, Southern California Edison and Trio, lead the clean energy transformation through a focus on clean energy, efficient electrification and advising the world’s largest organizations to navigate the energy transition. She provides leadership for the company’s sustainability strategy and helps advance one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, SCE, towards a clean energy future. She is a lead author of Edison International’s recent paper, Reaching Net Zero: Accelerating California’s Clean Energy Transition.
Aurora was previously the Director of Stanford University’s Office of Sustainability (2021-2023) and served as Swarthmore College’s Director of Sustainability from 2015-2021, where she launched and co-led the Swarthmore’s “To-Zero by Thirty-Five” energy infrastructure project, a plan to eliminate nearly all of the college’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions through an electrified, renewably-powered geo-exchange system. Prior to that, she founded new sustainability programs at the University of California Santa Cruz (2004-2012) and the University of Hawaii (2012-2014) and led Hawaii Energy’s Market Transformation Program (2014-2015). She was also a core part of Bard College’s Sustainable MBA teaching faculty from 2017-2023 as the instructor for Leading Organizational Change and has continued to teach internationally as a co-founder of Bard’s global certificate in Sustainability and Social Enterprise.
She has a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Dano Weisbord (he/him), Chief Sustainability Officer, Tufts
Dano came to Tufts from Smith College where he held the position of Associate Vice President for Campus Planning and Sustainability. Dano was responsible for projects at Smith including the electrification and decarbonization of a thermal and electric district energy system. Over fourteen years at Smith, Dano served as Director of the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability and established the sustainability and campus planning functions.
Previously, Dano advised on corporate environmental responsibility strategy for ActionAid International and at CLF Ventures in Boston MA, 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.
Alexander Barron, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, Smith College
Alex is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Smith College, where his research focuses on the design of policies to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. His latest paper, Decarbonization is Happening in U.S. Higher Education, but Carbon Neutrality Goals Alone are not Delivering it, highlights the achievability of significant decarbonization if the economic, technical and leadership conditions are right.
Alex has also worked in Congress, where he helped design comprehensive climate legislation, as a Deputy Associate Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency, where he worked on standards to reduce carbon and mercury pollution, and as a Senior Counselor in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he focused on cross-government climate and environmental regulations. He also served on the Smith College Study Group on Climate Change, Committee on Sustainability, and the District Energy Working Group. He has a B.A. in chemistry from Carleton College and a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University.
Sylvia Ramirez, Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration, Madison College
Sylvia is the Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration at Madison College, the community college serving South Central Wisconsin. In this role, she oversees numerous functions, including financial planning and operations, facilities planning and management, among others. She has also championed numerous environmental sustainability initiatives at the college, including reviving the college’s decarbonization commitment.
Madison College’s commitment to sustainability and the climate has been recognized through multiple Dane County Climate Champion awards. The college recently completed a solar+battery storage project at their Protective Services Building, funded by Wisconsin’s Energy Innovation Grant Program. Madison College is home to Wisconsin’s largest owner-owned rooftop solar installation, which is installed at our Truax Campus in Madison.
Sylvia serves as the executive sponsor of the college’s Green Team, led the college’s 2025 Decarbonization Academy team, and is a community volunteer with the Clean Lakes Alliance. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in public affairs from the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis also from UW-Madison.
