Climate change is a serious and growing threat to the economy of Virginia and the country as a whole. Climate-related disasters inflicted nearly $150 billion in damage to the national economy last year, including up to $500 million in damage in Virginia alone. And those figures do not include hampered military preparedness, public funds spent on climate resiliency and adaptation rather than other priorities, and other costs that are increasingly impacting Virginia's military, businesses, and households.

The good news is that we don't need to resign ourselves to these costs as they continue to rise. With the right actions from Congress and Virginia's leadership in Richmond, we can blunt the cost of climate change while simultaneously creating jobs, driving additional economic growth, and attracting new private capital.

Please join fellow business and military leaders, local officials, E2, and event partners for this in-person event to learn more and help move us towards a cleaner, more resilient, and more prosperous Virginia. We'll also be marking the local release of the new book "Climatenomics: Washington, Wall Street and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet", by E2 Executive Director Bob Keefe.

List of event speakers and bios below. Appetizers and drinks will be provided.

4:30pm: Doors Open

5:00-6:00pm: Panel Discussion and Q&A

6:00-6:30pm: Networking

Confirmation and more event details will be provided upon registration.

Questions? Contact Zach Amittay at zamittay@e2.org.

Captain David Dees reported to the Naval Station Norfolk as the Executive Officer in March 2020 and assumed command as the 50^th Commanding Officer in September 2021. Previously, he served as the head of the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School at the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center and was Executive Officer of VAW-124. Dees received his Wings of Gold at VAW-120 in January 1999, and he has accumulated more than 3,500 hours in the E-2C and E-2D Hawkeye and 1,000 carrier arrested landings.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael D. Askegren is the Commander of the 633d Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He commands a 443-person unit on the oldest active Air Force airfield providing expeditionary combat support for five wings, Headquarters Air Combat Command, 20 major associate unites, three flying squadrons of F-22s and T-38s, with a base population of 151,000 active duty military members, civilians, and retirees.

Andria McClellan was elected to the Norfolk City Council in May 2016, representing Superward 6.

Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, PhD, US Navy (retired) is the CEO of Ocean STL Consulting and host of the American Blue Economy Podcast.

Dave Belote is the Managing Partner and CEO of DARE Strategies, LLC, a Virginia Beach native, and an E2 Southeast Chapter Director.

Prior to his private sector work, Dave served for 24 years in the Air Force and 2 years as a senior executive in the Department of Defense. He is also a five-time Jeopardy! champion.

Patrick Costello is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Security Project (ASP) in Washington, DC. Costello is a recognized expert in U.S. foreign policy, trade policy, business diplomacy and the domestic politics of American foreign policy. Prior to joining ASP, Costello spent over a decade at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, where he held a number of senior roles, and also worked in Congress for former Representative Jon Porter.

Bob Keefe is E2’s Executive Director, overseeing E2’s work across the country and coordinating its staff and chapters stretching from Boston to San Diego. Bob speaks regularly about the economic benefits of smart environmental policies; the clean energy economy; jobs and related issues and has been widely quoted in publications nationwide. Prior to joining E2 in 2011, Bob spent more than 20 years as a political, business and environmental journalist. He is the author of "Climatenomics: Washington, Wall Street and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet", and co-authored several other business-related books.