David Hochschild is chair of the California Energy Commission, an $8.5 billion agency that directs energy policy for the world’s fourth largest economy. Trained at Swarthmore and the Kennedy School, Hochschild has over 20 years of experience in energy transformation. He has been awarded the Sierra Club’s Trailblazer Award, the American Lung Association’s Clean Air Hero Award, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Million Solar Roof True Champion Award. In 2024, he was named the American Energy Society’s Person of the Year.
Public conversation
Pacific Rising: How California and Hawaii can lead the clean energy revolution
Speakers: David Hochschild, Chair, California Energy Commission; Kelly Simek, Host, Living808 and Empowered Hawaii on KHON (moderator)
Thursday, August 7, 2025, 6:00 pm
Bishop Ballroom, AC Hotel
1111 Bishop St, Honolulu, HI
Lead Event Sponsor
Climate Hawai’i
Additional Sponsors
The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series is a joint venture of UH Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.
This event is co-sponsored by AC Hotel Honolulu, Hawai’i State Energy Office, The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series is a joint venture of UH Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), and the Scholars Strategy Network.
