Join us for a free discussion led by distinguished panelists and moderated Grant Ervin, Vice President of External Affairs and Sustainability at S&B USA, as we delve into the latest sustainability trends shaping the finance industry. Discover how PNC is pioneering a path towards a more sustainable future through innovative financing strategies, gain valuable insights, and network with fellow professionals passionate about the intersection of finance and environmental responsibility. Esteemed panelists include:

Laura Ainsman Sohinki, Senior Director, Government Affairs for the Allegheny Conference

Emily DeMasi, EOS, North American Engagement, Federated Hermes

Mike Evans, Partner, K&L Gates (Washington D.C. Office)

Tony Misiti, Managing Director, PNC Public Finance Capital Markets

Kumar Nandan, Vice President, Global Tax at PPG Industries

Brittany Prischak, Director of the Department of Sustainability for Allegheny County

Graham Richard, Managing Partner Graham Richard Associates, Co-Founder Orchard Collaborative

Costa Samaras, Director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, and a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

Todd Yoder, Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer at S&B USA

Grant Ervin currently serves as the Vice President of External Affairs and Sustainability for S&B USA, an infrastructure integration firm based in Pittsburgh, Pa that specializes in civil construction solutions in the energy, transportation, ports and waterways and vehicle electrification space. Grant serves as an integrator of activities by working across departments, agencies and sectors to form public policy and market-based solutions.

He brings deep experience, intersecting the worlds of environmental, community and economic development and infrastructure policy to create innovative and sustainable solutions for local governments, private sector clients, community development organizations, and state agencies.

Prior to joining S&B USA, Mr. Ervin served as the Chief Resilience Officer and Assistant Director for the Department of City Planning for the City of Pittsburgh.

Brunch provided by Braddock’s Rebellion at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel. Guests can enjoy a Roasted Tomato, Oregano & Gruyere Quiche, Wild Mushroom, Feta & Basil Quiche, Black Bean & Beet Sliders, Granola Parfaits with Fresh Berries, Blueberry Muffins & Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, and Regular and Decaf Coffee & Orange Juice.

Distinguished Panelists:

Laura Ainsman Sohinki has more than 15 years of experience in government and advocacy work. In her current role as Senior Director, Government Affairs at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Laura works to secure public sector investment and legislative and regulatory improvements to improve the economy and quality of life in the 10-county Pittsburgh region.

Prior to this position, Laura was the Director of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh, she has held other advocacy and political roles and started her career working for Congressman Mike Doyle in Washington, DC. Laura has a Master’s in Community Planning from the University of Maryland, College Park and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Squirrel Hill with her husband, two sons and two dogs.

Emily DeMasi leads EOS North America engagement. As a senior engager in North America she also co- leads the human capital theme team. Prior to joining the EOS team, she spent nearly a decade in the socially responsible investing field, first as an academic publishing her graduate thesis on corporate social responsibility in commercial banks, then as a portfolio manager and investment adviser integrating the social and financial objectives of her clients into her investment process.

Her work included engagement with portfolio companies to align their positions on environmental sustainability, human rights, diversity, gender equality, LGBTQ equality and employee relations with long-term value creation. Her diverse background also includes non-profit fundraising, impact investing and community investing, as well as serving as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. She earned her MBA and Master of Public Policy from Duquesne University and her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Boston University.

Michael Evans is a partner in K&L Gates’s Washington, D.C. office. He is a member of the Public Policy and Law practice group, and focuses his practice on federal tax, health care, trade, and environmental policy.

Mike is a former Democratic chief counsel and deputy staff director for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal tax, trade, and health care matters. He has worked on major federal policy issues, including the Inflation Reduction Act and major tax and spending legislation process, for more than four decades, and he is considered a leading expert on Senate procedure. He has served on the U.S. Senate staff for more than 26 years, including 18 years as chief counsel to two separate Senate committees. Mike also worked in private practice for 15 years, where he represented business, governmental, and nonprofit clients in both law and lobbying matters.

Antonio Misiti is a Managing Director within PNC Capital Markets Public Finance Group (“PNCCM”). In this role he serves as the lead and technical investment banker with a client focus in the governmental sector. His experience includes directly structuring over $12.5 billion in lead or sole managed municipal debt issuance for PNCCM clients. He has experience in all sectors of governmental debt including general obligation, water and sewer revenue, transportation revenue, parking revenue, arena/sports facilities, redevelopment/project finance, special tax districts, and housing related revenue to cite examples. Mr. Misiti has been involved in public finance with PNCCM for over 27 years and has been with PNC since 1992.

He serves as the senior banker for PNCCM’s major government clients in Pennsylvania including Allegheny County, Allegheny County Airport Authority, Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (Port Authority of Allegheny County), and PA Higher Education Assistance Agency to cite sample clients.

He also serves as the senior banker for many local government clients in Pennsylvania including North Allegheny S.D., Avonworth S.D., Pine-Richland S.D., Penn-Trafford S.D., Bedford Area S.D., Township of O’Hara, Township of Indiana, Borough of Canonsburg, and Findlay Township Municipal Authority as examples. He serves as the lead banker for many of PNCCM’s housing related clients across PNC’s footprint including Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County, MD, Howard County Housing Commission, MD, and the PA Housing Finance Agency.

Kumar Nandan is the Vice President, Global Tax at PPG. He leads PPG’s global tax function and provides strategic guidance to PPG’s leadership, business units and corporate functions on global tax optimization strategies. Prior to joining PPG, Kumar was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers  LLP working  in its London and New York offices.  He has structured cross-border transactions for some of the largest multinationals in the United States.

From supporting social wellbeing, to contributing to the circular economy, and developing products and processes that help mitigate climate change and solve their customers' biggest challenges, PPG's sustainability commitments contribute to the positive impact they achieve through their purpose.

Brittany Prischak, has recently been named Director of the Department of Sustainability for Allegheny County. Brittany grew up in West View Borough just outside Pittsburgh before graduating from Mercyhurst University in Erie with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Applied Forensic Sciences and moving to Erie to start her career as the Sustainability Officer for Mercyhurst University. Before coming back to Pittsburgh, she also worked for Erie County as their Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, and completed her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Sustainability from Mercyhurst University. She currently holds LEED Green Associate and Building Operators Level 1 certifications.

Both Mercyhurst University and Erie County allowed her to grow her experience in environmental conservation and education through climate action planning, recycling and waste diversion coordination and education, and community action. Some of her favorite projects included planning the annual International Coastal Cleanup and educating the community on climate change impacts to the Great Lakes region.

In her role with Allegheny County, she implements sustainable best practices throughout county operations including transitioning the county fleet to alternative fuels, implementing energy and water efficiency renovations, installation renewable energy on county facilities, increasing sustainable purchasing and the use of sustainable materials, and increasing waste diversion. She looks forward to leading the first Climate Action Plan for the county.

Graham Richard is a strategic advisor to Founders and CEOs for Clean Economy Companies including Finite, Americrew, Bright Action, Mainstream Fiber Networks, Guaranteed Community Advisors and Elevatus Architecture. With the Orchard Collaborative he is working to bring federal and state clean energy funding to underserved communities.

Graham Richard served as the Founding CEO of the Advanced Energy Economy (now renamed Advance Energy United) from 2012 to 2018. AEU is a national business association advocating for policies that grow the market for secure, clean, affordable energy. He helped build the executive team and recruit major companies as members. Graham Richard was also Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana from 2000 through 2007. He used his political and business expertise to turn the city government into a lean, results-producing, customer-focused organization. During his time as mayor, Indiana’s second largest city won awards for the #1 Fleet Operation, best Public Works, and best City Utilities in the country. His approach to running the city led to more than $31 million in savings while improving city services. 

Dr. Costa Samaras  analyzes how technologies and policies affect energy use and national security, resilience to climate change impacts, economic and equity outcomes, and life cycle environmental emissions and other externalities.

He is a Founder and Director of both the Center for Engineering and Resilience for Climate Adaptation and the Power Sector Carbon Index, and was previously a Senior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation. From 2021-2024, he was on public service leave in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), serving as the Principal Assistant Director for Energy and OSTP Chief Advisor for the Clean Energy Transition.

Dr. Samaras has a deep knowledge of the U.S. clean energy innovation ecosystem, as well as the climate, energy, and resilience policies and efforts of the U.S. federal government. He received a joint Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon.

Todd Yoder serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at S&B USA, one of the fastest growing infrastructure development companies and a dominating force in the United States public-private partnership (P3) sector developing and building some of the most complex infrastructure projects. Mr. Yoder has nearly two decades of experience in corporate finance with multinational corporations, most recently serving 12 years with Fluor Corporation following finance leadership roles with Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV), Zimmer Biomet (NYSE: ZBH), and Capitol Bancorp Ltd. (NYSE: CBC).

Yoder is a frequent guest speaker at economic and corporate finance events throughout the world hosted by the Economist, Bloomberg, Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), Reuters, McKinsey & Company, and is often cited in print and online media. Yoder serves on the board of directors of the North Texas Food Bank and holds three university degrees including two undergraduate degrees from Indiana University and Goshen College, and a graduate degree from the University of Notre Dame where he earned his MBA with academic honors.

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Produced by The Green Voice Collective