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Full Schedule

  • Cancelled
  • DIGITAL PRESENTATIONS (CLICK TO VIEW)
  • Monday, April 27, 2026
  • 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM ET
    SESSION 1:TMAT - Tennessee's New Functional Assessment Tool (pre-registration)
    Speaker: John Schwartz, PhD, PE – University of Tennessee
    Speaker: Angel Fowler – EcoGenic
  • 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    FIELD VISIT: Conasauga Mitigation Bank and Native Nursery (pre-registration)
  • 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET
    SESSION 3: How to Quantify Biodiversity Using Robust and Transparent Methods
    Speaker: Lis Castillo Nelis – Ramboll
    Speaker: Dan Rockefeller – Ramboll
    Speaker: Jennifer Aylor – Ramboll
    Speaker: Alison Anastasio – Ramboll
  • 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET
    SESSION 4: Environmental Markets on Public Lands
    Moderator: Lindsay Teunis, CERP – SWCA
    Speaker: George Platt – The Wetlandsbank Group
    Speaker: Sabine Postma – Greene Economics
    Speaker: Sophie Beavin – U.S. Forest Service National Partnership Office
  • 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET
    SESSION 5: Funding Your Mitigation Project
    Speaker: Gray Stevens – Sandy Creek Partners
    Speaker: Don Ross – Sandy Creek Partners
  • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET
    FIELD VISIT: TDOT's Urban Wetland & Infrastructure Project (pre-registration)
  • 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
    SESSION 2: Intro to Compensatory Mitigation and Joint Authority Banking: Fundamentals, Site Development, and Business Structures (Banks, ILFs, PRMs)
    Speaker: Andy Beaudet – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    Speaker: Toby McBride – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    Speaker: Tyler Thigpen Bell – Westervelt Ecological Services
    Speaker: Hal Holland – Westervelt Ecological Services
    Speaker: Jenny Thomas – Naturion
  • 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    FIELD VISIT: Battle Ridge Mitigation Bank (pre-registration)
  • 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
    TMAT FIELD WORK (pre-registration; for TMAT Workshop registrants only)
  • 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET
    Networking Break
  • 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM ET
    SESSION 6: Intro to Environmental Markets: Understanding the Market Types
    Speaker: Karen Berg – Creekbank Associates
    Co-Author: Jody L. Bickel – Creekbank Associates
  • 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM ET
    SESSION 7: Practical Applications: Technology and Methods for Species and Co-Benefits Valuation
    Moderator: Pamela J. Fetterman – Coastal Resources Group, Inc.
  • 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM ET
    SESSION 8: Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Banking - Getting from Experimental to Mainstream
    Speaker: Dan Berlin, PWS – Anchor QEA, Inc
    Speaker: Matt Bouadana – GreenVest, LLC
    Speaker: Andrew Gregg – RestorCap
  • 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET
    Networking Break
  • 4:15 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    SESSION 9: Conflicts, Conflicts of Interest, and Conflict Resolution Workshop
    Speaker: Veronica Rowan – Solo Practitioner
    Speaker: Michelle L. Mattson – Institute for Water Resources (IWR), USACE
  • 4:15 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    SESSION 10: RIBITS Training for ILFs - Understanding In-lieu Fee Program Ledgers (Regulatory In-lieu fee and Bank Information Tracking System)
    Speaker: Beattie S. Williams – Starr Enterprises
    Speaker: Shannon A. Langford – Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA)
    Speaker: Lindsey Lefebvre – USACE Institute for Water Resources
  • 4:15 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    SESSION 11: Valuation Considerations - Mineral Rights, Permitting Risks, Appraisal Issues
    Moderator: Joseph Williams – Ecosystem Investment Partners
  • 4:15 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    SESSION 12: Sales and Marketing Roundtable: Successful Strategies for Marketing and Selling Environmental Credits
    Facilitator: Kae Hovater – EcoCredit Marketing
    Facilitator: Desmond Duke – RES
  • 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM ET
    MONDAY MIXER
  • Tuesday, April 28, 2026
  • 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET
    FIELD VISIT: Cherokee National Forest (pre-registration)
  • 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM ET
    Coffee and Pastries
  • 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
    FIELD VISIT: Three Paces Mitigation Bank (pre-registration)
  • 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET
    SESSION 13: Multi-Credits and Benefits in the Regulatory Market
    Moderator: Palmer Hough – U.S. EPA Headquarters
    Speaker: Michelle L. Mattson – Institute for Water Resources (IWR), USACE
    Speaker: Toby McBride – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    Speaker: Cara Schweitzer – NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
    Speaker: Matt Gause, CERP – Westervelt Ecological Services
    Speaker: Donald Seaborn – Mitigation Services, Inc
  • 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET
    SESSION 14: RIBITS Reporting and Visualization - A How-To Workshop
    Speaker: Michelle Thompson – Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA)
    Speaker: Shannon A. Langford – Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA)
    Speaker: Lindsey Lefebvre – USACE Institute for Water Resources
  • 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET
    SESSION 15: Science in Action: Applications for Soil, Stream, and Biological Recovery
    Moderator: Jamie Becker – U.S. EPA Region 4
  • 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM ET
    FIELD VISIT: Chickamauga Lock Tour (pre-registration)
  • 9:45 AM - 10:15 AM ET
    Networking Break
  • 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM ET
    SESSION 16 Gaming Your Way to Understanding Credit Stacking
    Facilitator: Michelle L. Mattson – Institute for Water Resources (IWR), USACE
    Facilitator: Charlotte Kucera – Federal Highway Administration
  • 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM ET
    SESSION 17: Established Water Credit Markets - Stormwater, Resiliency & Water Quality (part 1 of 3 in water market series)
    Moderator: Michael Clark – RES
    Speaker: Joshua Rogers – City of Chattanooga
    Speaker: Matt Howard – Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District
    Speaker: Barrett Jenkins – Davey Mitigation
    Speaker: Tyler Monteith – Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
  • 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM ET
    SESSION 18: Regulatory Request System and the Future of Mitigation Data Tracking
    Speaker: Tom Walker – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    Speaker: David Shaeffer – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division
  • 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM ET
    SESSION 19: Advanced How-To's: Bank/ILF/Project Close-Out; Creative Ways to Meet Goals; Full-Cost Accounting
    Moderator: Adam White – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Special Projects
  • 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM ET
    How to Get Involved with AEMI
  • 11:30 AM - 1:15 PM ET
    Lunch on Your Own (if not States, Tribes & Local Govt)
  • 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM ET
    LUNCH: State to State Exchange (States, Tribes & Local Govts Only)
    Lead Facilitator: Katie Y. Merritt – NC Department of Environmental Quality - Division of Water Resources
    Facilitator: Sean Connolly – SC Department of Transportation
    Facilitator: Maria Polizzi – Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
    Facilitator: Gary Hubbard – City of Winter Haven
    Facilitator: Tyler Monteith – Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
  • 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET
    EXHIBITS OPEN
  • 12:30 PM - 1:15 PM ET
    Student & Recent Grads Lunch (by invitation)
  • 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM ET
    DISCUSSION ROUNDS
  • 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET
    FORUM. Customer/End-User (Corporate, Govt, DOTs, COGs, MPOs, Agriculture, Others)
    Facilitator: Richard L. Darden – Federal Highway Administration
    Facilitator: Evan Branosky – National Association of Home Builders
  • 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET
    FORUM: Federal & State Regulator Staff Only
    Facilitator: Tom Walker – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    Facilitator: Palmer Hough – U.S. EPA Headquarters
    Facilitator: Cara Schweitzer – NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
    Facilitator: Toby McBride – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    Facilitator: Maria Polizzi – Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
    Facilitator: Tyler Monteith – Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
  • 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET
    NGO, Govt, Business Provider Panel & Exchange
    Moderator: Timothy Male – Environmental Policy Innovation Center
    Speaker: Greg Kernohan – Ducks Unlimited
    Speaker: Preston W. Smith – Wildwood Environmental Credit Company
    Speaker: Jim Stanfill – NC Department of Environmental Quality
  • 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    FORUM: Business Provider/Sponsor/Banker
    Facilitator: Jenny Thomas – Naturion
    Facilitator: Jaime Zsiros – Coastal Resources Group
  • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    Meeting: USACE Staff Only
    Facilitator: Tom Walker – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    Meeting: DOTs, States, Other Govt End-User Staff Only
    Facilitator: Sean Connolly – SC Department of Transportation
    Facilitator: Margaret M. Minzner – OKI Regional Council of Governments
    Speaker: Richard L. Darden – Federal Highway Administration
    Speaker: David Shaeffer – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division
    Speaker: Lindsey Lefebvre – USACE Institute for Water Resources
  • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    Meeting: In Lieu Fee Providers (ILF Providers Only)
    Facilitator: Patrick A. Guerra – NC Department of Environmental Quality - Division of Mitigation Services
  • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    Meeting: State Regulator Staff Only
    Facilitator: Katie Y. Merritt – NC Department of Environmental Quality - Division of Water Resources
    Facilitator: Maria Polizzi – Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
  • Wednesday, April 29, 2026
  • 6:00 AM - 7:00 AM ET
    WEATHER CHANGE to THURS - ! Inaugural EMC Miles for Markets 5K Run/Walk
  • 7:30 AM - 8:15 AM ET
    Light Continental in Exhibits
  • 8:15 AM - 9:15 AM ET
    MAIN STAGE: Big Ideas in Environmental Markets
    Welcome: Allyson Donohue – AEMI
    Moderator: Travis Hemmen – Westervelt Ecological Services
    Speaker: Todd BenDor – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Speaker: Martin Doyle – Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
    Speaker: Gwen Busby, Dr. – Nuveen Natural Capital
  • 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM ET
    SESSION 20: Emerging Practices in Infrastructure & Transportation
    Moderator: Michael S. Ruth, PG – K2 Geological Services, LLC
  • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM ET
    SESSION 21: Designing Water Quality Markets - Legal Authority and Regulatory Frameworks (part 2 of 3 in water market series)
    Moderator: Ansley Tilley – EcoStasis, LLC
    Speaker: Jenny Thomas – Naturion
    Speaker: Andrew Ketchel – Capital City Consulting
    Speaker: Katie Y. Merritt – NC Department of Environmental Quality - Division of Water Resources
    Speaker: Derick Winn – Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
  • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM ET
    SESSION 22: Is it Winter Yet? Challenges, Options, and Responses for Stranded Mitigation Credits.
    Facilitator: Royal Gardner – Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, Stetson University College of Law
    Facilitator: Steven Martin – Coastal Resources Group
    Speaker: Tara Disy Allden – The Law Offices of Tara Disy Allden, LLC
    Speaker: TJ Mascia – Davey Mitigation
    Speaker: Jim Stanfill – NC Department of Environmental Quality
  • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM ET
    SESSION 23: Biodiversity Markets - How and Where They're Working
    Moderator: Ryan Sarsfield – Environmental Policy Innovation Center
    Speaker: Chelsea Smith – Qarlbo Biodiversity
    Speaker: Julia K. Grant – Green Diamond Resource Company
    Speaker: Chad A. Rischar – Manulife Investment Management Timber & Agriculture
    Speaker: Dan Rockefeller – Ramboll
  • 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM ET
    SESSION 27: Improving Permitting and Mitigation Outcomes in Puget Sound: Insights from the PSI Evaluation
    Moderator: Michelle L. Mattson – Institute for Water Resources (IWR), USACE
    Speaker: Maria T. Lantz – Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    Speaker: Lindsey Lefebvre – USACE Institute for Water Resources
    Speaker: Shane Skaar – US Army Corps of Engineers
  • 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM ET
    SESSION 24: Current and Emerging Mitigation Practices in Tennessee
    Moderator: Angel Fowler – EcoGenic
    Speaker: Ross Rogers – TN Department of Environmental Conservation
    Speaker: Sydney Norman – TN Department of Environmental Conservation
    Speaker: William E. Worrall – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, Regulatory Division
    Speaker: Brent J. Sewell – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District
  • 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM ET
    SESSION 25: Tribal & Indigenous Communities Increasing Impact & Value - Benefit of Biodiversity in Carbon
    Moderator: Jake Stanton – National Indian Carbon Coalition
    Speaker: John Hendrix – Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
    Speaker: Sarah Medlock – Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
    Speaker: Melissa Ann Ehrenreich – Indigenous Conservation Council
    Speaker: Bryan Van Stippen – Indian Land Tenure Foundation
  • 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM ET
    SESSION 26: In Lieu Fee (ILF) Successes and Lessons
    Moderator: Patrick A. Guerra – NC Department of Environmental Quality - Division of Mitigation Services
  • 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM ET
    SESSION 28: INVEST CONNECT (Speed Networking)
    Facilitator: Mac Shropshire – Mac Shropshire Consulting
  • 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM ET
    Grab Lunch and Join Session
  • 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM ET
    MAIN STAGE: Market Trends and Intelligence
    Moderator: George Kelly – Earth Recovery Partners
    Speaker: Michelle L. Mattson – Institute for Water Resources (IWR), USACE
    Speaker: John Yarchoan – Magnolia Land Partners
    Speaker: Alex Procton – Allied Offsets
    Speaker: Simas Gradekas – bloomlabs
    Speaker: Todd L. Gaston – WestWater Research
  • 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET
    SESSION 29: Field Data, AI, and the Future of Shared Intelligence
    Moderator: Becca Madsen – Environmental Policy Innovation Center
    Speaker: Sean Connolly – SC Department of Transportation
    Speaker: Matt Petty – Kimley-Horn
    Speaker: Lee Lance – Ecobot
    Speaker: Tara Disy Allden – The Law Offices of Tara Disy Allden, LLC
    Speaker: Gina O'Neil – Center for Geospatial Solutions
  • 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET
    SESSION 30: Innovative Funding Strategies for Scaling Water Resiliency (part 3 of 3 in water market series)
    Moderator: Brett Berkley – GreenVest, LLC
    Speaker: George Kelly – Earth Recovery Partners
    Speaker: Rebecca Power – Walton Family Foundation
    Speaker: Sophie Beavin – U.S. Forest Service National Partnership Office
    Speaker: Mark Evans – Freese & Nichols
    Speaker: Samantha Rose – South Baltimore Gateway Partnership
    Speaker: Kyle Graham – Ecosystem Investment Partners
  • 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET
    SESSION 31: Conservation Banking: Overview of Banks and Various Approaches to Establishing Them
    Moderator: Greg Kernohan – Ducks Unlimited
    Speaker: Justin Williams – Ducks Unlimited
    Speaker: Adam Riggsbee – RiverBank Conservation
    Speaker: Greg DeYoung, AICP – Westervelt Ecological Services and ERBA
    Speaker: Preston W. Smith – Wildwood Environmental Credit Company
  • 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET
    SESSION 32: Mitigation Banking & Ecological Restoration Case Studies
    Moderator: Joshua Frost – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District
  • 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM ET
    SESSION 33: Advance Permittee-Responsible Mitigation Sites: A Time and a Place in The Hierarchy of Mitigation Options
    Speaker: Shane Skaar – US Army Corps of Engineers
    Speaker: Michael Neal – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Portland District
    Speaker: Laura Shively – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District
  • 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM ET
    SESSION 34: Environmental Markets Ignite - Lightning Rounds & Idea Exchange
    Moderator: Karen Berg – Creekbank Associates
  • 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM ET
    SESSION 35: Australia's Expanding Environmental Markets
    Moderator: Evan Branosky – National Association of Home Builders
    Speaker: Amy Basnett – Eco-Markets Australia
    Speaker: Abel Immaraj – Aurecon
    Speaker: Tim DeGraff – Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)
  • 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM ET
    SESSION 36: Deeper Dive into Status & Trends
    Moderator: Michael LaDouceur – WRA, Inc.
  • 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM ET
    MAIN STAGE: Industry's Legislative, Policy & Courts Update
    Moderator: Adam Riggsbee – RiverBank Conservation
    Speaker: Todd Willens – The Bernhardt Group
    Speaker: Derb S. Carter, Jr. – Southern Environmental Law Center
    Speaker: Kyle Graham – Ecosystem Investment Partners
  • 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM ET
    EMC Reception in Exhibits
  • Thursday, April 30, 2026
  • 6:00 AM - 7:00 AM ET
    Inaugural EMC Miles for Markets 5K Run/Walk
  • 7:30 AM - 8:15 AM ET
    Light Continental in Exhibits
  • 8:15 AM - 8:45 AM ET
    MAIN STAGE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Update
    Moderator: Michael Hare – Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA)
    Speaker: Tom Walker – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET
    MAIN STAGE: Demand Side Industry Leaders: Growth, Impacts & Mitigation
    Moderator: Michael Hare – Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA)
    Speaker: Evan Branosky – National Association of Home Builders
    Speaker: Sean Connolly – SC Department of Transportation
  • 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM ET
    SESSION 37: Developments at the Intersection of Insurance and Restoration
    Moderator: Phoebe Higgins – Environmental Policy Innovation Center
    Speaker: Lourdes Robaina – SCOR
    Speaker: Talley Burley – Environmental Defense Fund
  • 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM ET
    SESSION 38: Tech Connect - Lightning Rounds
    Moderator: Troy Anderson, CERP – Ecosystem Investment Partners
  • 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM ET
    SESSION 39: Mitigation Banking Deserts to Opportunity: Opening New Markets, Banker Readiness, and Navigating Risks
    Moderator: Richard L. Darden – Federal Highway Administration
    Speaker: Matt Pace – Oklahoma DOT
    Speaker: Travis Hemmen – Westervelt Ecological Services
    Speaker: Sean Connolly – SC Department of Transportation
  • 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM ET
    SESSION 40: Stream Banking & Restoration, Dams & More
    Moderator: Brian Topping – U.S. EPA Headquarters
  • 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM ET
    Grab Early Lunch in Exhibits
  • 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM ET
    MAIN STAGE: State Leaders Roundtable - Initiatives & Priorities
    Moderator: Ben Grumbles – Environmental Council of States
    Speaker: Patrick Cummins – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
    Speaker: David W. Salyers, P.E., P.G. – Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
    Speaker: Dana Vackar Strang – New Mexico State Land Office
    Speaker: Tony Hatton – Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection
  • 12:45 PM - 1:00 PM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET
    SESSION 41: Streamlining Permitting with Nationwide Templates
    Moderator: Greg DeYoung, AICP – Westervelt Ecological Services and ERBA
    Speaker: Robert Siegfried – RES
    Speaker: Eric T. Olsen – Gunster
    Speaker: Robert Spoth – Ecosystems Insurance Associates, LLC
  • 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET
    SESSION 42: Innovative and Emerging Subtidal and Estuarine Habitat Markets
    Moderator: Toby McBride – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET
    SESSION 43: Digital Technology and Role of Blockchain, Crypto and Digitization in Environmental Markets
    Moderator: Randy Wilgis – Earth Recovery Partners
    Speaker: Abel Immaraj – Aurecon
    Speaker: Sarah M. Woodford – Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
    Speaker: Rebecca Harman, M.Sc – Regen Network Development PBC
  • 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET
    SESSION 44: Reclaiming Floodplains to Achieve Flood Reduction Benefits
    Moderator: Art Parola – Wetland Studies and Solutions
    Speaker: Kevin Tweedy – Ecosystem Planning and Restoration, LLC
    Speaker: Drew Altland – Straughan Environmental, Inc.
    Speaker: Justin Spangler – LandStudies
  • 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET
    Networking Break in Exhibits
  • 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
    MAIN STAGE: Federal Policy Direction & State Perspectives Roundtable
    Moderator: Timothy Male – Environmental Policy Innovation Center
    Speaker: Lee Forsgren – U.S. Army
    Speaker: Catherine Phillips – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Southeast Region
    Speaker: Ben Grumbles – Environmental Council of States
  • 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM ET
    Closing Social in Exhibits (with Raffle Prizes!)