Abby Smith, Team Pennsylvania: The essential role of a neutral convener in driving forward state-wide decarbonization opportunities

Team Pennsylvania (Team PA) has 27 years of history as a non-partisan organisation convening public-private partnerships are critical economic opportunities.

Abby Smith joins Alex to talk about what the role of neutral convener can do to accelerate non-partisan pathways around decarbonization (and other issues) and just what it is that they do to bring vastly different voices to the table to work out how to get great outcomes for Pennsylvania as a state.

Given that the state is the US’s second biggest energy producer and a major energy exporter, it is key for the country as well as the state that a strong future with great jobs and a strong economy can be defined. But just how does a “fossil fuel state” create this future given the real range of voices and concerns that need navigating?

Listen in and hear about how Team PA sets a table that can bring all relevant voices together, how to get all groups focused on a shared future (albeit one that can be pursued from different angles) and how they hope to see PA power its future and make the most of the IRA, other emerging policy and incentives and the opportunities that the green economy can offer a state that sits on top of one of the major fossil fuel assets in the country.

This is a conversation for those of you who wonder how we can bring more voices together to benefit from opportunities, and an opportunity to reconsider assumptions about how we achieve net zero at a state or national level.

Show Links:

· Explore the work of Team PA

· Connect with Abby Smith

· Connect with Alex to suggest a guest or to talk about what you’re hearing on the podcast (or simply to learn more about Decarb Connect)

· Explore our upcoming events in the US, UK, Europe, Canada and more

Learn more about our guest, Abby Smith:

Abby Smith is Team Pennsylvania’s President & CEO. Her work has focused extensively on building strategic public-private partnerships to address long-term issues that no one sector can tackle alone. Abby’s 20-year career includes high-level strategic planning and leading cross-sector collaboratives at the state level in Pennsylvania as well as in several other states, along with ample experience as a grant and project manager overseeing multi-million-dollar grants and serving on various state-level councils. In early 2023, Abby received an Above & Beyond Award, honoring Pennsylvania women of “public and civic mind” who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their field, combined with having made significant contributions to society.

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Many thanks to our production partner and sponsor Janno Media for their support in delivering this podcast. They continue to facilitate great conversations that connect us with our audience, and their skills and expertise mean we can concentrate exclusively on generating great content to engage, inform and inspire.

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