Keynote Speaker

From Air Modeling to Advocacy: How Data-Informed Campaigning Achieves Climate and Clean Air Wins

Holly Bender

Chief Energy Officer, Sierra Club

Wednesday October 25, 2023

As Chief Energy Officer, Holly brings more than 15 years of experience building winning strategic campaigns to address the climate crisis, including 12 years working on and helping to lead the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, which Politico described as the most extensive and effective campaign in the history of the Sierra Club and the environmental movement. Holly leads a team of Campaign Directors, Analysts, and Campaign Strategists who are responsible for developing the Sierra Club's climate strategy through to the transformation of our energy systems away from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Holly grew up in Vermont, and spent her childhood hiking, canoeing, and exploring in the woods behind her house. A toxic chemical spill left her childhood home with dangerous levels of indoor air pollution, and at age eight, Holly knew she wanted to become a lawyer working with other families impacted by pollution. Holly became an attorney, and after internships working on environmental justice and air pollution, Holly started at the Sierra Club in the Environmental Law Program managing the organization's litigation approval docket on issues ranging from endangered species protection to regulating toxic chemicals in consumer products. Over 15 years, Holly has held positions as a regional and national campaign leader with a focus on building teams and driving winning strategies that have a meaningful impact on people's lives.

Holly lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband Dave (a fellow clean energy lawyer) and their two daughters Hazel and Margot.