The Keys to Effective Public-Private Partnerships

Speakers

• Travis Kellerman

  Senior Climate Policy Advisor, Governor's Office of New Mexico, and Advisory Council Member, U.S. Small Business Administration

  United States

• Richard Geddes

  Professor & Founding Director, Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy, Cornell University

  United States

• Chongo Sombo Mulenga

  Senior Legal Officer, Public Private Partnership Office, Zambian Ministry of Finance

  Zambia

• Travis Kellerman, Senior Climate Policy Advisor to the Governor of New Mexico, focuses on exportable models for GHG reductions in oil and gas, the holistic costs of energy production, and the role of New Mexico in cleaning global energy supplies. Before his appointment, he led renewable energy development across the US, including energy storage, green hydrogen, carbon credits, transportation electrification, and new market structuring—with a focus on innovations that create significant energy, water, and social equity impacts with quantifiable market value. Travis is a serial entrepreneur who has built global data platforms and scaled multicultural teams across many sectors. He advises multiple startups with environmental and social impact focuses. His background in emissions data science, water and carbon intensities in supply chains, and ESG/Impact reporting included a role as a Futurist at the digital twin company Descartes Labs. He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and has worked in energy policy for Martin Heinrich, Tom Udall, and many officials at all levels of government in the state. He serves on the executive board of Social Value United States, the US Department of Energy’s Boost Advisory Board, and is a former board member of NM REIA.

• Chongo Sombo Mulenga, is a legal practitioner of eight years’ standing at the Zambian Bar, with over four years of concentrated experience in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). She currently supports the delivery of PPP transactions at Zambia’s PPP Office and is a passionate advocate for sustainable, well-structured PPPs. Her experience spans multiple sectors, predominantly transportation infrastructure projects. Sombo holds second-level certification in PPPs from APMG International and is a Fellow of the 2024 Cohort of the Africa Infrastructure Fellowship Program. She brings a nuanced understanding of the legal and institutional frameworks that shape infrastructure delivery.