Van Jones to Headline Energy Forum

BLACK ENTERPRISE and Shell Host "A Conversation on Energy, Part II,"
Monday, November 8 in Washington, D.C.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Van Jones, best-selling author of The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, heads a lineup of top leaders in the energy industry set to appear at the Black Enterprise Conversation on Energy Forum, Part II. The invitation-only event will take place on Monday, Nov. 8 at The Liaison Hotel Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and begin at 9:30 a.m.

The upcoming forum takes place at a time of heightened concern about safety in the face of growing global demand for energy, particularly in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The day’s discourse will include top energy company executives, economists, green-economy activists and association leaders, with a focus on challenges and opportunities related to energy responsibility and sustainability for African American communities, workers and business owners. The experts will also address how African Americans can gain greater job and business opportunities in the energy industry, and will answer questions submitted by visitors to the Black Enterprise/Shell Conversation on Energy website, www.blackenterprise.com/energy-forum/.

A panel on Energy Responsibility, moderated by Black Enterprise Editorial Director Sonia Alleyne, will include Green For All CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Shell Oil Company VP of Technical Support/Deep Water Ernst den Hartigh, Urban Solutions Inc. President and CEO Dan Packer, and Entergy Inc. Executive VP and Chief Administrative Officer Roderick West. A second panel on Energy Independence, to be moderated by Black Enterprise Senior VP and Editor-at-Large Alfred Edmond Jr., will include Tacoma Power Senior Utilities Economist Bill Dickens, Shell Oil Company VP of Investor Relations/North America J. Harold Hatchett III, Green Port Senior Executive for Global Strategies Jerome Ringo and American Association of Blacks in Energy President and COO Frank Stewart. Remarks will also be delivered by Black Enterprise President and CEO Earl "Butch" Graves Jr., Shell Oil Company VP of Communications/Americas Tracy Faulkner and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator Craig E. Hooks.

This is the second forum held this year featuring experts in the fields of energy security, renewable and alternative fuels and energy innovation. The first Black Enterprise Conversation on Energy event was held in January 2010, also in Washington, D.C. The forums are presented in partnership with Shell Oil Company.

To submit your questions for discussion at next week's forum, go to A Conversation on Energy at www.blackenterprise.com/energy-forum/.

BLACK ENTERPRISE, your ultimate source to build Wealth for Life, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, BE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. Every month, BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine provides 4 million readers with information on entrepreneurship, careers, and financial management. A multimedia company, BE also produces television programming, business and lifestyle events, Web content, and digital media. BLACK ENTERPRISE is the definitive source of information for and about African American business leaders, personal finance, careers, and small business. Visit www.blackenterprise.com for more information.