Palm Springs, CA
The City of Palm Springs Department of Sustainability has announced the speaker lineup for its inaugural Extreme Heat Summit 2026, set for Friday, September 18, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
The full-day event is presented by the Department of Sustainability in partnership with the city’s Office of Emergency Management. Organizers said the summit will bring together specialists in climate resilience, public health, urban planning, emergency preparedness and community engagement to address strategies for coping with rising temperatures, including heat resilience planning, cooling infrastructure and emergency response.
Mayor Naomi Soto will deliver the welcome address, followed by a keynote from Diane Morales, public policy lead for the Blue Zones Project.
Additional confirmed speakers include:
- Elizabeth Felter, climate planner at Environmental Science Associates (ESA)
- Ari Simon, founder of Inner and Outer Engagement
- Shelley Jiang, associate principal of climate advisory services at AECOM
- Christian Rodriguez Ceja, community principal at Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI)
- Dr. Ladd Keith, director of the Heat Resilience Initiative at the University of Arizona
- Dr. Jenna LeComte-Hinley, chief executive officer of HARC, Inc. (Health Assessment and Research for Communities)
- Anuj Desai, senior advisor for climate adaptation and resilience at Southern California Edison
Registration for the summit is open at extremeheatsummit2026.eventbrite.com. Organizations interested in sponsorship or exhibitor opportunities can contact the Department of Sustainability at sustainability@palmspringsca.gov. The city is also recruiting volunteers to support the event, with sign-up information available through the Department of Sustainability’s page on the city’s engagement website.
More information is available at engagepalmsprings.com/sustainability-and-recycling.