Archives: Speakers

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Richard Reeder

Dr. Richard Reeder is the vice president for research and the operations manager for the State University of New York Research Foundation. Dr. Reeder also serves as associate vice president for Brookhaven National Laboratory Affairs, acting as Stony Brook University’s liaison to the nearby laboratory co-managed by Stony Brook and Battelle Memorial Institute.

Prior to these roles, Dr. Reeder participated in the Stony Brook-Battelle team that successfully re-competed the management contract for Brookhaven National Laboratory. He is currently a member of the Brookhaven Science Associates Board of Directors.

He retains the position of professor of geochemistry in the Department of Geosciences, where he served as chair for 2008-2013. Dr. Reeder’s research interests span several areas in geochemistry, including the structure and properties of disordered and amorphous solids, chemical behavior of heavy metals in the environment, and bioavailability of contaminants in environmental and remediation settings. He has focused particularly on applications of X-ray scattering and spectroscopy to natural and engineered materials of environmental relevance, making extensive use of synchrotron X-ray facilities at Brookhaven and other national laboratories.

Dr. Reeder served as director of the Center for Environmental Molecular Sciences, supported by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Reeder is author of more than 120 peer-reviewed articles. He has been a member of the Stony Brook faculty since 1980.

Crystal Black-Davis

Crystal Black-Davis is a food industry leader who has served in both executive and consulting roles for notable global brands and raw ingredient suppliers. Crystal is the former Executive Vice President (USA) for Italian-based confectioner Loacker, and advisor to numerous brands such as Katjes, Ivory Cashew, and Spero Foods, through her consultancy, Savvy Food. She is currently Head of Impact for Web3 venture studio ZK Ladder.

In her role with ZK Ladder, Crystal draws from her experience of intimately working with agricultural producers to identify and support actionable solutions that address major environmental challenges, particularly related to sustainable food. Awareness, advocacy, and action around sustainable progress are the core tenets of ZK Ladder’s Impact division.

Crystal has been featured in media outlets such as Fast Company, Food Navigator, ABC New York, and Candy Industry Magazine for her insights and expertise on topics related to the food industry. She has served as an editorial board member of Candy and Snack Today Magazine and an advisory board member for Rutgers University’s Center for Innovation Education. Crystal is an avid supporter of the UN World Food Programme, No Kid Hungry, and MOFAD (Museum of Food and Drink).

Christopher Cavanagh

Christopher Cavanagh is a Consulting Engineer in Future of Heat team at National Grid and is responsible for developing hydrogen demonstration programs in support of National Grid’s Fossil-Free Clean Energy Vision. He has supported the development of a variety of efficiency and renewable gas technologies for customers to support National Grid’s goals and is a member of the board of directors of Utilization Technology Development, a national gas distribution industry research collaborative.

Mr. Cavanagh has 34 years’ experience in product development at National Grid and its predecessor companies. Mr. Cavanagh previously managed research programs in the areas of alternative fuel vehicles, advanced heating & cooling, and distributed generation, including fuel cells. Mr. Cavanagh was a senior engineer with the New York architect-engineering firm Gibbs & Hill on nuclear power and building HVAC projects. Mr. Cavanagh is a licensed professional engineer and a Member of the American Society of Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers and has been a mentor and judge in the CleanTech Open and Powerbridge NY programs.

Mr. Cavanagh is a member of the Advisory Board of the Clean Energy Business Incubator Program at Stony Brook University and also partnered with the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) to create the new Institute of Gas Innovation and Technology at the AERTC. He helped develop a STEM program for NYC Middle School students considering Brooklyn Tech High School, is also the Chairman of the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority and was a regular judge at the NYC FIRST Robotics Competition.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Cooper Union, an MS from Polytechnic University (now NYU) and an MBA from Dowling College.