An Immersive Experience in Purposeful Leadership

Immersion Days help LSI Fellows engage major societal challenges through conversation with experts and peers. At the Winter 2026 program on climate adaptation and the energy transition, Fellows explored the roles of science, policy, markets, and innovation while reflecting on how their own experience and leadership might contribute to meaningful change.

Following his recent retirement from executive leadership at the Oshkosh Corporation, LSI Fellow Kevin Tubbs sought new ways to apply his wealth of expertise for the benefit of society.

“As I was moving toward the next phase of my life, leaving a full time corporate career, getting into something new and different, and contemplating what that might look like presented an opportunity to consider opportunities to give back and improve things,” Kevin said. “But I’m still searching for what the real meaningful way for me to make a difference is going to be.”

The determination to pursue a next chapter of purpose drew Kevin to the University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI). LSI empowers Fellows through a multidisciplinary curriculum, interactive workshops, personalized support, and opportunities to engage with leading experts.

During LSI Immersion Days, held twice a year on campus, UChicago invites thought leaders and Fellows to participate in dialogue about a crucial social issue. Through this experience, Kevin and the other participants discover new perspectives on global challenges and unlock possibilities for making their own contributions.

What is the purpose of LSI Immersion Days?

LSI Immersion Days create space for Fellows to engage a major social issue from multiple angles, including research, policy, technology, and practice. Through conversations with innovators in relevant fields, participants deepen their understanding of the issue and discover opportunities to take action.

On February 3 and 4, 2026, at the David Rubenstein Forum, members of the LSI community gathered with researchers and leaders to discuss climate change and the transition to new energy sources. Steve Potter, an LSI Advisor who previously served as Vice Chairman at Northern Trust, was impressed by the range of ideas that speakers expressed throughout the two days.

“The Immersion Days were very well curated to provide a wide array of perspectives on climate change and energy from science to social implications, to government policy, to commercial and investment implications,” Steve said. “Hearing from experts across various disciplines served as a reminder of the complexities and immense consequences of climate change yet offered optimism on both the depth of expertise focused on the issues and the tangible progress and potential solutions already identified.”

LSI community members learned about innovative research and policies that could shape the world’s energy future, starting with a keynote address from Michael Greenstone, UChicago’s Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Director of the University’s Institute for Climate & Sustainable Growth. Greenstone presented strategies that would enable nations to manage the trade-offs involved in confronting the Global Energy Challenge. He explained how the goals of acquiring inexpensive and reliable energy, maintaining clean air, and minimizing the damage from climate change must be balanced through measures like pricing energy based on its full social cost.

As a leader with years of experience in the sustainability field, Kevin was especially interested in the concepts presented by David Keith, a University of Chicago Professor of Applied Physics and the Founding Director for the Climate Systems Engineering Initiative. Keith’s keynote address considered the potential of climate engineering and carbon removal in reducing emissions as well as the ethical, technical, and geopolitical implications raised by these large-scale interventions in the atmosphere.

Additional sessions included:

a conversation about the role that financial markets can play in advancing the clean-energy transition featuring DRW founder and CEO Don Wilson.
a mini lecture from Associate Professor of Molecular Engineering Shrayesh Patel on accelerating the energy transition by investing in battery technologies and clean energy storage.
a mini lecture by Sue Biniaz, Distinguished Fellow at the UChicago Institute for Climate & Sustainable Growth and Former Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, on the history of international climate negotiations and agreements.
a panel discussion about cities experimenting with climate-adapted urban design to become more environmentally friendly and resilient, moderated by Senior Instructional Professor in the UChicago Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization Sabina Shaikh .
a panel discussion on how investment firms and climate-focused platforms are driving private capital to fund innovative sustainability and climate solutions, moderated by Sam Ori, the Executive Director of UChicago’s Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth.
a breakout session with Andrew Chien, William Eckhardt Distinguished Service Professor of Computer Science, on designing AI data centers for greater sustainability and on what factors determine whether certain energy solutions catch on with businesses and the public.
a breakout session with Kim Wolske, Research Associate Professor at the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy and a fellow with the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), on why certain energy solutions take hold with the public while others do not.

“When I joined the program, I wasn’t aware of these Immersion Day opportunities; this was kind of an added bonus,” Kevin said. “If I had another opportunity to do something like this, even if it was in a topic that I didn’t have decades of experience in, I would still seriously consider spending the time because it’s an opportunity to get to see people who are very knowledgeable in their area of expertise, passionate about what they’re talking about, and skillful about the way they impart knowledge to the audience.”

Community reflections

The Immersion Days give LSI Fellows the time, space, and resources to focus on critical challenges as a community. In his role as an LSI Advisor, Steve sees how valuable it is to bring Fellows together for focused discussion of the fields where they may plan to make a real impact in the next chapter of their lives.

“Major societal issues such as Climate Change and Energy Transformation are highly complex, have broad implications and are relevant to all LSI participants,” Steve said. “Immersion Days allow for multiple perspectives and sufficient focus to help participants study, listen, debate, and to develop informed views and inspired personal action plans.”

During the Immersion Days, Kevin connected one-on-one both with top researchers and with peers who share his passion for exploring this topic. He met LSI Fellows from other cohorts, got to know members of his own cohort better, and extended his conversation with Professor Keith over lunch.

“The Immersion Days were a wonderful opportunity to hear from not only experts in the field, but also to interface and network with people, some of which had background in this area and some who wanted to learn more,” Kevin said. “I was able to make connections and ask questions and hopefully set the stage for future discussions in areas where there may be mutually beneficial opportunities.”

When you become an LSI Fellow, you join a unique community that’s dedicated to lifelong discovery. The Immersion Days are one way that Fellows come together to apply their decades of leadership experience to crucial social needs like the energy transition.

The University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative

The University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI) supports accomplished leaders in successfully transitioning from their longstanding careers toward purposeful next chapters. LSI Fellows immerse themselves in UChicago’s unparalleled environment of big ideas and multigenerational dialogue, gaining frameworks for learning from their past and planning for their futures.

Through LSI’s rigorous and customizable curriculum, Fellows engage with eminent faculty and expert practitioners to explore how their next chapter can be meaningful for them and for society. This Fellowship is a commitment to personal growth, enduring wellness, and dynamic engagement with pressing societal issues.