Join us on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, from 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM PST, for this exploratory lunch conversation and networking event at the Perkins Coie office downtown Seattle.
Join Microsoft leaders for a candid discussion on how we’re building AI infrastructure with responsibility at the core—driving major investments in clean energy capacity, resilient infrastructure, and sustainable operations. We’ll explore the policy opportunities and real‑world challenges in supporting innovation, economic growth, and global competitiveness while upholding strong commitments to sustainability, resource stewardship, and long‑term community benefit.
Featured Speakers:
Lauren McDonald, Senior Director, Washington State Government Affairs, Microsoft
Lauren McDonald serves as the Senior Director of Washington State Government Affairs for Microsoft, where she works to advance the public policy priorities that are foundational to Washington’s vitality as Microsoft’s home state—supporting a healthy economy, increasing housing supply, improving education and workforce pathways, strengthening our transportation system, and accelerating progress on sustainability and quality of life. Having newly joined Microsoft earlier this year, she is a seasoned policy and advocacy leader with more than 17 years of experience advancing advocacy efforts to increase access to health and social services including early learning, maternal and child health, health care workforce development, clinical policy, pandemic response, and hospital financial sustainability. Most recently, she served as Chief Government Affairs and Community Health Investment Officer for Providence health system across Washington and Alaska, overseeing advocacy and community partnership efforts serving 19 hospitals and over 200 clinics. Lauren holds a BA in Economics from Scripps College and an MBA from Seattle University. She is driven by a commitment to innovative, mission-aligned, and data-informed solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen state economies, and improve access to economic opportunity for all.
Mikaela Winter, Senior Program Manager, Energy Policy, Microsoft
Mikaela Winter leads energy policy strategies at Microsoft focused on expanding clean, reliable energy systems to enable growth and deliver broad community benefits. Her expertise sits at the nexus of energy systems, public policy and infrastructure— bridging utilities, regulators, corporate strategy, and emerging technologies to address grid constraints, unlock new energy capacity, and shape the policies and market mechanisms needed for large-scale decarbonization. Before Microsoft, Mikaela helped scale corporate climate solutions at 3Degrees and built programs that enabled companies, utilities, and cities to operationalize sustainability. Mikaela holds an MBA and a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington as well as a certificate in Sustainable Energy Management from Presidio Graduate School.