The CleanTech Alliance Learning Series presents notable clean tech executive speakers for a monthly conversation followed by networking with cleantech industry leaders from across the region.
A different speaker and topic is presented on the second Wednesday of each month (12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.) from February 2026 through July 2026.
April 8th – Current State of Data Centers
Join us on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 12 PM – 1:30 PM PST, for this exploratory lunch conversation and networking event at the Perkins Coie office downtown Seattle.
Today’s Data Center Development Reality
AI demand is the headline, but the underlying data center story is power, permits and trusted partnerships.
This interactive session provides a practical look at the new data center development reality, including a viability checklist, the evolving risk map and what “de‑risking the stack” looks like as AI density and cooling requirements accelerate. Expect a grounded discussion on interconnection certainty, permitting, delivery constraints and the engineering pivot reshaping design and operations. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of the current state of the market, the technology and the constraints pushing data center innovation faster than ever before. Key session highlights include:
- Why power and permission now drive data center schedule and value more than demand.
- A viability checklist: power, fiber, climate/geography, land/entitlements, delivery constraints and community license.
- The risk map: power access/timeline/cost-regulatory risk, supply chain, community permission and obsolescence/residual value.
- What AI density means for design: why the industry is pivoting to liquid cooling and how fast.
- Where the energy advantage is headed: onsite generation, microgrids, cogeneration and solar-plus-storage strategies.
- Why sustainability and decarbonization still matter to those making decisions.
Introductory Speaker:
Camarin Madigan, Firmwide Co-Chair, Data Centers & Digital Infrastructure, Perkins Coie
Camarin Madigan practices on the cutting edge between real estate, land use, and environmental laws. Collaborating with colleagues across multiple disciplines, she advises on all aspects of complex development projects, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, leasing, and financing. Camarin also handles land use entitlements and environmental permitting for similar projects and is recognized for her exceptional proficiency and deep knowledge of ground lease work.
Camarin’s clients include developers, landowners, lenders, and public agencies. She manages real estate issues for a wide range of properties, from renewable energy projects to multi-family projects. Additionally, Camarin manages real estate work for a major higher education institution.
Prior to joining the firm, Camarin lived in Japan as part of secondment to the in-house legal department of a Japan-based international trading, investment, and service company. In this role, Camarin managed the legal affairs of the client and its subsidiaries in North, Central, and South America involved in various industries, including energy and natural resources, agricultural resources, and information technology.
Active in the San Francisco community, Camarin is pro bono counsel for the Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial and serves on the board of Contra Costa Senior Legal Services.
Featured Speakers:
Matt Allen, Chief Client Officer and EVP, McKinstry
Matt Allen drives innovation and project excellence across McKinstry’s service offerings with an emphasis on continuous operational improvement. His focus remains on client experience and finding optimal ways to deploy McKinstry’s suite of capabilities to drive and maximize our value. Constantly curious, Matt guides continuous exposure to emerging tools and technologies across McKinstry to better our industry and prepare our workforce for the future. He plays a vital role in exploring and implementing technology and processes to improve client service levels, gain efficiencies and drive waste out of the built environment
Aaron Seymour, Project Development Director for Data Center Innovations, McKinstry
A founding member of McKinstry’s Data Center Innovations team, Aaron Seymour is a seasoned professional in data center project development and engineering. He plays a critical role in data center design and delivery for the top names in AI innovation, leading projects across the nation for Fortune 50 technology firms and data center colocation companies.
Brian Goldcrump, Associate Principal Engineer, McKinstry
Brian Goldcrump is a tenured engineer with a heavy focus on sustainability and decarbonization. Throughout his career, Brian has led building owners and operators in decarbonizing buildings, portfolios and campuses without compromising operations or occupant comfort. He currently helps clients ensure optimum data center sustainability with a concentration on embedded and operating decarbonization.
Upcoming 2026 Events:
- April 28th – State of Data Centers and Reception in Portland, OR. More information coming soon!
- May 13th – Permitting, Regulatory, Scheme, Efficiency and Water Usage. Register Here.
- June 10th – Data Center Energy & Transmission Needs. Register Here.
- July 15th – PNW Climate Week. More information coming soon!
- August 12th – Offsite Manufacturing’s Affects on Supply Chain and Workforce. Register Here.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsoring the CleanTech Lunch series is a great way to get your brand noticed or connect your organization to clean tech topic. Contact Rachelle@CleanTechAlliance.org for more info, or check out our infographic here.
Past Lunch Series Speakers:
2025 Lunch Speakers
- October 2025 – PFAS in the Rain: Solutions for the Ultra-Shorts
- September 2025 – Grid Solutions: Virtual Power Plants & Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems
- April 2025 – AI Applications in CleanTech
- March 2025 – Cyber Security Risks and Critical Infrastructure Resilience
- February 2025 – Battery Materials & Energy Storage Systems
- January 2025 – Updates on State Legislative Policies, Payroll Taxes, and Washington Clean Energy Tax Credit Assistance Program
2024 Lunch Speakers
- October 2024 – The Fusion Supply Chain
- September 2024 – Geothermal Energy
- April 2024 – Plugging Offshore Wind into the Electric Grid
- March 2024 – Net-Zero Materials: Timber
- February 2024 – Workforce Development: Creating Successful CleanTech Internship Programs
- January 2024 – From the Lab to the Skies: Sustainable Aviation Fuels
2023 Lunch Speakers
- April 2023 – C-Suite Roundtable on Developing a Skilled, Inclusive Workforce
- March 2023 – Wastewater Heat Recovery
- February 2023 – Future-Proofing Buildings: Sustainable, Efficient Design for Energy Retrofits
- January 2023 – The BUILT Cluster: Working Together for Infrastructure Decarbonization
2022 Lunch Speakers
- October 2022 – The Future of Fusion Regulations and the Need for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- September 2022 – The Inflation Reduction Act’s Impact on the Clean Energy Industry
- May 2022 – Innovative Approaches to Organic Waste Management (Hybrid)
- April 2022 – Ocean Energy, Marine Fuels & the Blue Economy
- March 2022 – Trends in the CleanTech Funding Landscape
- February 2022– Salmon Conservation
- January 2022 – Hydrogen Technologies