Stacey Abrams Returns to RECESS26 to Explore the Connection Between Civic Power and Clean Energy

The future of clean energy is about more than technology. At RECESS26, the conversation will also focus on who participates, who leads and how communities can play a role in shaping the transition.

Former Georgia House Minority Leader, author and voting-rights advocate Stacey Abrams is returning to RECESS as an opening keynote speaker when the national clean-energy conference convenes September 27–29, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. RECESS’s official speaker roster confirms Abrams among this year’s participants, while the conference is scheduled for the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

Her appearance will center on the relationship between civic engagement, community leadership and energy equity, building on themes from her 2025 RECESS appearance.

Civic Power Meets Clean Energy

Abrams’ keynote, titled “The Charge,” will examine the idea that participation in the clean-energy economy and civic participation are interconnected.

According to materials announcing her appearance, Abrams will draw from her background in voting-rights advocacy and civic engagement to discuss how participation, representation and collective action can influence who benefits from America’s evolving clean-energy economy.

The session comes as RECESS expands its focus beyond traditional ideas of sustainability.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Mission: Possible — The Regenerative Power of Clean Energy.” Organizers describe regeneration as creating systems that restore communities, strengthen local economies and prioritize health, equity and long-term resilience.

That approach includes conversations about workforce development, entrepreneurship, community-led solutions, research and access to the economic opportunities created by the energy transition.

Creating a Bigger Table in Clean Energy

Now in its fourth year, RECESS—short for the Resilience and Equity in the Clean Energy Sector Summit—was founded in Detroit and has developed into a national conference focused on creating greater participation in the clean-energy economy.

The organization says it welcomes people from all backgrounds while intentionally creating opportunities for Black, Indigenous, Brown and other historically underrepresented communities. Its programming brings together community members, students, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers and industry leaders.

Accessibility is also part of that mission. RECESS has said more than half of attendees participate at reduced or no cost, with efforts designed to increase access for students, small contractors, environmental-justice advocates and community leaders.

Detroit Takes Center Stage

Detroit will once again serve as the backdrop for those conversations.

RECESS26 will take place at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, bringing participants together for three days of programming surrounding clean energy, business, research, workforce development and community resilience.

The conference describes Detroit as particularly relevant to its 2026 theme because of the city’s history of industrial transformation and Michigan’s role in clean-energy innovation.

Abrams joins a 2026 speaker lineup that includes leaders working across sustainability, environmental justice, philanthropy, business and community development.

From Conversation to Action

As the clean-energy economy continues to evolve, RECESS26 is positioning its fourth annual gathering around a central question: How can the transition create opportunities that reach more people and communities?

Abrams’ opening keynote will approach that question through the lens of civic participation, encouraging attendees to consider the relationship between community involvement and decisions surrounding energy and economic opportunity.

For RECESS, that conversation fits within a broader goal of ensuring historically underrepresented communities aren’t simply observers of the clean-energy transition, but active participants in shaping it.

RECESS26 takes place September 27–29, 2026, at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan.