Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense for Presidents Bush and Obama, will keynote a Washington Clean Technology Alliance conference investigating the new political realities for cleantech on January 28, 2013 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle. Expectations have changed. Decision makers in both Washington are new. What does it mean in the development of a new cleantech economy? Join us for this important discussion. We will focus on three questions: --What can we expect as a result of the November 2012 elections? How has America changed? What are the prospects for financing new research, projects, and companies? --How will federal policy on energy, the environment, and cleantech alter in a second Obama administration with a new Congress? What is the role of the military? --What is the new relative role between the federal and state governments in promoting cleantech? Robert Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Secretary Gates served for 26 years in the CIA and the National Security Council, and, under President George H. W. Bush, as Director of Central Intelligence. Secretary Gates was also an officer in the USAF. After leaving the CIA, he became president of Texas A{e_description}amp;M. Secretary Gates accepted the nomination for Secretary of Defense in 2006 and was confirmed with bipartisan support. In 2007, Time named him one of the year's most influential people. In 2008, he was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News {e_description}amp; World Report. He continued to serve as Secretary of Defense in President Obama's first administration. Secretary Gates retired in 2011 and was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, by President Obama. Secretary Gates is now Chancellor of The College of William and Mary. 65 - 200 USD