The Human Factor: Buildings And Wellness In An Age Of Uncertainty

Becca Timms the Director of ESG at Jamestown. She leads environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives through the Jamestown Green program and the Jamestown Charitable Foundation. Prior to joining Jamestown in 2012, Ms. Rushin worked as a local government consultant for Clark Patterson Lee, where she served as Community Development Coordinator and Sustainability Commission Staff Liaison for the City of Dunwoody. She is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and holds a LEED AP O+M credential. Ms. Rushin is an active volunteer with the Urban Land Institute, the US Green Building Council, and Community Farmers Markets. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Environmental Policy from Sewanee: the University of the South and a Master of Science in Sustainable Development: Environmental Policy and Management from Utrecht University.

Ann Marie Aguilar joined the IWBI team in 2016, and from a base in London oversees the day-to-day activities of IWBI across the EMEA region. She supports the business development and technical teams and is the first point of contact for clients and design teams interested in all applications of WELL Certification. Ann Marie’s role is to support “early adopters” of the WELL Building Standard, by facilitating communication with IWBI technical experts to provide international translation, alternative adherence pathways and alignment with local sustainability rating tools. Ann Marie’s expertise in environmental sustainability and well-being has helped deliver strategic adoption of WELL into the UK, Ireland, continental Europe and the Middle East with support from BRE, Green Building Councils and other local market partners. She is also responsible for implementing new directives for research, growth, recruitment and education. She brings to IWBI a technical background in sustainability consulting, having worked for 11 years with Arup Associates, the architectural consulting arm of Arup in their London offices. Her 17 years of global project experience range in scale from campus size to small city developments and identify a clear sustainability vision, objectives and measurable targets. She has extensive experience in LEED Certification, material deconstruction and material reuse processes. Whilst there she developed Arup’s health and well-being consultancy offering across their global operations. Previously, Ann Marie led her own sustainability consulting business in New York City. Among the first cohort of WELL APs, she now also provides education and support to industry as a WELL Faculty member. She earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the New York Institute of Technology and received Chartered Environmentalist status in 2012. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, member of the Sustainability Futures Group at the RIBA and a member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

At SL Green, Evin Epstein oversees the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program across 30 million square feet of the company’s Manhattan Portfolio. She is responsible for communicating the firm’s ESG program to analysts, investors, and tenants through several reporting initiatives. She also manages the logistics behind the firm’s not-for-profit organization, Food1st Foundation. Epstein joined the firm in 2015, after earning a master’s degree in environmental policy design from Lehigh University. She is a LEED accredited professional and a member of REBNY’s Sustainability Committee.

Thomas is a Chartered Engineer and he has wide ranging experience with specialist technical knowledge of energy, sustainability and wellbeing assessments in the built environment. Thomas advises a variety of clients on energy saving opportunities and sustainable design on both new and operational buildings. Thomas is an Associate Director on Cushman & Wakefield UK&EMEA, Energy, Infrastructure and Sustainability team, working both with investors and occupiers offering solution on building use and certifications. Prior to joining C&W he spent 7 years at RPS Group, heading the Energy & Sustainability UK team and leading the design and delivery of various sustainability projects.

Maggie McDaris has a diverse background in public health, wellness program management, and credentials as a Registered Dietitian and WELL AP. She was recently featured as a CRE Future Leader for championing innovation, sustainability, and well-being within the CRE space. Having launched wellness programs in a variety of corporate environments, Maggie is confident that the buildings and organizations who not only invest in wellness programs but also in an overhaul of their physical spaces and policies see the best results and ROI. As LulaFit’s resident WELL AP, Maggie assists building owner and property management teams in securing a WELL Building credential. The built environment is the next frontier in wellness and LulaFit is leading the amenities industry through WELL Building certification.