National Sustainability Conference

Sara Neff is a Partner and General Manager of Sustainability for Microsoft's Cloud Operations + Innovation team. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was Head of Sustainability, Lendlease Americas, where she provided leadership and management oversight in developing, implementing and driving Lendlease's corporate sustainability framework in the Americas region. Prior to that role, she served as Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation. Under her leadership, Kilroy was recognized as a leader among publicly traded real estate companies on sustainability in the Americas by GRESB for seven of the last eight years as well as being recognized by NAREIT, and achieved carbon neutral operations at the end of 2020. She is a LEED Fellow and holds a BS from Stanford and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

With a dual background in architecture and engineering, Sadaf Jafari adds immense value and structure to SGA’s robust sustainable design practice. Eager to further engage clients, colleagues, and industry partners on the importance of sustainability in all aspects of our work, her collaborative approach consistently fosters forward-thinking solutions that help plan, design, and implement high performance, low-energy facilities featuring decarbonization, electrification, and resiliency. Sadaf’s expertise ensures that conversations around sustainability help guide project stakeholders from the very beginning. Responsible for identifying the intersections between sustainability initiatives and programming needs, Sadaf works in harmony with architecture, interior design, engineering, and client teams to improve their holistic understanding of sustainable design before laying out a comprehensive action plan custom-fit to their unique requirements. Throughout her career, Sadaf has stacked up an impressive list of professional accomplishments, including but not limited to: implementing a streamlined process to enable sustainable integration from the start, deploying millions of square feet of Carbon Neutral projects, consulting on the retrofit and connection of a collegiate building to a new geothermal plant, and having managed three major hospital projects with the goal of converting to Carbon Neutrality by 2035. What Sadaf enjoys most about her role is the opportunity to implement advanced sustainability solutions at scale. She believes that a reduction in environmental impact should be an inherent part of every design. She is particularly interested in advocating for the concept of sustainable master planning which has an impact on a grander scale; helping organizations and entire communities take meaningful action on their carbon emissions commitments. Sadaf obtained a Master’s Degree in Environmental Design from The University of Cambridge as well as a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Shahid Beheshti (Melli) University. Passionate about continued education, Sadaf is consistently seeking out opportunities to exchange relevant industry knowledge that helps to ensure a cutting-edge, up-to-date approach to these efforts. Sadaf frequently attends national conferences, local sustainability community gatherings, participates in webinars, and stays up-to- date with innovative sustainable solutions by studying successful projects from across the globe (particularly in Europe). Additionally, Sadaf is an active member of both the U.S. Green Building Council and PHIUS. As a complement to her professional passions, Sadaf is often found exploring nature and believes that traveling refreshes her spirit. She loves to work with her hands, and is constantly designing or making new things. Recently beginning home renovations, Sadaf has found great joy in the process–solving the associated challenges for which she has an unconventional perspective.

Joshua Soble is the Director of Business Development for Celsius Energy in the northeast US where he facilitates the deployment of Celsius’ innovative geothermal heating; cooling solution on both existing building retrofit projects and new construction developments to reduce carbon emissions, minimize operational expenses, and optimize property operations. Prior to joining Celsius Energy, Josh spent his career developing a range of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects including solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, cogeneration systems, HVAC overhauls, real time energy management (RTEM) building monitoring and controls solutions, green building certifications (LEED, EGC, Passive House etc.), and more. In his early career, Josh worked at leading renewable energy trade associations in Washington, DC including SEIA (the Solar Energy Industries Association), The Solar Foundation, and the American Biogas Council. Josh has a B.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Michigan and lives with his wife in NYC.

Vicki Worden serves as President and CEO of the Green Building Initiative, an international nonprofit dedicated to reducing climate impacts by improving the built environment. She is co-author of Greener Data, a best selling book on Amazon that launched on April 22, 2022. She is the former chair of the National Institute of Building Sciences Consultative Council, which unifies the codes development and building industry and communicates to the U.S. Congress and Administration on commercial building priorities. She also serves as a judge of the U.S. DOE's Solar Decathlon. As a sustainability pro and entrepreneur, Worden has advanced objectives within a range of industries, including solar, wind, parking, furniture, mattress, composites, wood products and rainwater harvesting. During her tenure at GBI, she led this start-up organization into a thriving community that supports integration of sustainability and net zero, health and wellness, and resilience objectives throughout some of the largest real estate portfolios in the world. Through its Green Globes and federal Guiding Principles Compliance programs, GBI will have certified half a billion square feet of commercial and multifamily building space in North America and beyond during 2022. Worden holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland and she is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organizational Management. She lives in Camden, Maine, where she feeds her soul with an abundance of hiking, skiing, swimming, and outdoor activities along with her husband and dogs. Learn more about the Green Building Initiative at thegbi.org, and connect with Worden on LinkedIn, Twitter, or via email at vworden@thegbi.org.

David directs acquisitions, entitlements, project financing, and development of Alloy’s projects.

As Northeast Leader of NFP’s Construction & Infrastructure Group – Tom is responsible for assisting in the developing and implementation of the strategy, operations, and the deployment of NFP’s resources for contractors and developers. Prior to joining NFP, Tom established the New York Construction Team for Lockton Companies Northeast Series. Where he oversaw the brokering and account management for his contractor (civil and commercial), subcontractor and developer clients which included renewable and project specific placements. In addition, he coordinated the hiring and management of the account, loss control and claims team members. Tom also spent time leading the Builders Risk team for the Northeast while working for Aon and was a construction placement specialist at Willis of New York. Tom has participated in speaking engagements on topics ranging from emerging trends, risk management and risk transfer within the New York construction and infrastructure sector. Tom maintains his property and casualty licenses across the US and has also received his Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) from the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) As well as the Associate in Risk Management (ARM). Tom holds an BA in Communications from the Quinnipiac University.

Ben Myers is the Senior Vice President, Sustainability, at Boston Properties (BXP), the largest publicly-traded developer, owner and manager of Class A office properties in the United States. He is an engineer and non-routine project manager with a passion for resource efficiency, healthy workspaces and urban ecosystems. His primary responsibilities include ESG strategy and implementation, enterprise energy and water management, green building initiatives, distributed generation and storage, energy conservation measure implementation, resilience planning, education, communication and public reporting. He holds an M.A. in Urban Environmental Leadership from Lesley University and a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Under Mr. Myers’ leadership, BXP has been recognized as an industry leader in ESG and sustainability. • In 2019, BXP ranked among the top 4% of all real estate companies in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (“GRESB”) assessment. 2019 was the eighth consecutive year that BXP has ranked in the top quartile of GRESB assessment participants, earning another “Green Star” recognition and the highest GRESB 5-star Rating. • In 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019, BXP was selected by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“Nareit”) as a Leader in the Light Award winner. In 2019, BXP earned the “Most Innovative” Leader in the Light Award. This award is given to only one company and is the highest achievement in sustainability innovation for all REITs and real estate companies. • BXP is a corporate member of the U.S. Green Building Council® (USGBC) and has a long history of owning, developing and operating properties that are certified under USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental DesignTM (LEED®) rating system. The company has LEED certified over 26 million square feet of our portfolio, of which 93% is certified at the highest Gold and Platinum levels. • BXP has been an active participant in the green bond market since 2018, issuing $1.85 billion of green bonds, which provide access to sustainability-focused investors interested in the positive environmental externalities of our business activities. • BXP has been named a Green Lease Leader at the highest Gold level by the Institute for Market Transformation and the U.S. Department of Energy for exhibiting a strong commitment to high performance and sustainability in buildings and best practices in leasing. BXP’s master lease form includes green lease clauses that support a more sustainable tenant-landlord relationship. • Since adopting public goals in 2016, the company has made great strides towards meeting its targets to reduce energy use intensity by 32%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 45% and reduce water use intensity by 30% by the year 2025. The company achieved its 45% greenhouse gas emissions intensity goal six years early in 2019 and advanced our commitment to responsible climate action measures by pursuing the adoption of a science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. • As a result of BXP’s efforts to improve energy efficiency and cut emissions, the company was named a 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. • BXP was named one of America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek. The company ranked 122nd on Newsweek’s 2020 list of America’s 300 Most Responsible Companies, the second highest ranking given to a public REIT and the highest ranking of any office company.

Gautami Palanki is Senior Vice President, ESG Strategy for Howard Hughes, responsible for advancing the organization’s commitment to responsible development and operations and setting the strategy across the company’s national portfolio of large-scale master planned communities (MPCs) and mixed-use properties. Gautami joined Howard Hughes in 2021, bringing over fifteen years of global experience at the intersection of real estate, sustainability, and technology, in both private and non-profit organizations. Gautami has keynoted talks and led workshops to audiences in more than 20 countries and volunteers as a subject matter expert with industry think tanks. A Licensed Architect and LEED Fellow, Gautami holds a B. Arch from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India and M.S. in Sustainable Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Lionel Foster is an investor at Camber Creek. In his career before Camber Creek, he was a senior communications manager for the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Before joining Urban, Foster was special assistant to the director of the Baltimore City Department of Planning and an opinion columnist with Baltimore City Paper and the Baltimore Sun. An alumnus of Johns Hopkins University’s Writing Seminars program (BA), Foster earned master’s degrees in social policy and planning and regional and urban planning studies at the London School of Economics, as well as a master’s degree in creative and life writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London, during his tenure as a British Marshall Scholar. He is currently completing a JD at Georgetown Law.

Morris F. DeFeo, Jr. is a partner and chair of Herrick’s Corporate Department, where he focuses on domestic and international capital markets, corporate finance and M&A transactions, and corporate governance and compliance counseling for boards, committees and directors of public and private companies and not-for-profit entities. Morris advises public and private corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, real estate investment trusts (REITs), private equity firms and funds, venture and hedge funds, private investment funds and other clients in U.S. and cross-border joint ventures and strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, consolidations, asset and stock acquisitions and dispositions, all aspects of private equity and venture capital fund transactions and public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, including initial public offerings and shelf-registered offerings, Rule 144A high-yield debt offerings and exchange listings. Morris provides counsel to fund sponsors and investors on a range of investment activities including fund formation, structuring arrangements, senior and mezzanine debt, distressed investments, syndications, leveraged buyouts, majority and minority stake investments, sales and divestitures as well as exit strategies. He also advises clients on compliance with the registration, proxy solicitation and periodic reporting requirements of the U.S. securities laws, and the complex requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, such as those related to section 404 internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and governance. Morris has advised clients, including start-ups and emerging growth companies in the U.S., the Middle East/North Africa, Europe, India and the Far East, which have operated in a range of sectors, including defense, automotive, energy, information technology, manufacturing and telecommunications. Earlier in his career, Morris served as executive vice president of corporate and international transactions for CAIS Internet, a Nasdaq-listed Internet access solutions company. In that capacity, he helped build out CAIS's deployment in Asia, Australia and Europe through merger and acquisition transactions, joint ventures and strategic relationships with foreign telecom, infrastructure, equipment and hospitality companies in 16 countries. From 1990 to 1991, Morris worked as a foreign visiting attorney in the law firm of Yuasa and Hara in Tokyo, Japan.

Dana Robbins Schneider is Senior Vice President, Director of Energy and Sustainability for Empire State Realty Trust. Dana is responsible to define, lead and execute a comprehensive program for all company and property level energy and sustainability initiatives and industry leading best practices and to coordinate and develop the company's ESG and wellness programs and reporting. Dana focuses on analyzing and implementing actionable measures which drive energy efficiency and performance at the whole building, systems and tenant level including proactive planning for LL97 and 80X50. We focus on measurable actionable impacts in energy, water, waste and indoor environmental quality to drive ROI and healthy buildings. Prior to joining ESRT, Dana led JLL’s Energy and Sustainability Projects team for the Americas, working on over 250 million square feet of impact projects over 18 years. Before this, Dana was a mechanical engineer at WSP. Dana graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia in 1999 and serves on the Real Estate Roundtable Sustainable Policy Advisory Committee, Urban Green Board of Directors, REBNY Sustainability Committee, USGBC LEED Steering Committee and is a LEED Fellow.  Dana serves on the LL97 Technical Pathways for Commercial Buildings Working Group.

Adam Shelly is Project Development Director with Ecosystem, based in New York City. He works at the intersection of sustainability and technical innovation, bringing together energy expertise and knowledge of the NYC energy landscape to identify potential infrastructure modernization that addresses both asset renewal priorities and carbon reduction mandates. He also serves as a key member of NYSERDA's Technical Advisory team for the Empire Building Challenge, which provides $50 million to a group of leading building owners to test innovative new green retrofit solutions. Adam is a P.E. in several states, a C.E.M. and a licensed electrical contractor. He has an MS in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

A sustainable design expert with research focused on modeling and analyzing building energy use patterns at an urban scale, Carlos has served as KPF’s Environmental Design Director since 2018. Carlos leads the Environmental Performance team (KPFep), closely collaborating with teams across the firm’s global network to establish sustainability benchmarks and workflows that ensure the firm’s projects support KPF’s environmental mission. As Head of Sustainability, Carlos manages firm-wide initiatives aimed to minimize the environmental impact of KPF projects and operations through an “evidence-based” design approach. KPFep develops computational tools to incorporate carbon, energy, thermal, and daylight modeling in the development of every design. At the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s new campus in Guangzhou, Carlos led the development of the sustainability vision for the project, collaborating with the design and technical teams to inform the planning of a climate-ready, live-work campus. HKUST(GZ) is designed to be net-zero carbon by 2050 and promotes resiliency through flood prevention and wetland protection. Before joining KPF, Carlos worked as an Instructor and Research Scientist with the Sustainable Design Lab at MIT, focusing on the application of energy simulation and uncertainty analysis at an urban scale in collaboration with municipalities such as Boston, Chicago, Lisbon, and Kuwait City. In Carlos’s published scientific research, Boston served as the test case for the development of one of the first citywide Urban Building Energy Models (UBEM), which allowed to estimate the energy use of over 80,000 buildings to help inform local energy policy. As an instructor associated with the Center for Real Estate (CRE) at MIT, Carlos teaches environmental design to architecture, planning, and real estate students. His research work has been published in multiple scientific journals such as Energy and Buildings and Building and Environment.

Lee Hoffman is currently the cofounder and President of Runwise, a US climate tech company that provides the technology platform operating key energy systems in over 7,500 buildings thoughout the US. A multi time entrepreneur, Lee’s last company Veri exited to The Knot after raising over $8M in capital.

Craig is the Co-Founder and CEO of Empowered Buildings, a technology company specializing in building automation systems, energy management, and smart building solutions. Craig has over 20 years of experience in energy, software, and data analytics. He is considered a leading expert in the field of building automation and energy efficiency. Craig founded Empowered Buildings in 2020 with the goal of leveraging data and technology to help owners and operators optimize their building’s performance and reduce energy consumption. Under his leadership, the company has grown rapidly and has worked with a wide range of clients across the real estate market, including affordable and multi-family housing, commercial, industrial, hospitality, healthcare, and educational. Craig holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and currently resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

Ms. Fatou Jabbie, Principal at USL Technology, a leading New York City sustainability firm, brings over 15 years of expertise to the table. With a proven track record in regulatory compliance, LEED consulting, and engineering services, she helps real estate developers and owners in sectors like hospitality, retail, and mixed-use buildings achieve significant energy savings and cost reductions. Prior to her focus on sustainability, Ms. Jabbie's background in data center network design engineering translates into a deep understanding of building systems integration. This unique perspective allows her to deliver comprehensive solutions that optimize energy efficiency while maintaining peak performance. Ms. Jabbie is a NYS Certified Code Enforcement Official, NYSERDA-qualified Commercial Building Plans Reviewer and Inspection Consultant. She’s a LEED AP and a CMVP Professional. This ensures seamless compliance with energy codes, real-time energy management, measurement and verification of energy upgrades, saving your project time and resources. Her collaborative approach streamlines navigating the complexities of buildings, and implementation processes, making USL Technology a valuable partner for any commercial real estate venture. USL Technology can help your commercial property achieve its sustainability goals.

Chris Micallef is the CEO of Falkonair, who invented a new technology solution to significantly reduce electric consumption for buildings and facilities. He is an engineer with over thirty years of experience in HVAC, including R&D. In 2019, he began to develop the Smart Compressor Technology, today known as the VMF package for all fixed-speed induction motor compressors, which reduces electric consumption by 25%- 45%. This remarkable, one-of-a-kind solution is patent pending and uses algorithms and AI to help with energy efficiency.  Chris has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Canterbury in England. He also graduated from Technical College with an Electrical Diploma and furthered his studies in Refrigeration , Air-Conditioning, & Technology Engineering. He then started to work with Titan International in Malta and opened his contracting business. In 2001, he relocated to China on a consultancy basis as an R&D Application Engineer for three years, developing the 3-Pipe VRF (heat recovery) system with a team of engineers at the main Midea/Carrier manufacturing facility in Shunde. He then continued developing and supporting multiple technical manufacturers reps across Europe, supporting the VRF technology for the same company. In 2013, he moved on from this role, supporting VRF technology to perfect the Solar HVAC system to modulate HVAC circuits on VRF or DC inverter systems.

Elena Lebensbaum is the Director of Sustainability at Time Equities Inc., where she oversees sustainability programs across a diverse real estate portfolio. In this role, she manages efficiency and renewable energy projects, sustainability reporting and compliance, and designs net-zero strategies. Elena brings her expertise in energy management, renewable energy, and technology to the management of commercial, residential, and industrial properties. Elena is also part of the Renewable Energy investment team, working on project origination, financial modeling, and due diligence. As an adjunct professor at Baruch College, Elena teaches Sustainability and Environmental Social Governance (ESG), providing students with sustainability emerging trends, disclosure frameworks, and practical decarbonization strategies.

Prior to joining Brightcore Energy as President, Mike enjoyed a successful 15-year professional athletic career for the New York Rangers where he was a three-time NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup Champion. In addition to his success in the NHL, Mike represented the United States on numerous international competitions including three Olympic teams, earning a Silver Medal in 2002 and World Cup Gold in 1996. In 2008, Mike was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame. After retiring from the NHL, Mike enrolled in Yale University and received his degree in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with a concentration in Environmental Policy. In 2007, he launched his career in sustainability as a founding partner at Environmental Capital Partners, a $100M Private Equity Fund focused on financing resource efficient companies in the middle market. Four years later, Mike shifted his focus to the project finance space when he created Healthy Planet Partners, LLC., fund that deployed renewable energy technologies in the C&I space in order to reduce both their operating costs and ecological footprint. Over this period, Mike devoted much of his time to a variety of not for profit boards in the sustainable space, collaborated with a number of efforts in the sport and environment space, and earned an Aspen Institute Environmental Fellowship in 2012. In 2016, Mike joined Brightcore Energy as President to help the company in its mission to become a leader in the design, financing, implementation and maintenance of energy efficiency upgrades and clean energy technologies for commercial, industrial and municipal buildings.

Mr. Cayten is a Principal at CodeGreen Solutions, a leading sustainability and energy efficiency consulting firm based in New York City. CodeGreen is currently helping over 250 million square feet of commercial property nationwide to reduce energy use, lower operating expenses and improve environmental performance. CodeGreen has helped over 45 million square feet of property achieve LEED certification and over 130 million square feet of property comply with New York City’s Greener Greater Buildings laws. CodeGreen is working on some of the most exciting green building projects in New York City, including 425 Park Avenue, and is working with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability to create a roadmap to reducing the city’s carbon footprint by 80% by 2050 - shaping the future of buildings across the city. Mr. Cayten holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Architecture and is a frequent speaker on sustainability and energy efficiency, addressing events hosted by BOMA, NYC DOB, NAIOP, Urban Green Council, GRI and BuildingsNY. He is an active member of Urban Green, and serves on the sustainability committees of BOMA-NY and REBNY as well as the boards of the Urban Air Foundation and ScaleAfrica.

Over the past fifteen years, Andy Anderson has become the go-to expert in energy commodity markets, sustainability reporting, utility tariffs, and utility data analytics. Leveraging his futures and options trading experience and Columbia Business School education with a focus on data analytics and decision making, Andy advises some of the largest real estate portfolios across the US and internationally on their sustainability and energy management practices. As Chief Sustainability Officer and EVP, Energy and Sustainability Solutions at WatchWire by Tango, Andy Anderson leads the team in creating, refining, and delivering its industry leading digital energy and sustainability management portal, as well as managing the procurement of ~$1 billion in electricity, natural gas, and renewable energy commodities. Clients throughout North America and >30 countries across various vertical markets such as commercial office, hospitality, and manufacturing/industrial (representing >1.5bn square feet of real estate) lean on WatchWire and Andy's teams for utility data acquisition, auditing and consolidation; benchmarking; measurement and verification; budgeting and variance reporting; and energy risk management. Andy graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College and holds an MBA with Dean's Graduation Honors from Columbia Business School. Andy is a Professor at NYU's Center for Global Affairs (graduate school), teaching Energy and Sustainability Management for Portfolios: Putting Policy into Practice.