Fiona Cousins has over 20 years of experience and specializes in all aspects of sustainable design. Originally a mechanical engineer,
this background informs her sustainability work, lending a particular strength in energy use. She has worked for both corporate and institutional
clients on a wide variety of building projects. Buildings have included renovation and new build, fast-track cost-efficient space and tight control
highly designed buildings. In addition she is a LEED accredited professional with experience on a number of projects that are pursuing LEED goals.
She has also worked with SpeAR, Arup's in-house sustainability analysis software.
Ellen Brennan-Galvin teaches courses on 'Cities and Sustainability in the Developing World' and 'Transportation and Urban Land-Use Planning'
at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and has taught 'Managing the Global City' at the Yale School of Management. Prior to coming to Yale,
she had a 25-year career at the United Nations, where she was Chief of the Population Policy Section. Her own research focuses on urban environmental issues
in mega-cities in the developing world, particularly in regard to transportation. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Smith College, with a Ph.D. from Columbia
University, and has been an International Fellow at Columbia University, a Population Council Fellow at Princeton University, and a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson
Center International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. She has been involved with numerous Panels and Committees of the United States National Academy of Sciences
(NAS) for some 20 years, including serving two terms on the Committee on Population.
Michael Gresty, a respected sustainability strategist and innovation process expert, is President and principal of Kinetix.
He oversees all client engagements and leads the development of project deliverables. Michael has extensive experience working with clients such
as Chubb, Praxair, Schering-Plough, Gillette, PPG, Herman Miller, The World Bank, Douglaston Development and the California Academy of Sciences.
As a facilitator, he works directly with both client teams and outside stakeholders. Michael is also a high performance design specialist, and has
worked on a number of LEED projects. He is a frequent speaker on sustainability and related topics at conferences. He has previously worked on
large infrastructure and design projects in the USA and France, and on development of civil engineering software in South Africa. Michael received his
Architecte DPLG from the Ecole d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville. He also holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Cape Town.
Daniel Hernandez is the founder and President of Topology, LLC, a development and real estate consulting firm. He is a developer, city planner, architect
and environmentalist with more than 20 years of experience completing mid- and large-scale, multi-use, multi-phased, urban development projects.. Mr. Hernandez previously
led the urban redevelopment studio at Jonathan Rose Companies, a development firm based in New York City. He is presently overseeing all development activities for the
New York office of Telesis Corporation, a development company based in Washington D.C. Mr. Hernandez was the Executive Director of Mission Housing, one of the nation's
leading non-profit affordable housing development corporations located in San Francisco. Mr. Hernandez has taught architecture and neighborhood design at the California
College of Arts and Crafts, and lectures widely on community development and smart growth planning. Mr. Hernandez is a USGBC LEEDLEED-Neighborhood Development Core Committee
member. He completed his studies for a Masters degree in architecture from UCLA and was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.
Susan Kaplan, Director of Sustainability for Battery Park City Authority has been working on the sustainable development of Battery Park City since its inception in
1999. She oversees the sustainability program of all the buildings in design or construction in Battery Park City, which, upon completion, will total 5 million square feet of
sustainable development, with 20,000 residents and employees working and/or living in healthier, more efficient buildings and neighborhoods. Ms. Kaplan is the Vice Chair of the
U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Technical Committee for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). She is also a member of the USGBC's LEED Steering Committee
and the Chair-elect of the Board of Directors of the USGBC NY Chapter. Ms. Kaplan serves on the NYC Dept. of Buildings' Advisory Committee on Sustainability and has worked
with NYC's City Council on evaluating LEED for New York City. Ms. Kaplan has degrees in Environmental Science and Landscape Architecture and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Brandon Mitchell, Director of Development at Full Spectrum, manages the architecture, planning, engineering and design professionals in developing the project scope,
program and sustainability goals through construction loan closing. Mr. Mitchell initiates, and writes the budgets for, new projects, and structures project financing with
lenders, equity investors, foundations, and public agencies. He also manages client relationships, and conducts strategic planning for the firm. Brandon joined Full Spectrum
in 2006 after serving three years as a Special Assistant in the Bureau of Asset Management (BAM) in the NYC Comptroller's Office, where, he served on the Real Estate as well
as Economically Targeted Investment groups. Prior to that he was Financial Analyst and Investment Officer at the AFL-CIO Housing and Building Investment Trusts. Brandon is a
graduate of Columbia University. He also holds a Masters degree in City Planning; Housing, Community & Economic Development from MIT. His continuing education includes a summer
program in Management & Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the NYS Association for Affordable Housing; the
Sustainable Business Network; and the US Green Building Council, NY Chapter.
About the venue Design21:
Nearly everything we come into contact with everyday is the result of the creativity and hard work of a designer. Imagine a world where designers strive to be responsible,
incorporating social issues into their overall mission. Welcome to DESIGN 21: Social Design Network; created in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, we promote better design for the greater good. For members of the private sector, and more than 200 organizations globally, DESIGN 21
serves as a media platform to show the world their positive impact. (http://www.design21sdn.com/)
