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Speakers and Panels

Inside the Four Walls: Upgrading Building Systems & Renovating Assets to Meet Longterm Goals

Technical Deep Dive into Building Upgrades, MEP Systems and more

Jason McCalla

Jason McCalla

SVP, Operations

Silverstein Properties

Adam Brooks

Adam Brooks

Director, Sustainability

Prologis

Julie Janiski

Julie Janiski

Partner

Buro Happold

Kelly-Ann Corrigan

Kelly-Ann Corrigan

Chief Operating Officer

Runwise

Randy Topp
Moderator

Randy Topp

SVP of Energy Services & National Operations Support

Ainsworth

Julie Janiski

Partner

Buro Happold

Julie Janiski is a partner at Buro Happold and leads integrated teams of engineers, designers, analysts, and subject-matter experts to support a broad range of sustainability goals.

She brings an integrated design approach to all her projects and a breadth of decarbonization and sustainability expertise across the US region. Her background includes construction, owner operations, architect and engineering, and her work spans policy and planning to districts and buildings. Some of her key clients include Alexandria Real Estate, BioMed Realty, Harvard Medical School, University of Chicago, Cornell Tech, US State Dept OBO, City of Boston and State of Massachusetts (regarding key energy codes), and Proctor & Gamble Gillette.

Passionate about improving human wellbeing while mitigating climate change, Julie leads Buro Happold’s decarbonization efforts, and is responsible for guiding the firm’s net zero carbon agenda. Her technical background allows her to incorporate the latest strategic thinking and innovations in sustainable construction and energy planning in her projects. Julie is a catalyst for change, inspiring those around her to achieve wide-scale and ambitious reductions in emissions, and guiding the transformation of the industry towards a more climate resilient future.

Julie holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan and a Master of Design Science in Sustainable Design from the University of Sydney and continues to engage with students at many institutions as adjunct faculty, a visiting lecturer or critic. Her commitments in the local Boston/MA community include being a board member for Built Environment Plus, co-chair of the Boston Carbon Leadership Forum, and an inaugural appointed member of the Stretch Energy Code Technical Advisory Committee for MA DOER. Nationally, Julie is a frequent panelist and contributor to the Urban Land Institute, a part of the ECHO (Embodied Carbon Harmonization and Optimization) project, and a leader in sharing knowledge like our All-Electric Feasibility Study.

Kelly-Ann Corrigan

Chief Operating Officer

Runwise

Kelly-Ann Corrigan is the Chief Operating Officer at Runwise, where she leads the teams that power heating and cooling optimization for more than 10,000 buildings across New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C. With deep expertise in HVAC performance, energy efficiency, and building operations, Kelly-Ann empowers the Runwise field operations, customer service, and product development teams to serve property managers in implementing best practices that reduce costs, improve resident comfort, and maximize system impact.

Investment, Fundraising & Capital Deployment Activity that Drives Sustainable ROI

Investor Returns, Funding Sustainability Related Developments, Projects & Initiatives

Lauren Moss

Lauren Moss

Chief Sustainability Officer

Vornado Realty Trust

Daren Moss

Daren Moss

Managing Director, Head of ESG

Ares Management

Karen Mahrous

Karen Mahrous

SVP, Head of ESG

Clarion Partners

Jeremy Porter

Jeremy Porter

Chief Economist

First Street

Morris DeFeo, Jr.
Moderator

Morris DeFeo, Jr.

Partner

Herrick

Daren Moss

Managing Director, Head of ESG

Ares Management

Mr. Moss is a Managing Director in the Ares Environmental, Social and Governance Group. Prior to joining Ares in 2022, Mr. Moss was a Senior Vice President, Operations and Sustainability at Brixmor Property Group, where he focused on developing and overseeing their ESG program and climate change strategy, directed portfolio wide operations and sustainability initiatives, and led environmental risk and liability management. Previously, Mr. Moss was a Senior Project Manager at Roux Associates, Inc, where he focused on advising clients in a variety of industries related to legacy contamination issues and environmental aspects of property transactions and development. Mr. Moss holds a B.A. from Colgate University in Geology and an M.E.S. from the University of Pennsylvania in Environmental Studies. Mr. Moss is a licensed professional geologist in the State of New York.

Karen Mahrous

SVP, Head of ESG

Clarion Partners

Karen Mahrous is a Senior Vice President and the Head of ESG for Clarion Partners. She is the Chair of the Firm’s ESG Committee. Karen oversees the ESG team and the Firm’s global ESG strategy, including Net Zero, resilience, efficiency, diversity and health and wellness initiatives. She works with many groups across the Firm to enhance and execute Clarion’s ESG strategy. Prior to joining Clarion, Karen was with CodeGreen Solutions as Director of ESG and Decarbonization Programs. In her time with CodeGreen she oversaw corporate sustainability, ESG reporting, green and wellness building certifications, stakeholder engagement, greenhouse gas accounting and other work for many real estate organizations. She is a member of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) North America Benchmark Committee, Urban Land Institute and Urban Green Council. She holds LEED AP and WELL AP accreditations. Karen holds an M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego.

Jeremy Porter

Chief Economist

First Street

Dr. Jeremy R. Porter is a Quantitative Research Scientist who leads First Street's groundbreaking work on the connection of climate risk to financial risk—including effects on property valuation, climate migration, macroeconomic indicators and risk transfer mechanisms. An internationally recognized expert on climate exposure and its downstream consequences, Dr. Porter has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications on climate risk, spatial analysis, machine learning, and statistical modeling. His insights are regularly featured in top media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Dr. Porter is a member of the team that founded First Street. Prior to joining, he enjoyed a distinguished academic career, founding CUNY’s Master’s program in Quantitative Modeling and launching influential scientific journals like Spatial Demography. He has secured millions in academic research funding and holds a Ph.D. in Demography with minors in Statistics and Geospatial Technologies, plus a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Applied Statistics.

Morris DeFeo, Jr.

Moderator

Herrick

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.

Innovative Decarbonization Strategies & Enhancing Energy Efficiency

Embodied Carbon vs. Operational Carbon + Creative and Cost-Effective Ways to Increase Efficiency

Carrie Denning Jackson

Carrie Denning Jackson

Director of Innovation & Sustainability

Jamestown

Paul Rode

Paul Rode

MD, Head of Engineering and Property Operations

Tishman Speyer

Laura Humphrey

Laura Humphrey

Senior Director of Energy & Sustainability

L+M Development Partners

Tristan Schwartzman

Tristan Schwartzman

Principal, Director of Energy Services

Goldman Copeland

Amanda Clevinger

Amanda Clevinger

Director, Policy & Programs

Bright Power

Michael Clain
Moderator

Michael Clain

Partner

Windels Marx

Carrie Denning Jackson

Director of Innovation & Sustainability

Jamestown

Carrie Denning Jackson is the Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Jamestown. She manages ESG initiatives across the portfolio and leads the technology practice, including pilots, data and research, and generative AI. Ms. Denning Jackson was a Director on the Development team at Sidewalk Labs, Google’s urban innovation company. She is a board member of Governors Island Foundation, the New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, PlanA Health, trubel&co, an advisor to Georgia Tech’s Master of Science in Urban Analytics, and she is also the founder of Place as Medicine, an organization focused on creating healthy places. Ms. Denning Jackson has a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.

Paul Rode

MD, Head of Engineering and Property Operations

Tishman Speyer

Paul Rode joined Tishman Speyer in 2021 to lead engineering and operational activities across the U.S. portfolio. In his role, he is responsible for ensuring that properties are safe, efficient, resilient, sustainability focused, and provide world class environments for optimal customer productivity. Before joining Tishman Speyer, Paul was Director of Engineering for RXR Realty, where he oversaw operations and energy for all new and existing buildings across all asset classes. He also was the Senior Vice President of Engineering and Energy for The Related Companies, responsible for engineering operations, capital projects, and utility purchasing across over 400 buildings of mixed asset types. Paul has international experience as a Project Executive for deep energy the U.S. State Department’s Expert Speaker Program, serves on various energy and code retrofit and cogeneration projects in Melbourne, London, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as the green retrofit of the Empire State Building. He was one of the original members of the NRDC’s High Performance Tenant Interiors project team, participated in committees, and is a member of the Facility Committee for the Tarrytown School Board. Paul holds his BS in chemical engineering from Manhattan College.

Tristan Schwartzman

Principal, Director of Energy Services

Goldman Copeland

Tristan Schwartzman is a major innovative presence in energy efficiency in Greater New

York. With Tristan as Director of Energy Services, Goldman Copeland has completed

energy audits and retro-commissioning projects for more than 100 million square feet of

commercial property. He has also led those buildings through the design and

implementation of annual, multi-million-dollar, capital improvement projects based on

the findings of those reports, generating energy savings and financial savings for

property owners. In the process, he and his team have created award-winning

innovations, advancing the field. Under Tristan’s leadership, Goldman Copeland has

been recognized with multiple ACEC New York Platinum Awards.

Tristan and his team have pioneered the use of steam optimization panels to maximize

the efficiency of aging steam-based cooling plants in large commercial buildings in New

York City. He has expanded the use of those panels to incorporate control of auxiliary

equipment to optimize the plant holistically rather than focus solely on the chiller. In

doing so, he worked with Con Edison to establish that the system qualifies for rebates

under their demand-management program.

Tristan has worked with the City of New York and PSE&G to implement programs to

reduce energy consumption. He also worked with NYSERDA to pilot a statewide

energy-saving initiative. He serves on the ACEC Energy Committee and advises

NYECC on energy and sustainability issues. Tristan was named Association of Energy

Engineers International Energy Engineer of the Year in 2024.

Amanda Clevinger

Director, Policy & Programs

Bright Power

Amanda Clevinger leads policy and program strategy at Bright Power, pairing compliance requirements with incentives and financing opportunities to help decarbonize the multifamily sector. She spearheads the company's Local Law 97

strategy, developing new services and working one-on-one as a strategic advisor to real estate clients to support

building decarbonization. Amanda also shapes policy at the local, state, and federal levels - including through DOB

working groups and the Regulatory Committee of the NY Energy Consumers Council – continually advocating for

effective, equitable, and cost-conscious policy solutions

Michael Clain

Moderator

Windels Marx

Michael Clain is a Partner with Windels Marx, who focuses on the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of a variety of credit products, including broadly syndicated corporate loans, asset-based loans, cash flow loans, trade and supply-chain finance, the purchase and sale of individual loans and loan portfolios, and the workout of troubled assets. His clients include money-center and regional banks, foreign banks, investment funds and finance companies. He leads the firm’s Renewable Energy & Sustainability Practice Group and authors the newsletter “Decarbonize NY”, which informs property owners and managers, lenders, developers and sustainability professionals in their pursuit of a greener New York. Connect with Michael at 212.237.1035 or mclain@windelsmarx.com.

Managing Climate Risk, Waste Management: Future Proofing Your Assets & Capex Planning

Getting Ahead of Climate Change and Impacts on Longterm Real Estate Implications

Gautami Palanki

Gautami Palanki

VP, Sustainability

AvalonBay Communities

Jenna Agins

Jenna Agins

Assistant Director, Energy & Sustainability

NYU Langone Health

Angela Licata-Misiak

Angela Licata-Misiak

Deputy Commissioner

NYC Environmental Protection

Amari Jones

Amari Jones

Manager of Corporate Sustainability

Nucor

Ruben Petit

Ruben Petit

Sustainability & Partnerships Officer

Ener.co

Adam Fisher
Moderator

Adam Fisher

Managing Director, Sustainable & Technical Brokerage

JLL

Gautami Palanki

VP, Sustainability

AvalonBay Communities

Gautami is an award-winning sustainability strategist. Her high impact work bridges business strategy with environmental and social outcomes, helping corporations, nonprofits, and startups align sustainability with both purpose and performance to create long-term value and healthier communities. Gautami currently leads the enterprise wide sustainability platform at AvalonBay Communities, a equity real estate investment trust specializing in the development, redevelopment, acquisition, and management of multifamily apartment communities. With a background in architecture and systems thinking, she has shaped the next generation of global leadership standards and led enterprise-wide strategies grounded in science-based climate goals. Growing up in India, she learned early the value of resourcefulness and community—principles that continue to guide her approach to building resilient, inclusive systems. A frequent speaker at global forums, Gautami champions collaboration and is committed to partnerships that drive meaningful, lasting change.

Angela Licata-Misiak

Deputy Commissioner

NYC Environmental Protection

Angela Licata is the Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The range of programs under Ms. Licata’s purview reflects the broad mandate of the Department as a public utility providing high-quality drinking water, stormwater and wastewater services. Ms. Licata guides the City’s practices for improving harbor water quality through the abatement of combined sewer overflows and the reduction of stormwater pollution. She is a pioneer in proactively strengthening the city's and utility's resilience to increasingly severe weather. By overseeing the planning for the utility’s services to support economic vitality and growth, Ms. Licata has been key in guiding DEP contributions to many large neighborhood rezonings that have unlocked the potential for substantial new housing units across the city. She was also instrumental in modernizing the New York City Air Code in 2016, the first major overhaul since the 1970s. Ms. Licata has served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, including two years as President, she also as served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for nine years. Ms. Licata played important advisory roles on both boards on topics including affordable water rates and integrated planning. She has dedicated her career to public service and plays a crucial role in envisioning, developing, and implementing programs aimed at improving the health and quality of life of all New Yorkers.

Amari Jones

Manager of Corporate Sustainability

Nucor

Amari Jones Scriven is Manager of Corporate Sustainability for Nucor Corporation.

In this role, Amari is responsible for leading key initiatives that advance Nucor’s

environmental stewardship and sustainability goals. Her primary focus areas

include providing technical expertise on environmental matters, supporting the

development and implementation of company-wide sustainability targets and

leading decarbonization efforts aimed at reducing Nucor’s enterprise carbon

footprint. Amari regularly engages with investors, policymakers and industry

organizations on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies in the steel sector.

Through her leadership, Amari plays a critical role in driving Nucor’s long-term

strategy toward sustainable growth and advancing low-carbon steelmaking.

Amari joined Nucor in 2021 as the Environmental Manager at Nucor Steel Texas,

where she oversaw the environmental, health, safety and quality functions for the

Texas division. In this capacity, she worked closely with plant operations, regulatory

agencies and corporate leadership to ensure compliance with environmental

regulations and to foster a culture of safety and sustainability throughout

the organization.

Before joining Nucor, Amari built a successful career in the oil, gas and

petrochemical industry, where she held various environmental, health and safety

leadership positions. Her experience spans multiple facets of industrial operations,

including permitting, compliance, environmental management systems, process

safety and corporate sustainability reporting.

Amari holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from Florida

A&M University and a master’s degree in engineering management from

Duke University.

Amari is married to her husband Woodrow.

Ruben Petit

Sustainability & Partnerships Officer

Ener.co

Ruben Petit is a sustainability and business development professional from the Netherlands, and serves as Chief Commercial and Sustainability Officer at Ener.co. He has worked across food, textiles, and energy efficiency, focusing on roles that align commercial growth with measurable environmental impact. Having helped scale impact-driven startups, Ruben brings a global perspective, entrepreneurial mindset, and practical understanding of how sustainability solutions can create financial value, operational resilience, and long-term environmental benefits.

Why to Attend This Sustainability Event

What You'll Learn:

• A market-level outlook on how sustainability mandates are reshaping asset valuations and underwriting in New York and other major cities.

• Explore the future of development, complex construction projects and renovations for multifamily, office, mixed-use buildings and more.  
• Practical insight into the regulations like Local Law 97 and Berdo 2.0. Better understand the best ways to comply without sacrificing NOI and advancing the longterm value of an asset. 
• Real-world case studies from owners who have successfully executed large-scale retrofits and what drove specific project-level decisions. 
• Direct access to lenders, capital providers and incentive experts active in green financing. 
• Candid discussion on cost overruns, contractor coordination and implementation challenges with green materials, new technologies and innovative designs. 
• Insights into how sustainability strategies are influencing tenant demand and leasing velocity across office, multifamily, industrial and other asset classes. 
• Forward-looking perspectives on carbon reporting, disclosure trends, the importance of building metrics, sustainability data and investor expectations. 
• Networking with developers, owners, engineers, sustainability officers and policymakers shaping the next generation of high-performance buildings. 

How you'll do more business:

Enhance your business by gaining a stronger understanding how prioritizing ESG and sustainability across development, design, investment and asset management verticals can change the city but also positively impact your bottom line. Hear from New York City's leading developers, investors and designers on financing ESG Deals, the next wave of building innovation and achieving net zero carbon. 

Who attends:

Investors, owners, developers, energy companies, solar companies, city officials, tenants, engineers, contractors, architects, brokers, project managers, consultants, property managers and law firms. 

Why should you attend:

Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to identify opportunities, build your network, and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than us.

For questions, recommendations, comments, or press inquiries please email our Director of New York Events, Chris Picher at chris.picher@bisnow.com.

To request disability-related accommodations, please contact audrey.sullivan@bisnow.com  no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Featured Sustainability Projects & News

Silverstein’s Role in 2 World Trade Center Green Headquarters for American Express

Jamestown Achieves Net-Zero Operational Carbon at Levi’s Plaza: retrofit details, clean-energy transition, electrification and solar integration.

Cortland Awarded PREA 2025 ESG Momentum Award: additional external ESG recognition. 

Jamestown Sustainability & Social Responsibility Overview: overview of Jamestown’s sustainability goals and strategy toward net-zero carbon. 

AvalonBay Named 2025 GRESB Regional Sector Leader.

Jamestown’s ongoing ESG strategy in Fitwel’s industry blog (general ESG and building health emphasis).

Empire State Realty Trust Sustainability Overview (ESRT site): overview of ESRT’s sustainability efforts including portfolio carbon neutrality.

L+M Development Partners Sustainability Commitment Statement: describes low-carbon, resilient design practices, geothermal and resiliency strategies.

Silverstein Properties ESG & Sustainability Initiatives: energy efficiency, LEED certifications and decarbonization work across NYC portfolio.

Latest Silverstein Properties News (Development + ESG-Relevant Projects) 

Silverstein + CetraRuddy Avenir Design Includes Green Roof & Sustainable Features: design detail focusing on sustainability aspects of development. 

Clarion Partners Highlights Latest ESG & Sustainability Initiatives.

AvalonBay Corporate Responsibility & ESG Progress Summary

Empire State Realty Trust Energy Efficiency + ENERGY STAR NextGen Certification: ESRT buildings recognized among the most energy-efficient.

Tishman Speyer Earns Six 5-Star GRESB Ratings 

Agenda

Time Activity
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
Coffee, Breakfast & Networking
1:00 PM
1:45 PM
Inside the Four Walls: Upgrading Building Systems & Renovating Assets to Meet Longterm Goals

1. How owners are turning aging buildings into high performing assets to meet sustainability standards without impacting tenants or yield.
2. Strategies to align retrofits with local mandates, tenant expectations and investor reporting requirements while protecting long-term asset value.

1:45 PM
2:30 PM
Investment, Fundraising & Capital Deployment Activity that Drives Sustainable ROI

1. Utilizing incentives, tax credits and creative capital stacks to structure deals that pencil with green bonds, C-PACE and utility incentives.
2. Making the ROI case to equity & lenders-- how owners are underwriting energy upgrades, quantifying risk reduction and translating sustainability into real financial performance.

2:30 PM
2:45 PM
Coffee & Networking
2:45 PM
3:30 PM
Innovative Decarbonization Strategies & Enhancing Energy Efficiency

1. Breaking down capital expenditures, operating savings and lifecycle payback across HVAC electrification, envelope upgrades and smart building tech.
2. How to sequence retrofits, avoid stranded assets and future-proof portfolios under evolving regulations.

3:30 PM
4:15 PM
Managing Climate Risk, Waste Management: Future Proofing Your Assets & Capex Planning

1. On-site vs. off-site renewables, battery storage, community solar and PPAs — how to evaluate feasibility in constrained urban environments.
2. Building a roadmap to 2050: actionable pathways to align portfolios with long-term carbon reduction targets and regulatory benchmarks.

4:15 PM
4:30 PM
Networking

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

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