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

Dana Robbins Schneider

SVP, Director of Energy, Sustainability, Empire State Realty Trust

Jason McCalla

SVP, Operations, Silverstein Properties

Adam Brooks

Director, Sustainability, Prologis

Julie Janiski

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.

Buro Happold

Partner

Julie Janiski

Partner, Buro Happold

Kelly-Ann Corrigan

Chief Operating Officer, Runwise

Moderator

Randy Topp

SVP of Energy Services & National Operations Support, Ainsworth

Investment, Fundraising & Capital Deployment Activity that Drives Sustainable ROI

Investor Returns, Funding Sustainability Related Developments, Projects & Initiatives

Lauren Moss

Chief Sustainability Officer, Vornado Realty Trust

Karen Mahrous

SVP, Head of ESG, Clarion Partners

Daren Moss

Managing Director, Head of ESG, Ares Management

Drew Ades

Drew Ades serves as Head of Lending and Investment for CPC Climate Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), created to drive the decarbonization of the multifamily housing market. Originally capitalized with a $2.4 billion award from the EPA’s National Clean Investment Fund, CPC Climate Capital designs and delivers financial products that accelerate building electrification, energy efficiency, on-site power generation, and battery storage. Mr. Ades oversees product development, underwriting standards, and business development for this national platform that supports equitable, sustainable housing. Mr. Ades is a nationally recognized leader at the intersection of affordable housing finance and climate policy. He brings over 25 years of executive experience across capital markets, mission-driven investment, and environmental strategy. As a former executive at Fannie Mae, he was the architect of its Multifamily Green Financing business, which catalyzed over $100 billion in private investment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from multifamily properties. Prior to CPC, Mr. Ades led Triple Line Strategies, a consultancy focused on building decarbonization and climate-aligned investment. He also served as Senior Advisor to RMI’s Center for Climate-Aligned Finance and Carbon-Free Buildings Program, where he helped shape financial tools and regulatory strategies to accelerate climate solutions in the built environment. Mr. Ades was the founding President and CEO of the Housing Partnership Equity Trust (HPET), a social-purpose REIT that raised over $100 million in private capital to preserve and retrofit more than 3,000 affordable apartments nationwide. He has also held senior leadership roles in Capital One’s Multifamily Lending business, where he expanded affordable and FHA lending operations across multiple U.S. markets. Mr. Ades holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in Political Economy from Williams College. He also serves on the boards of Center Creek Capital and An Open Book Foundation.

CPC Climate Capital

SVP Head of Lending & Investments

Drew Ades

SVP Head of Lending & Investments, CPC Climate Capital

Jeremy Porter

Chief Economist, First Street

Morris DeFeo, Jr.

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.

Herrick

Partner

Moderator

Morris DeFeo, Jr.

Partner, Herrick

Innovative Decarbonization Strategies & Enhancing Energy Efficiency

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

Carrie Denning Jackson

Director of Innovation & Sustainability, Jamestown

Laura Humphrey

Senior Director of Energy & Sustainability, L+M Development Partners

Paul Rode

MD, Head of Engineering and Property Operations, Tishman Speyer

Amanda Clevinger

Director, Policy & Programs, Bright Power

Moderator

Michael Clain

Partner, Windels Marx

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

VP, Sustainability, AvalonBay Communities

Jenna Agins

Assistant Director, Energy & Sustainability, NYU Langone Health

Angela Licata-Misiak

Deputy Commissioner, NYC Environmental Protection

Amari Jones

Manager of Corporate Sustainability, Nucor

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.
• 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.

Venue

Marriott Marquis
1535 Broadway
New York, NY

Ballroom: Playwright Ballroom
Floor: 3

Get Directions

Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Coffee, Breakfast & Networking
9:00 AM 9:45 AM	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.
9:45 AM 10:30 AM	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.
10:30 AM 10:45 AM	Coffee & Networking
10:45 AM 11:30 AM	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.
11:30 AM 12:15 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.
12:15 PM 12:30 PM	Networking

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

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

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Call:	202-684-2034
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