I have been involved with NESEA for five years. I attended the NESEA conference in 2019, and every year since. Through these conferences I have been connected to a community of resources, support and inspiration. In 2022, I presented at the Boston NESEA conference, showcasing the LBC project at the Lloyd Center for the Environment that is being constructed by Vocational students from GNBVT (Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical high school). I presented the LCE Welcome Center project with the GNBVT teachers and shared their commitment to teaching high-performance building practices. As a WBE, an architect and a practice focused on sustainability I have found the NESEA conferences to relevant, aspirational and informative. Presenting at a NESEA conference reinforced my admiration for this organization and the community of colleagues willing to collaborate to solve challenging architecture and design problems.

I welcome working with NESEA to advance high-performance building practices. As a WBE, I welcome opportunities to support women getting involved with design, construction and engineering of high-performance buildings and the associated environmental stewardship. As an architect devoted to sustainability, I welcome the opportunity to expand the energy conversation around sustainability. And with three decades of construction experience, I welcome the opportunity to share “lessons learned” from the field. Lastly, our practice is committed to education. We have worked with students in high school, college and graduate school. Our practice has developed education programs for middle school and grade school students. And our Lloyd Center Welcome Center project is the first building in the world pursuing LBC certification being built by students. As a NESEA board member I would work to expand student involvement and increase opportunities for NESEA involvement with students – all grades.

NESEA is multi-faceted and remarkably relevant in this era of climate change and energy efficiency. This NESEA community of many disciplines associated with energy and sustainability is diverse and skilled. This inter-disciplinary approach to solving problems is the aspect of NESEA I have always admired - It is the foundation to being better architects and building sustainable projects. I welcome the opportunity to share my experiences to further advance this inter-disciplinary approach to advancing energy solutions. My experiences with educational programs developed at s2s and with student interns on build and design projects might help NESEA continue to advance student opportunities at conferences and with NESEA year-long programs. In addition, I have worked with HBS to develop team-build exercises to teach rapid leadership and sustainability, and I welcome the opportunity to bring these ideas to the board and the NESEA organization.