Leadership

2023 Board of Directors

Kelly Adighije

Board Member

Vice President
Baumann Consulting

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After graduating in 2004 with a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Sheffield, England, Kelly embarked on a career in the building industry. He spent his formative engineering years at the global consultancy Ove Arup for the first 5 years where he was exposed to cutting edge design including impact assessment on energy use and sustainability. Kelly then pursued his LEED AP credentials in 2009 and over the past 10 years has been focused on having an environmental or sustainability impact on the energy use our designs, operation and life in general have on the environment.

Kelly's goal in his work is ensuring that we are all doing our part to address climate change and to secure the future of generations to come. He feels a position as a member of the Illinois Green Alliance Board is the logical step in this pursuit.

Kevin Augustyn

Board Member

Senior Vice President
DBRS Morningstar

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Kevin Augustyn is a Senior Vice President in the North American CMBS, Global Structured Finance group at DBRS Morningstar. DBRS Morningstar is a credit rating agency and investment research firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. In his role at DBRS Morningstar, Kevin covers several esoteric finance instruments and leads Morningstar's effort to provide credit ratings for CPACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) loans on a national basis. He also serves on the firm's ESG methodology subcommittee.

Lindsay Buckwell

Governance Chair

Senior Program Manager
Evergreen Consulting Group

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Lindsay manages various energy efficiency programs across the Midwest and New England, spanning from controlled environmental agriculture, to food service, and small business.

Prior to joining Evergreen, Lindsay worked as a consultant to McDonald’s Corporation where she managed energy efficiency programs across their 15,000 restaurant U.S. portfolio. In addition, she worked with their sustainability team to draft a water conservation plan for the corporation. She is most proud of working on the first net zero quick service restaurant in the U.S. that McDonald’s opened in Orlando, Florida. Before her work with McDonald’s, Lindsay held various roles in new construction, multifamily retrofit, and single-family income eligible energy efficiency programs.

On the Board, Lindsay provides a utility-focused perspective to implementing the strategic plan and incentivizing net zero initiatives in the Chicagoland area.

Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn.

Jon Cheffings

Communications Chair

EVP Strategy
SCC&M

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Royce Cunningham

Board Member

Owner
Architectural Services Group

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Royce is an entrepreneur and lifelong Bronzeville resident with a deep commitment to environmental justice and climate action. He is currently the owner of Architectural Services Group, Inc., a Chicago-based alliance of construction industry professionals who are working to link, leverage, and lead renewable energy, natural resource conservation, and sustainability benefits to Chicagoland urban communities.

Juanita Garcia

Board Member

Senior Project Manager
Pepper Construction

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Juanita Garcia is a Senior Project Manager at Pepper Construction Company. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience in the construction industry, Juanita joined Pepper's High Performance and Sustainable Construction team based on a shared commitment to improve people's quality of life through the built world. Among the first advocates to earn the LEED AP credential with the BD+C specialization, she joined Pepper to advance Carbon Drawdown strategies in the built environment. Juanita draws on her study of psychology, human rights, and massage therapy, which allows her to incorporate a well-rounded health and wellness perspective into the built environment.

A member since 2009, Juanita is excited advance the Illinois Green Alliance 2050 mission and promote Carbon Drawdown strategies. She has been committed to sharing the urgency to incorporate carbon drawdown strategies with broader audiences. Whether drawing lessons learned from the three little pigs with a group of students or using comedy to make technical information about refrigerants or energy efficiency more accessible, Juanita believes in bringing together people to actively work toward a healthier built environment.

Connect with Juanita on LinkedIn.

Annalise Dum

Vice Chair

Vice President, Sustainability
JLL

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To date, Annalise has over 100 projects under her belt and has managed ESG advisory and certification efforts for 16 million+ square feet of space. 17 of her projects have received certifications including LEED, WELL Health-Safety Rating, Fitwel, ENERGY STAR, and WELL (including Portfolio). Having worn many professional hats in the corporate and nonprofit spheres, including commercial interior designer, facilities manager, and sustainability manager, she is a green building subject matter expert.

Annalise's fresh perspective, dedication, and impact are evident through her involvement on Illinois Green's Auxiliary Board the past several years.

Connect with Annalise on LinkedIn.

Deana Haynes

Board Member

Director, Commercial Real Estate
ChargePoint

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Deana Haynes, MBA, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C, is a real estate executive with nearly 20 years of multidisciplinary experience in the industry. As Director of Commercial Real Estate at ChargePoint, she's expanding ChargePoint’s leadership in the Commercial Real Estate segment through the development of new technology solutions and business models that allow real estate organizations of all kinds to capitalize on the growing need for EV charging at their properties. An experienced sustainability leader, she has also developed and implemented corporate sustainability strategies and green building transformation initiatives for a number of organizations. Her professional career includes tenure at leading organizations including JLL, Lendlease and Ernst & Young. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and earned a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Deana’s career has been underpinned by a foundation of, and passion for, sustainability and community engagement for the greater good. On the Illinois Green Alliance Board of Directors, she leverages both her professional and non-profit experience to effect positive change and impact in the city and state that she calls home as well as the industry where she has spent her career. With over 10 years in nonprofit leadership roles for organizations focused on education, homelessness and affordable housing, Deana understands the day-to-day and long-term challenges nonprofits face and looks forward to supporting Illinois Green in achieving its mission, 2050 vision and strategic plan toward net zero.

Connect with Deana on LinkedIn.

Isaac Elnecave

Board Member

Policy Specialist
Phius

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Isaac Elnecave joined Phius in 2019 where he wears two hats. He provides design review and energy modeling services to evaluate project qualifications for PHIUS+ Certification. Isaac works closely with the submitting CPHC to provide feedback on questions pertaining to energy modeling and building plans. He also works as the Policy Specialist promoting building policies aimed at requirements that will result in deep energy efficient buildings. Prior to joining PHIUS, Isaac worked as a policy manager focused on promoting the development, adoption and implementation of the latest building energy codes and appliance efficiency standards. Isaac also worked as a civil engineer in Southern California where he designed seismic retrofits for older buildings susceptible to damage from earthquakes.

Isaac has a Bachelors Degree in Engineering Mechanics from the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Michelle McClendon

Secretary

Senior Project Executive
Gilbane Building Co.

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Michelle McClendon is a Project Executive at Gilbane Building Company. With more than 17 years in the construction industry she has encompassed a diverse portfolio of projects including corporate headquarters, high-end and multi-family residential, schools, public use facilities and much more. She is a champion for sustainability, and healthy-high performing construction having worked on and successfully achieved certification under the LEED for Schools, LEED ID +C, LEED BD +C and WELL sustainability rating systems. As a Project Executive for Gilbane's K-12 and public sector market her commitment to promoting sustainability has increased as she is a primary stakeholder in providing direction to owners, colleagues and subcontractors in the planning and execution of healthy, and high-performing projects that directly impact the communities we live and work in.

Prior to her role at Gilbane, Michelle was a Senior Project Manager at Leopardo Companies, Inc. and served as co-chairman of Leopardo Construction's Sustainability Committee for nearly 10 years in which she helped steer corporate policy and practices around sustainability.

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn.

Keara Fanning

Ex-Officio Chair

Vice President, Sustainability
Link Logistics

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Keara Fanning is the Vice President of Sustainability at Link Logistics Real Estate which is the largest operator of industrial real estate operating solely in U.S with over 400 million square feet under ownership. Keara oversees Link's ESG program including investor and annual reporting, sustainable development programs, health and wellness and social impact. Additionally, she works to help achieve their ambitious environmental sustainability goals including carbon neutral operations by 2025 by delivering efficiency programs throughout the portfolio. Prior to joining Link, Keara helped develop the ESG strategy for a large investor's multifamily and retail portfolios. Keara has over ten years of sustainability consulting experience for a diverse portfolio of projects including LEED and WELL certifications, sustainability strategy, energy retrofits, net-zero carbon development, corporate sustainability reporting, and life-cycle assessments. She is focused on reducing building energy use and the impact of construction on the environment and leverages her Biology background to make spaces healthier for occupants. Keara is a LEED AP, WELL AP and Fitwel Ambassador.

John Mlade

Board Chair

Director, Sustainable Environments
Wight & Co.

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John has been practicing in a dedicated sustainability role within design, engineering, consulting, and construction firms for the better part of two decades, developing a command of both the science and art of sustainable design and construction.

John looks forward to serving as the 2023 Chair of the Board of Directors for the Illinois Green Alliance as we make great strides to decarbonize Chicago and the State of Illinois! With our 2020 strategic plan, we have a robust strategy in place to accelerate and solidify Illinois Green’s place in the market, leading lasting change in new ways, and creating the positive impact that we want to see in the world.

John's professional focus has been on health in the built environment, including air quality, materials health and transparency, active design, and biophilia.

John is a LEED Fellow, serves as a Faculty Member for the WELL Building Standard, and is a Living Building Challenge Auditor on behalf of the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).

Connect with John on LinkedIn.

Sean Moran

Board Member

Senior Project Manager
Clayco

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Sean Moran is a Senior Project Manager at Clayco, a design-build General Contractor in Chicago, IL. With over 15 years of experience integrating design, engineering, and construction in the pursuit of sustainable buildings; Sean has been a student, practioner, and teacher of green building throughout his career. Sean has been a LEED AP, BD+C since 2010, received PHIUS Builder Certification in 2012, and has been a dedicated advocate to advancing the industry to align with the needs of the climate. Sean founded and owned Newgrange Design-Build in 2008, where he and his team were part of the LEED Platinum Green Exchange Building in Logan Square, and focused on the delivery of high-performing residential and commercial construction.

As an early supporter of the USGBC and member of the Illinois Chapter, Sean has found strong alignment with the Illinois Green’s mission and his passion to improve the built environment.

Connect with Sean on LinkedIn.

Elena Savona

Treasurer

Director, Federal Partnerships
Elevate

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Elena Savona is the Director of Federal Partnerships at Elevate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating equitable solutions to climate change that provide healthy, safe, and affordable homes for everyone. Elena is an expert in energy and sustainability, and is passionate about equitable climate action that brings the benefits of clean energy to all. Over her 20 years of experience in the energy and sustainability industry, Elena has led projects that range from city energy planning and utility energy efficiency program management to individual energy audits and infrastructure assessments. Elena has been a member of Illinois Green Alliance since 2008 and has collaborated with the organization in different capacities, including as the chair of the Programs Committee and now serving on the Board of Directors.

Prachi Sharma

Board Member

Field & Outreach Manager
Slipstream

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Prachi Sharma is a Field and Outreach Manager at Slipstream. Her responsibilities include managing a Midwest Utility Energy Efficiency Program for the Commercial, Industrial, and Public Sector New Construction Portfolios. The program provides energy modeling and financial incentives on energy conservation measures.

Prachi is an architect by education and has worked with nonprofit organizations in the field of conservation that gives her a unique perspective on both old and new practices of sustainability that leave a green footprint on the environment. After 3 years at a residential developer, Prachi pursued a Master’s degree in Sustainable Management from DePaul University. Prachi also has a LEED Green Associate certification and is deeply passionate and committed to the field of sustainability.

She interned at Illinois Green Alliance in 2018 and has been volunteering for the past five years.

Connect with Prachi on LinkedIn.



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