AIA LA City Leaders Breakfast Reception w/ USGBC-LA

AIA LA City Leaders Breakfast Reception w/ leadership of USGBC-LA

We are delighted to announce that the AIA LA City Leaders Breakfast Series will resume as a virtual “bring-your-own-coffee & breakfast” event.  For 2021, we’re aiming for 25+ receptions to showcase the numerous membership-based organizations that provide professional leadership in the A/E/C industry.

Our seventh in this series will feature the leadership of USGBC-LA.

Christine Harada – Chair, USGBC-LA & President, i(x) investment

Holly Hill – Past Chair, USGBC-LA & Senior Sustainability Advisor, Southern California Edison

REGISTER HERE. (Free w/ advance RSVP)

We are organizing these receptions as opportunities for the architecture & design community to hear from the leadership of numerous A/E/C organizations and the specific initiatives each organization is helping to advance.

Christine Harada – Chair, USGBC-LA & President, i(x) investments

Christine Harada is President of i(x) investments, a permanently capitalized holding company that invests in the critical areas of human need (renewable energy, green real estate development, affordable housing, gender equality, technology and information, waste reduction and food and agriculture) in a multi-strategy investment approach throughout the entire capital structure.

Before returning to the private sector, Ms. Harada served as the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer for the Obama administration. In this role, she provided oversight for all sustainability-related initiatives across the federal government in energy, fleet, and acquisitions-game-changing improvements that added to our nation’s clean energy future. Her successes include developing and implementing policies to reduce the Federal government’s carbon footprint that resulted in an 18% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 23% reduction in energy use at Federal facilities and 177 billion gallons of drinkable water saved. She also was responsible for investing $4B in federal building to improve aging infrastructure and lower overall energy consumption that led to an estimated 33,700 private sector jobs and resulted in efficiency gains that will save 1.4 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Prior to her White House role, Ms. Harada was the Acting Chief of Staff and U.S. General Services Administration where she was responsible for the overall operations supporting 12,000 federal workers with an annual operating budget of $26B. While at the GSA, Ms. Harada also served as Associate Administrator, Government-wide Policy and Chief Acquisition Officer responsible for transforming a “business model” to provide more proactive, evidence-based policies, and increased transparency at the agency.
Ms. Harada’s private sector experience includes over 10 years in management consulting with the Boston Consulting Group and Booz Allen Hamilton; and building satellites while at Lockheed Martin. Ms. Harada holds an MA, International Studies and an MBA, Finance, respectively, from the Lauder Institute and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an MS Aeronautics/Astronautics and a BS Aeronautics/Astronautics, respectively, from Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Holly Hill – Past Chair, USGBC-LA & Senior Sustainability Advisor, Southern California Edison

Senior level sustainability expert with more than 15 years of experience in the environmental arena, spanning regulatory compliance, corporate initiatives, master planning, and green building. Experienced leader in sustainable design and construction, and enterprise-wide initiatives to minimize environmental impacts and carbon footprints. Recognized for leading collaborative teams, effective program management resulting in environmental betterment, spearheading organizational change and promoting strong client relations.

Areas of Expertise: Sustainability policy development and implementation, corporate ESG reporting, high-performing building rating systems, public speaking and education, leadership of diverse, multi-disciplinary project teams.

Additional Prospective topics and themes will include:

• Ensuring & Maintaining Industry Relevance as an A/E/C organization
• Economic Recovery & Environmental Resilience Initiatives (Climate Action & Infrastructure)
• Preparing the LA-region for 2028 and Beyond (Olympics & Paralympics, etc.)
• Workforce development and S.T.E.A.M pipeline; Access to Careers in A/E/C
• Opportunities to advance Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the A/E/C industry
• Procurement Best-Practices, Alternative Project Delivery & Innovative Funding Sources

REGISTER HERE. (Free w/ advance RSVP)

Prospective list of organizations for this series (partial list):

CMAA Southern California Chapter
The Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC)
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California Los Angeles County Chapter
Associate General Contractors of California, Los Angeles District
Design-Build Institute of America, Western Pacific Region
WBEC West
The National Association of Women in Construction, Los Angeles Chapter #42
Urban Land Institute, Los Angeles
International Code Council, Los Angeles Basin Chapter
California Building Officials
American Society of Landscape Architects, Southern California
Southern California Development Forum
Los Angeles Headquarters Association
Westside Urban Forum
L.A. Forum for Architecture & Design
Los Angeles Business Council
Central City Association of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
The American Planning Association, Los Angeles Section
USGBC-LA
The Building Industry Association Los Angeles / Ventura Chapter
ACE West / ACE Mentor Program of America (ACE)
Asian American Architects/Engineers Association (AAa/e)
So Cal NOMA
The Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Association of Environmental Contractors (AEC) – California
Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects (Southern California Chapter)
American Council for Construction Education (ACCE)
American Institute of Constructors (AIC)
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)
Associated Schools of Construction (ASC)
Construction Employers’ Association (CEA)
The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA)
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
Retail Contractors Association (RCA)
Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects (Southern California Chapter)