WCA Real Estate Conference - Climate + Resiliency

Luke Falk is the COO of Clean Path NY for energyRe, leading the development of renewable generation and transmission for one of the largest clean energy infrastructure projects in New York.

Prior to joining energyRe, Mr. Falk served as Senior Vice President of Related Companies, where he led the energy and sustainability practice for Related’s global development portfolio projects including a number of cogeneration plants, building-mounted and large-scale PV, and the largest energy storage system in New York City. He was responsible for improving the energy performance and resilience of new and existing developments; in this capacity he led the design of over a dozen LEED-certified buildings representing +$10B in capital investment including the tallest passive house in the world for Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island.

From 2010-2019 Mr. Falk was an adjunct member of the faculty of Columbia University’s graduate-level Sustainability Management program, a joint venture between The Earth Institute and its School of Continuing Education. He previously taught at The Cooper Union’s School of Continuing Education. Prior to joining Related, Mr. Falk was a Senior Project Manager for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) where he managed programs with a combined budget of $250M aimed at promoting the adoption of clean energy in multifamily housing.

He holds a master’s degree in urban planning from New York University and a BA in English from The Colorado College.

Stephanie Leib is a Job Captain and Project Manager at GF55 Architects. She has worked on residential, commercial, and community projects in New York since 2013. At GF55, her responsibilities are primarily focused on large scale, affordable housing. She is currently working on a 17-story mixed-use commercial and 200-unit residential project with an affordable housing component in Brooklyn. She worked on Design Development and Construction Administration for both Alvista Rise and Alvista Towers in Jamaica Queens. With over 500,000 SF and 543 housing units, Alvista Rise is one of the largest sustainable residential buildings to be completed in downtown Jamaica. This project received the 2023 Sustainable Building Award from the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design from The University of Texas and has a Master of Architecture from The Pratt Institute.

As co-leader of AKRF’s Hudson Valley and Connecticut planning practice, Ashley Ley, AICP, brings deep knowledge and experience to conducting environmental analyses, developing zoning strategy, and leading complex projects through the entitlements process. Ashley’s land use planning and zoning experience includes the preparation of special area plans; comprehensive plans; zoning text, map, and code amendments; visual impact assessments; urban design standards; and sign regulations. She currently serves as a planning consultant for several municipalities in the Hudson Valley region. Her expertise also encompasses the preparation of environmental reviews under the New York State Environmental Review Act (SEQRA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for private land use development, CDBG-Disaster Recovery, and large transportation projects. Ashley holds a Master of Urban Planning from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, a B.A. in History and B.F.A in Graphic Design from the University of Michigan, and a Certificate in Landscape Design from the New York Botanical Gardens. Ashley serves as Co-Chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative for the Westchester/Fairfield Chapter of the Urban Land Institute, she is a member of the Westchester County Association New Leaders Roundtable, and is currently serving on the 31^st Board of Representatives for the City of Stamford representing the 20^th District.

Julia is Turner Construction Company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, responsible for setting and implementing sustainability policies, standards and strategies across Turner’s national and international operations. Turner’s program addresses topics relevant to the building industry including low carbon materials, energy transition, construction emissions, climate adaptation, waste, circularity, green building rating systems, water protection, biodiversity and more. Julia has over 18 years of construction industry experience and holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Cornell University. She is a Board Member for the Institute for Market Transformation.

Turner Construction Company is the largest domestic building company in the U.S. and a leader in diverse market segments, including Green Building. Named ENR’s #1 Green Builder for fourteen years running, Turner employs over 1,000 sustainability-credentialed staff and works on over 500 green building projects each year. In 2023, the company announced its Build Today, Transform Tomorrow ESG strategy, outlining the ways in which Turner seeks to sustain the planet, protect and actively care for people, and purposely transform the industry.

Elsa Mullin (she/her) is a Sustainability Director at Skanska USA in Boston, MA. Elsa has ten years of experience in sustainability consulting within the built environment specializing in reducing both operational and embodied carbon on projects. Much of Elsa’s work includes working with Higher Education institutions on decarbonizing efforts. She has a BA in Environmental Studies from University of San Francisco, as well as a MSc in Environmental Design and Engineering from University College London, Bartlett School. Elsa is the vice chair of the AGC Massachusetts Sustainability Committee.