October Forum: Tomorrow’s Green Building Workforce: Fostering Diversity, Growing Talent

The field of green building and energy efficiency is fast-growing; however, women and people of color have traditionally been under-represented in leadership positions in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction.  Our October forum will focus on how we make sure that the green building and energy efficiency industry evolves to embrace the diversity necessary for a vibrant and competitive workforce.  Join our panel of distinguished speakers as they discuss their own experiences in this industry and how we may be able to improve diversity going forward.  We hope to see you there! . Date:  October 16, 2013 Time:  6:30 – 8:00pm Place:  Marriot Marquis Hotel, 1535 Broadway, Manhattan, NY 10036, Manhattan Ballroom, 8th Floor   This forum will be part of the BENYC conference, but is open to all.  If you’d like to attend not just this event, but any of the many wonderful and informative sessions planned for the BENYC conference, click here to learn more and register for BENYC.   Click here to register for the October forum!   Marvin Church has managed more than a $66M annual budget for mostly residential development as Regional Director of the agency formerly known as the New York State Division and Community Renewal, now Housing and Community Renewal in New York, Westchester, Suffolk, Nassau and Rockland Counties. In addition, he also managed the Weatherization Programs in these counties. As a real estate banker, he has managed more than $25B working for multiple real estate banking institutions including the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Bank of America, Barclay’s Bank PLC, Bank of New York and Bank of Boston. A former President of Harlem Community Development Corporation, he laid the ground work for much of the commercial development in Harlem.   Kurtis Pender currently serves as Senior Energy Analyst for Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Inc., a social service agency founded in 1965 to combat poverty and its adverse effects in Westchester and Putnam counties. Prior to this position, he led the Harlem CDC Weatherization program for more than 13 years as the Director of Weatherization. During his more than 20 years in the energy services industry, he has performed and supervised audits of more than 40,000 units and designed some 300 multifamily heating systems. He is driven by the understanding that our economy must minimize our use of carbon based fuel, a limited resource, and develop sustainable alternatives. To that end he has been an active mentor to young professionals throughout his career. Kurtis has been recognized for his service to the field by the Association for Energy Affordability, and by the US Department of Energy. . Rudy Scott started Energy Management Solutions (EMS) 6 years ago.  He attended Rockland Community College and Missouri Valley College from 1973 to 1977. He was the President of the mortgage division for a FDIC Bank and Real Estate Developer. At EMS  he over saw 12, 000 units retrofitted for NYCHA and over 6000 units for the ConEd multi family green team. He has retrofitted thousands of businesses including Associated super markets, Gristedes, McDonalds, Association for the Blind, Churches, Schools, J and R music world, Duggal printing etc, and hundreds of homes.  He started training and writing Green building energy courses 5 years ago. He is a proponent and actively involved in recruiting, training and hiring minorities into the sustainable building energy business. . Erika Symmonds is the Program Manager at Green City Force, a New York City non-profit with the mission of breaking the cycle of poverty and preparing urban young adults to succeed in their chosen careers by engaging them in service, training, academics and work experiences related to the clean energy economy. Erika was raised in Brooklyn by her mother, a social worker in the NYC public school system and an avid member of the Central Brooklyn Lions Club.  Erika spent her young years following her mom to service events, experiences that made service become a natural part of Erika’s life.   Erika served as an educator in the outdoor classroom with Outward Bound and a green-builder with Habitat for Humanity, a carpenter rebuilding homes on the post-Katrina Gulf Coast, and a volunteer with the People’s Grocery of Oakland. Environmental justice has become her passion, and she carries it forth through her work as a Program Manager with Green City Force. Erika holds a B.A. from Wellesley.