GBA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
As GBA's Communications Coordinator, Ariel assists with communication, marketing and content creation tasks. She graduated from Dickinson College with degrees in Environmental Studies and Psychology. Ariel brings a variety of skills and interests to her role, including web design, video production, and writing. She strives to incorporate her knowledge of behavioral science into her work with sustainability and environmental justice.
Job Titles:
- 2030 Districts Senior Director
As the 2030 Districts Senior Director, Ashley DiGregorio oversees the 2030 Districts program and convenes its wide network of Property Partners, District Affiliates, sponsors, funders, and stakeholders. By providing technical assistance and resources to the 2030 District community, she works with building owners, facility managers, sustainability personnel, and developers across Western Pennsylvania to reduce their building's carbon emissions, energy usage, water usage, and improve indoor air quality. Ashley's skills in grant writing, partnership management, and program implementation greatly enhance the impact of the 2030 District.
In her previous role as an Associate Zero Waste Consultant at Nothing Left to Waste, Ashley collaborated with local government and institutional partners to achieve sustainability goals through various zero waste projects. She also served as the Recycling Markets and Grants Manager at the Pennsylvania Resources Council from 2019 to 2023, where she developed a glass recycling program with drop off sites throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Beyond her professional achievements, Ashley is actively involved in various local boards and committees, including the Watersheds of South Pittsburgh, Greenfield Community Association Business Development Committee, and the Allegheny Land Trust.
Carolyn is an architect, planner and urban designer with great expertise in creating memorable, contextually relevant, and sustainable places. As a Principal at Gensler's Pittsburgh location, Carolyn is responsible for leading major transportation and commercial office work in the Pittsburgh region, including the Pittsburgh International Airport Terminal Modernization and the FNB Financial Center projects. In addition, Carolyn is leading planning and entitlement efforts for an 18.8-acre redevelopment of a former coal-fired power plant in Alexandria, VA. Her international project work includes regional and master planning projects in the Middle East, South America, and Canada.
Trained in both social science and design, Carolyn has a unique background from which she approaches her work. She graduated with a professional degree in Architecture from The Catholic University of America and holds a MSc in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Carolyn frequently speaks and writes on issues impacting the built environment, particularly around public space activation. She currently runs the Research Incubator for Gensler's DC office, which supports teams researching resilient development, community engagement, equitable design processes, and other similar topics. Carolyn is a past president of AIA|DC, serving on the Board for five years and leading the Chapter's Advocacy Committee. She is also a past Vice President of Professional Development at the AIA New York Chapter.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer, VP of Programs
In her role as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Programs, Chris Cieslak brings the perfect combination of experience, leadership, and knowledge working with cross-sector stakeholders to integrate positive environmental, health, and economic outcomes in projects of all types and scales. Chris has devoted her career to sustainable development by serving as an owner's representative and project manager and providing engineering expertise to cultural, entertainment, and educational institutions.
Significant projects Chris has managed have included professional sports venues for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers, educational institutions including AW Beattie Career Center and Pittsburgh Public Schools, and cultural institutions such as the Carnegie Science Center and Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.
Chris spent 24 years in the Army Reserve and retired with a record of distinguished service. She earned a Bronze Star over the course of two combat tours while serving as the Chief of Strategic Basing in Afghanistan.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Relations and Special Projects for Allegheny County
Darla Cravotta is the Director of Community Relations and Special Projects for Allegheny County. She has been serving Pittsburgh, PA's county and County Executive since 2006 engaging in policy and programs with water and sewer issues, parks and trails, and public art. Darla previously served as Manager of Community Outreach at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Community Planner of National Parks Service, and Neighborhood Policy for the City of Pittsburgh, Office of the Mayor. Darla joined GBA's board in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Director of Education & Events
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Social Impact
In her role as Senior Director of Social Impact, Dionna provides sustainable development, and corporate social responsibility education, technical assistance, resources and support to communities, schools, and companies throughout GBA's network.
Dionna's experience makes her uniquely qualified to develop and implement projects, programs, and meaningful engagement opportunities across and between GBA's networks with schools, communities, and the corporate sector. She understands the growing work and aspirations within the corporate social responsibility field, including within product manufacturers pursuing embodied carbon, transparency, human health impacts, and ESG efforts. She has worked directly with communities and schools to implement projects like installing solar flowers or low-flow water fixtures to have a positive "handprint" or net positive impact.
Prior to joining GBA, Dionna spent 10 years at Mohawk Industries, most recently on the sustainability team where she supported global efforts to integrate sustainability into key business planning, operations, and strategy. Her work included development and management of Mohawk Industries' external carpet recycling program, water and energy conservation project management for Historically Black Colleges and University collaborations, and successful development and expansion of a Community Market employee engagement series supporting local farmers and businesses.
Dionna thinks holistically about sustainability and its impact on human health, wellbeing, and the built environment. She is accomplished at building and sustaining strategic partnerships and networks to establish procedures and programs that implement positive change.
Dionna attended Savannah State University and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Strayer University. She is a member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and has served on several non-profit boards.
Don Morrison is a serial entrepreneur and visionary leader who has consistently leveraged technology to improve the customer experience and top and bottom-line results in the consumer product space. Don has been involved in the growth and development of several businesses, including taking American Eagle Outfitters from one to 165 stores as President and CEO, Sundance Catalog Company as Executive Director, and Bear Creek Corporation as Senior VP of Sales and Marketing.
Since 2012, Don has served as Chairman of Deal Flow for BlueTree Allied Angels, a Pittsburgh-based angel investment organization. He also serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Pittsburgh's Innovation Institute.
Don is actively involved in mentoring and coaching startup and early-stage companies in the region. In addition to serving as a board member for Green Building Alliance, Don was the previous Chairman of The Linden Pointe Development Corporation, which operates The eCenter @ Linden Pointe incubator and The Entrepreneurship Academy program for area high school students.
Don holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He has always been interested in sustainability and enjoys being a part of GBA, because it is an organization that affects positive change.
Don is in the currently writing two books - one about the experience of growing American Eagle while creating the AEO brand and the other about his father's WWI experiences as a hump pilot. Don has been married for over 50 years to his high school sweetheart.
Job Titles:
- William Kepler Whiteford Professor
Dr. Melissa Bilec is the William Kepler Whiteford Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Co-director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. In October 2022, she was named to an annual appointment as the Special Assistant to the Provost for Sustainability. Dr. Bilec has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and secured over $12 million in funding.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Chairman
- Chairman / Associate AIA, LEED AP, NOMA
Erica is an assistant professor and UDream program director at Carnegie Mellon University, as well as an architectural designer. She serves as an instructor for multiple graduate and undergraduate courses, recently developed a course focused on energy-efficient and healthy retrofits, and is an instrumental coordinator for CMU's UDream program, which provides recent graduates with a deeper understanding of urban design through research projects and internships. Her architectural experience includes over 50 educational, media and broadcast, residential, community, and transportation facilities. She has served as a studio critic at multiple universities and is an active member of several community service and nonprofit organizations.
Erica has received numerous honors for her research and architectural design project participation, including awards from the American Institute of Architects, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Faculty and Graduate Student Awards, and Best Proposal in a Department of Energy (DOE) Competition presented at the White House Conference Room. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech, a Master of Science in Sustainable Design from CMU, and a PhD in Building Performance & Diagnostics. Her doctoral research investigated the impact of school building and neighborhood physical and environmental characteristics on student and teacher health and performance. Erica is also a contributing researcher for a sustainable engineering textbook and served as one of the principal investigators for the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation (CBEI), established by the Department of Energy as an Energy-Regional Innovation Cluster.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Life Cycle Sustainability
In his role as Vice President for Life Cycle Sustainability, Greg Norris draws on more than 25 years of experience trailblazing sustainability methods, helping individuals develop their capabilities, and helping organizations thrive while delivering positive sustainability impacts. With GBA, he leads programs that help manufacturers learn and perform life cycle assessments (LCAs) to quantify and reduce their footprints. Norris invented the concept of "Handprints," positive sustainability impacts outside the scope of the footprint, and at GBA he is bringing this approach to communities and to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) so that companies and communities can pursue local and planetary goals in tandem.
At MIT, Norris directs SHINE (the Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise). He has also taught Life Cycle Assessment for the past 25 years at Harvard. Norris co-founded and is Director of Science at Earthster.org, a web-based platform democratizing LCA. He is a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, which seeks to build a scientific understanding of the mind to reduce suffering and promote well-being. In 2012 Time Magazine named his work on Handprints as one of "10 ideas that are changing your life."
He served as Chief Scientist with the International Living Future Institute, where he helped design, launch and advance the Living Product Challenge. In 1996 he founded Sylvatica which applied and advanced LCA methods and tools through 2010. He founded the non-profit New Earth in 2003 to promote collaboration between industry and civil society on community-driven sustainable development. Norris served as a member of the Royal Government of Bhutan's International Expert Working Group, comprised of 60 experts from around the world commissioned to draft a new global development paradigm during 2013-2014 to promote human flourishing as a global goal through pragmatic international public policies.
Gretchen Givens Generett, PhD, is Dean and Professor in the School of Education and the Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Community Outreach at Duquesne University. She is also President of American Educational Studies Association. Her work intermingles educational foundations, African American studies, and feminist studies with more progressive concepts of justice that examine agency, empowerment, and action. Noted as a teacher, qualitative researcher, consultant, and community leader, her work suggests that individual and collective storytelling is instrumental in our efforts to dismantle systemic inequities. Dr. Gretchen Givens Generett is published in both academic and teaching journals. Her most recent work includes the co-authored books, The American dream for students of color: Barriers to educational success (with Amy M. Olson, Ph.D.) and Taking Up Equity Leadership: A Guide for Building Equity-Focused Schools and Systems (with Sharon, I. Radd, Ed.D., Mark A. Gooden, Ph.D., and George Theoharis, Ph.D.). Dr. Generett holds a bachelor's degree in English from Spelman College and a doctorate in Social Foundations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.
Jeffrey McDaniel is an executive-in-residence at Innovation Works (IW), one of the country's most active investors in seed-stage technology companies. Jeff leads IW's early-stage and follow-on investments in energy and advanced manufacturing, serving on the boards of several clean energy and advanced materials companies. He also mentors companies in IW's accelerator programs, AlphaLab and AlphaLab Gear.
Prior to Innovation Works, Jeff was in charge of business development, sustainability, and strategy for the emerging technology R&D portfolio at Westinghouse Electric Company. He also previously held various roles at the Ex One Company, a global manufacturing technology company. There, he led the successful commercialization of Imagen, LLC, a 3D printing manufacturer of dental implant and bio-medical devices. He has also worked as an associate in the corporate division of global law firm Reed Smith, LLP.
Jeff served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Jenna Cramer brings extensive experience in green building, sustainable development, and climate solutions including an almost 15-year tenure at Green Building Alliance (GBA) where she currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer. Jenna leads GBA's strategic vision to positively transform the world through the built environment to create a healthy, just, and sustainable future for everyone. She guides the organization's impactful and award-winning programs throughout the region and creates transformative partnerships across the country and world that have a meaningful impact on climate, health, equity, and economic vitality. She works collaboratively across diverse sectors and communities and prioritizes people, human health, climate, compassion, and justice in all endeavors.
A Pittsburgh native, Jenna received her bachelor's degree in environmental studies and public policy analysis at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Living Future accredited professional. She has been named a Living Future Hero by the International Living Future Institute, recognized as one of Pittsburgh's 40 Under 40 and Pittsburgh Business Times' 20 People to Know in Energy, and honored as a person who made significant impact on UNECE's Sustainable Energy Division at its 30-year anniversary. A mother, educator, creator, dreamer, and collaborator, Jenna's life passion is helping people and places thrive.
Job Titles:
- President of Rothschild Doyno Collaborative
Ken Doyno is President of Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, an architecture and urban design firm focused on creating meaningful design solutions using collaborative processes with clients and communities. Ken provides leadership in how architecture, community planning, and property development simultaneously increase the economic, social, and physical value of the built and natural environment. Ken advances projects and innovation by aligning interests and challenging people to connect to formulate shared visions that better serve both clients and communities by making the world a better place for all.
In addition to thirty-three years of professional practice, Ken has advanced regional change through participation in civic, academic, and cultural activities. Ken recently initiated and now co-chairs the AIA PA Housing and Community Development sub-committee of the Government Affair Committee. Ken worked extensively with Dr. Mindy Fullilove in developing the book Urban Alchemy: Restoring Joy in America's Sorted-Out Cities. Ken served as an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University for multiple years in the fifth-year architecture "Urban Lab" studio and the first-year architecture studio.
Ken is proud to be joining the board of the Green Building Alliance. He also regularly leads Community Vision programs for Leadership Pittsburgh, is presently working to provide meaningful leadership to the Forbes Avenue Frick Park replacement bridge, and also serves on the Board for the Saturday Light Brigade, recognized internationally for using radio and audio to amplify and share ideas and stories. Prior community work includes chairing the Design Center of Pittsburgh, as an advisory board member for Chatham University's Landscape Architecture program, and as an advisory board member of the Remaking Cities Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and on a water and sewer infrastructure task force for the Allegheny Conference.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Education & Communications
In her role as Vice President of Education & Communications, Leslie is responsible for the development of all of GBA's education and training events. She conceptualizes different learning models, while tracking the most relevant innovations in sustainable buildings. She also supports GBA's program-specific events, including its special events. Leslie oversees GBA's Inspire Speakers Series and co-facilitates the Pittsburgh Living Future Collaborative and Women+ in Green network.
Leslie spent three years as GBA's Communications Director, where she was responsible for sharing the organization's stories for national and regional audiences. Her background includes work as a Community Support Manager for an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity and Director of Volunteer Services for Lutheran Service Society. Leslie gained a variety of skills through her previous positions in the nonprofit field, including marketing, event planning and coordination, community outreach and education, volunteer coordination, project management, and development. Leslie is a member of the Master Builders' Association's Green Builders Committee. She served for six years on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh and was co-chair of its Sustainable Construction Committee.
Leslie holds a Masters of Science in Sustainable Systems from Slippery Rock University and a Bachelors of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Winthrop University.
Majestic Lane is the Chief Equity Officer for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. In his role, Majestic focuses on reducing racial and geographic economic disparities across the 10-county region in collaboration with the public, private and civic sectors. Prior to his current role, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Equity Officer for Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto and led the Peduto administration's focus on opportunity for all residents of the City of Pittsburgh concerning education, workforce development, safe and healthy communities, as well as the administration's engagement with national organizations regarding equity and inclusion strategies.
Majestic attended the University of Pittsburgh and lives in North Point Breeze, PA. He joined GBA's board in 2021. Fun fact about Majestic: He was a radio show host as a teenager.
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategy & Analysis
Job Titles:
- Sustainability Consultant
Job Titles:
- 2030 District Performance and Outreach Coordinator