Danna is a mechanical engineer with over 14 years of experience providing consulting services for sustainable and energy efficient buildings. She is a valuable resource for clients, assisting them with implementation and execution of strategies to achieve sustainable and healthy building design and operations. As a Sustainability Studio Director, Danna focuses on streamlining integration with internal disciplines and furthering Newcomb & Boyd’s culture of conservation and sustainability. Danna is enthusiastic about utilizing real-world data and a forward-thinking mindset to bring a holistic view to client projects. She is proficient in the requirements for multiple third-party building rating systems and ASHRAE Standards. Danna had the distinct honor of being selected as one of Engineered Systems Magazine’s Top 20 to Watch: Women in HVAC in 2020 and one of 50 Notable Women in Engineering by Georgia Magazine in 2022.

Ed Akins II, a Georgia Tech Master of Architecture graduate, joined cove.tool in 2022 to amplify his support of healthier relationships between the built environment and the natural world. His commitment to a more sustainable future has resulted in multiple awards and honors throughout his career. Ed was a lead partner for the Atlanta Sustainable Building Ordinance (2009), the inaugural recipient of AIA Atlanta’s John A. Busby Medal (2010) and moderator for Atlanta’s AIA+ARCH2030 Sessions (2011). As a tenured associate professor of Architecture at KSU, he was recognized as a Sustainability Fellow and awarded the “R.C. Paul Excellence in Sustainability Award” (2018) and continued promoting environmental sustainability in the educational and operational practices of the KSU community as interim department chair (2020-2022). With over two decades of experience, Ed continues to collaborate with local communities, architectural firms, and academia to promote environmentally sensitive design practices while leading strategy and education within cove.tool. 

Cox Enterprises | Senior Director, Strategy & Investments | LinkedIn

Bolden is responsible for the development and implementation of innovative strategies for Cox’s supplier diversity and supplier sustainability programs. She serves as the point of contact for interaction with all stakeholders to advance these initiatives. She oversees projects that deliver cost reduction and enhance relationships with key suppliers. She is also responsible for establishing metrics for outreach, sourcing, contract awards, diverse spend, total spend, sustainability and other performance criteria.

She joined Cox in 2000 and has held roles in product development, corporate strategy, corporate development and governance. She previously worked in business planning and strategy at CenturyLink.

Bolden received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in economics from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Colorado. She serves on the board of directors for Startup Atlanta and Startup Chicks and is a member of the 2015 class of the Institute For Georgia Environmental Leadership.

Founder & CEO | 2KB Energy Services | LinkedIn

George has been working in the energy efficiency field for over 20 years and has been directly involved with over $200M of energy and environmental solutions projects in the built environment. As the Founder and CEO of 2KB Energy Services, an energy management and sustainability consulting firm, he has had direct responsibility for coordinating and supporting diverse teams to ensure project results at all levels. He is active in the energy services community, serving as the private sector co-chair for the Energy Services Coalition-Georgia Chapter. George holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Florida A&M University and an MBA from Georgia State University.

Corporate Development North America Manager | Worldreader | LinkedIn

Director of Analytics, Modeling, and Innovation | Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta | LinkedIn

Neil joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta in April 2011 as an Economic Research Analyst in the Research Department. His research projects were primarily focused on mortgage lending and understanding what went wrong leading up to the financial crisis, but he also kept pace with developments in labor markets. After doing that for three years, Neil moved to S&R to fill a growing need for quantitative specialists in the Federal Reserve’s Stress-Testing program. Prior to joining the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Neil completed his master’s degree in Applied Economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His focus was on econometrics and analytical techniques used in banking for risk management purposes.

David tries high-stakes corporate espionage, noncompete, fiduciary duty, government whistleblowing, and discrimination cases from coast to coast.  

Reeti is a Architecture Design Technology leader with over 23 years of experience of delivering high-quality and timely results with transparency, humility, and inclusion. She enjoys delivering projects through implementation of current and emerging technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Immersive Technologies (VR & AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Twins and Real-Time Technologies to continuously improve Project Design and Project Delivery processes for clients. She is deeply interested in bringing her strengths for the benefit of the community where she keenly watches and educates others in the areas of intersection of Smart Cities, ESG & Energy Optimization strategies in the built world. Reeti has been a keynote speaker at Midwest-U 2018 and presented at multiple conferences on Use of Data and Design Technologies in projects.

Senior Vice President | Haverty Furniture Companies | LinkedIn

Shareholder | Baker Donelson | LinkedIn

Dylan Howard is a lawyer and a Shareholder with the law-firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.  A graduate of Yale University and the University of Georgia School of Law, Dylan has practiced in the field of real estate and financial services litigation for the past 19 years. He has won awards for his pro bono work; and is a member of his firms’ diversity, equity and inclusion committee as well as its BakerCares public service committee.  Dylan has a beautiful wife and 3 talented children, all of whom are excellent soccer players notwithstanding the fact that Dylan coached most of their teams.

Senior Director of Merchandising Finance | The Home Depot | LinkedIn

Caroline Mahoney is a finance executive with more than 15 years of experience across investment banking and corporate finance.  She is known for her growth mindset, champion of DEI and creating a high-performance team culture.  Caroline currently serves as the Senior Director of Merchandising Finance at The Home Depot, a Fortune 50 company, overseeing sales, gross margin, and inventory across the full portfolio of categories in US stores and online.  Prior to this role at The Home Depot, Caroline rose rapidly from Manager to Director, leading various departments and expanding influence across different types of businesses including Home Depot’s newest concept, the Design Center. Caroline started her career in investment banking, supporting the structuring and execution of leveraged transactions across various industries.  

Caroline is an active member of her community and values giving back to organizations that have given her so much.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity Housing Corporation as well as an advisor to the local chapter at Georgia Tech.  In her personal time, Caroline loves cheering on Georgia Tech football, discovering new restaurants in Atlanta and travel.  Caroline holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  

Owner and Managing Principal | Marlow Strategic Consulting | LinkedIn

Laura is a successful senior level executive with a proven track record in business development, marketing, strategic partnerships and sustainability. Focused on innovation and digital transformation, she has held leadership positions in multiple industries. She has worked in the construction/design industry for nearly 15 years, focused on creating strategic partnerships that benefit the profession, as well as the planet.

She consults with commercial and non-profit entities to help them expand their marketing, brand and business development opportunities. Additionally, she is the Founder of AEC Cares, a non-profit that coordinates renovation projects in low-income communities throughout the United States. She is active with Hands on Atlanta and the Tanzanian Children’s Fund.

Associate Principal, Living Design Advisor | Perkins + Will | LinkedIn

Paula assures that sustainable ideas are an integral part of Perkins + Will’s projects and practices. She coordinates sustainability efforts across the international firm’s offices, teaches sustainable design workshops and speaks frequently on sustainable construction, business practices and visioning. Paula is a Fellow of The American Institute of Architects, is the 2016 Chair of the AIA National Committee on the Environment (COTE) and immediate past co-chair of the AIA National Materials Knowledge Group. She is also a LEED Fellow and USGBC LEED Faculty member.

Elizabeth Moore is well-known in conservation and philanthropic circles as a tireless champion of protecting the planet, environmental education, and engaging communities in solutions to resource challenges. She has been a leading philanthropist in this sector, providing $2M to Mote Marine Laboratory to conduct research on coral reefs in the Florida Keys, $1M to create a Marine Science Center at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, and partnering with the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast to protect Triangle Ranch, a 1,100-acre property near Myakka River State Park now permanently protected from development.

Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer | CompostNow | LinkedIn

David Paull is co-founder and Chief Impact Officer at CompostNow. CompostNow is a subscription-based compost collection service focused on diverting food waste from landfills and building healthy soil, founded in 2011 and operates in four states. CompostNow employs over 100 full-time employees and has diverted 56 million pounds of food waste from landfills and created 19 million pounds of finished compost for local farms and gardens. David has been highly involved in food systems work and social entrepreneurship in Atlanta for the past decade. He currently serves as a commissioner on the East Point Local Food System Ecosystem Commission, has served as a mentor through Emory Universities Start:Me Accelerator and has served as a Fellow Mentor for the Byron Fellowship. He is a graduate of SCAD Atlanta where he learned to apply design thinking to solving challenging societal issues. David is passionate about regenerating soil health as a means of impacting planetary and human health.

Principal | Red Rock Global Capital Partners | LinkedIn

Mr. Rachal is President of Urban Key Capital Partners which is a mission-driven, specialty finance advisory services platform with expertise in providing a range of financial services to highly-impactful real estate development projects in distressed communities and development authorities.  Mr. Rachal is also a Principal of Red Rock Global and President of Red Rock Global Capital Partners where he has specific responsibility for directing all financial advisory services and private placement activity.  Prior to forming Urban Key Capital Partners and re-joining Red Rock Global, Mr. Rachal was Managing Director of Redevelopment at Invest Atlanta.  He had specific responsibility for managing, marketing and overseeing the City of Atlanta’s tax allocation district program and served as director for commercial, retail and mixed-use projects applying for tax increment finance funding.  Mr. Rachal also created and had the responsibility of directing Invest Atlanta’s controlling entity interest as President of Atlanta Emerging Markets, Inc., a New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program Certified Community Development Entity (CDE) and multi-round allocatee ($353 million).  Due to this specialized track record, Mr. Rachal recently launched Urban Key CDE to compete for NMTC allocation from the Department of Treasury Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

Mr. Rachal joined Invest Atlanta from Red Rock Global, which is an Atlanta-based real estate advisory services and commercial brokerage company he co-founded in 2001.  Prior to that, Mr. Rachal served with the Private Equity Group of Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York where he had the responsibility of advising financial sponsors in the private placement of over $7 billion of limited partnership interests to institutional investors.  He also served within the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York where he provided advisory assistance to Fortune 500 companies and financial sponsors in over $5 billion of both acquisitions and divestitures.

Mr. Rachal is a graduate of Dartmouth College with degrees in Economics and Government, as well as the University of Chicago Law School and Booth School of Business, where he received his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees, respectively.  Mr. Rachal currently serves as Vice Chair of the advisory board of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta District Council, past Chair of the Public-Private Partnership Council of ULI, Global Governing Trustee of ULI and was a participant in the Atlanta District Council’s Inaugural Center for Regional Leadership Development.  Mr. Rachal proudly serves on the boards of directors of The Frazer Center, Southface Institute, CaringWorks, Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehabilitation Center, Health 1st Foundation and Ebenezer Baptist Church.  He has also chaired the boards of directors of the Development Authority of DeKalb County (Decide DeKalb), the DeKalb Private Hospital Authority and the Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Authority.  In addition, Mr. Rachal is a graduate of the 2012 Class of Leadership Atlanta, the 2013 Class of Leadership Georgia and the 2013 Atlanta Regional Commission Leadership Institute.

CEO | Urban Eco Group | LinkedIn

David Radlmann is a key player in the Atlanta real estate industry, with more than 25 years of experience in real estate development and general contracting with projects totaling over $400 million dollars, including $300 million in sustainable construction and design. For the last 11 years, he has served as the CEO at Urban Eco Group, and his responsibilities include managing real estate development, design and construction of urban-based projects. Many of the projects have received certifications in Earthcraft, Energy Star, LEED, Building America and Net Zero Ready. Some of his notable recent work includes development management of The Leon, a mixed-use project next to Ponce City Market in Atlanta, including retail and 75 condos. He is also doing development management and general contracting for a 308-acre mixed-use community, Eastmore, in Conyers, Georgia, delivering 756 single-family homes, 81 townhomes, 358 multi-family units, 570,000 square feet of retail, offices and medical offices, and 84 acres of open area and trails. He has also worked on Grant Park Place, Glenwood Park and Lindbergh Plaza among others. Dave’s recognitions include receiving 2018 and 2015 Awards of Excellence from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, the 2015 National Housing Innovation Award from the U.S. Department of Energy and the 2014 EarthCraft House of the Year from Southface Institute. David currently serves on the Greater Atlanta Home Builder Association’s Board of Directors, is a photographer and plays in the Atlanta band Rockit 88.

Kelly O’Day Weisinger (she/her) began work in the sustainability field in 2009 after earning a Master of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law and Graduate School. She spent 10 years as a sustainability officer in higher education, healthcare, and the research enterprise at Emory University and Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia, USA at which time she joined the board of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL).  Kelly transitioned to the global NGO Environmental Defense Fund in 2022 as the Director of Corporate Sustainability and now serves as Director of Global Methane for EDF. Kelly is an ally and advocate for historically marginalized persons and communities, and practices the dismantling of the status quo and the formation of new and radical ways of existing in built environments, wilderness, and spaces in between. While globally focused at EDF, Kelly continues to apply expertise in many areas of sustainability in the southeast through her consulting practice, Trident Maple, LLC. 

Principal | Healthy Design Collaborative  | LinkedIn

Liz York, FAIA is a thought-leader and connector for the fields of public health and real estate design and management. A registered architect, she leads a consulting practice focused on helping firms and project teams grow their healthy design skills to build better buildings. She has over 20 years of experience working with public health professionals to implement healthy, resilient, equitable work environments and she was a developer of the FITWEL healthy design certification system as a part of her work as the Chief Sustainability Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Liz holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Architecture, both from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  Liz has received two White House awards for Sustainability, been named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Sustainability Who’s Who and has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects as a Fellow for her work on equitable, sustainable design.