Innovations for a Changing Climate: Weathering the future
Panel 1: Built for the Weather
As extreme weather events increase in frequency and severity—from record-breaking heatwaves to debilitating flooding—the built environment faces unprecedented challenges. Since buildings both contribute to climate change and are vulnerable to its impacts, decarbonization strategies must integrate resilience while also accommodating increasing energy demands from building electrification and smart technologies, including AI. How do we balance the competing demands of efficiency and innovation while meeting our goal of reducing operational carbon emissions?
Mark Chambers, RA (Moderator)
Former White House Senior Director for Buildings and Community Resilience
Mark is an environmental policy leader, social impact designer, and licensed architect inspired by public service and the role of culture in climate action. A recognized public speaker on climate change, resilient design, and environmental justice, Mark has also led teams or served on the board of directors for several philanthropic and impact investment organizations such as Living Future Institute, Elemental Impact, Earth Alliance, and Second Nature. Previously, Mark was Senior Director for Building Emissions and Community Resilience at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Prior to that, he was Chief Sustainability Officer for both Washington, D.C. and then New York City where he led climate policy implementation in the Nation’s capital and America’s largest city.
Susanne DesRoches (Panelist)
Senior Vice President of Clean and Resilient Buildings, NYSERDA
Susanne is NYSERDA’s Senior Vice President of Clean and Resilient Buildings, leading the Authority’s work on building modernization to expand New York residents’ access to healthier, more comfortable homes and workplaces. Susanne leads NYSERDA’s programs and initiatives to retrofit buildings at scale, provide support for new clean technology innovation, develop and implement energy codes and product standards, and accelerate approaches that move beyond single-building solutions to effective deployment at the community level. Prior to joining NYSERDA, she served as Regulatory Director for Energy Policy at the New York City Mayor’s Office. She is highly regarded in the clean energy and resilience space, bringing expertise and rich experience in areas including climate policy, energy regulation, city and state partnerships, and building decarbonization. Susanne is on the faculty of Columbia University’s Earth Institute and School of Professional Studies.
Rob Fruedenberg (Panelist)
Vice President, Energy & Environment, RPA
As Vice President for Energy & the Environment, Rob leads initiatives around climate mitigation and adaptation, open space conservation and park development, and water resource management. Previously, as New Jersey director, he managed the state program with a focus on sustainability planning and policy and led projects including developing an arts and revitalization plan for Paterson and a neighborhood revitalization plan for East Camden; and facilitating land use and urban design recommendations for the 13-county Together North Jersey effort. Prior to joining RPA, Rob served as a coastal management fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where he focused on policies for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Rob holds a master’s degree in public administration in environmental science and policy from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Manny Patole (Panelist)
Industry Assistant Professor, NYC Tandon’s Center for Urban Science + Progress & MAS Board Member
Tarek Rakha, Ph.D. (Panelist)
Co-Founder & CEO, Lamarr.AI
Tarek is the Co-founder and CEO of Lamarr.AI, a climate-tech company revolutionizing building diagnostics with AI, drones, and infrared imaging. Drawing on over a decade of academic leadership, he is also an Associate Professor on extended leave from Georgia Tech, where he directed the High Performance Building Lab. Tarek earned his doctorate in Building Technology from MIT and has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications. His research focuses on building envelope diagnostics, urban energy sensing, and climate resilience, and was funded by over $7M from entities such as the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and industry partners like Coca-Cola. Recognized with the IBPSA-USA Emerging Contributor Award and named a Regent’s Innovator by the University System of Georgia, he is advancing scalable, automated solutions to improve building performance worldwide.