Join SMPS-NY and industry leaders for the second installment of a three-part series examining how ESG will continue to shape the AEC industry. Learn how ESG's "Social" pillar directly impacts the industry and community through a discussion on the following:

• Effective ways to align your firm values with clients and community 
• Resources to support ESG goals
• Techniques to develop and expand firm supplier diversity apparatus 
• Strategies for meaningful marketing and human resources collaboration 
• Storytelling techniques to relay firm social responsibility 

Moderator:

Laurie Rothenberg, Assistant General Counsel, Real Estate, Pfizer Inc. 

Laurie S. Rothenberg is focused on shaping workforce and workplace resilience through integrating ESG practices, creating operational flexibility, and facilitating employee-centric real estate strategies. Laurie is currently Assistant General Counsel, Real Estate at Pfizer Inc., where she leads the legal team responsible for the company’s global real estate portfolio. Most recently, she guided the legal strategy and negotiations surrounding Pfizer’s headquarters transformation, culminating in a collaborative, sustainably designed headquarters in Hudson Yards. A LEED AP O+M, Laurie is Strategic Planning Director for CoreNet NYC Chapter’s Sustainability Committee and an Advisor to the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) Investing for Health Advisory. She has a broad understanding of corporate and commercial matters, having previously served as Senior Counsel at Cambrex Corporation and Associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Laurie has a B.S., Natural Resources from Cornell University and a J.D. from Penn Law.

Panelists:

Shalonda Baldwin, Senior Vice President, National Advisory Enterprise Management & Strategy, WSP USA

Shalonda Baldwin brings over 20 years of experience guiding strategy, delivering pragmatic business and operational solutions, and promoting inclusive infrastructure and mobility in municipal governments, public transportation, and the infrastructure industry. She is an accomplished leader that specializes in building toward a vision and bringing people and ideas together to innovate and deliver tangible outcomes for municipal governments, public and private sector industries, and diverse communities. 

Shalonda served on the Biden Infrastructure Policy Committee where she actively drafted long-term policy recommendations to address national issues related to transportation, infrastructure, climate resilience, and human infrastructure that strengthens communities, the economy, and advances in racial equity.  

Prior to joining WSP, Ms. Baldwin was an Executive Officer with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority where she provided leadership for the delivery of nationally recognized programs in support of inclusive infrastructure, equity, and mobility such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Racial Equity Action Plan Framework and the Workforce Initiative Now - Los Angeles (WIN-LA).

Marissa Davis, Founder & Principal, Tallawah Consulting

Marissa Davis is Founder & Principal of Tallawah Consulting, a social impact consultancy that helps mission-driven brands maximize their impact by using equity, innovation, and inclusion to drive their core strategy forward.

Marissa has spent over 14 years spearheading and advancing initiatives to improve organizations’ commitments to social impact and inclusion, with a particular focus on underrepresented communities. She has done so with organizations including Etsy, UNHCR, Debevoise & Plimpton, WeWork and Rise San Diego. She also founded non-profit, NOLArize!, to aid in community rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. She currently serves as Co-Chair of B Local NYC, an Advisor for Hedley May, and teaches social innovation at City College’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

She is the recipient of various awards, including Harvard’s Public Service Fellowship, The Aydelotte Foundation's Frank 5 Fellowship, and the Cultural Bridge Fellowship from Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program. She holds a BA with honors from Swarthmore College and a Master’s in Public Policy.

Melissa Johnson, President, Melissa Johnson Associates 

Melissa Johnson, Assoc. DBIA, is the founder and president of Melissa Johnson Associates. She is an experienced stakeholder engagement and community outreach practitioner working on design and construction projects throughout the northeast. Her team at MJA helps government agencies and their consultants work effectively with stakeholders, communities and the public. Melissa guides the firm’s consulting engagements by developing innovative engagement strategies and implementing new approaches to engage audiences. Melissa’s work has been published in PE Quarterly and Young PE Quarterly. She was selected as one of Engineering News-Record New York’s Top Young Professionals in 2020, and as Professional Women in Construction’s 20 Outstanding Women Under 40 in 2022. She is a member of Professional Women in Construction, Women’s Transportation Seminar, Design-Build Institute of America, and numerous other organizations.

Pay Wu, President & Co-Founder, MWBE Unite, Inc. 

Pay Wu is a transformational executive who excels at the crossroads of strategy and execution in the workplace and real estate arena. She led real estate organizations for 10+ years as an executive leader for Deloitte, American Express and TD Bank.  She brings innovative and out of box thinking and execution honed through 15+ years in professional services at Deloitte and Arthur Andersen.  Her broad experiences across strategy, operational improvement, M&A and technology for real estate continue to drive value for the industry in her current focus on diversity.

In 2022, Pay Wu co-founded MWBE Unite, Inc., a 100% MWBE firm solely focused on increasing supplier diversity and workforce diversity in commercial real estate, partnering with the entire eco-system. Prior to founding MWBE Unite, Pay led the outsourcing business for Cushman & Wakefield in the East Region, spanning strategy, project development services, facilities management and transaction management. During her tenure, she grew the business by 14% year on year and led approximately 3000 frontline workers in managing through COVID. In 2020, Pay was named a Woman of Influence by Globe Street for her leadership.

Pay is a frequent speaker and moderator for various industry organizations such as CoreNet Global, Realcomm and has published articles for many publications. She is also a Board Member with the non-profit, Partnership with Children in NYC.