Maria Papiez, AIA, NCARB | EwingCole | 2024-25 Materials Pledge Working Group co-chair
Maria’s professional portfolio includes science & technology, healthcare, university, and corporate workplace project design. She is currently serving as Co-Chair of the national AIA Materials Pledge Working Group, is an active participant in the AIA Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) and the Sustainable Design Leaders (SDL) network, and previously taught design studios as an adjunct Professor of Practice in the School of Architecture at NC State University. She is the 2020 recipient of the Gail Lindsey Award from AIA Triangle for her contributions to the culture of sustainable design within the Triangle.
"I am most excited about broadening our conversation and potential impact with a larger working group this year. We have a very talented cohort to dive into bigger questions and opportunities as we start our second year of reporting!"
Jay Hindmarsh, AIA, LEED WELL AP, LFA, CSI CDT CCS | The Miller Hull Partnership | 2025-26 Materials pledge Working Group co-chair
Jay is a skillful technical architect, specifier and sustainable design leader with more than 22 years of high-performance project experience. He specializes in directing the delivery of nationally award-winning building designs in the Pacific Northwest through thoughtful documentation, material and system specifications, and successful construction administration.
Jay ensures that project design and technical rigor are realized for all delivery methods and construction budgets. Passionate about the environmental impact of our profession, Jay mentors other staff and champions the selection of better materials. Jay is an active member of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) and currently serves on the Board of Directors. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Building Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and is a LEED-Accredited Professional. He is a registered architect in Washington.
Tanya Eagle, Assoc. AIA, AICP | JLL | 2023-2024 Materials Pledge Working Group co-chair
Tanya Eagle, Assoc. AIA’s career is motivated by the positive impact the built environment can have on community well-being, human happiness, and environmental prosperity. She applies her broad expertise with integrated design, green building certification systems, material health, and urban and environmental planning to enhance the value of project outcomes. In her role as Director, Sustainable Buildings Team Lead at JLL, Tanya leads a team of subject matter experts in providing market standard application, master planning, embodied carbon, sustainable building guidelines, and volume program services to scale impact across real estate. Tanya is actively involved in industry leadership groups and passionate about sharing practical steps toward a sustainable future.
"I’m excited to increase alignment and integration of MP resources with broader industry efforts, and to collect a second year of MP reporting data to start tracking progress over time!"
Kristi Ennis, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP Homes | Boulder Associates
Kristi Ennis is a Principal and the Director of Sustainable Design at Boulder Associates. She has been with BA for over 25 years and is driven by a desire to make a difference in people’s lives. A founding member of the USGBC Colorado Chapter, she also taught sustainable materials for Colorado State University’s Institute for the Built Environment Green Building Certificate Program, has LEED certified nearly 2 million square feet of healthcare-related space, 5 offices and 48 homes, and is an active member of the mindful Materials AEC Catalyst Forum.
"I am looking forward to the opportunity to help simplify the identification and implementation of holistically responsible architectural material choices, and the data collection and metrics that will move our industry forward in unison."
Simona Fischer, AIA, CPHC | MSR Design
Simona is a registered architect, associate, and director of sustainable practice with MSR Design in Minneapolis. She develops processes to integrate sustainable design seamlessly into the workflow of architectural practice, specializing in the intersection of energy performance, the carbon and health of materials, and high-performance envelope assemblies for cold climates. She teaches a net zero design studio at the University of Minnesota, and currently serves on the national AIA Materials Pledge working group and the Circularity and Low-Carbon Specs committees of the Minnesota Carbon Leadership Forum. Simona was a recipient of the National AIA 2023 Young Architects Award.
"I'm most excited about honing the data we collect to align with the impact we are trying to achieve."
Surya Prabhakaran | KieranTimberlake
Surya strives to incorporate a generous understanding of the place, climate, and human health to visualize an ideal environmental design. Her competence in building science is aided by conducting Life-cycle Assessment, Energy simulation, and Daylight and Envelope hygrothermal analysis to incorporate high-performance and bio-climactic design strategies in architecture. She researches and implements current technologies, workflows, methods, and tools concerning environmental parameters such as energy, thermal comfort, daylight, carbon, and materials in building design.
"I'm excited to help unite the industry through shared values around material health, creating insights and guidance that firms can actually use. This collaborative journey will help us all learn and grow in our understanding of human, social, climate, ecosystem, and circular health impacts."
Jenna Ritz, AIA, WELL Faculty, WELL AP | TenBerke Architects
Jenna Ritz is an Associate at TenBerke Architects, with work experience in residential, hospitality, commercial, and institutional projects. She has successfully led multiple high-end residential projects as Project Manager, ranging from NYC apartments to single-family homes in upstate NY and the Hamptons. Throughout the design and construction process, she is attentive to how the design impacts both the health of the occupants and the health of the natural environment. She believes that the human-environment relationship is symbiotic, and that built interventions can both enhance human health while simultaneously minimizing its impact on the Earth's resources through performance-driven design. Her academic and professional pursuits emphasize this focus on the intersection of health, sustainability, and design.
"I'm excited to contribute to this important work that will have immediate and long-term impacts on the health of people and the planet. I look forward to developing research and tools for the Materials Pledge to share with designers and architects and make it easier for everyone to specify healthy materials!"
Amy Running, IIDA, LEED AP BD+C | Bora Architects
With over 20 years of experience, Amy has worked on a diverse range of projects, applying strong technical and organizational skills and a cohesive approach to her designs. She creates harmonious and sustainable spaces through a balance of color, light, environmentally responsible materials and equity. Amy is particularly well-versed in indoor air quality issues, leading our work to define a viable list of toxin-free materials. An advocate for occupant wellness, she is a founding participant in the Health Product Declaration project, dedicated to sharing knowledge about the components of products used in construction. Amy also spearheaded Bora’s certification under the JUST label, a program benchmarking a business’s commitment to transparency, social justice and equity.
"While still new, the Materials Pledge has the potential to have a large impact on our industry. As an interior designer I look forward to connections within the broader industry; finding ways to support goal setting and reporting holistically minded material selections."
Misha Semenov-Leiva, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC | Centerbrook Architects
Misha Semenov-Leiva, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC is a Senior Architect and Sustainability Coordinator at Centerbrook Architects, where he optimizes workflows, advises teams on sustainability, and leads research and education initiatives. Misha has experience with a broad range of institutional projects and leads the firm's efforts toward carbon neutral buildings and optimized materials selection.
Misha currently serves on the AIA's Materials Pledge Working Group, helping to define reporting frameworks for the profession. A LEED Accredited Professional and Certified Passive House Consultant, Misha is an active member of the Connecticut and National American Institute of Architects chapters and frequent presenter at state and national conferences on sustainable design, as well as a lecturer at Yale University and the University of Hartford. In 2022, he was honored with the Emerging Professional Award of Merit by the Connecticut AIA. Misha holds a BA in Architecture from Princeton University, an MArch from the Yale School of Architecture, and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment.
"I'm excited for our reporting period to be more "official" alongside the 2030 commitment. I think we have the potential to engage many more participants and, through our data, build a movement that will start to get manufacturers' attention!"
Melanie Silver, AIA, LEED AP BD+C | Payette
Melanie Silver, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has been a key member of Payette's Building Science Group since 2017. She works with design teams to meet rigorous sustainability targets through data-driven investigation, while understanding which elements are critical to the building’s design or program. Melanie also leads research efforts to develop and implement Payette’s Material Policy throughout the office and is co-creator of Payette’s award winning embodied carbon tool, Kaleidoscope, winner of the 2022 AIA Innovation award and 16th annual ARCHITECT R+D Awards. She represents Payette regularly at both client meetings and speaking at national conferences.
"I'm excited about digging into the data collected and creating resources to understand as an industry how we can continue to move the needle for healthy, low-impact, and equitable materials."
Liasons:
Lona Rerick, AIA, LEED AP® BD+C | ZGF - mindfulMaterials liason
Mary Dickinson, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C | Perkins&Will
Ashley Mulhall, AIA | Orcutt Winslow - AIA CCADE liason