Presenters:
Belinda Morrow with 2M Consulting Inc.
Ellis Kirby with Fulton County
Kenneth Darisaw with Fulton County
Learning Objectives:
1. The presentation audience will be able to identify and paraphrase the six priority areas of Fulton County (and most other ) sustainability plans.
2. The presentation audience will be able to recognize the correlation between the tasks and measurement criteria of our strategy and connect these ideas with measurable components within their own facility operations.
3. Using our strategy as a base, any organization without a sustainability plan will be able to modify and develop their own strategy or plan.
Description of Presentation:
This presentation provides an overview of Fulton County’s sustainability strategy. It reviews why the organization needs a plan, the approach taken when designing the plan, and the proposed timeline.
Speaker Biographies:
Belinda A. Morrow is president of 2M Design Consultants, Inc. 2M is Atlanta’s first African-American female-owned sustainability corporation. Incorporated in 2000, we are Sustainable Design Specialists + Program Managers serving as the Owner’s Representative:
- In 2000, 2M became one of U.S. Department of Energy’s Rebuild America partners and in
early 2001 Belinda became one of the nation’s first 100 LEED Accredited Professionals. - In late 2002 Belinda became the owner’s representative overseeing site acquisition, design, construction LEED documentation and occupancy for Fulton County Government’s East Atlanta Library project (becoming Georgia’s 1st LEED Silver Public Library).
- S. Department of Defense (among several LEED projects is DoD’s 1stLEED Gold Residence Hall at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga. in 2010).
- Fulton County Government’s32 LEED registered library projects. In Phase I – each achieved LEED Silver or Gold Certification, and for Phase II all are on track to achieve either LEED Silver or Gold Certification (2011 – 2019).
- June 2019 FC’s Board of Commissioners adopted 2M’s Sustainability Plan + Resilience (SP+R) as their living document for implementing/measuring their sustainability initiatives.
- In September 2019 the Fulton County Government was awarded a GEFA solar grant for which 2M prepared content, then oversaw installation of the county’s first solar array on their Cleveland Avenue Library Project that is up for LEED Gold.
- In 2M’s focus on Social Equity and Economic Inclusion for low wealth communities we are this region’s GPRO Delivery Partner for Urban Green Council and have trained hundreds of GPRO attendees including a June 2019 class for IMAN’s Atlanta Green ReEntry Cohort.
EDUCATION PREPARATION
- BS, Industrial Design & Technology, Texas A&M – Cum Laude
- BS, Interior Design, Texas A&M – Cum Laude
- Architecture El Centro College – Cum Laude
- (during college held several internships with design firms)
Ellis Kirby
Deputy COO Infrastructure
Fulton County
As Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Infrastructure, Ellis Kirby is responsible for managing Public Works, Real Estate & Asset Management, and Information Technology, along with roviding strategic alignment with Registration & Elections.
Prior to his appointment to this position in September 2018, Kirby served as the Director of the Department of Real Estate & Asset Management, with responsibility for managing over 5 million square feet of buildings, 200 plus buildings and an operational budget of over $30 million dollars along with a capital plan of over $200 million dollars. He previously served as Regional Vice President for Sodexo’s Campus Division and brings more than 20 years of experience in infrastructure and facilities.
Ellis is a member of numerous trade groups and associations and holds a variety of industry certifications including LEEDS Accredited Professional (LEED AP), Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP), Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Cogeneration Professional (CCP) along with other related certifications. Ellis has been active in community activities that include Rotary, Jaycees, Sertoma and Toastmasters.
Kirby graduated with a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1991. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of West Georgia and a Masters of Building Construction from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Kenneth Darisaw
Kenneth Darisaw started his current role in October 2018 and is primarily responsible for advancing sustainable initiatives along with energy measurement, reporting and real-time strategy.
Some of his initiatives include:
- Spearheading the creation of sustainability and energy management strategies
- Implementing building utility tracking management systems and processes to increase reporting accuracy
- Facilitated the coordination and development of the county’s first sustainability plan
- Initiating procurement and installation of solar arrays including Cleveland Avenue Library – a county first
- Proposed and passed single-use plastic mitigation policies and led resulting departmental coordination
- Coordinating the area’s first resilience hub implementation through grant funding and non-profit partnerships
Prior to joining Fulton County, Kenneth gained relevant experience through numerous management and engineering positions rooted in energy management, energy project development, utility expense management, and consulting.
Kenneth was awarded the 2019 Individual Leadership MVP award by board members of the Central Atlanta Progress organization and the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, having attended both Kennesaw State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.