Blueprint 2024 Official Program Guide - Flipbook - Page 94
2024 Speakers
Director Of Energy &
Sustainability,
Fairstead
Michael Gilbert is a dynamic energy and sustainability professional with
extensive knowledge of technology, policy and ûnance. Michael currently
serves in two roles at Fairstead and Fairstead Ventures. At Fairstead, a multifamily real estate owner/operator developer with hundreds of buildings across
the country, Michael serves as Director of Energy and Sustainability. Michael
identiûes opportunities for improvements in sustainability performance,
design, operation, and net operating income that can be actualized within
Fairstead9s real estate portfolio. In his role at Fairstead Ventures, which
partners with proptech innovators to deploy leading edge solutions for
affordable housing, Michael acts as Director of Cleantech, Proptech, and
Decarbonization. Here, he leverages his deep expertise of both building
systems and the Fairstead Portfolio, along with his robust network of contacts,
to identify solutions and strategic VC investment opportunities. Collaborating
with internal stakeholders, VC partners, startups, and public sector agencies,
he strives to implement innovative technologies and drive positive change
within the real estate sector. Prior to his time at Fairstead and Fairstead
Ventures, Michael worked for Consolidated Edison, the local utility servicing
the New York City metropolitan area, where he led business development
programs on energy efûciency, demand management, demand response,
distributed generation, and EVs. He worked directly with the region9s largest
commercial, industrial, and multi-family real estate companies and project
developers. In addition, Michael has previously served as the manager of
energy, environment, health, and safety for Pitney Bowes, and worked in
management consulting for several domestic and international clients. He
began his career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), working
on both hazardous waste remediation and international environmental
development. As a recognized thought leader, Michael has lectured at Cornell
and Columbia Universities graduate and business schools, and energy,
sustainability and real estate conferences in Israel, India, and across the U.S..
These opportunities have allowed him both to learn and share his subject
matter expertise and insights covering areas such as Cleantech, Proptech,
Healthtech, ûnance, ESG, and decarbonization. Michael holds a BS in
agricultural engineering, an MS in environmental engineering from Cornell
University, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He serves on the
City of White Plains Sustainability Committee, and is a licensed Professional
Engineer, Certiûed Energy Manager, and Certiûed Energy Auditor.
President,
Taurus of Texas Holdings
Douglas Gilliland is President of Taurus of Texas Holdings, LLC, and the
Managing Director of land development activities for Taurus Investment
Holdings with regional ofûces in Austin, and North Richland Hills, Texas. Since
graduating from college, Douglas has been involved in planning and
developing communities his entire career. In that time, he has entitled and
developed over 10,000 Single Family lots and Multifamily units in 31 masterplanned, mixed- use and niche developments in Texas, Colorado, Kansas, and
Missouri. His most signiûcant contribution to the housing industry is the
creation of sustainable development principles that have resulted in cutting
edge innovation in land use policy. As a co-founder and on-going consultant
of EcoSmart Solution LLC (www.ecosmartsolution.com) he has helped to
create nationally recognized standards for transmitting energy.
Michael Gilbert
Douglas
Gilliland
