Sarah is the Director of the Campus Sustainability Office with a vision for Cornell as a carbon neutral living laboratory for sustainability innovation. Sarah has spent her career in the field of environmental compliance and sustainability in higher education. Her educational background is environmental science and policy. As part of her current role, she leads Cornell’s renewable electricity supply projects, and is active in NY state energy policy related to renewable energy generation.

Joel Halpern is the Managing Director of Investments at Halpern Real Estate Ventures. Mr. Halpern joined HREV in 2016 as a Development Manager and lead the construction, stabilization and recapitalization of The Mason MVS apartments. Mr. Halpern was a key team member in the creation of the HREV Opportunity Zone Fund and oversaw investment origination, financial planning, and transaction execution for the fund’s acquisitions. Currently, Mr. Halpern plays an integral role in the planning, management and execution of all HREV investments, as well as prospective investment opportunities. Prior to joining Halpern Real Estate Ventures, Mr. Halpern was a project manager at JMH Development, a Brooklyn based boutique developer focused on high-quality residential and hospitality projects throughout the New York Metro and South Florida markets. Mr. Halpern received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with concentrations in Finance and International Affairs from the George Washington University.

Sarah Dougherty is a Sustainability & ESG Associate at HXE Partners. Sarah brings expertise in advising clients on strategies to reduce their risks to climate change and develop more sustainably. Prior to HXE, Sarah helped develop and scale a national incentives-based rating system for resilient, sustainable, and equitable waterfront design (WEDG®). In this role, she worked with public and private sector real estate clients to assess their risks to sea level rise, storm surge, and other climate change impacts, and implement future-focused coastal resilience strategies. Sarah has also worked on climate change and urban planning issues internationally, both with the Sustainable Cities Team at the World Resources Institute in Washington DC, and as an independent consultant for an Indonesian NGO, Kota Kita. Sarah holds a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kenyon College. Sarah is WELL AP and a Steering Committee member of the Association for a Better New York.