Women+ in Green Breakfast : Scaling Resilience through Generational Mentorship
Join USGBC California during SF Climate Week for the 2026 Women in Green Breakfast—an annual convening where connection becomes strategy and mentorship becomes infrastructure for climate leadership.
This year’s theme, “Scaling Resilience through Generational Mentorship”, explores how women in the built environment have navigated barriers, built influence, and are now intentionally designing pathways for those who follow. From pioneering without maps to scaffolding intergenerational leadership systems, this breakfast examines how resilience is not only personal—but structural.
Featuring:
“From First Ascent to a Lasting Framework” - a keynote fireside chat with Dr. Arlene Blum, where she will reflect on leadership forged without precedent, and how that experience now informs durable frameworks for collective progress.
“Scaffolding the Future: Intergenerational Leadership by Design” - a dynamic panel discussion, featuring leaders across career stages, who will examine what established leaders are learning from the next generation—and how those insights are transforming their approach
Your Ticket Includes:
Breakfast & Strategic Networking with Bay Area female founders, sustainability executives, climate advocates, and emerging professionals over coffee and curated conversation
Keynote & Panel Program with thought leadership centered on generational mentorship as a lever for industry transformation—not just individual advancement.
Mentorship Matchmaking including intentional connection opportunities designed to spark long-term mentorship, sponsorship, and peer support relationships.
Professional Headshots to elevate your professional presence with a complimentary, high-quality headshot.
Access to a Broader Community where you can continue to strengthen relationships that extend into collaboration, board service, career growth, and sector leadership.
Whether you are charting your first ascent or building the framework others will climb, this breakfast offers space for visibility, cross-generational dialogue, and actionable leadership development.
Capacity is limited. Secure your seat and help design the next chapter of resilience in the built environment.
Keynote Fireside Chat Speaker
Arlene Blum PhD, environmental health scientist, author, and mountaineer is founder and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute and a Research Associate in Cell and Molecular Biology at UC Berkeley. The Institute’s scientific research and policy work with government and business has contributed to preventing the use of flame retardants, PFAS, and other classes of harmful chemicals world-wide contributing to healthier products, people, and planet.
Arlene Blum led the first American—and all-women’s—ascent of Annapurna I, one of the world’s most dangerous and difficult mountains, co-led the first women’s team to climb Denali; completed the Great Himalayan Traverse across the mountain regions of Bhutan, Nepal, and India; and hiked the length of the European Alps with her baby daughter on her back. She founded the annual Berkeley Himalayan Fair and is the author of Annapurna: A Woman’s Place and Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life.
Blum’s awards include her 2024 inclusion in the Forbes Sustainability Leaders list of 50 global changemakers, 2022 Honorary Doctorate from the University of San Francisco, Induction into the California Hall of Fame, 2017 UC Berkeley International House Alumna of the Year, 2015 award for lifetime achievement of a Reed College graduate, National Women’s History Project selection as one of 100 “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet,” and the Gold Medal from the Society of Women Geographers. Arlene Blum received her BS in Chemistry from Reed College and her PhD in Biophysical Chemistry from UC Berkeley. More at www.arleneblum.
Fireside Chat Moderator
Robin Bass
Sustainability Executive, Strategic Advisor, and Former Global Lead, Google REWS
Robin Bass is a visionary sustainability leader with nearly two decades of experience driving deep-domain impact across Carbon, Nature, and Health. For over 13 years, Robin spearheaded strategy and execution for Google’s Real Estate and Workplace Services (REWS), establishing first-of-their-kind sustainability programs that scaled industry impact and transformed global supply chains.
A pioneer in the Healthy Building Materials movement, Robin architected Google’s global indoor environmental health standards, systematically eliminating millions of tons of hazardous chemicals from the company’s global portfolio. Currently, Robin advises the Safer Chemistry Impact Fund’s 2026 cross-sector campaigns and serves as the private sector liaison for CA Forward’s landmark 2026 Resilience Policy Proposal.
Panelists
Amanda Nicole Bridges
Amanda Nicole Bridges, AIA, LEED AP is an Associate, Senior Architect, and Project Manager at Brereton Architects in San Francisco. Her current work focuses on commercial workplaces for technology companies, cultural spaces, and art galleries, with an emphasis on thoughtful, high-performance environments.
Prior to joining Brereton, Amanda worked on a range of large-scale urban projects, commercial buildings, and custom residential work across the United States with internationally recognized firms including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, KieranTimberlake, and Woods Dangaran.
Amanda taught architectural design for four years as a studio instructor and adjunct lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. She has also participated in numerous speaking engagements and mentorship initiatives supporting young women and high school students interested in design, architecture, and STEM fields, and contributes to youth career-pathway development through programs with the San Francisco Unified School District.
She previously served as a Board Member of the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco and has been active with professional organizations including the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and the NAACP’s CESBS committee for Centering Equity in the Sustainable Building Sector. She has spoken at the Net Zero Conference, BuildingGreen, Mentoring Women in Architecture, and other professional and academic forums.
Amanda earned her B.A. from Harvard University and her M.Arch from Yale University’s School of Architecture, where she received the Yen and Dolly Liang Academic Award.
Lynn Simon
Lynn N. Simon, FAIA, LEED Fellow, is a Climate & Sustainability Advisor, Consultant, and Coach, currently serving as CEO at Regenerative Consulting + Coaching. With over thirty years of experience in sustainability projects, she specializes in strategic implementation, stakeholder engagement, and professional coaching.
Ms. Simon has spoken at major global forums on sustainability, leadership, and change management. She chaired the AIA California Climate Action Committee and spent two decades in leadership with USGBC committees, including serving on the Board and co-chairing Greenbuild San Francisco in 2012. Her recognitions include the USGBC Pacific Region SHERO Leadership Award, gb&d Magazine Women in Sustainability Leadership Award, and the USGBC President’s Leadership Award.
Recently, she was Principal and Climate & Sustainability Leader at Arup, directing initiatives for Science and Technology Business and teaching in Arup’s global sustainability leadership program. Previous roles include Head of Sustainability at Google and Senior VP at Thornton Tomasetti, following their acquisition of her consulting firm.
Ms. Simon holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington and a BA in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley. She is a licensed California architect and certified Integral Coach.
Hema Vaishnavi Panguluri
Hema is a sustainability professional whose work is at the intersection of engineering, sustainability, and climate resilience. With a background in Civil and Sustainable Building Engineering, she brings a technical foundation to her role as a Sustainability Analyst, where she focuses on decarbonizing the buildings we live and work in every day. Hema is driven by a core belief that the most powerful solutions are also the most elegant: that minimalism, innovation, and sustainable development don't compete, they reinforce each other. Her work centers on advancing building decarbonization through evidence-based analysis, sustainable rating systems, and a deep commitment to designing pathways that are both scalable and lasting. As an emerging voice in the sustainability field, Hema brings a next-generation perspective to climate leadership, shaped by urgency, grounded in engineering, and energized by the mentors and communities that helped her find her footing in the built environment.
Angela Wang
Angela Wang is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, currently pursuing a B.A. in Landscape Architecture and B.S. in Civil Engineering. Via her studies and work, she is eager to center socio-ecological processes in urban design, activate under-utilized spaces in the public realm, and explore diverse modes of mobility. In 2024, Angela drafted an organics waste composting bill for the state of Illinois, which has evolved through the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions with the support of over 50 statewide organizations and municipalities. Most recently, Angela co-authored USGBC-CA ’s newly released policy guidance for Building Performance Standards (BPS) implementation in collaboration with the California BPS Peer Learning Collaborative. Angela currently serves on the City of Berkeley’s Planning Commission, bringing student voices to matters of housing, planning, and development in local government.
Moderator
Meg Bruce
Meg Bruce is the Chief Commercial Officer for Ekoa and brings over 20 years of leadership driving sustainable product growth in the architecture, design, and construction industry. With a background in product design and a Mechanical Engineering degree from Stanford, she has led top sales teams at 3form, Humanscale, and Framery across North and South America, consistently delivering record-breaking results. At Ekoa, Meg leverages her deep industry knowledge and client-focused approach to accelerate market adoption of innovative, eco-friendly materials, fueling the company’s growth in the biocomposites space.
Emcee
Kriss Kokofer
Kriss is a visionary leader in the commercial furniture industry with over 28 years of experience driving growth through the lens of sustainability and innovation.
Currently serving as the National Director of Sales at Pair, she leverages her expertise in manufacturing, upholstery, and custom ancillary furniture to expand their national footprint. She is deeply committed to helping clients realize tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of the modern workplace.
Throughout her career—including over a decade as President and owner of Kay Chesterfield, Inc.—she has been a staunch advocate for circularity. Her mission is to bridge the gap between high-end design and environmental responsibility, transforming "dump-and-replace" culture into a sustainable, circular economy.
Beyond her role at Pair, she is a Climatebase Fellow and the founder of TwentyEightyReuse, a platform dedicated to contract furniture circularity. She is also honored to be a recipient of the IIDA Distinguished Achievement Award for my contributions to the design profession. Kriss is the chair of USGBC-CA's Bay Area Women+ in Green Committee.
Special Guest
Steph Hallinan
Steph discovered her passion for sustainability and problem-solving while earning her degree in architecture. She pivoted to the corporate world which led to an unexpected yet rewarding career in supply chain management and consulting. She spent 8 years consulting with Owens Corning HQ and onward to Lowe’s HQ. Steph led the Distribution Center crossdock initiative for Lowe’s leading to $200M in realized cost savings. Throughout her supply chain career, her commitment to sustainability remained a core focus. In 2023, she transitioned to a dedicated non-profit role with the U.S. Green Building Council, where she now serves as the Associate Director for California, spearheading regional market transformation and development.
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