Two ‘firsts’ for Sasaki and LEO A DALY

Holly St. Clair views technology as a tool for innovation. As the Chief Digital Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, she developed the Digital Service and Data Office and repositioned the state’s website. Now, she is leading a team of 16 architects, programmers, and product developers as Sasaki’s first Chief Technology Officer, responsible for that Boston-based firm’s advancements in technology through the design process.

She brings to her new job 13 years’ experience working for Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council, first with its MetroData Center and then as Director of Data Services. St. Clair was recognized recently by American Business Journals as one of the country’s “100 Influencers to Watch.”

St. Clair tells BD+C that there is a “mentality shift” at Sasaki that prioritizes computational design as well as Virtual and Augmented Reality tools that “add value” to projects.

Ellen Mitchell-Kozack is LEO A DALY's Chief Sustainability Officer, a new position for that firm. Image: LEO A DALY.

LEO A DALY has chosen as its first Chief Sustainability Officer Ellen Mitchell-Kozack, AIA, LEED BD+C, WELL AP, SEED, where she is also a Vice President. Mitchell-Kovack will be based in Dallas.

Previously, Mitchell-Kozack was Senior VP and Director of Sustainability for HKS, where she founded Citizen HKS, an initiative that levered sustainable design to address humanitarian needs. She also managed the certifications of more than 60 LEED projects worldwide.

In 2015, BD+C recognized Mitchell-Kozack as one of its 40 under 40 leaders. Three years later, Boutique Design named her as one of its “Heroes and Mavericks.”

“As designers of the built environment, we have a responsibility to address the environmental and social impacts of our work. LEO A DALY is committed to deepening our commitment to the world’s most pressing environmental and social issues. I’m excited to be involved in leveraging the firm’s integrated design expertise to affect positive change,” she said in a prepared statement.