2024 Planet Positive Awards > People > Rising Star > Winner

As a sustainability director in Gensler’s Climate Action and Sustainability Studio, Kelly advises clients like Google, Daniels, and JPMorgan Chase. But “beyond her project work, Melissa has made a significant impact on the industry,” says David Briefel, a principal and global resilience leader at Gensler. “She has spearheaded the development of our analytics services across the firm, mentoring dozens of professionals along the way, including a dedicated group of women focused on analytics.” Kelly has also been closely tied with the creation of the Gensler Product Sustainability standards—sustainability performance criteria for the top 12 commonly used, high-impact products selected for Gensler’s architecture and interiors projects. In particular, Kelly was instrumental in setting the standards aimed at reducing embodied carbon impacts, creating a methodology for benchmarking embodied carbon that carefully considers market availability, reduction opportunities, and the reliability of the underlying data.

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