Katie Ackerly

As Principal and Sustainable Design Director at David Baker Architects (DBA)—a collaborative architecture and urban design firm based in San Francisco and Birmingham, Alabama—Ackerly has deepened the firm’s integration of sustainability into its practice. By rooting goals in community insight and aligning with client values, she unites social impact with environmental performance. 

Ackerly launched DBA’s participation in the AIA 2030 Commitment, overseeing reporting and action planning with a focus on transparency and accountability. She also established an internal sustainability cohort of subject-matter leaders who track firmwide progress in areas such as healthy materials, equipment selection, ecological health, resilience, building reuse, and meaningful community engagement.  

Under her leadership, DBA has participated in the Living Future Affordable Housing Pilot, the California Energy Commission–funded Zero Energy Housing Pilot and EPIC Challenge, and the REALIZE-CA retrofit initiative. Outside DBA, she contributes technical insight and advocacy to industry networks including the AIA, Living Future, PHIUS, Build It Green, and Green Commons.