Sukanya Paciorek is a Managing Director on the Carbon-Free Buildings team where she leads the team’s market transformation work. With nearly 20 years in the energy, sustainability, and real estate industries, Sukanya brings both private and public sector experience to her current role.
Background
While she began the early part of her career working for the State Department at the US Mission to the United Nations, she moved into energy and sustainability industries after completing her master’s degree. She spent seven years at Vornado Realty Trust as the SVP of Energy + Sustainability where she helped build the company’s sustainability strategy and team and was responsible for the company’s roughly $150 million annual energy and sustainability budget. After Vornado, Sukanya served as the executive vice president, head of asset management and chief operating officer at the Brooklyn Navy Yard where she was responsible for leasing, operations (including sustainability), property management and IT. This was during an especially exciting period of growth where the Yard grew from 3 million sf to over 8 million sf of real estate and from 270 tenants to 450 tenants. It was also in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, where major parts of the Yard were impacted by flooding, making resiliency planning even more important.
After nearly two decades in New York City, Sukanya moved to the Pacific Northwest and most recently worked at the Whatcom Community Foundation where she was the director of special projects where she led a waterfront mixed-use project with affordable housing and a food campus. During COVID, she oversaw the region’s food security taskforce as part of the Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support local food banks.
Sukanya’s public policy and community engagement experience includes serving on nonprofit and industry boards including serving as the co-chair of the Real Estate Board of NY’s sustainability committee, and as a board member of the Building Energy Exchange (BeEx) and Urban Green Council in New York City. She was appointed to the board of NYSERDA in 2017, and most recently served on the board of Mercy Housing Northwest.
Education
BA, International Relations
MA, International Energy Management and Policy, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs
Authored Works