RMI Announces Charlotte Matthews and Sukanya Paciorek as Co-Managing Directors, Carbon-Free Buildings

August 29, 2023

RMI, founded as Rocky Mountain Institute, has appointed Charlotte Matthews and Sukanya Paciorek, two highly accomplished leaders as Managing Directors working to decarbonize buildings. With a combined 40 years of experience in real estate, sustainability, energy, and technology, their leadership is set to invigorate RMI’s efforts to equitably decarbonize the global buildings sector.

“When the opportunity arose to lead one of the world’s most knowledgeable, respected and influential teams focused on building decarbonization, I recognized it was likely to be the biggest opportunity of my life to affect positive change in an area that I have been working my whole career,” said Charlotte Matthews, who brings to RMI a breadth of experience spanning architecture, construction management, commercial real estate development, and technology. “I look forward to empowering, supporting and coaching this team of leaders, and collaborating across RMI programs—transportation, electricity, Global South, to name just a few—to offer comprehensive and holistic solutions to accelerate affordable and sustainable global decarbonization.”

Matthews’ distinguished career includes leading initiatives in every building market segment to propel clean energy and energy efficiency solutions. Notably, she pioneered a platform at Google to automate residential energy demand management, oversaw infrastructure strategies for a “Climate Positive” neighborhood district, and contributed to the development, construction, and operations of over 30 LEED-certified projects. Prior to that, Matthews was the Vice President of Sustainability for Related Companies, a large owner-developer of mixed-use neighborhoods and one of the most prolific and innovative real estate developers in the US. Her extensive involvement in government task forces, nonprofit boards, and industry committees attests to her dedication to advancing sustainable buildings and communities.

Matthews will be joined by Sukanya Paciorek in the co-managed role.

“I am enormously grateful and honored to be leading RMI’s buildings team and am excited to be leading it with Charlotte Matthews,” said Paciorek, who has served as a senior principal for the past two years on RMI’s carbon free buildings program. “Decarbonizing the built environment presents a huge opportunity to address multiple social issues at once including climate change, resilience, environmental justice, health and equity issues. We have an amazing team working on all these important areas and I am excited to see the impact and progress we will make in this decisive decade.”

During her time at RMI, Paciorek has guided the program through a period of remarkable growth and transition while bolstering the impact of its market transformation efforts and strategy. Prior to RMI, Paciorek served as director of special projects for the Whatcom Community Foundation, where she led a waterfront mixed-use community development project with affordable housing and a food campus. She also served as the Executive Vice President and Head of Asset Management and Chief Operating Officer at the Brooklyn Navy Yard where she led leasing + operations of the 300-acre economic development zone, and before that was the Senior Vice President of Energy and Sustainability at Vornado Realty Trust, one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the U.S. Her leadership is evidenced by her extensive board experience in sustainability across multiple industries.

“Announcing two new Managing Directors to lead our work to decarbonize buildings is a momentous occasion for RMI,” said Jon Creyts, CEO, RMI. “Charlotte Matthews and Sukanya Paciorek bring world-leading expertise and innovation experience that will – working with our teams and alongside our many partners – help accelerate adoption of carbon-free buildings in the U.S. and around the world.”

For media inquiries please contact:

Rachel Sarah, Media Relations Lead, RMI, media@rmi.org   

About RMI:

RMI, founded as Rocky Mountain Institute, is an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. We work in the world’s most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent by 2030. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. More info: rmi.org.