Perspectives Kristy Walson Joins BranchPattern as Practice Lead, Enhancing Firm’s Sustainability Expertise

Former Amazon Senior Sustainability Engineer to Lead Efforts in Developing and Implementing Decarbonization Plans

Orlando, Florida – (April 28, 2023) BranchPattern, a nationally renowned sustainability and engineering firm, announced today that Kristy Walson has joined the company as Practice Lead. Ms. Walson comes to BranchPattern after most recently serving as a Senior Sustainability Engineer with Amazon and, prior to that, spending 15 years leading high-performance engineering projects.

“Kristy is an excellent and unique addition to the team, and we are so excited to have her,” said BranchPattern Senior Vice President Pete Jefferson. “Kristy is a recognized leader in sustainability, and her expertise will be invaluable to our clients as we work to create a more sustainable built environment. Her passion for sustainability and engineering will enable us to develop solutions to complex problems, helping our clients reduce their carbon footprint and create more sustainable buildings.”

Ms. Walson’s role at BranchPattern will involve leading the firm’s efforts to remove carbon from the built environment, from initial design through the ongoing operation of existing buildings. Her holistic vision of an equitable, carbon-free future will drive decision-making, prioritize effort, and direct capital. Ms. Walson is eager to work with BranchPattern’s clients to help them achieve their sustainability goals.

“I feel a true synergy with BranchPattern, both in our shared values and the projects we focus on. A people-centered approach is where I’ve been living for a long time and my hope is that holding these values at the core of all things always leads to deep alignment and meaningful work. There is no net-zero carbon scenario without equitable decarbonization and BranchPattern’s process continues to keep this in the spotlight. In joining BranchPattern, I feel like I’ve come home.”

Ms. Walson has been a frequent speaker at industry events and has been involved with the U.S. Green Building Council since 2006, where she currently serves in the Energy and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group. She is a national committee member of Women in Green and served on the Central Florida Board of Directors. Additionally, Ms. Walson is a core National MEP2040 Steering Committee member and an AIA COTE Top 10 Technical Advisor for Energy and Discovery. She is the immediate past Chairperson of the University of Florida’s Green Building Learning Collaborative and avidly supports the “Sustainability in the Built Environment” degree program. She also serves on the Florida Solar Energy Center Advisory Board and is on the City of Orlando’s GreenWorks Advisory Panel.

Ms. Walson’s remarkable leadership and advocacy for sustainability in decarbonization have earned her several awards for her accomplishments. She became a LEED Fellow in 2020 and was a recipient of USGBC Florida’s Community Rockstar Award in 2021 due to her efforts in decarbonization. Her project accomplishments include completing 82 Certified LEED® projects, across six LEED® rating systems, and serving as the building performance modeling consultant for over Six Million square feet of commercial real estate spaces.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Kristy and tackle the immense challenges facing our industry and planet,” said BranchPattern Practice Lead Sarah Gudeman. “People of her caliber are rare and in high demand, so we are incredibly fortunate she chose to join BranchPattern.”

“BranchPattern just took another step closer to our goal of becoming the best sustainability consultancy for real estate in the world,” stated BranchPattern Executive Vice President Nate Maniktala. “Kristy Walson joins Sarah Gudeman as the firm’s two newest Practice Leads. Both are accomplished professional engineers with experiences, skills, and perspectives that allow us to better solve our client’s technical challenges as well as create a stronger and more inclusive workplace for all our employee-owners to thrive.”

About BranchPattern
BranchPattern is a building consultancy dedicated to creating Better Built Environments® through many interwoven specialisms. Our beliefs are rooted in nature which has taught us that true sustainability sits at the intersection of human experience and environmental stewardship. We remain committed to our roots in sustainability and focus on the Human-Centered Design approach.

Creating truly high-performing buildings is complex, but we believe that it shouldn’t feel that way for our customers. Our specialisms within the practices of Building Science and Engineering are led, and supported, from start to finish by our team of progressive experts in the fields of engineering, architecture, energy, ecology, and social science.