Aly is an expert in sustainable design innovation that leads the team at McDonough Innovation. Trained as both a detail-oriented mechanical engineer and a conceptual product designer, Mr. Khalifa has 28 years of experience in designing, engineering, and manufacturing unique technologies around the world. His clients have spanned from Bausch & Lomb and Seventh Generation to Walmart and Li&Fung. His collaborations have garnered more than 40 patents, been nominated for a Grammy Award and exhibited in the Louvre. Aly is an active Eisenhower Fellow and has garnered significant attention as a voice for sustainable design entrepreneurship, leading to lectures and mentorship worldwide.

Aly has founded and exited numerous innovative endeavors, including:
Plastic Collective, a pioneer in fugitive plastic recovery and credit with remote and vulnerable communities through deployable IOT-enabled recycling operations
Oceanworks, an ocean plastic marketplace for consumer brands
Designbox, a multi-disciplinary product innovation consultancy that has launched products for some of the most exciting sports brands in the world.
Gamila, a gourmet product brand and Kickstarter sensation that was acquired by Seventh Generation

Madeleine Brancaccio is trained as a mechanical engineer and comes from seven years of experience in the automotive and aerospace industries. As an R&D engineer for McDonough Innovation, she identifies opportunities for sustainable design and helps develop solutions according to holistic impacts.

Ms. Brancaccio’s engineering experience has allowed her to hone a wide range of technical skills, having worked in design, manufacturing, and testing across industries. During her time in the auto industry, she calibrated and tested vehicles for compliance with regulatory standards, and led fleet trips across the country to assess real-world emissions. Ms. Brancaccio holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, where she was recognized with Departmental Research Honors for her contributions to the university’s air quality laboratory.

Celeste is William McDonough’s Director of Visual Communications and has an extensive background in Cradle to Cradle Design™ and sustainable design, working directly with McDonough on his speaking engagements and presentations. She manages graphics and communications and provides graphic support for client reports and deliverables with teams at McDonough Innovation, William McDonough + Partners, and MBDC, LLC.

Prior to working with McDonough, she worked for Philadelphia-based sustainable architecture firms as a Senior Graphic Designer and Communications Coordinator for over 15 years. Celeste graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Graphic Design from Drexel University

Marcie Siegel leads McDonough Innovation’s administrative support team. She oversees the daily operation of the Executive Office and works closely with William McDonough organizing his annual Iceland Conference, Davos ICEhouse, among other events, as well as managing his calendar and extensive travel schedule and interfacing with McDonough’s other business enterprises.

Siegel’s prior work experience includes oversite of business operations for a private family, including a winery and vineyards, and founding the Transition Planning & Management consulting practice at Gilbane. Marcie graduated The Pennsylvania State University with a major in International Relations/Political Science.

Alastair Reilly brings more than twenty years of architectural and urban planning experience. His focus on research informed design allows him to find innovative sustainable solutions to complex building types. He leads design on WM+P’s most innovative sustainable projects, including NASA’s Sustainability Base, Google Master planning and workplace strategies, VMware’s Corporate Campus, and is involved in a range of design initiatives globally including Park 20I20 in the Netherlands.

Through advanced technology, research and overarching sustainable principles, Alastair brings added financial and ecological value to global projects. He aims to create progressive, eco-effective architecture through a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach. His experience includes large-scale, high-rise and mixed-use urban developments, campus workplace, hospitality and residential projects. He has also taught sustainable architecture at Catholic University on their entry into the DOE’s Solar Decathlon Competition, and advised corporate leaders and business groups including P&G and Google on sustainable strategies. Alastair has extensive project management experience in commercial base building. His background in construction enables him to develop unique design criteria into buildable architecture.

Selected Projects:

• NASA Sustainability Base
• Dropbox Headquarters
• Park 20|20 Master Plan
• Kirchberg Co-Creation Process
• YouTube Headquarters

Focusing on enhancing human experience while seeking endless benefit for natural ecologies, José’s design leadership spans over twenty years of professional practice in the realization of diverse typologies at multiple scales that include award-winning architectural and urban design projects throughout the U.S. and Europe. As Design Director, his ability to lead teams towards synthesizing and materializing primary concepts into unique, sensitive and sustainable design solutions that embody a project’s vision, principles and goals while integrating site, form, and systems has led to many successful collaborations.

Working closely with clients and project teams, José employs a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach that explores relationships between form and energy, architecture and landscape, and culture and nature while also advancing and developing the role of Cradle to Cradle Circular Economy Design within the built environment through the integration of healthy material protocols, design for disassembly strategies and flexible modular systems. Most notably, José has led the design and realization of nine innovative buildings at Park 20l20 in the Netherlands, the first Cradle to Cradle-inspired development implementing Circular Economy Design strategies. Additionally, José has taught design studios at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, contributes to and produces published articles, and speaks publicly on behalf of the office on issues around sustainability and circularity.

Selected Projects:

• Grunewald Mixed Use
• Plantronics
• Park 20|20
• Valley at Schiphol Trade Park
• Isola — Google Italy Headquarters

Having supported WM+P in various capacities over the last 25+ years, Roger serves as a Director and manages architectural projects. Additionally, he oversees the firm’s efforts to promote building products that meet Cradle to Cradle® criteria for human and ecological health.

Roger has led many groundbreaking projects well known in the field of sustainable architecture, including Herman Miller’s “Greenhouse” Factory, the Oberlin College Environmental Studies Center, and the Ford Motor Company Rouge Truck Plant, featuring the world’s largest green roof at the time of its completion.

Recently completed buildings include multiple factories and a R&D center for Hero MotoCorp in South Asia, and the Southside Soapbox factory in Chicago for Method Home. These buildings incorporate rooftop food production at scale, ranging from experimental hydroponic greenhouses to a commercially viable 75,000 sq. ft. agriculture facility. Through his work at William McDonough + Partners, Roger has championed food production as an important component for a regenerative planet. He has worked with the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities organization over many years to develop training courses and exams for the Green Roof Professional certification.

Selected Projects:

• Method Manufacturing Facility
• Universidad EAN
• Ford Rouge Center
• Herman Miller Greenhouse Factory and Offices
• Hero MotoCorp Garden Factory and Global Parts Center

Michelle brings over 15 years of professional experience in management consulting, focusing on sustainable program development, performance tracking and client relationship management. Michelle has supported and advised small and large organizations, in the public and private sectors. At MBDC, she manages a diverse portfolio of client relationships and accompanying Cradle to Cradle product certifications, and she guides corporate sustainability teams on integrating efforts required for participation in the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program. Michelle has a B.S. in Business Administration from Mt. St. Mary’s University, a M.S. in Environmental Management and Sustainability from Illinois Institute of Technology, has an active Secret Clearance, and she’s been a USGBC LEED Green Associate since 2012.