2020 Ones to Watch: Lori Ferriss, AIA, PE, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Sustainability and Climate Action at Goody Clancy

What led you to your current profession? When I was about 4 or 5 years old, my family frequently visited a historic reenactment village, where people dressed in costume. There was something incredibly powerful in the preservation of that environment. I felt immediately connected to the past. I believe that a desire to preserve that kind of connection is what ultimately led me to preservation. 

Who or what inspires you? My daughter inspires me. Creating a healthy, safe world to pass on to her, and to all the people who will come after us–that sense of responsibility for the next generation is the very root of conservation, in both an environmental and historic sense. We must be stewards of our history and culture, and of our planet, to hand down a meaningful, beautiful, healthy place to our children.

If your life were made into a movie, what actor would you want to portray you? Dame Maggie Smith. Who else can compare for presence, quick wit, and a damaging stare? (all characteristics I seek to cultivate, especially the last one.)

How have your life experiences impacted who you are professionally? I was born and grew up in southern Louisiana, a place where culture is dramatically impacted by climate. As a result I have always felt this tension between our place in the natural world and our need to adapt, mitigate, and control our environment. This experience heavily influenced my interest in climate adaptation and mitigation and challenged me to think about how we can sustainably live on this planet.