Kirsten Ritchie, principal and director of sustainable design for Gensler, the largest global architecture and design firm, is set to speak March 2 at the NRMCA Annual Convention in Las Vegas. Based in San Francisco, Ritchie works with some of the world's leading organizations to enhance the environmental performance of their buildings and operations. Previously, Ritchie, who is a civil engineer, was the director of the Environmental Claims Certification Program at Scientific Certification Systems, where she gained extensive experience certifying green materials. She also has also worked closely with top international companies to generate globally recognized standards for environmentally preferable and sustainable products. Among her association work, Ritchie was the operations chair for the Business Council on Climate Change (BC3), a joint collaboration of the San Francisco business community, San Francisco Department of the Environment, the Bay Area Council and the United Nations Global Compact.

She is a much sought after guest speaker who offers her vision and insight into environmental topics affecting today's competitive eco-sensitive landscape. Ritchie holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from University of California, Berkeley and California State University, San Jose, respectively.