ACI Hires Full-Time Executive Director for Its Carbon Neutral Concrete Center

NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete―a uniquely positioned center providing access to technologies and the knowledge needed to effectively and safely produce and place carbon neutral concrete in the built environment― has seen rapid growth in membership which has led to an expansion of the staff needed to serve NEU’s mission. With this increase, the board of directors has determined the need for a full-time executive director and has hired Drew Burns, CAE to serve as the Executive Director of NEU. He should begin his position at NEU mid-July 2022. 

Dr. Andrea Schokker, the founding Executive Director, has provided invaluable expertise in setting up NEU, developing its activities and recruiting partners. She will continue to work with NEU, focusing on the technical aspects of activities, as the Senior Technical Consultant and Board Advisor. As this new endeavor expands NEU’s reach, both Burns and Dr. Schokker will be working together with the board to meet membership needs and set strategic goals for the organization.

Drew Burns, CAE, Executive Director for both the Slag Cement Association, the Great Lakes Cement Promotion Council, and Executive Director of ACI's Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral ConcreteAmerican Concrete Institute“The Center has seen a lot of growth and interest in a short period of time,” says Burns. “We’ve assembled a dedicated and talented team, and it’s encouraging to see the collaboration already taking place.” Burns’ background includes serving as the Executive Director for both the Slag Cement Association and the Great Lakes Cement Promotion Council. He has overseen the management of both associations in his previous positions and has worked to disseminate more sustainable cement applications to the concrete and construction industry.

Dr. Schokker was hired as Executive Director mid-May 2022 and was previously Professor and Head of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she also served as Provost and Dean. Alongside actively chairing several code committees of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), she was the founding chair of ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of Concrete; is a LEED AP; and registered Professional Engineer in the state of Minnesota. Dr. Schokker received the ACI Joe W. Kelly Award for “invaluable service in promoting green concrete and developing sustainability into one of the areas of greater interest within ACI” in 2012. Dr. She received her PhD in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. 

The ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete was established in 2022. It collaborates globally to drive research, education, awareness, and adoption of the use of carbon neutral materials and technologies in the built environment, leveraging ACI’s role as a world-leading authority and resource for the development, dissemination, and adoption of consensus-based standards for concrete design, construction and materials. The Center’s membership is open to government agencies, industries, technical societies, standard bodies, manufacturers, contractors, and professionals.

Additional Staff Members Include:

• Sureka Sumanasooriya as Technical Director. Sumanasooriya joined the ACI Engineering Department in 2018 and has worked on many projects, including updates to bring a building design case study into compliance with ACI 318-19 and a draft reorganization of the Environmental Concrete Structures Code (ACI 350) to align with that of ACI 318-19.
• Kelly Dudley as Assistant Director. Dudley joined the Career and Professional Development Department of ACI in 2002, where she is currently working as Manager, Technical Committees in the ACI Engineering Department.
• Kari Moosmann as Director of Sustainability Communication and Marketing. Moosmann joined AOE in 2018 and is involved in public relations, marketing and strategic planning for architectural, engineering and construction organizations.