Katherine Ruiz, AIA, LEED AP, SITES AP, received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame in 2013 and achieved her Licensure in 2015. Katherine serves as a sustainability specialist for Kirksey Architecture and is responsible for completing the LEED Certification of over twenty different projects. In 2017, she was one if the first in the country and the first architect in Texas to earn the SITES Accredited Professional credential. She has presented on a variety of sustainability topics within the field of architecture, has spoken at the national AASHE conference in 2015 and 2016, and is the current vice chair on the executive committee for the Gulf Coast Green Conference & Expo. She serves as a member of the Disaster Resilience Task Force of the Houston Chapter of the AIA.