Arlington Heights, IL (February 10, 2015) — Ann P. Kalayil, Ph.D., Regional Administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Great Lakes Region, will be the keynote speaker at the BUILDING THE HEARTLAND Conference on the opening day, August 31, 2015.

In her presentation on the Great Lakes Sustainability Plan 2020, Kalayil will highlight the five key areas of sustainability — Buildings, Workplace Transformation, Transportation, Supply Chain, and Sustainable Communities — that can help strengthen GSA’s impact in the region.

The Great Lakes Sustainability Plan 2020 is considered the region’s road map to create and maintain a more sustainable, efficient federal government and a stronger GSA. Kalayil’s presentation will encourage discussion on achieving that goal through innovative technologies and practices.

A Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, Kalayil served on several government task forces and is the first woman appointed as Regional Administrator for the Great Lakes Region. She heads operations that provide federal agencies and the U.S. Courts in six states with support in real estate services, procurements, information technology, supplies, equipment, and vehicles.

Now in its third year, the BUILDING THE HEARTLAND 2015 Conference (formerly BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland) will be held August 31-September 2, at North America’s largest LEED Gold-certified hotel, the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.

All education sessions will offer AIA CES or Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) learning units, or both. The event is sponsored by SGC Horizon’s Building Design+Construction magazine, AIA Chicago, and USGBC-Illinois.

For more information or to register, visit www.buildingchicagoexpo.com; or contact Harry Urban at hurban@sgcmail.com; 847.954.7928.