About Me…

I’m a purpose-driven sustainability leader with deep roots in architecture, construction, and operations—known for translating bold climate goals into practical, measurable outcomes across the built environment. My leadership spans strategy, execution, and systems thinking—shaping how the construction industry engages with carbon, resilience, and long-term value creation.

As Director of Sustainable Construction at HITT Contracting, I lead national sustainability strategy across an $8.1 billion portfolio. From embodied carbon tracking to emissions reporting and green building certifications, I drive integrated solutions that align with regulatory policy, client goals, and operational efficiency. My team and I don't just track metrics—we transform how contractors, clients, and suppliers understand and act on sustainability.

My journey began with hands-on roles—as a military technician and practicing architect—which taught me discipline, adaptability, and the importance of action grounded in purpose. Over time, I evolved into a strategic leader across sectors: advising on policy at the City of New York and the Clinton Global Initiative, developing health-focused design guidance for the NIH, and consulting on energy and sustainability within the private sector. These experiences gave me fluency in bridging design, data, and public policy.

Beyond my corporate role, I help shape the national dialogue on sustainable construction. I currently serve as Chair of the U.S. General Services Administration’s Green Building Advisory Committee, where I lead federal efforts on sustainable buildings and procurement. I also contribute to the AGC of America’s Climate Change Working Group, collaborating with industry peers to guide contractors toward meaningful climate action.

My leadership style is rooted in integrity, clarity, and collaboration. I empower teams, guide organizations through transformative growth, and architect sustainability offerings that are both visionary and grounded in execution. Whether I’m advising federal partners or deploying jobsite innovations, I operate with one clear goal: to create lasting impact and resilience in the built environment.

Leadership, to me, means showing up with purpose, building trust across every table, and moving people forward—together. That’s how meaningful change happens—and how I choose to lead every day.

Although the term embodied carbon is relatively new, more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are directly linked. So, what does embodied carbon mean, and how can we reduce its impact?

Fernando Arias, Director of Sustainability at Clark Construction, explains why embodied carbon is a critical aspect of the construction industry's thinking about climate change and what the industry has to do to work towards carbon neutrality.

Fernando Arias is the Director of Sustainability at Clark Construction Group. The firm has been named as one of the greenest contractors in the US, with a tremendous amount of completed LEED projects. In today's episode, Fernando shares with Charlie Cichetti the story of his colorful childhood that helped shape the sustainability-minded professional that he is now.

In this 45min podcast interview with Charlie Cichetti from GBES, I discuss my background and professional experiences, and basically everything that has led me to embrace my career in Sustainability with passion and vision for how to build stronger impact via private sector:

This explainer video is one of the best resources to understand how to address closed-loop manufacturing and where the players in the value chain all align (or need to):

This video speaks to the global scale of climate change impacts we are confronting, and will continue to experience in the decades to come: