Arkitekter Uden Grænser Danmark / Architecture Sans Frontières Denmark

Board Member

Dissing+Weitling

Lead firm-wide sustainability strategy execution and implementation of 18-month service transformation roadmap to integrate sustainability across three business units. Manage strategic goal setting and KPI tracking. 

Advise corporate clients on aligning real estate development strategy with public sustainability and ESG commitments through architecture and design. Participate in early concept phase discussions and provide perspective on potential sustainability risk management and compliance issues relating to Danish building regulations, EU CSRD, EPBD, and taxonomy alignment. 

Change manager and key ambassador between leadership and line staff within an SME seeking sustainable transformation. Provide recommendations and develop frameworks to increase organizational capacity for sustainability, including competencies, service offerings, and communications strategy.  

Advise leadership on market trends, conduct analysis, and propose strategic direction to position the firm as an industry leader in sustainable design.  

Manage all aspects of organizational Environmental Management – including ISO 14001 certification, materiality assessments, and ESG policy development and reporting.

ESG Advisor 

Led firm-wide sustainability transformation road mapping process – engaged key stakeholders across Building, Mobility, Cultural Heritage & Transformation business units – as well as operations, finance, and MarCom teams. Developed and facilitated road mapping workshops. Established targets and indicators to both measure performance and embed sustainability into organizational culture and processes. 

Designed and delivered workshops on all aspects of the sustainability agenda and partner with leadership to ensure the firm's learning and development program prioritizes social and environmental impact (i.e. Universal Design, LCA, materials innovation). 

Project manager of ISO 14001 certification and establishment of the company’s first Environmental Management System. 

Evaluated the applicability and financial ROI of additional sustainability certifications and memberships (i.e., B Corp, UN Global Compact, SBTi).

Sustainability Strategy Consultant

Developed and delivered a strategic execution model to integrate sustainability efforts across Building, Transformation, and Mobility business units and advance the firm's 2024 Corporate Strategy. 

Conducted materiality assessments, identifying differentiated ESG metrics, analyzing contract types, and evaluating stakeholder influence to ensure fairness across the company. 

Proposed an 18-month plan to increase sustainability management and reporting capacity - an internal double materiality framework and a fitness and readiness assessment for ISO 14001, GRI reporting standards, and B-Corp Certification to holistically position the firm as a leader in the intersection of Danish design principles and comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Economic sustainability.

Hold professional familiarity with a highly Danish working culture and Danish corporate language.

MBA Intern - Sustainability Strategy

Copenhagen Business School

Accelerated full time MBA with Concentration in Governance and Sustainability 

Key Courses: 
- Managing Sustainable Corporations
- Corporate Governance, Risk, and Compliance
- Sustainable Finance 
- Sustainable Operations 
- Corporate Strategy

MBA Candidate

Seattle Opera

Seattle Opera's lead fundraiser, strengthening relationships with 125 households of leadership and major donors. Facilitated access to the organizational mission by connecting investors with artists and educators, serving as a bridge between their passions and our programming. 

Raised 12M in funding and increased annual portfolio value by 86.5% over seven fiscal years, adjusted for inflation. 

Partnered with the Director of Development on all aspects of Individual Giving ($1,500-$1M+), Board relations and development, estate, and planned giving strategy. 

Served on Seattle Opera's Equity Task Force and White Ally Affinity Group to apply a racial equity lens to our strategic planning. This Task Force advised the Associate Director of Administration in the development of the company's comprehensive Racial Equity and Social Impact Plan, adopted by the Seattle Opera Board of Directors and being implemented across the company by Fiscal Year 2023

Built relationships and partnered on organizational fundraising goals with senior executives at Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, T-Mobile, Perkins Coie, Davis Wright Tremaine, NBBJ, and the University of Washington. 

Responsible for $2M in annual contributed revenue and ongoing special campaign fundraising for capital, endowment, and project-specific investments.

Please note, in the Danish context this role would be considered Social Impact and Resource Development.

Senior Resource Development Officer (Individual Giving)

Built meaningful major donor relationships, providing customized stewardship for a portfolio of 60 households. Collaborated with Seattle Opera creative and education staff to provide donors with opportunities to make transformational gifts and fund their passions. 

Led development strategy for the CORE Mid-Level Donor Program. Collaborated with the Capital Campaign, Annual Giving and Donor Services, and Planned Giving teams to ensure best practice cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across a variety of campaigns. 

Facilitated all events and membership efforts for the SOWING Circle (Seattle Opera Women's Initiative Group). 

Served as the Individual Giving team's Tessitura power user, providing thought leadership on Plans and moves management. Co-chaired an internal task-force to develop learning resources and facilitate inter-departmental knowledge sharing across Education, Development, Marketing, and Production Departments - including the planning and execution of three half-day, all-staff training retreats.

Resource Development Officer (Individual Giving)

Promoted in July 2015 as a result of implementing Seattle Opera's CORE Mid-Level Donor Program, overseeing comprehensive annual cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategy.  

Recruited and coordinated the Curious and Grateful Group - a dedicated volunteer cohort who assist the Development Department in strengthening donor relationships through peer to peer outreach. 

Created custom sponsorship proposals and facilitated benefit fulfillment - including backstage and rehearsal access - for individual sponsors of $5,000 and more. Served as the liaison between Development, Artistic, and Production throughout the season. Wrote all final reports to individual sponsors demonstrating the impact of their gift on our mission. 

Provided ongoing administrative support to the SOWING Circle (Seattle Opera Women’s Initiative Group), including event planning. Coordinate all aspects of the annual fall membership and spring renewal campaigns. 

Served on an internal Tessitura user group of entry and mid-level professionals across the Development, Marketing, Education, and Production Departments to establish database best practices. 

Directly supported the Associate Director of Development - Individual Giving, and provided strategic support to the Individual Giving Team.

Resource Development Coordinator (Individual Giving)

Researched, developed, and implemented the CORE Mid-Level Donor strategy to strengthen our relationships with donors at the Garnet ($1,000-1,499) and Jade ($1,500-2,999) Membership levels. This comprehensive strategy is built off of a hybrid model of Major Gift and Annual Fund best practices. 

Streamlined the end-to-end sponsorship process; created catalog materials and other collateral, including written proposals. Collaborated with the Production and Stage Management teams to ensure benefit fulfillment (backstage access, rehearsal viewings) with minimal disruption to the artistic process. 

Collaborated with the Annual Fund staff to create personalized solicitation and renewal letters. Generated Seattle Opera affinity group content and other communication pieces for the Individual Giving staff. Verified donor listings in programs, signage, and other recognition venues. 

Pulled relevant and effective solicitation lists and reports. Track communication, activities, and events within Tessitura to ensure accurate benefit fulfillment of all individual donors. Ensured all use of our new, comprehensive moves management program (Plans) was seamlessly updated and maintained in Tessitura v.12

Resource Development Associate (Individual Giving)

Northwestern University

Phonathon callers maintain contact with alumni and parents to build relationships and gain support for the Northwestern, School of Communication, Kellogg School of Management, and Pritzker Law School Annual Funds. Also called on behalf of the Parents Fund and the Northwestern Leadership Circle. 

Promoted to Lead Caller in September 2012, providing support to supervisors, training over two dozen new callers, and assisting in Phonathon programming.

Total dollars raised: $66,537 from gifts ranging from $5 to $1,000.

Lead Caller - Phonathon

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

As Dr. Louisa Egan-Brad's undergraduate research assistant, conducted research studies on cognitive dissonance and choice-induced preferences in children. Organized studies with preschools in the Chicagoland area, maintained contact with preschool directors, and assisted in data collection/entry and clerical work. Ran studies independently on preschool, secondary elementary, middle school, and college student age groups.

Research Assistant

Merlo Architecture

Seasonal office administrator, responsible for routine client relations and strategic partner communications. 

Over four years served as project manager for a 10-person architectural SME's digitalization strategy - including evaluation and launch of digital filing system, digitalization of historic design catalog (1960-2005), and support for organizational readiness to migrate from hand drawings to 2D modeling in AutoCad.  

First professional experiences were on a typewriter and rotary phone.

Administrative Project Manager 

As a seasoned social and environmental impact strategist with an MBA, I drive systemic change within organizations to support a fair green transition. I am passionate about the intersection of sustainability, storytelling, and responsible business -- and leverage over a decade of experience in organizational strategy, governance, and project management across various sectors, including Arts & Culture and the Built Environment. With a proven track record in program development and change management, I am adept at fostering impactful transformations.

Core Competencies: Sustainability Strategy, Program Development, Change Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Non-Financial Reporting, ESG Impact Measurement, Strategic Partnerships

Key Focus Areas: Responsible Business, Climate Change & Resilience, Nature Based Solutions, Circular Partnerships, Green Mobility, Indigenous Rights, DEIA, Voluntary Compliance and Sustainability Reporting

Taplio

Catherine Merlo's Linkedin Analytics

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Catherine Merlo's Linkedin Analytics

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Catherine Merlo's Linkedin Analytics