CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR CARBON NEUTRAL CONCRETE ANNOUNCES NEW STAFF

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – 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.

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.

“The Center has seen a lot of growth and interest in a short period of time,” said 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. In his previous positions he has overseen the management of both associations and has worked to disseminate more sustainable cement applications to the concrete and construction industry.

Additional staff members include Sureka Sumanasooriya as Technical Director, Kelly Dudley as Assistant Director, and Kari Moosmann as Director of Sustainability Communication and Marketing. 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. 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. Moosmann joined AOE in 2018 and is involved in public relations, marketing and strategic planning for architectural, engineering and construction organizations.

About NEU
NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete, was established in 2022 by the American Concrete Institute. The Center, based at ACI World Headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA, 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. To learn more, visit www.neuconcrete.org