ANEW is thrilled to announce Brett A. Shwery, FIIDA, AAIA, LEED AP, as their new Chairman of the Board. As the organization celebrates its 20th anniversary amid growing industry demand for sustainable practices, Brett’s appointment brings together exceptional leadership in the built environment with a proven track record of advancing ANEW’s mission of working towards building a more circular economy.
ANEW is the leader in inspiring companies to see waste differently by reusing surplus office furniture, matching it with those in need, and working together to grow circular economies that benefit communities, businesses, and the natural world. As Principal and Global Practice Leader for Commercial Interiors at HKS, Brett works at the intersection of design excellence and corporate responsibility, guiding multinational corporations through complex interior architecture projects across continents. His collaborative leadership style and decades of experience in the built environment give him unique insight into how companies approach sustainability and resource managementâthe very challenges ANEW helps solve. Since joining ANEW as a senior advisor in 2017 and serving as Chief of Advisory, Brett has championed the organization’s work transforming corporate surplus into community resources, making him the ideal leader to guide ANEW into its next two decades.
âIâm honored to serve as the next Board Chairman of ANEW, an organization that has spent 20 years proving that caring for the planet and caring for people can, and must, go hand in hand. Their leadership in advancing a circular economy is a powerful reminder that thoughtful environmental stewardship can create lasting impact for both earth and humankind.â âBrett Shwery
About Brett A. Shwery, FIIDA, AAIA, LEED AP
As Principal and Global Practice Leader for Commercial Interiors at HKS, Brett leads with a global perspective, grounded in decades of experience delivering design excellence across markets and continents. His career spans leadership roles at some of the worldâs most respected design firms, where he has guided large-scale interior architecture practices serving multinational corporations and institutions.
Brett is known for his collaborative leadership style and ability to unite diverse teams across regions and time zones, bringing integrated, strategic and people-centered design solutions to complex challenges. His work has resulted in award-winning environments that support innovation, productivity, and cultural alignment for some of the most influential companies around the world.
A published thought leader, mentor, and active voice in the profession, Brettâs research explores the intersection of workplace, learning, and experience design. He has served as President of the IIDA Southern California Chapter and has received several honors for his leadership and service, including the USC Architectural Guild Service Award and the ANEW Foundationâs Stewardship Champion Award. In 2022, Brett was inducted into the IIDA College of Fellowsâthe organizationâs highest distinctionâfor his enduring contributions to the design industry.
About ANEW
ANEWÂź is a woman-founded, women-led nonprofit organization with a commitment to keep office surplus items in use and out of landfill. ANEW works with corporate companies to steward their surplus office furniture and other items away from landfill and back into their communities by matching these items to local organizations.
Since 2005, ANEWâs Surplus StewardshipÂź program has improved industry practices in the built environment by using circular economy principles to manage resources through reuse, resale, repurposing and recycling. ANEWmethod™ is a proven system that minimizes waste and delivers a positive and lasting impact for people, business, and the natural world. ANEW raises awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of this practice through free workshops, presentations and case studies. In 2024, ANEW launched the first of two accredited CEU courses (approved by 55 licensing boards) to help architecture and design professionals learn how to apply circularity to strengthen local economies, manage resources, and reduce waste. Since 2015, ANEWâs project outcomes and data have been independently audited which points to measurable results on the positive environmental impact of Surplus StewardshipÂź.
ANEW is the trusted industry resource with 20 years of applied knowledge and experience and is making a positive and lasting impact on society and the planet every day. We are ANEW, doing what’s right with what’s leftÂź. ANEWfound.org
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