Erin McDannald | Source | CEO and Co-owner at Environments & Lighting Environments

Erin McDannald is a visionary entrepreneur, author, and innovator who operates at the intersection of biology, technology, and design. Her work explores how the built environment can evolve into a symbiotic system that nurtures both human health and the planet. By blending cutting-edge science with principles inspired by the natural world, Erin redefines how we live and work in harmony with our surroundings.

As the CEO of Elevated, Erin has pioneered a smart building platform that transforms buildings into adaptive systems, integrating lighting, IoT, and analytics to create environments that are as responsive as they are sustainable. Her work challenges conventional notions of design and functionality, advocating for spaces that not only serve human needs but also work in concert with the Earth’s ecological rhythms.

Erin’s upcoming book dives into the biological underpinnings of behavior and emotion, focusing on the roles of inflammatory markers like TNF-α and interleukin-6. Grounded in personal experience as a mother navigating complex medical challenges, Erin’s insights reveal how our environments—both internal and external—can either inflame or empower us. She champions a future where design serves as a bridge between human resilience and planetary sustainability, offering a blueprint for living in alignment with the systems that sustain us.