7 Questions With Cortland’s Head of Sustainability Cass McFadden

Growing up on the island of Guam, Cass McFadden had an early appreciation of nature and its resources. She often spent time at the beach fishing and snorkeling in the water, trekking through the jungle, and gazing at the stars. 

That early connection to nature prompted her interest in disaster preparedness and sustainability as she witnessed the impacts of Guam’s seasonal typhoons on what felt like a true paradise. Today as vice president and Cortland’s first global head of sustainability, McFadden is laying out strategic goals for the vertically integrated multifamily firm. She shares more below 

Can you share a little on how you landed at Cortland? 

After interning and clerking for various government agencies, including the Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality, I landed regulatory roles in the energy industry. 

In 2017, I pivoted to multifamily real estate with AvalonBay, leading its energy management team. I was brought in to help refine utilities management, budgeting, resident billing, and to develop new solutions to drive emissions reductions. I continued my multifamily run with Bozzuto as the vice president of sustainability. 

In 2022, I was approached by Cortland for the firm’s first global head of sustainability role. Eager to help build an impactful sustainability program within a vertically integrated business model, I made the move to Atlanta. 

How are you driving new sustainability initiatives for Cortland? 

As Cortland’s vice president and global head of sustainability, I set the strategic vision for global sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) for the firm, focusing on enhancing its communities’ environmental performance, and I oversee the utilities function. My goal has been to integrate sustainability seamlessly into our core business operations. 

Recently, two of Cortland’s flagship institutional funds—a core-plus open-end fund and a closed-end value-add fund—have achieved remarkable milestones in their sustainability performance. Initially rated at two stars in the 2022 GRESB assessment, a leading ESG benchmark for real estate investments, both funds received a five-star rating in 2024 (reflecting the 2023 reporting period). This top-tier rating highlights a significant improvement and is a direct result of our relentless dedication to enhancing environmental practices across key GRESB indicators, such as energy, water, waste management, greenhouse gas emissions, robust data monitoring, review processes, and building certifications. (Cortland pays an annual fee to GRESB for their review of its application.) 

In addition, further solidifying the firm's commitment to responsible investment practices, we've adopted the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). This pivotal move aligns the firm with a global network of investors dedicated to integrating ESG considerations into their investment strategies and ownership policies. 

This year, we continue to spearhead numerous strategic initiatives that have enhanced our firm's sustainability practices. We are also prioritizing setting reduction targets for the firm’s longer-term execution.