Before launching Direct Invest Development, LLC, Carlton Brown was a founding partner and Chief Operating Officer of Full
Spectrum of NY. He oversees the development and deployment of high
performance and sustainable building technologies and strategies in Full
Spectrum’s developments and insures that all projects meet appropriate
performance and quality standards. An early leader in global sustainable
development, in 1990 Brown led a multi-disciplinary group that developed an
approach for sustainable development projects in Cape Verde, West Africa.
Through his vision and leadership, Full Spectrum is recognized as a national
leader in the development of affordable green/smart buildings in emerging
urban markets. The 1400 on 5th Avenue project led the way as the 1st and
largest multifamily affordable green building in an underserved market in New
York City. That project received numerous awards and citations, including NYS
Green Building Tax Credit and the Energy Project of the Year 2003 by the NY
Chapter of the International Association of Energy Engineers. Based on a
belief that all communities regardless of race, ethnicity, or income are
entitled to a sustainable future, Mr. Brown and his team have become market
leaders throughout the US in restructuring urban investment to create green,
economically sustainable and equitable urban habits that value cultural
diversity. Carlton Brown is a 1973 graduate of Princeton University - School
of Architecture and Urban Planning. He has served on numerous business and
governmental boards, and is currently a member of NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s
Sustainability Advisory Board. This board’s mission is, in large part, to
address the important environmental issues that face the entire city and to a
large extent will determine the viability of NYC as a community by 2030.