PAE Engineers Expands to Boston, Welcomes New Regenerative Design Group Lead

With 20+ years of experience in the Boston region and expanded leadership, PAE is doubling down on
resilient engineering—from living buildings to all-electric design—nationwide.

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PAE Engineers, a national leader in sustainable and resilient engineering, announced today the opening of its Boston office, under the leadership of Tom Burroughs, broadening the firm's East Coast presence and bringing its expertise to the region. PAE also announced that Claire Maxfield, Principal, has joined PAE to lead its Regenerative Design Group. Together, these milestones strengthen PAE's commitment to helping clients realize decarbonization goals and shape buildings that serve people, communities, and the planet for generations.

Boston Office Marks a New Chapter in PAE's Ongoing Evolution

With an established presence in New York and a new home in Boston, PAE aims to bring its extensive decarbonization and high-efficiency engineering to the East Coast in commercial and public use buildings. Located in the Financial District, PAE's Boston office will be led by PAE Principal Tom Burroughs, along with Nancy Gould and Melissa Sierra, bringing deep regional ties and 20+ years of Boston project experience. The Boston team will support a wide range of clients, including Millennium Partners,New Balance Development Group, and more in higher education, healthcare, aviation, commercial, and sports venue development.

As experts in resilient engineering, PAE has proven the viability of Living Buildings by designing nearly one-third of the world's total fully certified Living Building square footage. Having designed high-performance buildings in four vastly different climates across the nation, PAE continues to broaden climate-ready design practices across the United States.

"Boston's rich architectural heritage and commitment to sustainable engineering design create a tremendous opportunity for innovation," said Tom Burroughs, Principal at PAE. "As a proud Bostonian, I am excited to work with local developers, architects, and builders on buildings that redefine the Boston skyline."

PAE Welcomes Regenerative Design Leader Claire Maxfield to Drive Industry Impact

To further strengthen PAE's commitment to a world with clean air, energy, and water for all, Claire Maxfield has joined the firm to lead PAE's Regenerative Design Group. Based in San Francisco, Maxfield and her team will help clients navigate the increasing pressures of climate change, disaster resilience, carbon reduction, and energy system transformation.

Prior to PAE, Maxfield was the managing director of Atelier Ten's U.S. region. With more than two decades of experience leading expert environmental design, Maxfield's portfolio includes a number of groundbreaking projects across the U.S., including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mission Rock in San Francisco, and Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota.

"Since I started in this field, resiliency and sustainability have evolved from an afterthought to a driving force in design," said Claire Maxfield, Principal at PAE. "The challenge of our time is solving for decarbonization while also advancing healthier ecosystems, healthier people, and transforming our material supply chain—we have a lot to accomplish in a single generation. I'm thrilled to work alongside engineers who are redefining regenerative systems as a core design principle, and help extend that expertise to projects across the country."

National Recognition and Growth

PAE's expansion of the Boston office and establishment of the regenerative design practice caps a year of record-breaking growth and national recognition, including ranking #23 on the Top 50 Building Design & Construction Giants Report, #28 on the Top 100 Consulting-Specifying Engineering MEP Giants, #37 on the Top 100 in Engineering News Record West Design Firms, and #58 on the Engineering News Record Top 100 Green Firms. Additionally, PAE received two national American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2025 Engineering Excellence Grand Awards for its work at the Portland Airport and Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion, and the AIA COTE Top Ten Green award for the Bush School Upper School and University of Washington Foster School of Business. PAE also completed work with the Julia West House, the highest mass-timber multi-family building in Portland, Oregon; the University of Washington's Center for Behavioral Health and Learning, a majority all-electric healthcare facility setting new standards for patient-centered, sustainable design; and LaGuardia Airport Concourse E Concessions, updating its lighting design to support its recognition as the 2025 Best Airport in the US according to Forbes Travel Guide. Continuing a year of tremendous momentum, PAE increased its top line revenue year over year by 17%.

"2025 marks an exciting new chapter for PAE as we bring our deep expertise in electrification and decarbonization to the Boston market," said Christian J. Agulles, President and CEO of PAE. "We're grateful to have Tom, Nancy, and Melissa on our team. With decades of local project experience and a national track record in high-performance design, we're poised to accelerate our impact across the East Coast. We're also thrilled to welcome Claire Maxfield, after years of successful collaboration, to lead our Regenerative Design Group and help advance our shared vision for fully electric, low-carbon buildings."

About PAE
Founded in 1967, PAE is a leading sustainable engineering and consulting firm on a mission to deliver clean air, energy, and water for all. Specializing in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services, PAE designs some of the nation's highest-performing and most regenerative built environments across the U.S., from living buildings to all-electric buildings and beyond. Learn more at pae-engineers.com.

Media Contact:
Inkhouse for PAE
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SOURCE PAE Engineers