Dena Prastos of Indigo River: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO

An Interview With Doug Noll

Be radically transparent but appreciate the limits of transparency. The team will often go beyond the scope of their jobs when they have information about what’s happening around them. To encourage that level of trust and engagement, you should be radically transparent and also mindful of what people can and cannot handle. Ultimately, there are very few things that you shouldn’t be transparent about.

As a part of our series called ‘Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO’ we had the pleasure of interviewing Dena Prastos, AIA.

As Founder and CEO of Indigo River, Dena Prastos, AIA, is the first “waterfront architect,” trailblazing a new category in the industry. Indigo River is a women-owned transdisciplinary design firm focused on progressive waterfront architecture, resiliency, and climate adaptation. A leading authority in New York Harbor and beyond, the firm specializes in climate adaptation through waterfront solutions that seamlessly transcend boundaries — guiding and executing projects from ideation through final construction and operations.

Waterfront architect, civil engineer, futurist, climate adaptation expert, entrepreneur, and creative original Dena is driven to transform the built world at the water’s edge. With transdisciplinary and progressive views, she is fueled by the overlapping of design, technology, and nature.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. As such, I deeply appreciate nature and humankind’s ability to design, build, and create resilient infrastructure in some of the world’s harshest conditions. I completed my Bachelor of Architecture and a graduate degree in Civil Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. After gaining valuable experience in the industry, I attended Harvard Business School’s “Leading Professional Service Firms” Executive Education program.

I am an experienced leader of innovative projects worldwide, including heavy civil construction, marine engineering, and waterfront architecture. These experiences helped shape my vision and competency in construction, engineering, and architecture. My firm, Indigo River, is grounded on these pillars. Indigo River specializes in climate adaptation through environmental resiliency, specifically focusing on the waterfront, flood-prone areas, and progressive responses to sea level rise.

I’m an architect who does not work on buildings. I work in that dynamic littoral zone where nature meets the humanmade focusing on infrastructure that adapts to climate change. Nature is very persistent — it will always win, eventually. It is a humbling place to work. A structure can be designed and calibrated to a local climate, but sooner or later, the latter becomes both costly and environmentally detrimental. We must always be aware of the constraints of a place and design within nature instead of ignoring it. Twenty-first-century practice calls for new, integrated perspectives on climate adaptation, resiliency, and system-based thinking in infrastructure development. Combining a sense of urgency with a willingness to be patient is essential as we move forward. The climate extremes of yesterday are today’s new normal. We must adapt to a world in which the climate is less predictable and, in many cases, less favorable than it has been. We must reconsider the relationship between the natural and the built environments. In traditional architecture, it’s not common to have forward-looking designs based on future climate projections. I believe themes of adaptation and flexibility will be essential to the profession moving forward.

I currently serve on the Planning Board in historic Grand View-on-Hudson, New York. I also enjoy volunteering with the National Council of Architectural Registration Board’s (NCARB) Future’s Collaborative, where I drive and inform strategic conversations across the nation regarding the future of our industry and profession. I was appointed to the AIA Resilience and Adaptation Advisory Group and was subsequently asked to join AIA’s YAF Summit 30: Mission 2130; the Summit sought to respond to critical issues present in the architecture profession, namely to address challenges the architecture profession will face in the next 100 years, focusing on architecture, society, and our planet.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

Pitching a “Floating NYC” to Mayor-Elect Adams.

I was part of a small group of industry leaders having a round table discussion with New York City’s Mayor-Elect Eric Adams to discuss bold visions for NYC’s future. I had not prepared for a deep-dive discussion during the meeting while pitching “Floating Cities,” an emerging solution to climate change for which there is still little research. As a futurist, I am constantly working on new and innovative ways to help ensure a future for growing cities on the waterfront. My “brief” summary turned into a debate at the table. Shortly after, I received a call from the Mayor’s office asking for my personal contact information. This week, I attended a “Topping Out” event for one of my waterfront projects — Robert De Niro’s new vertical film studio in Queens, NY. Towards the end, I ran into the Mayor, who pointed at me and exclaimed, “Floating Cities!” We chatted, and he encouraged me to arrange another meeting with him to continue the discussion. It was a wonderful moment to feel valued and remembered by an individual who gets pitched countless ideas from CEOs daily.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When we started, my partner and I realized we would need office space quickly. Neither of us had experience procuring, furnishing, and setting up a professional services office, but we went ahead and tried to do everything ourselves. With limited time to find space, we settled on a seemingly attractive three-year lease for a vacant, unfinished, historical, three-story “clock tower” in a walk-up building. The space flooded with omnidirectional sunlight, from sunrise to sunset, and it felt like it would be a great place to launch our business. After a quick build-out, we moved in. Moving ourselves in meant saving money but also sweating through shirts from the heat, moving things around and up the three floors in our charming clock tower. The historic brick walls were full of character but had no insulation. A private bathroom with exposed pipes flushed through the middle of the conference room. And last but not least, the top floor had a 16-foot wide blade fan that partially concealed the vaulted ceiling above; it turned out that we were sharing the space with a family of bats who took residence above the fan. It was quite surprising and terrifying the first time we met face to face!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

As I reflect on my journey to becoming a successful CEO, I can’t help but think of the person who played an instrumental role in getting me here. That person is none other than my business partner, my mentor, and my friend, Shea Thorvaldsen.

When I first met Shea, I was making a pivot in my career, and I was full of ambition and drive but lacked long-term vision. Shea saw my potential and took me under his wing, guiding me every step of the way. He shared his knowledge and experience, giving me the tools to succeed.

As we worked together on our businesses, I watched Shea lead with integrity and candor. He always put our team’s and clients’ needs first and never compromised on doing what was best for the project. I learned from his example, which has become my leadership style’s core value.

Through the years, Shea has continued to support and challenge me. He pushes me out of my comfort zone, helping me grow personally and professionally. And when I face setbacks or obstacles, he always offers encouragement and a listening ear.

I am grateful to Shea for all that he has done for me. Without his guidance, support, and mentorship, I would not be where I am today. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful business partner, and I hope to pay it forward by helping others as Shea has helped me.

As you know, the United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality, and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

We have a societal duty to develop representation in these fields. It is essential to have diverse representation across all industries and at all levels, particularly in the industries that shape the built environment, like architecture, engineering, and construction. Diversity and representation matter because outstanding leadership requires empathy. Empathy requires the ability to perceive, understand, and feel the emotional states of others, and how can we do that if an industry is only represented by 50% of the population?

As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.

Encourage parents (especially fathers) to take parental leave. Demonstrate and recognize responsibilities outside of work and encourage both parents to be active. Partners must share equal responsibility in the workplace and the home to effect meaningful systemic change. Our team has several new fathers (congrats, guys!), all of whom we support and encourage to take the space they need to be meaningful partners in caregiving; this includes giving 12 weeks of job-protected paid time off at full salary.

Promote deserving women into leadership positions and transparently acknowledge and recognize the value they contribute to the organization.

Implement an affordable and sustainable form of child care nationally.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

As a CEO, any decision I make requires me to consider how it might impact my employees, partners, clients, strategic goals, cash flow, and many other business areas I did not consider when working in the field or as a project or department manager. Threading that needle gets increasingly complex as one approaches the top of an organization.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?

It is all very glamorous. It is usually not. It is a grind. Day in and day out. Often rewarding but exhausting all the same.

You get to work less. So goes the leader, so goes the culture. So goes the culture, so goes the company. Like it or not, the team follows the lead of its CEO.

That you have all the answers. No one has all the answers.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

How I thought I’d spend my time vs. how it is actually spent. I often go through the exercise of planning my days and weeks, only to look back at that plan a day or a week later and find it to be completely different. For example, in my previous roles, I’d go to work to “work,” but as CEO, there is quite a bit of wearing hats that you previously didn’t know existed. As a result, I am often triple booked most hours of the day and putting out fires in between, which inevitably leaves very little time during the work day to fit in “work,” as I used to define it.

Do you think everyone is cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

NO. One must have:

Energy. It’s 75% percent of the job.

Integrity. Hold yourself to high standards, and be intrinsically motivated.

Accountability. If you are involved in something that goes wrong, never blame others. Blame only yourself.

Vision. Your greatest asset is your vision of where, who, or what you want to be.

Discipline. Commitment. Consistency.

Thick Skin.

Avoid:

Dictators. If you want to make a difference, silencing team members’ opinions will not cut it in today’s business environment.

Inconsistent, unreliable, unapproachable, unempathetic individuals.

What advice would you give to other business leaders to help create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?

Give. Habitually. Give, and more will come back to you.

“It is one of the beautiful compensations in this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have your values inform your mission and permeate all aspects of the culture, from how you treat employees, clients, stakeholders, humor, office décor, office furniture, etc.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I try to do this in several ways.

As an Individual: One of the best things you can do to improve the world is to improve yourself. I am admittedly a work in progress — and hope to always be so.

As an employer: Making a social impact in the world is a metric of personal worth that is as important or more important than the money I’ve earned. So to offer a genuinely supportive place of employment that trusts and values team members and encourages individuals’ growth and development is incredibly rewarding.

As a company: We give financial support to causes that resonate with our values. From our inception, we have donated to charitable causes regularly.

As a steward of this planet: Choosing to work on projects with greater impacts than their financial bottom line. To yield innovative and creative project solutions addressing environmental hazards and vulnerabilities through climate adaptation and resiliency measures.

Fantastic. Here is the primary question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Be radically transparent but appreciate the limits of transparency. The team will often go beyond the scope of their jobs when they have information about what’s happening around them. To encourage that level of trust and engagement, you should be radically transparent and also mindful of what people can and cannot handle. Ultimately there are very few things that you shouldn’t be transparent about.

Time is a resource that is non-renewable and non-transferable. Time is your most precious commodity. Think carefully and critically about how and where you invest your time.

There are no shortcuts. Find a way, not an excuse. Obstacles and challenges are the agents of growth.

Get your body in on it. Get the blood flowing, eat food that excites and nourishes you, and get your breathing deeper. The mind and the body are way more powerful together than alone. So use your mind, body, and soul together to make things happen. Getting fit has multiplied my creativity, productivity, and prosperity considerably.

Carve out dedicated times to turn off notifications. Disconnecting can sometimes be more important than connecting.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Much like how individuals feel a “calling” to become a medical professional before embarking on an expensive, grueling, sometimes decades-long process to become a doctor or surgeon, architects go through a similar process because of the passion that great architecture inspires. Every major civilization has had a distinct, documented, and intensely studied architectural style. Architecture has told the story of civilizations after their inhabitants were long gone. Unfortunately, that is getting blurred today in our globalized society with empowered consumers who can self-perform work, having essentially disintermediated the architect, reframing and devaluing architects as an obstacle to get through for a permit. The repercussions of this will primarily be seen decades down the road.

To counter this growing issue, I might start a movement inside architecture to empower and expand our service offerings to encompass more of the “built environment” than buildings. Architects go through 5–8 years of school, focused heavily on design thinking, followed by 3–6 years of apprenticeship before they qualify to be licensed “to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public in the built environment.” The term “built environment” refers to humanmade conditions. And while that certainly includes buildings, I firmly believe it also extends to other humanmade structures, systems, features, etc., viewed collectively as an environment where people live and work. Food systems ARE built environments. Digital environments, like social media, ARE built environments. Social media’s design nurtures addiction to maximize profit and its ability to manipulate people’s views, emotions, and behavior and spread conspiracy theories and disinformation. These environments affect the public’s mental health, safety, and welfare. Who is designing them? What qualifies them? And who is regulating these environments with the public’s welfare in mind? I celebrate any architect who finds atypical ways to assert their agency and believe it would do the profession, the planet, and society well to do the same.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.” — Beyonce

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them

Elon Musk.

Musk has a bold vision for a better future, and he inspires his team to share that vision and work towards achieving it. He has been credited with creating a culture of innovation and drive at his companies, which has helped them achieve remarkable success.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.