Board of Directors

Joel Abney is the National Vice President of Operations at Woodside homes and a proven executive with over 20 years of experience directing operational and procedural improvements across industries for maximum quality and efficiency.

He has demonstrated skill devising business growth strategies and identifying opportunities for streamlining, cost savings, and profitability. He has expertise recruiting, developing, motivating, and leading high-performance employee teams, and has a superb track record completing major projects to meet corporate requirements for schedule, budget, and accuracy. His specialties include management consulting, waste elimination, process improvement, claims administration, teambuilding & training, and lean process implementation

Dennis is the Vice President of Operations for Fulton Homes where he oversees Sales, Marketing, Operations, and the Fulton Homes Design Center.

In his 23 years there he has led the charge of using technology combined with past retail experience to help transform the company into one of the most advanced homebuilders in the country in the areas of customer experience, operations, and marketing.He has also been instrumental in moving Fulton Homes towards energy efficiency, as Fulton Homes was the first builder in the country to have built all of its homes to ENERGY STAR Version 3 standards. Fulton Homes has been recognized as ENERGY STAR'S Partner of the Year and Indoor airPLUS Leader award winners each of the past 4 years, the only builder in the country to do so. 

Dennis graduated from Chapman University in Orange, CA, and currently resides with his wife Janis, in Tempe, AZ. His daughter Laura is the Executive Director of a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, and son Darin is a lawyer in San Diego.

Juan founded CVF homes in 2005 focusing on infill development and building energy and water efficient homes with great design.

CVF homes is committed to certifying 100% of its homes to the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program and is a proud winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Housing Innovation Award in 2019 and Honorable Mention in 2020. CVF homes is a member of Build San Antonio Green and has received multiple sustainability awards from the City of San Antonio.

Juan currently serves on the Planning Commission Technical Advisory Committee of the City of San Antonio and is a past member of the San Antonio Water System Community Conservation Committee (CCC) and past Co-Chair of the US Green Building Council of the South Texas Chapter.

Juan received his Bachelor degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) in Monterrey Mexico.

Doug Tarry Jr. is Vice President of Operations at Doug Tarry Limited based in St. Thomas Ontario.

Doug Tarry Homes is a family owned business founded by his father Doug Sr., in 1954. Doug sees to the daily operations of Doug Tarry Limited, a second-generation builder of Net Zero / Net Zero Ready Homes. He has worked extensively with a number of manufacturers and suppliers to develop products and methods needed for today’s high performance / Net Zero Homes, and is currently appointed as a Technical Chair for the Ontario Home Builders Association, a presenter and trainer on a number of Building Code and Better Building Subjects, a contributing writer for Better Builder Magazine, author of A Builders Guide to Net Zero Homes for NRCan (tentative release fall 2020), and a part of the Net Zero and Technical Research Councils for Canadian Home Builders Association. In his personal life, he is married to wife Carolyne and father of Sarah, and is also a professionally trained chef who loves entertaining for friends and family.

Karen Kicinski is the marketing director and co-owner of LifeStyle Homes Builders headquartered in Melbourne, Florida.

She has served in this role for 8 years, driving corporate messaging and branding, as well as working to attract new clients through a suite of marketing platforms. Prior to working at LifeStyle Homes, Karen worked as a magazine editor for numerous local publications. She has a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Central Florida, as well as a master’s degree in publishing from New York University. When not working, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, reading, and traveling.

LifeStyle Homes Builders is a family-owned homebuilder celebrating 36 years in business. LifeStyle Homes builds single-family homes throughout Brevard and Indian River counties on Florida’s East Coast. LifeStyle Homes specializes in energy-efficient, sustainable homes—each built to the stringent guidelines of their LifeStyle SunSmart program—as well as zero-energy solar-powered homes. Recently, LifeStyle launched HealthSmart, a sister program to SunSmart, focused on reducing indoor air pollutants and promoting clean indoor air.

Timothy M. O'Brien founded Tim O'Brien Homes along with his partner, Matt Neumann, in June of 2007.

Tim went out to form a new residential home building company focused on building green and energy efficient homes. He continues to develop knowledge in building high performance homes through educational events such as EEBA and DOE workshops. Since the inception of Tim O'Brien Homes, the company has been honored to receive the Silver NHQ award in 2016 and the Gold award in 2017. At the start of 2018 the company has also broken ground in Wisconsin's first net zero energy neighborhood, Red Fox Crossing in New Berlin, and is the leading innovator of Solar Energy homes in the State of WI, partnered with SunVest Solar, Inc.

Tim is very active in several Waukesha area school districts running a home building project with the high school construction trades seniors at Oconomowoc High School for the past (8) years, as well as pioneering a brand new curriculum for New Berlin Eisenhower High School's trade program to start in the Fall of 2018.

JACK ARMSTRONG is president of ACUMEN, LLC, a boutique sustainable marketing, advocacy, and business communication consulting practice, founded after his 24-year career with BASF – The Chemical Company. 

Key focus areas include energy efficiency/durability for sustainable construction in the built environment, in addition to B2B supply chain, life cycle analysis, and federal/state/city advocacy messaging along the entire value chain. 

Armstrong has served on the board of directors of the Sustainable Building Industries Council, Structural Insulated Panel Association, and on the board and as Sustainability Chair of BPA – the worldwide consumer and media audit association in New York City composed of brand owners and advertising agencies. Currently, he serves on the board of Team Zero (formerly the Net Zero Energy Coalition).  Additionally, he was a member of the United Nations Environmental Program Sustainable Building Climate Initiative Materials Advisory Committee and Chair for the Building & Construction Materials Issues Team of the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division.

Ms. Butterfield has worked to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of residential buildings for over 25 years.

She is focused on delivering exceptional sustainability consulting services, program certification support, and implementation of high-performance building technologies. Working with architects, developers, builders, and homeowners, Karla develops tailored sustainability strategies for both new construction and renovations. As a top expert in her field, Karla is frequently asked to speak at events and conferences nationwide, including the RESNET, WaterSmart Innovations, Northeast Indoor Air Quality & Energy, Passive House, and ENERGY STAR conferences, as well as Greenbuild and many others.

Steve Byers is Co-founder and CEO of EnergyLogic.

I was raised in a military family, so: Colorado, Georgia, Virginia, Germany to name a few spots. After graduating from the Air Force Academy, I flew C-130's for five years. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do, I got out of the Air Force, married Wynne Maggi and moved to Atlanta where she was completing her PhD in Anthropology.  After that, I got my start in energy at Southface Energy Institute, starting as an intern and working my way up to running field operations.

Returning to Colorado, I got started in earnest in the rating and building science world, leading me to my present position at EnergyLogic. Wynne and I have two lovely daughters and live in Berthoud, Wynne's hometown and a great place to live. Having never truly had a hometown, I am dedicated to building a sustainable community in my adoptive hometown.

I have my Bachelor's degree in Asian history from the Air Force Academy and an MPA from Georgia State University. Hiking, gardening, movies, reading and great beer are a few of my favorite things. I love to travel, see new things, meet new people and challenge myself whenever I can. I run, sometimes a long way and sometimes short but fast.

Bridgette is the Co-Founder and Chief Real Estate Officer at bettr homes.

Bridgette’s mission to utilize her talent, skills and experience to make a positive difference in the world drives the vision of bettr homes - a green, net-zero builder aimed at disrupting the homebuilding industry with bettr, faster, more efficient and healthier building practices.

Bridgette began her real estate career in the multi-family housing and development management industry in 2003. She has owned and operated several single family property management and Investment companies that focused on purchasing, renovating and selling thousands of single family home projects across the South. Bridgette’s passion for real estate and mentorship also had her play an instrumental part within the real estate investing educational space as a mentor and curriculum writer for several reputable companies. Bridgette brings key leadership skills, passion, and takes pride in creating and maintaining the culture here at bettr homes.

Fish Builders is owned and operated by Greg Follet.

Greg grew up in Wisconsin, working construction jobs from an early age. The search for adventure and continued education led him to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where Greg developed a heavy addiction to mountain living and earned a degree in Construction Management in 1993. It is also where he met the love of his life, Stacy. Greg and Stacy finally settled upon Salida, Colorado, where they are raising two children and fueling their passion for the mountains. Greg started his company in 1998 with the same loyal and talented craftsmen that work for him today. Focusing on custom homes, as well as remodeling, Fish Builders has quickly become one of the premier builders in the Arkansas River Valley.

Theresa Gilbride is a research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where her primary focus is residential energy efficiency.

She supports DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program and Tour of Zero. She also supports DOE's Building America program as content development lead for the Building America Solution Center, an online tool for builders, remodelers, contractors, code officials, and other members of the home building industry.

In addition, Mrs. Gilbride supports research projects in high-r windows, solid state lighting, and high-r walls. Mrs. Gilbride has authored or co-authored 34 reports and 43 articles on residential energy efficiency and related topics. She is a lead author or co-author of the Building America best practice series, a 17-volume series which includes guides for high-performance home builders in all U.S. climate zones, a guide to photovoltaic system installations, and retrofit guides on air sealing, insulation, and HVAC. She has also published on building codes and emerging technologies including window attachments, lighting, appliances, and HVAC. Outside of work, she likes hiking, biking, sailing, and cross-country skiing.

Robin Jacobs is a sales and marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in the building products industry with extensive expertise in residential new construction.

Prior to JCI and Trane, Robin led marketing at manufacturers in the wood plastic composites and manufactured housing industries.  As President of her own firm, she consulted with BASF, U. S. Borax, Illinois Tool Works, and Hycrete Concrete Additives and led a series of projects for Pegasus Capital Advisors. 

Robin is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of MSU of Denver with a Bachelor of Science in Math.  She has served as a four-time chair and featured speaker at the Natural Fiber and Wood Composites conference and a two-term Secretary of the National Association of Women in Construction.

Terrence Mosley is an AAAS Fellow assigned to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office.

Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Mr. Mosley received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Southern University at Baton Rouge, LA, and his M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mosley is a real estate entrepreneur with 10 years of experience as the owner and operator of a residential construction firm specializing in home additions, renovations, and remodels. Prior to that, he served 20 years as a regional engineering manager for General Motors and Delphi Automotive Systems.

He has worked on STEM programs for women and minorities and mentored many minority undergraduate and graduate students through programs like the GEM Fellowship and FIRST Robotics. He was honored with a Black Engineer of the Year Special Recognition Award for his efforts at increasing the diversity of the future STEM Pipeline.

Russell Pope is the Industry Development Manager for Panasonic Life Solutions, North America.

Russell has over 14 years of experience in the residential ventilation industry and genuinely enjoys his job with Panasonic and the opportunities it provides. Russell serves on the Board of Directors for the Home Ventilating Institute, is an active participant in ASHRAE 62.2, ENERGY STAR, Department of Energy Programs, and Codes and Standards development.

Russell was born and raised in Florida and Jacksonville is home base when not traveling for business. As a graduate of Georgia Southern University with a degree in Industrial Management, he likes to believe that he is pretty well rounded with experience in manufacturing, sales, product development, and training, but he does not claim to be an expert in any of these categories (his 2 teenage sons strongly agree that "he is no expert….!"). I guess you could say that he is clever enough to realize that he is neither smart enough nor does he have the time to be an island. Together, Everyone Achieves More.

Bill Rectanus is a managing partner and Vice President of Homebuilding Operations for Thrive Home Builders in Denver, Colorado.

His responsibilities include the management and oversight of the construction, purchasing, customer service, quality assurance and land development departments. In addition to his daily responsibilities Bill is also responsible for the implementation of Thrive Home Builders' "High Performance Building Initiative".

Bill is very active in the Homebuilding industry both locally and nationally. He is committed to the local Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and has served 7 terms on their Board of Directors and 3 terms on the Flat Irons Building Council. Two of those council terms as Chairman. 

Bill holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Ohio University and currently lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife of 20 years and two daughters.

Adam Strube is a Construction Manager for Fulton Homes.

His responsibilities oversee construction operations and working closely with Energy Rater partners and contractors on better building practices. Current energy-building programs: Energy Star partner since 2009, Indoor airPLUS partner since 2014, and WaterSense Builder partner since 2019. 

Adam attended Arizona State University focused studies on Business Management, Military Science (R.O.T.C), and is a certified fire service professional (Office of State Fire Marshal Arizona). He came to Fulton Homes in July of 1999 with a law enforcement and Firefighting background. Over the past 23 years, he's worked his way from an entry-level tech to a construction manager. Adam currently resides In Queen Creek Arizona with his wife Tracey and three boys.

Todd Usher built Addison Homes on a solid green foundation.

In 2002, Addison Homes became the only company in South Carolina to certify 100% of its homes to high-performance standards such as Energy Star and EarthCraft House, and, most recently, U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home. 

As the first builder in the U.S. to earn NAHB's Master Certified Green Professional designation, Todd freely shares his expertise with the building industry. He serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Clemson University's Department of Construction Science and Management, where he encourages the next generation of builders to pursue residential green building. Todd is also a frequent guest speaker in courses within the Sustainability Science Major at Furman University. Todd volunteers on several boards including Trees Greenville and the National Association of Home Builders where he is the Education Chair for the SC Home Builders Association.

Glenna Wilson is the founder and co-owner of Charis Homes, LLC.

For over 14 years Glenna has researched and applied best-practices for building energy efficient homes that have been recognized on a national level for being innovative in construction and design. In 2010, she was the first female president of the Building Industry Association of Stark County. Because of her desire to meet and exceed the standard of custom home-building, Charis Homes was the first custom home builder in Northeast Ohio to build a Zero Energy Ready home. Glenna is an experienced sales and marketing professional that has served in various leadership roles throughout the Ohio home building community. She actively pursues knowledge about the latest energy-efficiency building requirements and design trends so that she can pass that knowledge on to Charis Homes' homeowners and other builders who are interested in learning more about energy efficient home construction.

Danielle grew up in the Texas Hill Country, where her love of the outdoors as a child instilled a deep respect for the environment, and a strong desire to preserve our natural surroundings.

When she met her husband, Jesse, they dreamed of setting roots and raising their children in the pristine Texas Hill Country, and of eventually working together as a husband and wife team. Danielle’s vision of preserving the Texas Hill Country, and building beautifully sustainable homes eventually took hold. As their paths narrowed, Danielle and Jesse realized how their passions complemented each other, and all roads pointed to the creation of Younger Homes in Austin, Texas. It was during her studies and research at Texas A&M University, Danielle began to hone her innate desire to be a part of making a real difference in creating a sustainable world for future generations.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Bioenvironmental Science with a Minor in Agronomy, as well as a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Environmental and Occupational Health. Through national and international research in Public Health and Environmental Toxicology, she began to understand the impact of the environment on human health, and the importance of protecting public health through educating individuals to make informed choices. After graduation, she began a fulfilling and successful career working for a major Oil and Gas company, where she helped others better understand the impacts of Environmental Health and Safety to deliver safe operations offshore. The home is where families spend the most time, energy, and resources, and it is in this place where we can all make a difference. Danielle’s background shaped beliefs that through education and awareness, environmentally sustainable and healthy homes, will become standard building practice. She is confident the vision of Younger Homes will protect the health of individuals, communities, and create a sustainable and healthy world for her children and future generations.

Ms. Butterfield has worked to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of residential buildings for over 25 years.

She is focused on delivering exceptional sustainability consulting services, program certification support, and implementation of high-performance building technologies. Working with architects, developers, builders, and homeowners, Karla develops tailored sustainability strategies for both new construction and renovations. As a top expert in her field, Karla is frequently asked to speak at events and conferences nationwide, including the RESNET, WaterSmart Innovations, Northeast Indoor Air Quality & Energy, Passive House, and ENERGY STAR conferences, as well as Greenbuild and many others.

Dean Gamble is the technical manager for EPA's ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program, which he has helped support, define, and implement for 15 years.

With over 1.7 million homes certified, ENERGY STAR is the nation's largest voluntary residential market transformation program, delivering cost-effective energy-efficient homes while improving their durability, comfort, and quality.

Theresa Gilbride is a research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where her primary focus is residential energy efficiency.

She supports DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program and Tour of Zero. She also supports DOE's Building America program as content development lead for the Building America Solution Center, an online tool for builders, remodelers, contractors, code officials, and other members of the home building industry.

In addition, Mrs. Gilbride supports research projects in high-r windows, solid state lighting, and high-r walls. Mrs. Gilbride has authored or co-authored 34 reports and 43 articles on residential energy efficiency and related topics. She is a lead author or co-author of the Building America best practice series, a 17-volume series which includes guides for high-performance home builders in all U.S. climate zones, a guide to photovoltaic system installations, and retrofit guides on air sealing, insulation, and HVAC. She has also published on building codes and emerging technologies including window attachments, lighting, appliances, and HVAC. Outside of work, she likes hiking, biking, sailing, and cross-country skiing.

Nick Hurst is an Environmental Protection Specialist with the US EPA and the Program Manager of EPA's Indoor airPLUS label for new homes.

He has been involved in the construction industry for over 17 years as a self-employed remodeling contractor, project manager, green building consultant, and trainer. Before coming to EPA, Nick was a Manager at ICF in the Federal Energy Efficiency portfolio, consulting on labeling programs such as ENERGY STAR, Indoor airPLUS, and WaterSense.

Nick is a BPI Building Analyst, LEED-AP (Homes), and NAHB Certified Green Professional. He has also participated in the Housing Innovation Alliance's Comfort + Health Program Council, the National Green Building Standard (ICC-700) Remodeling Task Group (2018), and the ANSI/AARST CCAH Committee for radon-resistant construction in new homes. Nick presents regularly at industry conferences on high performance home building, the Indoor airPLUS Program, and EPA's Energy Savings Plus Health protocols for improved indoor air quality in existing homes.

Achilles Karagiozis is the director of NREL's Buildings and Thermal Sciences Center.

He manages a multidisciplinary team of approximately 150 researchers within the laboratory's Buildings, Concentrating Solar Power, and Geothermal Technologies groups. He provides strategic planning to bolster NREL efforts to transform energy through buildings science and integration. His work is focused on accelerating the development of strategic technical capabilities and directing world-class multidisciplinary research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, other federal agencies, and industry partners in the areas of buildings, solar power, and geothermal energy.

Dr. Karagiozis comes to NREL from Owens Corning where he was the global director of building science and led global accountability for the company's building science strategy. Before joining Owens Corning, Dr. Karagiozis was a distinguished researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he worked for 16 years. His more than 130 publications have been cited over 1,200 times, and he has an h-index of 18. He chairs ASHRAE Standard Project Committee 160, which specifies criteria for designing high-performance buildings. He is also an Energy and Environmental Building Alliance board member and serves on the Passive House Institute US Technical Committee.

Terrence Mosley is an AAAS Fellow assigned to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office.

Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Mr. Mosley received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Southern University at Baton Rouge, LA, and his M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mosley is a real estate entrepreneur with 10 years of experience as the owner and operator of a residential construction firm specializing in home additions, renovations, and remodels. Prior to that, he served 20 years as a regional engineering manager for General Motors and Delphi Automotive Systems.

He has worked on STEM programs for women and minorities and mentored many minority undergraduate and graduate students through programs like the GEM Fellowship and FIRST Robotics. He was honored with a Black Engineer of the Year Special Recognition Award for his efforts at increasing the diversity of the future STEM Pipeline.

As Chief Architect for the Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office, Sam's primary role is leading deployment of proven innovations for new and existing high-performance homes.

In his prior position, he managed the growth of ENERGY STAR for Homes from its inception in 1996 to more than 8,000 builder partners, over one million labeled homes, and over 25 percent market penetration nationwide. During his 20-plus years as a licensed architect, he specialized in energy efficient design and completed over 100 residential projects. He has served on the national Steering Committees for USGBC’s LEED for Homes, NAHB's Green Builder Guidelines, and U.S. EPA's Water Sense and Indoor airPLUS labels. Mr. Rashkin has received national recognition for his contributions to sustainable housing with the 2019 EEBA Legend Award and the 2012 Hanley Award and is a published author.

Paul Torcellini is a Principal Engineer for Commercial Buildings Research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a DOE laboratory.

Paul is a key contributor in the development of the Advanced Energy Design Guides (ASHRAE/AIA/IES/USGBC) including chairing the technical committees that produce the zero energy AEDGs.  Paul has been at NREL for 26 years and is a registered Professional Engineer holding a PhD from Purdue University. He is an ASHRAE Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer.  Paul has authored or co-authored more than 50 papers and articles related to energy efficiency and zero-energy commercial buildings.

Sarah Truitt joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2010 and spent her first four years in program management, working closely with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office and NREL researchers. 

Since 2014, she has been leading innovative programs across many areas of the lab including piloting new methods of doing business with small and large businesses and international organizations. Sarah joined the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) Operations Center in 2017 to establish the ESIF User Program. Sarah currently works in the Residential Buildings Research Group and conducts a range of research and analysis related to the building efficiency workforce and technology commercialization.

Sarah began her career in energy by working in the solar industry in California. She made contributions to the California Solar Initiative in 2006 prior to moving to Washington D.C. to complete graduate studies at the George Washington University. Upon graduation, Sarah worked for Sentech, Inc. as an on-site contractor helping the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office implement their market transformation program. 

Chad Gillespie, Senior Manager Performance Construction, Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating, has more than 25 years experience in the building industry.

His experience and knowledge stems from a diverse background including wholesale distribution management, manufacturing, and as a builder. Chad now focuses his efforts on providing a design/solution based approach to builders, designers and performance contractors.

Chad leads the Performance Construction team with Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC in promoting and educating HVAC contractors, builders, and architects on the importance of proper HVAC design, sustainable building practices. He and his team promote a holistic approach to building design which can help the building industry evolve to better serve the needs of the consumer, builders, and environment.

Joseph has been with Aprilaire for the past 6 years and has worked on developing and executing Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) messaging for the company’s consumer and trade channels.

He works closely with Aprilaire home building partners to incorporate the healthy air message into their consumer value proposition and marketing deliverables.  He is passionate about helping builders embrace the buyer demand for a Healthy Home as well as educating the trades on the continued role IAQ products play in the design of efficient and sustainable housing.

Patrick Nielsen is Global Technical Products Manager at Broan, a leading manufacturer of residential ventilation products including ventilation fans, supply fans, H/ERVs, range hoods and make-up air dampers.

Patrick has been with Broan for 18 years with the majority of that time spent in product development/marketing management. In his current position, his responsibilities include codes and standards, identifying future product development opportunities and training. He serves on the board of the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) and chairs their Codes & Standards committee

Russell Pope is the Industry Development Manager for Panasonic Life Solutions, North America.

Russell has over 14 years of experience in the residential ventilation industry and genuinely enjoys his job with Panasonic and the opportunities it provides. Russell serves on the Board of Directors for the Home Ventilating Institute, is an active participant in ASHRAE 62.2, ENERGY STAR, Department of Energy Programs, and Codes and Standards development.

Russell was born and raised in Florida and Jacksonville is home base when not traveling for business. As a graduate of Georgia Southern University with a degree in Industrial Management, he likes to believe that he is pretty well rounded with experience in manufacturing, sales, product development, and training, but he does not claim to be an expert in any of these categories (his 2 teenage sons strongly agree that "he is no expert….!"). I guess you could say that he is clever enough to realize that he is neither smart enough nor does he have the time to be an island. Together, Everyone Achieves More.

William W. Ranson is the leader of the Building Knowledge Center, a team that uses DuPont’s industry leading building science to support and grow with our customers through field support, content development, and industry influence.

He has 7 years’ experience specifically within the high-performance building industry, and over 18 years of experience managing and developing professionals in a variety of functions. Throughout his career, William has led technical support, quality, research and development, manufacturing technology, maintenance, marketing support, and application development teams within various DuPont businesses globally.

Prior to joining DuPont, he completed his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech, with a focus on heat transfer. In addition to his work with EEBA, he participates on the suppliers’ advisory board for RESNET, the calculations subcommittee of RESNET Standards Development Committee 300; and he is a Boy Scout leader. His hobbies include traveling, reading, and anything about wine.

Paul Springer is the National Director for AeroBarrier envelope sealing technology.

Paul is responsible for running the AeroBarrier division, while also being tasked with stakeholder engagement, including the U.S. DOE, EPA, AIA, and NAHB. Paul is a business and branding strategist, with expertise in market development, marketing, and project management. Past experience includes overseeing market development activities and marketing for healthcare and manufacturing companies.

Mike Topitzhofer is a National Business Development Manager in the Residential HVAC and Supply business segment at Trane Technologies.

Mike was first introduced to the world of building science after enrolling in the Residential Building Science and Technology degree program at the University of Minnesota. Out of school Mike began doing energy assessments for weatherization programs and later became a certified HERS rater. As a Program Manager for a utilities implementation contractor, Mike designed and managed energy efficient new home rebate programs for homebuilders in Colorado and Illinois. Mike joined Trane in 2018 and in his current role works with Building Science industry partners to improve energy efficiency, comfort, air quality, and durability in residential buildings.

Dean Gamble is the technical manager for EPA's ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program, which he has helped support, define, and implement for 15 years.

With over 1.7 million homes certified, ENERGY STAR is the nation's largest voluntary residential market transformation program, delivering cost-effective energy-efficient homes while improving their durability, comfort, and quality.

Theresa Gilbride is a research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where her primary focus is residential energy efficiency.

She supports DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program and Tour of Zero. She also supports DOE's Building America program as content development lead for the Building America Solution Center, an online tool for builders, remodelers, contractors, code officials, and other members of the home building industry.

In addition, Mrs. Gilbride supports research projects in high-r windows, solid state lighting, and high-r walls. Mrs. Gilbride has authored or co-authored 34 reports and 43 articles on residential energy efficiency and related topics. She is a lead author or co-author of the Building America best practice series, a 17-volume series which includes guides for high-performance home builders in all U.S. climate zones, a guide to photovoltaic system installations, and retrofit guides on air sealing, insulation, and HVAC. She has also published on building codes and emerging technologies including window attachments, lighting, appliances, and HVAC. Outside of work, she likes hiking, biking, sailing, and cross-country skiing.

Nick Hurst is an Environmental Protection Specialist with the US EPA and the Program Manager of EPA's Indoor airPLUS label for new homes.

He has been involved in the construction industry for over 17 years as a self-employed remodeling contractor, project manager, green building consultant, and trainer. Before coming to EPA, Nick was a Manager at ICF in the Federal Energy Efficiency portfolio, consulting on labeling programs such as ENERGY STAR, Indoor airPLUS, and WaterSense.

Nick is a BPI Building Analyst, LEED-AP (Homes), and NAHB Certified Green Professional. He has also participated in the Housing Innovation Alliance's Comfort + Health Program Council, the National Green Building Standard (ICC-700) Remodeling Task Group (2018), and the ANSI/AARST CCAH Committee for radon-resistant construction in new homes. Nick presents regularly at industry conferences on high performance home building, the Indoor airPLUS Program, and EPA's Energy Savings Plus Health protocols for improved indoor air quality in existing homes.

Tiffani Irwin found herself on a Habitat job site 25 years ago, and has been engaged with the mission ever since. She has over 20 years of hands-on experience in home construction and served as a general contractor with Habitat affiliates for over 14 years.  As an early member of the "Green Team," HFHI's earliest focus on sustainable and energy efficient construction, Tiffani was an early adopter of sustainable building practices. 

Since 1990, Tiffani has worked on homes with dozens of affiliates, domestically and internationally, and overseen construction of over 100 Habitat homes that were certified to a sustainable program. She has been with HFHI since 2009, as the Manager of Partners in Sustainable Building. In her current role, Tiffani manages the efforts around best practices for sustainable new construction and work on existing homes.

Timothy M. O'Brien founded Tim O'Brien Homes along with his partner, Matt Neumann, in June of 2007.

Tim went out to form a new residential home building company focused on building green and energy efficient homes. He continues to develop knowledge in building high performance homes through educational events such as EEBA and DOE workshops. Since the inception of Tim O'Brien Homes, the company has been honored to receive the Silver NHQ award in 2016 and the Gold award in 2017. At the start of 2018 the company has also broken ground in Wisconsin's first net zero energy neighborhood, Red Fox Crossing in New Berlin, and is the leading innovator of Solar Energy homes in the State of WI, partnered with SunVest Solar, Inc.

Tim is very active in several Waukesha area school districts running a home building project with the high school construction trades seniors at Oconomowoc High School for the past (8) years, as well as pioneering a brand new curriculum for New Berlin Eisenhower High School's trade program to start in the Fall of 2018.

Russell Pope is the Industry Development Manager for Panasonic Life Solutions, North America.

Russell has over 14 years of experience in the residential ventilation industry and genuinely enjoys his job with Panasonic and the opportunities it provides. Russell serves on the Board of Directors for the Home Ventilating Institute, is an active participant in ASHRAE 62.2, ENERGY STAR, Department of Energy Programs, and Codes and Standards development.

Russell was born and raised in Florida and Jacksonville is home base when not traveling for business. As a graduate of Georgia Southern University with a degree in Industrial Management, he likes to believe that he is pretty well rounded with experience in manufacturing, sales, product development, and training, but he does not claim to be an expert in any of these categories (his 2 teenage sons strongly agree that "he is no expert….!"). I guess you could say that he is clever enough to realize that he is neither smart enough nor does he have the time to be an island. Together, Everyone Achieves More.

Bill Rectanus is a managing partner and Vice President of Homebuilding Operations for Thrive Home Builders in Denver, Colorado.

His responsibilities include the management and oversight of the construction, purchasing, customer service, quality assurance and land development departments. In addition to his daily responsibilities Bill is also responsible for the implementation of Thrive Home Builders' "High Performance Building Initiative".

Bill is very active in the Homebuilding industry both locally and nationally. He is committed to the local Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and has served 7 terms on their Board of Directors and 3 terms on the Flat Irons Building Council. Two of those council terms as Chairman. 

Bill holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Ohio University and currently lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife of 20 years and two daughters.

Dr. Claudette Hanks Reichel is Professor and Extension Housing Specialist with the Louisiana State University AgCenter.

She spearheaded and serves as Director of LaHouse Resource Center, a public exhibit of multiple high performance housing solutions and regional hub of Louisiana Extension's sustainable housing educational outreach programs. The vision of LaHouse is to shape our future with resource-efficient, durable, healthy, convenient and practical homes for the southern climate and natural hazards.

Since 1981, Dr. Reichel has developed numerous educational outreach materials, programs and delivery systems relating to housing and building science, including energy-efficiency, healthy indoor air quality, hurricane and flood resilience, universal design and others. She has authored more than 100 Extension publications, including the Building Your High Performance Home – Southern Region Homeowners Guide book. She has received 12 national and state level awards for program excellence or impact, was twice a featured speaker at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. and has presented at numerous national and regional events.

JACK ARMSTRONG is president of ACUMEN, LLC, a boutique sustainable marketing, advocacy, and business communication consulting practice, founded after his 24-year career with BASF – The Chemical Company. 

Key focus areas include energy efficiency/durability for sustainable construction in the built environment, in addition to B2B supply chain, life cycle analysis, and federal/state/city advocacy messaging along the entire value chain. 

Armstrong has served on the board of directors of the Sustainable Building Industries Council, Structural Insulated Panel Association, and on the board and as Sustainability Chair of BPA – the worldwide consumer and media audit association in New York City composed of brand owners and advertising agencies. Currently, he serves on the board of Team Zero (formerly the Net Zero Energy Coalition).  Additionally, he was a member of the United Nations Environmental Program Sustainable Building Climate Initiative Materials Advisory Committee and Chair for the Building & Construction Materials Issues Team of the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division.

Frank Baker graduated from Kettering University (formerly known as General Motors Institute) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked at General Motors for 16 years holding a variety of positions from Engineer to Industrial Engineering Department Supervisor.

In 1979, Frank founded Riverbend Timber Framing Inc., the largest custom timber frame/insulated panel building system fabricator in the North America. He has since gone on to found, co-found and merge other businesses, Midwest Panel Systems and Insulspan Inc. being a few. He has been affiliated with and worked on many other boards and takes pride in his variety of community service activities.

Ms. Butterfield has worked to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of residential buildings for over 25 years.

She is focused on delivering exceptional sustainability consulting services, program certification support, and implementation of high-performance building technologies. Working with architects, developers, builders, and homeowners, Karla develops tailored sustainability strategies for both new construction and renovations. As a top expert in her field, Karla is frequently asked to speak at events and conferences nationwide, including the RESNET, WaterSmart Innovations, Northeast Indoor Air Quality & Energy, Passive House, and ENERGY STAR conferences, as well as Greenbuild and many others.

Brandon Franks, Director of National Accounts for Goodman Manufacturing, manages the single and multifamily new construction efforts. He strives to find the most effective mechanical solutions for developers while focusing on sustainability and holistic approaches to obtain the most optimal results in comfort. Working side-by-side with builders and developers for nearly 20 years provides Brandon with a keen understanding of the evolution of construction.

With this insight, Brandon continues to work on the advancement of mechanical systems for future construction and sustainability factors that drive Net Zero efficiency projects. Brandon focuses on high-efficiency solutions at the most optimal cost for new construction, making a concerted effort to work with developers, regulatory groups, utility providers, and other manufacturers to help subsidize cost while driving results.

Sara is the Co-Founder and CEO of Green Builder® Media, the leading media company in North America focused on green building and sustainable living.  

With a comprehensive suite of print and digital media solutions, demonstration projects, case studies, online training, and live events, and market intelligence services, Green Builder Media assists building professionals in preparing themselves for the evolving green economy and helps homeowners understand how to live more sustainably.

As CEO of Green Builder Media, Sara has established a reputation for herself as a visionary thought leader and passionate advocate for sustainability.  She works closely with Green Builder Media’s advertisers, including major corporations such as Ingersoll Rand, DuPont, Panasonic, Whirlpool, Kohler, and others, to develop long-term green strategies that make a profound impact on the market and are simultaneously sustainable and profitable.

Steve Mickley is the Executive Director of AIBD and a Certified Professional Building Designer.

Prior to his current position, Steve most recently was the Managing Director of SGA Architecture in Palm Beach, FL, and spent 10 years as owner of a residential design firm. Steve holds numerous awards, such as AIBD’s President’s Award and AIBD Designer of the Year, and is a member of the AIBD College of Fellows. Steve’s many interests include racing in triathlons and skydiving where he broke a world record by successfully completing 52 skydives from an airplane within 11 hours and 15 minutes, each time packing his own parachute.

Aaron Smith is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) which represents a community of over 50,000 builders and their stakeholders across North America that are truly the early adopters and innovators in driving sustainable transformation of the homebuilding industry.

Aaron has over 25 years of experience in home construction, building products, sustainability and non-profit board leadership. He has worked for companies including Kohler, Uponor and ASSA ABLOY as well as startups in Silicon Valley and his own building and remodeling company. Aaron previously served on non-profit Boards for Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC), CT Sustainable Business Council, and co-founded the CT Collaborative - Living Building Challenge.

Aaron completed his undergraduate studies at West Point and St. Cloud State University and is a 2016 graduate of the Yale University MBA program with a focus on Sustainability. He loves green building and sustainability as well as hockey, hiking, skiing, gardening and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, 3 boys and 4 cats and chickens at their home in Minneapolis.

Paul Torcellini is a Principal Engineer for Commercial Buildings Research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a DOE laboratory.

Paul is a key contributor in the development of the Advanced Energy Design Guides (ASHRAE/AIA/IES/USGBC) including chairing the technical committees that produce the zero energy AEDGs.  Paul has been at NREL for 26 years and is a registered Professional Engineer holding a PhD from Purdue University. He is an ASHRAE Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer.  Paul has authored or co-authored more than 50 papers and articles related to energy efficiency and zero-energy commercial buildings.

Richard has focused his writing, publishing and marketing career on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Since 1980, when he launched the magazine Energy Management Canada, he has maintained that sustainable buildings cost less over their lifetime than unsustainable buildings.

When he was CEO of Motum b2b he worked to craft and deliver that message for brands both big and small—among them BASF, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Enbridge, Honeywell, Lafarge, Ontario Hydro and Philips Lighting. Richard’s personal and professional vision is that ‘one day everyone will be able to live, work and play in a net-zero energy building’.