EEBA Staff

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.

Nancy Bakeman is the Executive Vice President of EEBA, the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance, a community of over 50,000 members whose goal is to help high performance builders thrive and drive the transformation of sustainable building across North America.

She has been with the organization for over 16 years and has played several different roles and adapted to lots of changes in the industry over those years. In her past life, she spent many years in the legal profession and made the leap to the non-profit world in 2005 and never looked back.

Nancy lives in the Minneapolis area and likes to travel and spend time outside in all seasons, but mostly loves spending time with friends and family, especially her three grandkids.

Mary MacLeod-Jones is a veteran sales and marketing strategist specializing in sustainability and construction sectors. Based in Southern Maine, MacLeod-Jones creates integrated communications campaigns that capitalize growth and funding  opportunities for organizations by leveraging the power of  partnerships.

Industry expertise includes the digital marketplace, residential architecture, sustainable chemistry, advanced building envelope technologies, wood products, concrete admixtures, insulation materials and systems, brownfield remediation, aquaculture, government relations and nonprofit development.

Elizabeth H. Johnson, a member of Big Red M team since its inception in 2010, has led highly successful membership and sponsorship campaigns throughout her tenure for some of the top associations in the country.

She specializes in conducting a comprehensive review of existing sponsorship programs and developing fresh opportunities for increased revenue. Her association expertise also includes her ability to articulate government relations as a key membership benefit and to deliver presentations to leadership and boards across industries.

to Big Red M, Elizabeth worked within the association segment of Marriott’s prestigious global sales team. She is a graduate of James Madison University. More about Elizabeth: She and her husband have two young children – a boy and a girl. Outside of work, Elizabeth volunteers with her daughter’s school as a board member. She enjoys baking, swimming, and going to the beach with her family.

Gabrielle McLaughlin has a BA in Communications from Moody Institute, specializing in visual design. 

She is a strategic multidisciplinary designer skilled in user experience, user interface, and graphic design. She is experienced in developing branding and optimizing digital content for the users' experience while implementing multimedia marketing initiatives and business goals. She has previously worked as a communications manager at an education-based nonprofit and has graphic design experience across a wide range of industries. Gabrielle spends her free time being outdoors, biking, and creating abstract art.

Jojo Zhang is pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Art at Macalester College, majoring in Media and Culture Studies and Environmental Studies. 

With experience in public relations and social media management, she has participated in several campaign designs for nonprofit organizations and international companies. She is skilled in content creation, blog post design, and social media marketing. She is passionate about environmental protection and focuses on addressing Environmental Justice issues through communication.

Jojo is talented in art and paints in her spare time. She lives in Minneapolis and enjoys visiting the lakes and rivers around this region.

Anna Jennissen is pursuing a BA at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in Strategic Communications and minoring in Sustainability and Spanish.

With experience in graphic design and research, Anna has participated in multiple public health related campaigns and research along with working with international companies. She is skilled in content creation, web-design, and data management. Anna is passionate about sustainability and focuses on addressing environmental and social justice issues through communication. She spends her free time outdoors, exploring Minneapolis, and creating art.