The following are confirmed presenters for the 2019 RESNET Building Performance Conference:


Ben Adams
MaGrann Associates

Ben Adams leads program design for MaGrann Associates, a residential energy engineering and consulting company based in the New Jersey.  Over more than 25 years, his program development experience has ranged from comprehensive energy education and retrofit initiatives to the design and implementation of residential new construction programs for numerous states and utilities.  Since 2003, Ben has been a Board Director of RESNET, as well as Chair of its Quality Assurance Committee and a participant in numerous working groups (most recently for development of multifamily rating guidelines).  He also sat on the Board of Directors of Affordable Comfort (ACI) from 1996 to 2008, and again from 2011-2013.  He is a frequent participant in regional and national strategy sessions addressing residential energy issues, particularly related to whole-building approaches.  He began his career in energy efficiency program development at the New Zealand Ministry of Energy in 1982.  He has an MBA from Drexel University and a B.S. from the University of Canterbury.

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Sandra Adomatis
Adomatis Appraisal Service

Sandra is an appraiser, instructor, author, and course developer.  The Appraisal Institute published her book, “Residential Green Valuation Tools” in April 2014.  She spearheaded the development of the AI Residential and Commercial Green and Energy Efficient Addendums. In July 2016, the Appraisal Institute presented her the Outstanding Service Award.

Sandra is a consultant to builders, governmental agencies, utility companies, real estate agents, and energy organizations. She speaks on the valuation of green features at events such as GreenBuild, IBS, EEBA, ACI, The White House Conference Center, National Association of REALTORS®, National Association of Home Builders, and Appraisal Institute Conferences. 

She was on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory team that produced in 2015, “Selling into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes” and “Appraising Into The Sun.”  You will find her webinar, “6 Things You Didn’t Know About Appraising Green Home Features,” as part of the Online NAR Green Courses.

Sandra authored the study, "What is Green Worth? Unveiling High-Performance Home Premiums in Washington, D.C.,” funded by the District Department of Energy and sponsored by Institute for Market Transformation.

In 2016 the Appraisal Institute presented her with the Outstanding Service Award.

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Jim Amorin
President, Appraisal Institute

Jim Amorin, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, of Austin, Texas, is the 2017 president of the Appraisal Institute. He will serve as immediate past president in 2018. He serves this year as chair of the organization’s Executive Committee and chairs its policy-setting Board of Directors.

Amorin served on the AI Executive Committee, National Nominating Committee, Finance Committee, Audit Committee, AI Relief Foundation Board of Directors, General Appraiser Council Admissions Committee and Qualifying Education Committee and as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, in addition to region and chapter roles. He was the 2009 Appraisal Institute president, and also has served as national president-elect, vice president and immediate past president.

He received the Appraisal Institute President’s Award in 2012 for work related to the Capstone program as well as work on several project teams. In 2013 he was awarded the Appraisal Institute Education Trust’s Y.T and Louise Lee Lum Award.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in finance and real estate & urban land development, he received an MAI designation in 1992, an SRA designation in 2003 and an AI-GRS designation in 2014. He also has received a SR/WA designation from the International Right of Way Association.

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Ross Anderson
The Energy Network World Wide

Ross Anderson has worked in the building industry for more than 10 years as a builder project manager and is currently an energy efficiency consultant at The Energy Network World Wide. Previously, Ross worked as a contract relations manager at the Neighborhood Energy Connection, as a builder account executive/building performance specialist at Cocoon, as a builder program account executive at Residential Science Resources, and as owner of Advanced Energy Consulting.

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Chrissi Antonopoulous
PNNL

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Jacob Atalla
Vice President of Sustainability, KB Homes

Educated as an architect, Jacob has over 25 years of technology and green building experience. He developed KB Home’s “Double Zero” homes.  These ground-breaking homes are designed to produce as much energy as they’re expected to consume, and include energy storage.  At the same time, they recycle greywater, eliminating the need for fresh water in landscape irrigation.  Other recent projects include launching nearly 100 solar-powered communities, and building over 150 LEED certified homes.  Previously, Jacob developed KB Home’s Energy Performance Guide, which provides KB homeowners with information on the relative energy efficiency and estimated gas and electricity costs.

Jacob serves on the board of directors for Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET).  He also serves on the technical committee for Leading Builders of America, and on the advisory board for TecHome Builder.  In recent years he chaired Orange County’s Urban Land Institute’s Sustainable Communities Council.

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Steve Baden
Executive Director, RESNET

Steve Baden has worked in the residential energy efficiency field for over twenty five years, including eighteen years with home energy ratings and energy mortgages on both the state and national levels, and ten years administering a state energy office. Mr. Baden initiated the "Warm Homes for Alaskans Initiative" which received the "1993 National Award for the Most Outstanding State Housing Program" from the National Council of State Housing Agencies. Steve was also awarded "Lifetime Achievement Awards" from the U.S. Department of Energy and RESNET.

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Mike Barcik
Senior Engineer for Technical Services, Southface

Mike Barcik is a Senior Engineer for Technical Services at Southface.  With B.S and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, Mike is the author of numerous technical resources and has developed and lead thousands of trainings for RESNET, BPI, LEED, DOE, EPA and other programs. He's active in energy code development and often leads workshops on the latest code changes. Since 1999, Mike has trained over 1,400 individuals in RESNET's Home Energy Rating System (HERS) program and in 2010, helped create the Duct and Envelope Tightness (DET) Verifier program to certify over a thousand individuals for blower door and duct leakage testing, as required by the 2009 IECC.  Mike served as LEED Faculty for BD+C, EB O&M, and Homes as well as helped develop and teach the EarthCraft family of sustainable programs. He recently helped author Decatur Georgia's High Performance Building Ordinance which requires 3rd party certification for new single-family, multi-family, and commercial projects.

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Dave Bell
EFL-VP of Building Science, Masco Home Services

David has been with Masco Home Services for over 12 years, and is currently the VP of Building Science for Masco Home Services and the Environments For Living Program. The Environments For Living program is a building science based program which promotes a systems approach to home construction. The program focuses on the envelope and HVAC system to provide for homes that are durable, safe, comfortable, and energy efficient. To date the program has over 175,000 homes enrolled with the great majority also being Energy Star Homes. During David’s time as the VP of Building Science Masco Home Services has grown its performance testing footprint to become one of the largest HERS rater networks in the United States, conducting testing for code, HERS index, Energy Star and the EFL program.   Prior to coming to Masco he was the VP – National Builder Program for EIC Corporation, managing the Certainteed High Performance Home Program. He also spent 20 years with Pennsylvania Power and Light in various positions in their residential Marketing & Energy Services Department. David is a member of the RESNET Board and also a member of the EEBA Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

A native of Pennsylvania, Dave attended King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA graduating with a degree in Marketing. In addition he has an Associates Degrees in Plumbing and Heating technology.

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John Bell
Business Development and co-Founder, Greyter Water Systems

John Bell is V.P. Business Development and co-Founder of Greyter Water Systems. Greyter Water Systems offers industry proven out-of-the-box water reuse management solutions, which reduce the water and wastewater demands of commercial and residential buildings. Greyter is expecting to launch t its NSF 350 certified residential solution in the spring of 2019, which will be the first of its kind: small foot print, cost effective, user friendly and easy to install residential system for the home. Bell has been actively involved in the water conservation and greywater recycling industry since 2009.
A former sports broadcaster, Bell has over a decade of television experience, which included hosting World’s Greenest Homes, which featured some of the most sustainable builds around the world (HGTV Canada/Daily Planet Green U.S.A). Bell has worked in the construction industry for more than a decade, as an energy evaluator (HERS Rater) and project manager for renovations and new builds.

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Michael Berry
ICF

Michael Berry has over 20 years of experience in the energy conservation field. He is the Client Director for the Mass Save Residential New Construction Program/High Performance Homes Working Group in Massachusetts. Michael has chaired the Green Building Council (GBC) for the Builders Association of Greater Boston’s (BAGB) and was also on their Board of Directors. As the chair for the council, he was responsible for the coordination of trainings and networking events that introduce sustainable building practices to the Greater Boston Building Community. He has contributed to articles in the Boston Globe and has been a technical editor for RS Means reviewing technical manuals on sustainable building practices. Michael is also a Subject Matter Expert for the State of Massachusetts Green Community Programs Stretch Energy Code overseen by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER).


Michael has past experience managing income eligible programs regionally for the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Community Development in Boston, Housing and Urban Development along with several utility funded energy efficiency programs. He also worked directly with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center in their rehab and small renewable grants programs, along with creating and managing storm recovery programs. He has worked with low to moderate income clients residing in Massachusetts. Clients were served by the programs Michael managed with single and multifamily rehabilitation/weatherization programs, heating system repairs and replacements, appliance management programs, ENERGY STAR New Construction Homes, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs, and small renewable projects. In 2009, Michael was awarded “The Top 30 under 40,” a national award given by the National Association of Homebuilders, for his work with the Systems Built Industry.

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Ian Blanding
MEEA

Ian Blanding is a Building Policy Manager for MEEA’s Building Energy Codes Team. In his role, Ian tracks and disseminates new information about energy code policies, develops technical resources and provides assistance to state and municipal governments within the Midwest during the adoption process of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
Prior to joining MEEA, he worked as a policy advisor for a mayoral campaign in Cincinnati, OH, where he helped develop innovative and progressive policies to improve the urban framework. Ian also worked as the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Grand Haven, MI, where he made strides in improving and promoting municipal sustainability initiatives.


He holds a Master of Community Planning degree from the University of Cincinnati and a B.S. in Environmental Policy and Public Administration from Central Michigan University. Ian is an avid marathon runner, and enjoys spending time in nature while backpacking, hiking and biking.

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Rick Blumenthal
Training & Certification Manager, Knauf Insulation

Rick entered the construction industry as an apprentice carpenter in 1971 while he was earning his degrees in Environmental Conservation and Environmental planning.  In 1980 he opened a successful residential construction company that he ran for 33 years building high performance homes, remodels and weatherization retrofits.  During that time he was certified as an Energy Star Verifier, HERS Rater, BPI Building Analyst, Built Green Verifier and PTCS certified pressure tester.  In 2010 Rick was employed as the Lead Energy and Technical Advisor for Conservation Services Group providing weatherization, audits and services for the Repower Energy Challenge sponsored by the Better Buildings Program in Kitsap County Washington.  In 2013 he was employed by Knauf Insulation as a Building Performance Specialist providing technical knowledge and research to builders, contractors and the Knauf sales team.  Currently, he is the Training and Certification Manager for Knauf.

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Sam Bowles
Newport Partners

Sam Bowles specializes in building industry communications and market research to understand and shape perceptions on building technologies and designs. In his nearly 10 years with Newport Partners he has conducted numerous market research studies, created and implemented communications plans, and developed Social Media initiatives for multiple public and private sector clients. He currently serves as the Communications Director for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program, assisting innovative home builders in the U.S. with social media marketing tools and strategies to increase market share of high performance homes. Sam has an MBA from Columbus State University (2012) and holds a Bachelors from Union College.

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Brad Bray
U.S. Ecologic

Brad Bray – General Manager of TexEnergy Solutions/US Ecologic
Brad is a LEED AP Homes, NGBS Master Verifier, HERS rater and IECC residential and commercial inspector.  He manages a national team of engineers, project managers and inspectors who provide practical, reliable and economical solutions to the energy and environmental needs of new and existing buildings.

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Valerie Briggs
Communications Director, RESNET

Valerie served as the Director of Marketing and Business Development at North American Technician Excellence (NATE), overseeing business development, advertising, marketing, and public relations activities for the organization. Prior to joining NATE, Ms. Briggs worked as Senior Director of External Communications and Marketing Outreach for the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), a national health care trade association representing the interests of the owners of over 23,000 independent retail pharmacies. She was previously responsible for marketing and training for the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program, a healthcare and employment program for people with disabilities.

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Michelle Britt
International Code Council

Michelle Britt is the Director of Energy Programs at the International Code Council. She has over 15 years’ experience impacting building energy use and broader sustainability. She has served national, state and local governments, industry, and non-profits across the US and the Pacific.  Her broad background in land use and transportation planning, and environmental impact analysis brings a holistic approach to her work in building energy. Previously, she was a partner with the Britt/Makela Group and a Senior Research Scientist with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and a Master’s degree in Architecture.

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Michael Brown
Project Manager, ICF

Michael is a project manager with ICF, where he supports energy efficiency policy development and implementation for federal, state, local, and utility clients. Michael has supported the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program since 2012. Michael has also previously worked helping the U.S. DOE develop energy conservation standards and test procedures for appliances and equipment.

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Rod Buchalter
Past President, RenewABILITY Energy Inc.

Rod Buchalter is the Vice President of Sales and Market Development for Renewability Energy Inc. He is also the President of the Brantford Home Builders' Association in Ontario, Canada. Rod spent 20 years with Union Gas, a large natural gas utility in Southwestern Ontario, in various Account Management roles working with builders, retailers and HVACS promoting Drain Water Heat Recovery ( DWHR). Currently he develops residential and commercial DWHR programs in partnership with utilities and large production builders like KB Home. Rod graduated from the Business program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1989 with a major in Marketing.

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Robert Burns
Co-Founder and President, Pivotal Energy Solutions

Bob Burns is Co-Founder and President of Pivotal Energy Solutions, LLC, a Phoenix-based technology solutions company established in 2011.  Pivotal's Axis platform serves as a data hub for the collection, storage, and sharing of residential energy efficiency data by streamlining the energy rating process and energy efficiency program participation, quality control, and administration, and enabling stakeholders to enhance the value and demand for energy efficient homes.  Prior to starting Pivotal, Bob was Director of Engineering at a global semiconductor company where he and his Pivotal business partner, Steven Klass, developed design, workflow automation, and infrastructure software solutions.  Bob received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University.

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Thiel Butner
Principal, Pando Alliance

Thiel Butner is a Principal at Pando Alliance, a mission-driven firm that specializes in ratings, green certifications, and investment-grade audits for affordable multifamily housing in Maryland and the surrounding region.  She works closely with all of the major green building programs, coaches project teams through their certifications, and provides technical oversight to her staff.  As a Principal, she develops processes that allow for growth and efficiency while retaining quality and integrity.

Thiel graduated from Prescott College with BA in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Ecological Design, received her MBA from Hood College, and maintains numerous industry credentials.  She serves on RESNET’s SDC 300 and the Sampling Subcommittee of the SDC 900.

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Karla Butterfield
Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates, Inc.

Ms. Butterfield is a Sustainability Director at SWA, working with residential buildings. Her expertise is in sustainable consulting services, program certification support and implementation of high performance building technologies. With architects, developers, builders, and homeowners, she develops specific sustainability strategies for both new construction and renovations.

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Steve Byers
EnergyLogic

I get up every day (nearly) excited to come to work and lead the incredible staff of professionals at EnergyLogic. I am truly a lucky person to have this job and be one of the leaders of this organization. EnergyLogic is based in Colorado and serves a wide variety of clients in the residential and light commercial energy efficiency and sustainability spaces. In short, we help make buildings better.

I started out my professional life as a pilot in the Air Force after graduating from the Air Force Academy. That experience prepared me for a great deal in life but not for meaningful employment outside of the wild blue yonder. Fortunately, I stumbled into energy and sustainability and spent several wonderful years at Southface Energy institute in Atlanta before striking out on my own in Colorado. With my wonderful wife, Wynne Maggi, we started a company which eventually morphed into EnergyLogic. I’ve been blessed along the way to have learned a tremendous amount from a wide variety of people and thus far none of my mistakes has sunk either myself or the company. In fact, EnergyLogic is a leader in our industry, an innovator and we pride ourselves on doing things the right way.

I’m also blessed with a pair of talented daughters, a great community and the great hope that I will continue to find new and exciting things to do in this life.

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Olga Cano
US EPA

Olga M. Cano is an Environmental Engineer in the Homes Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense® Program. She is involved in the development and implementation of the WaterSense Homes specification and certification system. Through this program, the EPA aims to promote water efficient practices in buildings.  Prior to joining EPA in 2015, Ms. Cano worked as an architect in the hospitality and residential sector for 7+ years and then went on to serve in the Peace Corps as a Water & Sanitation Volunteer in Peru. Ms. Cano holds a B.A. in Architecture from Florida International University and a Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

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Megan Alise Carroll
NAHB

Megan Alise Carroll, is a Program Manager in Sustainability & Green Building at NAHB, where her responsibilities include providing technical expertise, education and advocacy in all aspects of sustainable building with a focus on energy and remodeling. Prior to joining NAHB, Megan worked for local government in sustainability where she designed and implemented different county and city wide programs focused on behavior change, resiliency and technical issues.  She has also worked for a solar company with her BPI Analyst and Envelope certifications, and previously built energy efficient, sustainable homes in rural NC.  Megan grew up in a nomadic fashion, but found her roots in NC where she attended NC State, receiving her BA in Communication and Spanish with a minor in Non-Profit Studies. Upon moving to DC she completed her Master’s from Virginia Tech in Natural Resources with the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability.

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Tim Carter
Program Manager, Georgia Power Company

With over 37 years of experience with Georgia Power, Tim currently serves as the EarthCents New Home Program Manager in the Energy Efficiency Organization. In this role, he is responsible for program implementation as well as representing the Company on the national and state level with numerous industry and energy efficiency organizations.
Previous experience within the Company include various roles in Customer Service, External Affairs, and Sales/Marketing.
He is a graduate of Columbus State University with degrees in Political Science as well as Business Administration.
In addition to his daily responsibilities as Program Manager, Tim is excited to be on the Core Leadership team for the Georgia Power Smart Neighborhood project that he is going to talk about today.

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Carl Chidlow
Winning Strategies Advocates

Carl is a principal at Winning Strategies Washington (WSW), a mid-sized, bi-partisan lobbying firm.  Carl has over two decades of political experience working on Federal campaigns at the Senate and Presidential levels.  Prior to joining WSW , Carl was a partner in a small government affairs firm for 5 years.

Carl served as Finance Director at the Democratic National Committee from 2006-2009.  His tenure at the DNC allowed him daily interaction with senior members of the Obama campaign team, many of whom have gone on to hold important policy positions in the White House and Executive branch agencies.

Prior to his work at the DNC, Carl served as a senior campaign aide to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.  He has also worked on Senate campaigns in Missouri, Georgia and Washington State.  Carl also had the opportunity to work for Secretary of State John Kerry’s 2004 campaign for President.

He is a former staffer of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), and maintains strong ties with many Senate Chiefs of Staff.

Carl and his family live in northern Virginia.  He is a member of the Foundation Board of Directors for Westminster Presbyterian Church of Alexandria.  Carl served as an enlisted infantry solder in the Army National Guard of New York and Maryland, receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1996.  He attended Syracuse University receiving a bachelor of arts in American Studies in 1991.

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Brian Christensen
REM/Rate

Brian Christensen has more than 20 years of engineering experience, 16 years as a HERS Rater and 8 years on the REM software team. Initially tasked with breaking the software repeatedly before each new release (all in the name of teamwork), he now provides the building science side of implementing features in REM.  Also, as a LEED® for Homes™ Green Rater & QAD, he has extensive experience in multifamily residential projects.  In these LEED roles, he provided field testing, engineering support, and project management to support energy efficiency, comfort, and sustainability.  Brian served on the original RESNET Multifamily Working Group, and serves now in the RESNET MF Subcommittee to develop a multifamily HERS standard.

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Greg Cobb
Energy Inspectors

Greg Cobb is the CFO of the Ei family of companies.  Ei provides a range of design, engineering, inspection and risk management services for residential and commercial construction projects across the country.  Previously, Cobb founded Inglenook Financial, Inc. in Scottsdale, AZ.  Inglenook provides innovative solutions to homeowners seeking to finance home improvement, repair or energy projects via licensed contractors.  Prior to Inglenook, Cobb was CFO for US PEACH, which acquires and operates Plumbing, Electrical, Air Conditioning & Heating contractors throughout the Southwest.  Cobb led the team that identified, acquired and integrated 6 home services companies in 3 states.

Previously, Cobb was CEO of Sonoran Air, Inc., a HVAC company based in Phoenix that designed and installed HVAC systems for over 100,000 homes in Arizona.  He joined Sonoran during the housing crisis to execute a turn-around and sold the business to US PEACH in 2014.  While at Sonoran, he founded and spun-off iEngineer, LLC.  Cobb grew iEngineer to provide mechanical system designs for a variety of above-code programs for contractors and builders in 12 states.  iEngineer developed the capability to rapidly provide custom HVAC designs based upon the unique options and solar orientation of each home for production builders.  Cobb sold iEngineer in 2016 to Ei.

Cobb is a member of the RESNET HVAC Task Group developing Standard 310 for design and commissioning standards that will be incorporated into the HERS Index.  He has been a speaker at EEBA, RESNET, EPA and DOE conferences on a variety of HVAC topics.  He is a former President and board member of the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance and a past member of the Advanced Energy HVAC Advisory Board.

Before entering the HVAC industry, Cobb was CFO at a biotech company based in Tucson where he raised $78M in debt and equity financing, including an IPO in 2007.  Cobb was previously Managing Director at a technology mergers & acquisitions firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Cobb has also been a private equity investor, including managing an angel investor group.

Cobb has spent over 20 years in entrepreneurial finance as a CEO/CFO, board member, investor and advisor for public and private high-growth companies.  He has a JD from the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law and an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, as well as a B.S. in computer engineering from Iowa State University.

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Matthew Cooper
Senior Vice President, PEG

Mr. Cooper is the Senior Vice President of PEG. Mr. Cooper’s twenty seven years of expertise in the evaluation, design and control of the built environment have helped to establish PEG as an industry leader and innovator; providing utility and municipal demand side control programs as well as code compliance inspections and new construction third party program implementation. PEG currently operates in 27 states as licensed Mechanical Engineers and is a RESNET Provider, BPI Accredited Contractor, ICC/NAHB National Green Building Standard Verifier and USGBC LEED for Homes Provider. PEG is a 2016 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year and a 2016 NGBS Green Partner of the Year.

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Charles Cottrell
Vice President, Technical Services, North American Insulation Manufacturers Association,

Mr. Cottrell is the Vice President of Technical Services for the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, the association that represents the fiber glass, rock and slag wool manufacturers. Its role is to promote energy efficiency and environmental preservation through the use of fiber glass, rock wool and slag wool insulation as well as encourage safe production and use of these materials.    Charles’ primary responsibility is to represent the insulation industry’s interests in the energy, building and mechanical codes and standards arena.  Prior to joining NAIMA in 1998, Mr. Cottrell worked for the National Association of Home Builders in their building codes division and a mechanical contracting firm where he designed and oversaw the installation of commercial HVAC systems.  He has owned a construction company whose primary business was residential construction and commercial building maintenance.  After graduating from Virginia Tech where he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a helicopter pilot for eight years.

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Angus Crane
NAIMA, Home Innovation Research Labs

Mr. Crane is Executive Vice President, General Counsel to the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) in Alexandria, Virginia (1995-present).  Prior to joining NAIMA, Mr. Crane was an environmental lawyer with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin (1990-95).  Mr. Crane was appointed to an attorney position for the Appellate Section of the United States Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division through the Attorney General’s Honor Law Graduate Program (1987-90). Before his service with the Department of Justice, he served as a law clerk for the Idaho Supreme Court (1986-87).  Angus is a Truman Scholar and graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.  Mr. Crane is an author of numerous articles.

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Emelie Cuppernell
HERS Provider Manager, Performance Systems Development

Emelie has leveraged her background in physics to become an expert building scientist. Her foundation in field-based activities has honed her skills in building analysis and software modeling. She conducted a two-year long research project on cooling systems in Massachusetts that included a comprehensive inspection of 80 homes with data monitoring.

Emelie is President of the Northeast Home Energy Rating Systems Alliance, a RESNET certified Rater, Trainer and Quality Assurance Designer, NAHB green verifier, EPA universal refrigerant handler, and holds two BPI certifications. 

She manages the HERS Provider division of Performance Systems Development and oversees quality assurance for more than 70 raters.

Emelie is currently project manager for developing a local home energy rating and disclosure program incorporating the HERS Index in Tompkins County, New York.

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Rick Dixon
RESNET

Rick Dixon, RESNET Manager of Standards. State of Florida, Professional Engineer Retired and Building Code Administrator Retired. Formerly: Executive Director Florida Building Commission; Administrator Florida Building Codes and Standards Office and the Radon Standards and Accessibility Code Programs; and, Manager Florida Energy Code, Appliance Efficiency, Building Energy Rating Programs. Research Engineer and Chief Engineer fenestration test laboratory at the University of Florida Solar Energy and Energy Conversion Laboratories. National codes and standards activities: ASHRAE Standard 90-1975, Standard 90-1989 and Standard 62; CABO Model Energy Code and ICC International Energy Conversation Code.

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Scott Doyle
Technical Director, Quality Assurance & Training, RESNET

Scott Doyle joined the HERS industry as a HERS Rater in 2003. Since being certified as a rater Scott has inspected and tested the energy performance of thousands of homes across a variety of construction types and climate zones. In 2007 he became a RESNET certified Quality Assurance Designee and Trainer. Mr. Doyle oversaw quality assurance activities for EnergyLogic and five other RESNET HERS Rating Providers. This involved quality assurance oversight of nearly 10,000 homes annually that were HERS rated. From 2008-2014, as a Rater Trainer, Scott trained hundreds of energy professionals across the U.S. using a variety of formats including field, classroom, and e-learning.

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Nic Dunfee
TRC Energy Services

As California is reaching both its statewide carbon reduction, and 2020 residential new construction zero net energy goal, we are realizing that our work has only begun. The state’s carbon emissions goals call for another 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, and legislation passed earlier this year calls for a carbon free grid, and a carbon neutral California by 2045. Within the building sector, this has led to more focus on zero emissions buildings and less on zero net energy (ZNE) buildings. This panel will explore why ZNE goals do not necessarily equate to zero emissions buildings, and how this has caused California to start rethinking the way we value building efficiency. Panelists will discuss what resulted from California’s final push towards 2020 goals, and how the state is shifting to the new carbon emission mandates. Attendees will learn why carbon may be displacing energy use as the new metric of choice for efficiency.

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Richard Dupont, P.E.
Dupont Consultants

Rick has over 39 years of experience in construction and engineering. His passion has been to help his clients construct buildings that maximize the value for his client and the experience of the building occupants and users. Rick first became interested in energy performance while a student at Old Dominion University in looking at how to maximize heat distribution within his parent’s house from a fireplace, and then in various projects his father pursued in garbage energy reclamation and energy management for a hospital. That desire to assist clients in considering the long-term performance of the buildings Rick has been involved in has remained throughout his career. Rick graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and obtained his Professional Engineering License in Virginia.
Rick’s experience includes, Vice President at Gibbs Construction, Director of Research and New Initiatives, Director of Pre-Construction, and Manager of Estimating at Woodward Design Build, Senior Estimator at McDevitt & Street, Senior Engineer at Petro Marine Engineering, and Project Manager/Estimator, Superintendent/ at various General Contractors in Norfolk, VA.
The broad range of projects Rick has significantly participated in includes multi-family residential housing, hotels, condominiums, hospitals, sports facilities, automotive facilities, retail, warehouses, new construction, renovations, and commissioning of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). Rick’s experience includes working on many catastrophic reconstruction programs as well. This experience has enhanced his ability to understand what elements of construction are most vulnerable to natural forces.

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Laurel Elam
Quality Assurance Manager, RESNET

Laurel Elam has been with RESNET since 2010. She started as RESNET's Conference Coordinator and it 2013 began also serving as Quality Assurance Manager. She is now RESNET's Director of Accreditation and Quality Assurance. Ms. Elam graduated from Appalachian State University, with a degree in Appropriate Technology and a minor in Sustainable Development and began her career in the industry in 2004 working in at the Appalachian State University Energy Center.

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Justin Erickson
President, E3 Energy

Justin G. Erickson is the co-owner and President of E3 Energy LLC, a building science company in Flagstaff, Arizona. E3 Energy is a leader in the high performance building industry in the Southwest, providing consultation, testing and certification to contractors to increase the efficiency, healthfulness and safety of homes.  E3 Energy LLC is a provider and rater for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes Program, HERS, EPA Energy Star program, EPA airPLUS program, and a Green Rater for LEED for Homes program.  E3 Energy also works with the cutting edge builders and building scientists in the industry, designing and testing building techniques for the 21st century.  E3 Energy builders have received national recognition and awards.

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Kim Ewers
Hometeck Services

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Philip Fairey
Deputy Director, Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC)

 Philip Fairey has been a member of the RESNET Board of Directors since 1998 and has served as President of RESNET twice, once from 2004-2006 and once from 2008-2010. Philip is currently a member of RESNET’s ANSI-accredited Standards Development Committee 300 and is Chairman of RESNET’s Standards Management Board.

Philip has more than 30 years of experience in building science research at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) where he has served as Deputy Director of FSEC since 1990. He has had primary responsibility for more than 30 major building science research contracts totaling more than $14 million. Philip has extensive expertise in combined heat and moisture transfer in buildings; heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems; building energy efficiency; humidity and moisture control; indoor air quality (IAQ); energy codes and standards; computer simulation and modeling; and building energy-efficiency rating systems. He is the author of more than 40 peer-reviewed technical papers and more than 100 technical reports.

Philip is also an active member of ASHRAE where he currently serves as a voting member of SSPC 62.2 on Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings and as chairman of SSPC 90.2 on Energy Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings.  He also serves on the International Standards Organization’s TC163 WG4 on Energy Performance of Buildings.

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Bill Faye
Energy Efficient Codes Coalition

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Geoff Ferrell
Mandalay Homes

Geoff Ferrell is Chief Technology Officer at Mandalay Homes.  Headquartered in Prescott Arizona, Mandalay Homes is the nation’s largest builder of Department of Energy, Zero Energy Ready Homes.  As CTO, Geoff Ferrell develops and maintains specifications for all home certification programs.  In addition, heads the evaluation and testing programs for all new technologies and processes Mandalay incorporates into their homes.  As a national leader in Energy efficient, Healthy, Durable, homes; Mandalay Homes is constantly evaluating new emerging products to improve our homes and deliver them at a competitive price point with other builders.  Geoff’s primary focus is researching and evaluating trends, technology, and processes to bring them to the production building market in a cost effective and customer beneficial way.

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Tom Flanagan
EnergyLogic

Tom Flanagan has been deeply involved in residential green construction since his time at USGBC headquarters working as part of the LEED for Homes team. Since then, he has moved out of the office and into the field, earning certifications as a HERS® Rater and LEED Green Rater, and moving into Quality Assurance and training roles in both areas.

• LEED AP Homes, LEED for Homes Green Rater, Quality Assurance Designee, Trainer
• HERS Rater, Quality Assurance Designee, Trainer
• WaterSense® Inspector, Quality Assurance Designee, Trainer

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Asa Foss
Technical Director, LEED for Homes

Asa Foss is the technical director responsible for the implementation of residential LEED standards.

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Michelle Foster
Vice-President, Innovation Services, Home Innovation Research Labs

Michelle Desiderio works with builders, architects, remodelers, and other housing professionals to remove barriers to innovation by leveraging Home Innovation’s unparalleled knowledge and experience in market analysis and building science research. Michelle oversees NGBS Green, the certification program based on the National Green Building Standard.  The program certifies new and remodeled residential buildings and communities of all sizes and has transformed the market for green certified homes.

Michelle’s work has focused on market-based solutions that solve environmental issues without compromising housing affordability.  Michelle developed Fannie Mae’s Smart Commute Mortgage, revamped the Energy Efficient Mortgage, and developed a methodology to calculate the carbon reduction from efficient homes so that they could be sold on the emerging greenhouse gas market.

Michelle has a Masters in Urban Planning and Environmental Studies from the University of Virginia and a BS in Environmental Studies from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

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Dean Gamble
Technical Manager, ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program

Dean is the technical manager for EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program, which he has helped support, define, and implement for over a decade. With over 1.5 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.

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Todd Gamboa
President, Building Trust LLC

Todd Gamboa, President of Building Trust LLC, has been in the building industry for almost 30 years, managing private and public homebuilding companies. As a building science consultant and public speaker, he has trained thousands of builders, architects, contractors, code officials, appraisers, and REALTORS® across the country. He has launched and managed energy efficiency programs for state and federal governmental agencies and utility providers. His interactive and effective sales trainings are offered by utility companies, builder and Realtor associations, “Green” businesses, and NFP organizations throughout the US. He has created energy saving programs for the US Government – Dept of Defense/US Army and is managing a High Performance Homes program for the Colorado Energy Office. Mr. Gamboa is also an inductee into the Built Green Hall of Fame and recipient of several US Government Sustainability Awards.

When not working, Mr. Gamboa is also the proud father of four, carpenter, musician and lifelong athlete. He volunteers helping people with special needs and enjoys coaching high school football.

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Mat Gates
CEO, Residential Science Resources (RSR)

Mat Gates founded Residential Science Resources (RSR) in 2004. As CEO and Owner, Gates leads RSR in the development of energy savings?programs for utilities and municipalities in several states. As a Building Science Consultant and industry leader, Gates strives to educate professionals and homeowners about home health, safety, comfort, durability, and energy efficiency. His efforts have led to consultation of over 50,000 homes across the country.
Gates is also is the developer of HouseRater®, a unique and powerful proprietary software that allows efficient tracking and management of energy savings program data for utilities and others. HouseRater provides detailed, easy-to-read reports for builders, code officials, and homeowners.

Gates holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Residential Building Science & Technology, University of Minnesota.

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Tom Gavaras
Education, Special Programs and Green Path Manager, BATC-Housing First Minnesota

Tom Gavaras has worked at BATC-Housing First Minnesota for five years and manages the Minnesota’s Green Path program. In addition, Tom oversees Contractor University which provides continuing education training for MN + WI contractors, MN building officials, and MN REALTORS. In addition, he is the operations manager for the annual high-end Artisan Home Tour held in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Prior to joining BATC-Housing First Minnesota, Tom produced high-end home tours in 12 markets across the United States.

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Billy Giblin
Quality Assurance Field Specialist, RESNET

Billy Giblin has worked in the high performance building and energy efficiency industry for over ten years. He started this work with a general contractor performing new and retrofit construction. Billy later earned a degree in Energy Management, an energy efficiency engineering program. He went to work with Nexant in 2010, providing quality assurance for utility new home programs and state existing home programs. Billy has been an active HERS Rater since 2011 and is both a LEED for Homes Quality Assurance Designee and a RESNET Quality Assurance Designee. He has completed over a thousand QA field inspections and performance tests of HERS rated new homes, as well as QA review of thousands of energy models. Billy played a prominent role in Utah in HERS Rater training, mentoring and technical support, as well as providing QA, training, and technical support to builders and trade contractors. His previous outdoor education and guiding experience has given him the skills to mentor and motivate people of all ages and abilities, and he utilizes these skills to train and mentor professionals in the high performance home industry.

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Matt Gingrich
Energy Diagnostics

Matt Gingrich has worked at Energy Diagnostics for nearly twelve years, as a Rater, Green Verifier, and QAD. During his time at the Midwest based firm, he has seen the evolution of the industry, and the impacts of energy efficient construction. In 2015 he was elected to the RESNET Board of Directors, and currently holds a Rater Representative seat. He is the co-chair of the RESNET Emerging Leadership Council, and is looking forward to recruiting new members for the group.

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John Godden
Canadian Residential Energy

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David Goldstein
NRDC

David B. Goldstein has worked on energy efficiency and energy policy since the early 1970s.  He currently co-directs NRDC's Energy Program. 

Dr. Goldstein has been instrumental in the development of energy efficiency standards for new buildings and appliances that are currently in effect at the regional and national level in the United States, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China. He was a founding director of the Institute for Market Transformation, the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and the New Buildings Institute.

David B. Goldstein received a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of its Leo Szilard Award for Physics in the Public Interest. He received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002 and is the recipient of the California Alumni Association’s 2003 Award for Excellence in Achievement. He is also the author of “Saving Energy Growing Jobs” and “Invisible Energy.”

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Natalie Good
4D

For 2+ years, Natalie has been the RESNET account manager at 4D, working closely with the team on all digital and marketing projects in order to ensure that the needs of the organization are not just met, but exceeded.

With her many years of experience in the marketing/technology industry and an extensive knowledge of the non-profit sector, Natalie is able to offer valuable insight into the challenges that RESNET may face in pursuit of increasing brand awareness and national presence.

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Ben Graham
EnergyLogic

Ben has been in the residential energy industry for 7 fantastic years and with EnergyLogic for 6.  Ben started performing audits on older homes in the Washington DC area then started rating new construction when he moved to the Denver metro area.  Ben continues to HERS rate and certify homes for Energy Star, DOE, and LEED programs but has transitioned into a Quality Assurance / Trainer role for EnergyLogic and their Providership. Ben received a bachelor’s degree from the Rubenstein School of Natural Resources at the University of Vermont where he studied resource management and energy modeling. While design and implementation are very important parts of our energy efficient future, Ben has a passion for educating energy users and changing their energy use habits. Ben still looks forward to the occasional Energy Audit and chatting with home owners about how energy moves through their homes and lives.

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Kathy Greely
Sr. Vice President, Program Services, Performance Systems Development

Throughout her thirty-year career, Kathy has worked in many sectors of the energy efficiency field, from research at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) to college campus programs to community/non-profit approaches. As Senior Vice President of Program Services for Performance Systems Development (PSD), Kathy is responsible for leading PSD’s growing energy efficiency program team and providing oversight to the design, management, and implementation of energy efficiency programs and services across multiple states. In Pennsylvania, Kathy and her team served in an integral role in developing the residential efficiency industry across the Commonwealth through the development of the award winning statewide ENERGY STAR New Homes and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program, PA Home Energy.

When not working to improve the efficiency of the built environment, Kathy enjoys spending time with her two grown daughters, and traveling, and has visited over 22 countries across the globe, bringing home both incredible memories and a growing repertoire of culinary skills. Kathy has a Master’s degree in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in Physics and Mathematics from La Salle College, and has recently relocated back to her hometown in Philadelphia.

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Charlie Haack
Senior Associate, ICF International

Mr. Haack is the Director of Technical Services for the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association. In this role, he supports the development and adoption of building codes and standards, the creation of training programs, and advocacy efforts with green certification programs. Prior to joining NAIMA, Mr. Haack was a Manager at the consulting firm ICF where he directed a team of engineers and energy analysts performing energy policy analysis for the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program and international energy efficiency studies. Charlie is a BPI certified Building Analyst and LEED accredited professional.

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Lew Harriman
Mason-Grant Consulting

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Scott Haugen
Environments for Living

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CR Herro
Meritage Homes

C.R. Herro is Vice President of Environmental Affairs for Meritage Homes, a large-volume national home builder. CR leads their Energy and Innovation Program, which combines design, energy efficiency, water management, sustainability, and new technologies to establish a new standard in home building that provides better comfort and healthier air as well as less cost to own and operate.  In the last three years, Meritage has received numerous awards, including the EnergyValue Housing Award, Best Green Building Program Award, NAHB Builder of the Year and the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year–Sustained Excellence Award, recognizing ongoing industry leadership.

C.R. earned a Bachelors of Science at Arizona State University in Physical and Life Science, a Masters in Environmental Science from Governors State, and a Doctorate in Environmental Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. CR serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance, the RESNet Standards Development Committee, the Board of Directors for the Green Chamber of Commerce, the Technical Committee for the Leading Builders of America, and the Ibacos Best Practice Research Alliance. 

CR is a dynamic public speaker, who is convinced building higher-performance homes can win market share and improve profit performance. He has appeared before numerous groups nationally as an advocate to advance the industry, encourage rational regulations and bring associated stakeholders together toward adopting credible improvements to the function, performance, and long term value of new homes.

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Mike Hopkins
Ice Energy Holdings

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Scott Horowitz
NREL

Scott joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2007 and manages the Residential Building Research Group's tools and analysis area, which includes work on whole building energy modeling, cost-based optimization, model accuracy/calibration, and technology assessments. Scott is currently leading the development of an open-source Energy Rating Index (ERI) calculation that can be used by private-sector software providers to increase the consistency, transparency, and capability of their software tools. He is the software developer for BEopt, a residential building energy optimization tool used to provide support for DOE’s Building America program and energy efficiency goals, and leads efforts to incorporate residential models and capabilities into DOE's EnergyPlus and OpenStudio building simulation platform.

Prior to joining NREL full time, Scott spent four years at NREL as a University of Colorado graduate student exploring enhancements to building optimization in terms of robustness and speed, and he was a member of the 1st place University of Colorado Solar Decathlon team.

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Rob Howard
Performance Construction Manager, Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating

Rob Howard is Performance Construction Manager with Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating. He provides training and technical support to builders, remodelers, architects, and engineers on variable refrigerant flow cooling and heating systems for residential applications.

Rob has over fifteen years of experience in the performance construction industry. He is the former Director of Construction at Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley where they built ENERGY STAR homes through Advanced Energy’s SystemVision program. They built the first Net-Zero Energy Home in North Carolina in partnership with Appalachian State University in 2005. They also built the first DOE Zero Energy Ready Home in North Carolina in 2015.

Rob became a HERS Rater in 2006 and started a company called Home Energy Solutions to provide green building consulting and home performance contracting in Western North Carolina.
He earned his bachelor’s degree and a renewable energy technologies diploma from North Carolina State University.

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Rebecca Hudson
Manager, ENERGY STAR Multifamily High Rise Program

Rebecca Hudson currently manages the ENERGY STAR Multifamily High Rise Program. She has been with the ENERGY STAR program for more than six years during which time she has also worked on Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, provided technical support for ENERGY STAR Certified Homes, and redeveloped the ENERGY STAR Home Advisor. Rebecca graduated from Yale University with a BS in Chemistry and Physics and from Columbia University with a MPA in Environmental Science and Policy. She is currently the vice chair of RESNET’s Multifamily sub-committee.

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Curt Hurd
Building Performance Specialist, North Carolina Building Performance Association

The North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA)'s  North Carolina Energy Efficient, Green and High Performance Home and Building Inventory Report found an average 9.5% premium for high performance homes sold in three metro markets in North Carolina over a two-year period.  The report analyzed 34,152 high performance homes and buildings being built or retrofitted in North Carolina. NCBPA reports that working alongside research partner National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the study found that homes with HERS Index Scores between 40 and 89 commanded a price of between $85.89 and $162.52 per square foot. This session will present the results of this ground breaking study and discuss lessons that can be learned for the rest of the country.

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Nick Hurst
US Environmental Protection Agency

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.
Nick earned a Master’s in Technology concentrating in Building Science from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and he later served as Education and Outreach Director for the North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance at ASU’s Energy Center. Before coming to EPA, Nick also worked as a consultant at ICF in their Federal Energy Efficiency portfolio.
Nick is also a BPI Building Analyst and participates with a number of standard setting organizations and technical committees in the building industry.

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Luis Imery
CEO, Imery Group

Luis Imery, founder of Imery Group ( Atlanta-Athens, GA), has made a name for himself as a building science enthusiast — an effort that has won him several awards for sustainable building construction. With an innate desire to shape, build and expand communities, Luis first earned a degree as a Civil Engineer in 1996. His passion for learning and acquiring immense knowledge led to an MBA from the Terry College of Business in 2003, with a concentration in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship. That strong foundation paved the way for his illustrious career as a home designer, home builder and innovator of the entire home building process, including neighborhood development, and energy performance evaluation. Recognizing that the green trend was growing across industries, Luis believed there was a better way to build and develop communities.  He decided to learn as much as possible about sustainable building science and started Imery Group in 2009 with a mission to promote energy efficient custom home building, walkable and low impact communities and home energy rating practices. He understands all aspects of real estate development and construction and has a successful record as a project manager that is evidenced by his long-lasting relationship with top performers in the industry.

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Mark Johnson
Executive Vice President and Director of Business Development, International Code Council

Mark A. Johnson brings 30 years of management experience to his position as Executive Vice President and Director of Business Development for the International Code Council.  Mark is responsible for the management and oversight of product and business development, marketing, publications, sales, training and education, certification and testing, customer service and order fulfillment.  Additional duties include serving as the Council’s business liaison with organizations including ASTM International, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA), McGraw-Hill and Underwriters Laboratories Inc.  Previously, Mark served as President of ICC Evaluation Service, LLC, a subsidiary of the Code Council. Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Bachelor of Science in engineering, both from California State University, Fullerton, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

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Pres Kabacoff
Executive Chairman of the Board, HRI Properties

Attorney and Real Estate Developer, Pres Kabacoff is Executive Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder of HRI Properties (HRI).  Since its Inception in 1982, HRI’s pursuit has been to rebuild communities and recreate entire neighborhoods throughout the country.  This pledge is reflected in HRI’s Mission Statement: 

“Revitalizing Cities by Creating Diverse, Vibrant and Sustainable Communities.”


Pres Kabacoff is active both nationally and regionally in the issues of urban policy, regionalism, conservation in land use, historic preservation and the long-term health of our economy.  He seeks to help identify local and national critical issues and opportunities and to create a blueprint for the future based on mutual trust and consensus.

Professional Affiliations:  Member, Governor’s Louisiana NFL Stadium Advisory Board; Member, Urban Land Institute; Member, Metropolitan Neighbors, the Task Force on Regionalism; Board Member, Brookings Institution’s Center of Urban and Metropolitan Policy; Trustee for Committee for Economic Development, a national research and education organization; Member, New Orleans Council of Trust for Public Land, nonprofit land conservation organization; Co-Chair, Top 10 by 2010, whose goal is to make the New Orleans area one of the top 10 in which to live and work; Member, Housing Task Force of the Committee for a Better New Orleans, whose mission is to identify critical issues facing our city and help find the solutions; Board Member, Public Affairs Research Council, whose mission is to promote accountability and efficiency in government; Board Member, MetroVision Executive Committee; Board Member, New Orleans Police Foundation; Board Member, Preservation Action, the national lobbying organization for historic preservation.

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Nathan Kahre
Thrive Home Builders

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Achilles Karagiozis
Director, Building Science, Owens Corning

Dr. Karagiozis is Director, Building Science at Owens Corning.
He is responsible for leading, shaping, driving, educating and training others in energy efficiency and green building science at Owens Corning. His activities involve feeding Owens Corning’s innovation pipeline with customer-inspired and building science-informed solutions.

Previously, Dr. Karagiozis was a distinguished research and development engineer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He was in charge of research performed at ORNL in heat, air and moisture performance of buildings.

Dr. Karagiozis is one of the leading building scientists in North America. He has been performing building science research for the past 20 years, trained more than 1000 professionals in moisture design, and championed and assisted in the development of innovative material systems and concepts. Research activities have been concentrated in energy efficiency, healthy, durable and sustainable building designs, housing integration issues, wireless route sensing, whole building performance applications, heating, ventilating and air conditioning of buildings and hygrothermal performance of envelopes.

Dr. Karagiozis is still involved in the WUFI-ORNL development team, working closely with ORNL and Fraunhofer Institute. He was the U.S. representative for IEA Annex 55 on Retrofit Analysis in Buildings, and is involved in a number of ASTM E06 technical committees and ASHRAE TC 4.4, and SPC 160. He has also developed three or four of the world's most advanced hygrothermal models worldwide (WUFI, MOISTUREEXPERT, LATENITE family). As an expert in the area of Moisture Engineering, he has solved many hygrothermal designs and retrofit challenges, and has developed multiple design guidelines for various envelope systems. Dr. Karagiozis is the author of more than 120 technical papers and reports related to moisture

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Myron Katz, Ph.D.
Energy, Moisture & Building Science Consultant, Building Science Innovators, LLC.

Dr. Myron Katz, earned a Doctor of Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley (1976) and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Louisiana State University with a strong secondary concentration in physics.  Before co-founding Building Science Innovators in 2004, he co-led a successful initiative that allowed the City of New Orleans to regain regulatory jurisdiction of its public utilities, helped inaugurate a public watchdog organization and, as the consultant to the Louisiana State Attorney General, found over $2 billion in imprudent spending during construction of a nuclear power plant. A past president of the National Energy Raters Association and certified RESNET energy rater trainer, his accomplishments include published research on innovations in house and duct leakage performance testing; presentations at various meetings including the EEBA’s 2014 national conference, and organization of a City of New Orleans-mandated, 100-member task force on energy policy.  In 2016, he introduced a novel electricity rate design, Customer Lowered Electricity Price (CLEP), as three pilot programs within the 2015 Entergy New Orleans Integrated Resource Planning docket.  In 2017, CLEP was selected as a semi-finalist in an international sustainable design competition, and, in 2018, led the energy team of a major corporate redevelopment proposal to renovate a 1-million square-foot, historical hospital in New Orleans.

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Cy Kilbourn
Co-founder and Director of Engineering, Ekotrope

Cy Kilbourn is co-founder and Director of Engineering at Ekotrope, a software company that helps building designers make smart energy decisions and reduce construction costs.  He spent time at Brown University and M.I.T. developing the patented optimization algorithms behind Ekotrope software and lead the development effort to establish Ekotrope as a RESNET accredited HERS Rating software.  Since then, he has worked with some of the largest builders in the country to help improve their energy design strategies and with some of the leading HERS Rating Providers to understand their needs and develop HERS Rating software solutions.

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Charles Kim
Southern California Edison

Charles Kim is a senior engineer at Southern California Edison.  He has over 30 years of experience in the energy and utility industries including: nuclear power generation, R&D, power system apparatus, power quality, root cause analysis, risk management, environment, health and safety, and energy efficiency programs.  He provides his services to electric utilities and governmental agencies including the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of Education, and the California Energy Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR for various proceedings.  Currently, Mr. Kim is a program manager responsible for the appliance standards advocacy program, Codes and Standards, Zero Net Energy, clean energy, and various cross-cutting technologies that integrate energy efficiency, demand response, and codes and standards.

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Gary Klein
President, Gary Klein and Associates

Gary Klein, President of Gary Klein & Associates has been intimately involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1974. One fifth of his career was spent in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the rest in the United States. Mr. Klein has a passion for hot water: getting into it, getting out of it and efficiently delivering it to meet customer's needs. After serving 19 years with the California Energy Commission, he has provided consulting on sustainability since 2008. Mr. Klein received a BA from Cornell University in 1975 with an Independent Major in Technology and Society with an emphasis on energy conservation and renewable energy.

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Katrin Klingenbert
Passive House Institute US

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Nikki Krueger
Industry Manager, Therma-Stor

Nikki Krueger is the Industry Manager for Therma-Stor’s residential moisture control products lines, including Ultra-Aire whole house ventilating dehumidifiers and Santa Fe freestanding dehumidifiers. She has been involved in the indoor air quality industry for over 15 years. She is a RESNET certified home energy rater, sits on the RESNET SDC 200 committee, a board member of the Maryland Building Performance Association, and a member of the newly-formed ACCA Manual Low Load Homes (LLH) Advisory Committee.

Krueger has worked with building science industry icons to develop and produce a two-day hands-on crawl space encapsulation training program that recently has been adopted by the North Carolina Building Performance Association as their credentialing program. She is an active member of the Spray Polyurethane Foam Association, currently participating on the building envelope committee, as well as on the certification and safety committees. 

As industry manager for Therma-Stor, she educates and trains builders, HVAC contractors, architects, engineers, crawl space contractors, and other professionals in the industry on the building science of ventilation and moisture control in buildings.

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Abe Kruger
SK Collaborative

Abe Kruger honed his expertise in sustainable construction over the last 14 years as a
contractor, educator, and consultant in the residential construction industry. Abe is the
cofounder of SK Collaborative, which provides consulting, design reviews and charrettes,
training, and building certification under LEED for Homes, EarthCraft House, ENERGY
STAR, the National Green Building Standard, and Enterprise Green Communities. SK
Collaborative is currently certifying over 12,000 units of single- and multifamily housing
across the country. He is the coauthor of the first residential green building textbook, Green
Building: Principles and Practices in Residential Construction (Delmar/Cengage Learning).

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Neal Kruis
Vice President, Big Ladder Software

Neal Kruis is Vice President of Big Ladder Software in Denver, Colorado. He has a Ph.D. in architectural engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Neal is also the Director of Energy Modeling for RESNET and is working with the members of RESNET's Software Consistency Committee to enhance the consistency of HERS Index Scores calculated by accredited rating software.

Neal has been developing building performance simulation software since 2007 and is now a core developer on DOE's EnergyPlus software, and California's building energy code compliance software, CBECC-Res. Prior to joining Big Ladder, Neal worked as a residential buildings research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

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Robin LeBaron
Pearl Certification

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Tony Lisanti
Integral Building

Tony, lives in Rockland County NY, a suburb just north of New York City. He has an Associate’s Degree from S.U.N.Y. Alfred in Internal Combustion Engine Engineering Technology, a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Master’s of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College.

He has been employed as a Mechanical Engineer with a consulting engineering firm in Rye, NY; as a Maintenance Specialist and Account Executive with Con Edison, as Director of Energy Sales and Service for Robison Energy in Westchester County, NY and currently as Managing Director at Integral Building & Design, Inc.

In 2003 he became a Certified Home Energy Rater and began assisting homeowners, builders, developers, and contractors in meeting Energy Code, Energy Star Homes and many other high performance building standards. He has over 2000 dwelling units certified for the EPA Energy Star Program and has completed HERS Ratings for code compliance, EPA Indoor airPLUS, DOE ZERH and PHIUS+. He has worked with several municipalities in NY including the NY Dept. of State in developing higher standards for energy codes.

Other qualifications include Certified Energy Manager (C.E.M.) Passive House Rater, Verifier and Passive House Consultant, D.O.E. Zero Energy Home Verifier, RESNET Quality Assurance Designee, RESNET Rater Trainer, Certified Green Professional by the National Association of Home Builders and numerous certifications from the Building Performance Institute.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Passive House Alliance - Hudson Valley Chapter, participates on several RESNET working groups, the Rockland Business Association Green and Commercial Real Estate and Development Councils, and previously was Vice-President of the North East Home Energy Rating System Alliance. He recently became the QA/QC Manager for the Passive House Institute US.

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Bing Liu
SR MANAGER, ENERGY CODES AND STANDARDS, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Bing Liu is the Senior Manager responsible for the Codes and Standards program at the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.  Bing leads the development and implementation of building energy codes and equipment standards. Before joining NEEA, Bing was a group leader at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, overseeing the Building Energy Research and Analysis group with 30 researchers.  She was also the program manager of the Building Energy Codes Program at PNNL, leading PNNL’s research team to support the development and implementation of building energy codes in the U.S.  Bing is an internationally recognized technical expert with over 24 years of experience in building codes and standards, large scale building energy simulation, energy efficiency technology analysis, and building performance metering.  Bing is a registered Professional Engineer, a member of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and 189.1, lead author of award-winning Advanced Energy Design Guide and ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer.

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Beth Livingston
EPA

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Jamie Lyons
Newport Partners, LLC

Jamie Lyons of Newport Partners researches and consults on building performance and energy efficient design.  He serves as the Technical Director for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program, and supports builders, raters, architects, and utilities to help them achieve solutions for designing, building, and selling high performance homes.  He holds a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Environmental Engineering, is a registered Professional Engineer in Maryland and a Certified Energy Manager (CEM).

Session(s) Presenting:

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Ethan MacCormick
Technical Lead, Performance Systems Development

Ethan MacCormick has been with Performance Systems Development since 2003 as an Energy Rater/Building Analyst, software developer, Home Performance Contractor/Manager, and extensively as a Building Science trainer. He is a BPI field super-proctor, a RESNET trainer, and has presented on home performance, software, and training at several conferences. Ethan is the chief technical lead for PSD’s Efficiency Programs deployment team. Prior to joining PSD, he built homes professionally since the early 1980s.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Eric Makela
New Buildings Institute

Eric Makela, New Buildings Institute, is and Associate Director focused on codes and policy.   Eric’s building energy codes expertise spans 30 years, numerous states, and countries.  Makela served on the ICC IECC Code Development Committee for four cycles, and now represents the Northwest Energy Codes Group in developing IECC code change proposals.  In addition, he represented DOE on a team that developed a commercial code change proposal for the IECC that resulted in a 25% increase in efficiency over earlier codes and RESNET was successful in the adoption of the ERI approach. As a partner in Britt/Makela Group, Eric was involved in energy code implementation and evaluation efforts in states and major cities.  Makela served as a senior member of the U.S. DOE Building Energy Codes Program where his focus was on outreach and education to states and national stakeholders including the International Code Council, Building Code Assistance Project and the Regional Energy Efficiency Organizations.  Over his career Makela has trained in over 20 states to the building, design and enforcement industry in a variety of venues.  Makela was a recipient of the 2009 Jeffrey A. Johnson Award and the 2008 Canyon County Habitat for Humanity Volunteer of the Year. He has a B.A. in environmental studies from Sonoma State University and an M.A. in education from California State University, Sacramento.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Anthony Maschmedt
Dwell Development

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Chris McTaggart
The BER

Chris McTaggart of Building Efficiency Resources (BER) is the QA/QC manager in support of the PHIUS+ Rater program. BER is a national third-party RESNET QA Provider working with independent rating companies throughout the United States. He recently completed the PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultant training program.

His experience in research, analysis and logic developed both through his professional experience and formal education at Michigan State University. His areas of interest are in energy modeling, energy efficiency programs, and Net-Zero energy building projects. Throughout his career as a HERS Rater, BPI Building Analyst, QAD and Trainer, Chris has served as QAD for three RESNET Rating Providers, performed over 300 HERS ratings, 100+ home performance assessments, and has mentored over 50 Provisional HERS Raters. Additionally, Chris has written a variety of technical articles.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Joe Medosch
Owner, Energy & Environmental Consulting llc

He provides practical “universal” training and communication skills to professionals like yourself. He is a Comfort Consultant Trainer, providing solutions on home performance applications.

He developed energy management curriculum for Technical College System of Georgia, and was the Energy Manager at University of Georgia, Tifton campus.

His certifications include:  BPI Proctor - Building Analyst & Envelope Professional, Infiltration & Duct Leakage, ICC- Commercial & Residential Energy Inspector / Plans Examiner and Residential Building Inspector, NABCEP PV Certified, Inactive HERS Rater and IAQ Professional.

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Ryan Meres
Programs Director, RESNET

Ryan has 10 years of experience in energy efficiency, energy policy and building energy codes and has published more than two dozen case studies, reports and resources on those topics.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Jim Meyers
Director of Buildings Efficiency Program, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)

Jim Meyers is Senior Associate, Director of Buildings Efficiency Program for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), where he works on building energy code advancements. Jim is responsible for conducting analysis, preparing case studies, evaluating new and emerging technologies for buildings and supporting the adoption of state-of-the-art building energy codes through education.

Jim has worked in multiple sectors of the energy field by starting his working career in the generation of power via fuel cells and more recently through energy efficiency of the built environment and new construction. Jim has also worked as a regional manager in the insulation industry, the technical director of an energy rating provider, program manager for a RESNET software, and in the software and defense industries.

Meyers is a CGP, a LEED Green Associate and former certified Energy Rater-Trainer-QA Designee. He has provided energy code technical trainings, compliance software training, building science trainings, and HERS Energy Rater trainings. Jim actively participates in International Code Council (ICC) committees and is active with local ICC, USGBC, AIA and other association chapters.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Alexi Miller
New Buildings Institute

Alexi Miller is a Senior Project Manager at NBI and is NBI’s lead engineer. He brings insight and analysis about cutting-edge technologies and strategies to diverse stakeholders as part of a wide-ranging effort to improve the energy performance of the built environment. Alexi leads several programs and initiatives at NBI including Zero Energy Building Certification, the GridOptimal Initiative, Community Strategic Energy Management and the Getting to Zero Buildings Database. He manages the development of FirstView, NBI’s remote virtual energy audit software tool. Alexi has expertise in topics including zero net energy buildings, codes and policies, building controls, deep energy savings retrofits, and emerging technologies. Prior to joining NBI in 2013, he spent six years at The Cadmus Group. Alexi is a registered Professional Engineer in Mechanical Engineering, LEED-AP+ accredited (Operations & Maintenance specialty). In his spare time he skis, paraglides, reads good books and brews his own beer (though not all at once). He is fully fluent in Spanish and conversationally fluent in Portuguese.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Tommy Milliner
Anzelmo, Milliner & Burke LLC

Mr. Milliner is a native New Orleanian with a passion for progressive energy policy. A 1980 graduate of Tulane Law School, he is a former Deputy City Attorney and is currently a partner in the Anzelmo, Milliner & Burke law firm. For 25 years while serving as legal counsel to the Alliance for Affordable Energy, he participated in numerous utility dockets.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Brendan Moore
Instructional Designer, Ochsner Health System

Brendan Moore, MA, MPS is an instructional designer and is currently working on developing a leadership development program at Ochsner Health Systems. His background includes 7+ years of university medical ethics teaching at Ohio University and several years of work in applied science. Brendan currently teaches applied computing systems & technology courses at Tulane University and studies engineering at the University of New Orleans.


He is passionate about education software, energy use, and the intersection of applied technology and philosophy.


Brendan is currently finishing his fourth masters program in Engineering Management (MS) at the University of New Orleans. His previous three masters programs were in philosophy (MA) at Ohio University), in philosophy (MA) at Tulane University, and in IT Management (MPS) at Tulane University.
Brendan is also entering his second PhD program in Engineering, and previously was a PhD student at Tulane University in the area of philosophy.
Brendan innovated the way Ohio University Online distributes their online coursework, frequently innovates Learning Management Systems (LMS) development, and leads through VP and education roles at a variety of non-profits.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Richard Morgan
Energy Codes Manager, SPEER

Richard Morgan is the Energy Codes Manager for the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource, the Regional Energy Efficiency Organization for Texas and Oklahoma. In that role Richard is responsible for increasing local energy code adoption and compliance in Texas and Oklahoma. Richard works mostly in the climate zone 2 areas of Texas and is the SPEER lead on the DOE Energy Codes Field Study for Texas. Prior to joining SPEER Richard was the Green Building and Sustainability Manager for Austin Energy, the municipal electric utility for the City of Austin, TX. Richard has participated in many regional and national green building and energy code working groups and committees including acting as Chair of the Energy Working Group of the ICC Sustainable Building Technology Committee for the development of the first version of the International Green Construction Code.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Gene Myers
CEO, Thrive Home Builders

Gene Myers is the owner and CEO of Thrive Home Builders. By virtue of our unprecedented six-in-a-row Grand Awards for Housing Innovation from the United States Department of Energy, Thrive is among the nation’s foremost builders of high performance homes. Every Thrive home is built Zero Energy Ready, LEED Certified, and Thrive is Denver’s largest builder of EPA Indoor airPLUS-qualified homes.  Although Thrive ranks 140 on Professional Builder Magazine’s Housing Giants Rankings and operates in the Denver market amongst fourteen of the top twenty homebuilders on the list, Professional Builder Magazine named Thrive Home Builders their 2017 Builder of the Year.

Gene’s career in urban development spans over 30 years - from a Civil Engineer in the U.S. Peace Corps in the early 1970’s to starting his own homebuilding company in the early 1990’s.

Gene is known as an advocate for smart growth and affordable housing. He frequently speaks locally and nationally on these topics.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Sam Myers
Retrotec

Sam Myers is a marketing and training consultant for Retrotec, Inc. where he manages trade shows, conducts field studies, and serves as a building science consultant. He’s also spent several years as a building scientist with Advanced Energy — one of the most respected efficiency consultancies in North America — where he managed field operations for building performance programs and served affordable housing developers that included Habitat for Humanity. He holds a Master’s of Science degree in Sustainability from East Carolina University, is a certified HERS rater, and is a licensed real estate broker. Sam lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Joe Nebbia
Newport Partners

Joe Nebbia is a building codes and building science expert with 16 years of experience in policy and regulatory analysis, including over 12 years spent working on buildings and construction related issues.  He develops and conducts code trainings in multiple states and operates a code technical assistance service in Maryland and New York.  He serves as the Operations Director for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program and performed the same function for the predecessor program, the DOE Builders Challenge.

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Patrick Nielsen
Broan

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Glenn Pease
Manager of Quality Assurance, EnergyLogic

Glenn Pease is the Manager of Quality Assurance for EnergyLogic and serves as a trainer and mentor for HERS Raters across the country. He has a hand in teaching a variety of courses for RESNET HERS Raters that includes ENERGY STAR V3, SketchUp for Raters, Multifamily HERS Ratings, Tips and Tricks of REM Rate, and Tips and Tricks on the New Home Builder Tax Credit. Glenn began his career at Southface Institute in 2007, where he worked as a HERS Rater in the EarthCraft House program.  He expanded his roles to include providing technical support for homeowners and contractors in the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program, and assisted with various training roles during BPI and RESNET Trainings.  At EnergyLogic, Glenn has expanded his training repertoire and worked with rating companies across the country to assure compliance with the RESNET Standard and provide technical assistance along the way. Glenn applies his strong background in technical support and experience in the industry to help mentor and guide energy raters, utility program administrators, and independent RESNET QA Providers. Glenn now resides in Loveland, CO where he enjoys hiking, camping, watching football and basketball and especially spending time with his 4 year old son.

“One of the many perks of working with EnergyLogic is the company culture of being on the cutting edge. Having a company culture that embraces new and improved ways of doing things keeps it fresh and exciting. It is especially important that we add this value to our clients who share a common goal of putting efficiency on the forefront of our everyday lives. Anything we can do to make efficiency more tangible, marketable, and visually appealing strengthens our energy future.”

Session(s) Presenting:

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Mark Pignatelli
ICF

Mark Pignatelli has 13+ years of experience in the energy efficiency industry. He is a Manager at ICF, a global consulting firm providing professional services and technical solutions that maximize impact for people, businesses, and government in areas critical to the world’s future. Previously, Mark worked at Conservation Services Group for eight years. He graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Geography and Appropriate Technology.

As the Program Manager for the Mass Save Residential New Construction Program, Mark promotes the benefits of residential high performance new construction, renovation and addition projects with a goal to increase energy efficiency. He works closely with Utility clients, partner HERS Raters, builders and developers to design above-code new construction, drive deeper energy savings and maximize energy efficiency program incentives. Mark has worked on behalf of Mass Save for over a decade bringing passion, innovation and foresight to work collectively towards greening the built environment and ensuring future infrastructure incorporates green building, energy efficiency and resiliency. Mark previously served as the Co-chair of the Residential Green Building Committee within the USGBC MA Chapter. He is currently a member of the Association of Energy Services Professionals, Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Western Massachusetts and holds a HERS Associate certification.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Darren Port
NEEP

Darren is charged with developing and implementing policy strategies for the advancement of the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic States adoption of, and compliance with, progressive market transformation initiatives.

Additionally, Darren advocates for energy codes, stretch codes, zero energy building policy, rating and disclosure of building energy performance and multifamily retrofit initiatives.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Sam Rashkin
Chief Architect, U.S. Department of Energy

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 been recognized for his contributions to sustainable housing with the 2012 Hanley Award and is a published author.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Paul Raymer
Chief Investigator, Heyoka Solutions

Paul H. Raymer has been working with building science for more than forty years.  He has taught a lot of building science courses.  He is a Senior Technical Specialist with ICF.  He holds a number of BPI Certifications.  He’s a certified HERS Rater, an IREC assessor, IREC Certified Master Trainer and a full member of ASHRAE and a voting member of the 62.2 SSPC.  He is the author of the Residential Ventilation Handbook V2 and Recalculating Truth (a novel).

Session(s) Presenting:

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Michael Resech
New Homes Program Manager, Residential Science Resources, LLC

Michael Resech is responsible for the daily operation of three major utility New Homes Programs for RSR. Resech develops and implements program improvements to keep up with the changing energy and building code requirements. He also develops program and implementation strategies for new markets.

Resech received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Architecture from the University of Minnesota and has over twelve years of experience in commercial and residential envelope design.

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Kevin Reza
DSM Program Manager, ICF

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Shon Richey
Residential Marketing Support Supervisor, Alabama Power Company

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Alice Rosenberg
Senior Program Manager, Consortium for Energy Efficiency

Alice Rosenberg is a Senior Program Manager at Consortium for Energy Efficiency. CEE is the US and Canadian consortium of gas and electric efficiency program administrators, working together to accelerate the development and availability of energy efficient products and services for lasting public benefit. Alice oversees and leads activities of the Residential Whole House Committee, which covers efforts related to new construction, existing homes, and windows. Within new homes, she facilitates members to build consensus positions and identify roles where bi-national consistency can significantly impact the market. Her technical expertise includes building envelop, air sealing, windows, attachments and coverings, insulation, and building systems. Alice holds a Bachelors of Arts from Colgate University and a Masters of Architecture from M.I.T.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Ziv Rozenblum
Ekotrope

Ziv Rozenblum is a co-founder and CEO of Ekotrope. Ziv is an industry executive (HP, Archibus, Israeli Air Force) with over 20 years of experience in R&D and business capacities. Ziv's experience includes defining, building and leading multi-million dollar solutions for managing buildings and energy systems. Ziv holds an M.S. in Engineering and Management from MIT Sloan, M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Tel-Aviv University, B.S., Cum Laude, in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and B.A., Cum Laude, in Computer Science from Bar-Ilan University. Ziv lives happily in Boston, MA with his wife and three young kids and enjoys scuba diving, reading and hiking. When he was much younger he was a professional basketball trainer and scaled Mount Kenya (the second highest mountain in Africa).

Session(s) Presenting:

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Jonah Schein
Technical Coordinator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense Program

Jonah Schein is the Technical Coordinator for Homes & Buildings at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense® Program. He has overseen the technical development and implementation of the WaterSense New Homes specification and certification system since their inception. He is also responsible for efforts to expand the WaterSesne program's reach in the multi-family and commercial sectors. Prior to joining EPA in 2008, Mr. Schein served as the Director of Outreach for Earth Day Network (EDN) where he was responsible for a number of initiatives to promote water efficiency through green building strategies in the United States and Middle East. Mr. Schein holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from Indiana University as well as a Master of Science in Environmental Science from the Johns Hopkins University.

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Amy Schmidt
Advocacy Manager, Dow Building and Construction

Amy is committed to advancing community resilience across the U.S., she leads a team that is responsible for Dow’s code development and adoption activities and serves as the subject matter expert on energy codes. She also serves on RESNET SDC 300, the ASHRAE 90.1 and 90.2 committees, and is actively involved with International Code Council code development. Appointed to the ANCR board in August 2017, she uses her expertise in construction, government affairs, chemistry and design to establish benchmarks that will be used by resilient communities to prevent infrastructure failure following natural and man-made adverse events.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Robby Schwarz
Principal / Director of Builder Relations, EnergyLogic

Robby Schwarz is a principle with EnergyLogic, Inc. a Colorado based energy services organization primarily serving the residential construction industry.  For the last 20+ years he has worked in the building performance, applied building science and system thinking field helping Builders, Code jurisdictions, and Homeowners understand how their houses perform. Currently Robby is Director of Builder Relations for EnergyLogic; the largest energy rating and building consulting firm of its kind in Colorado.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Elliot Seibert
EPA

Elliot Seibert is an environmental specialist with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Residential Branch, focusing on technical development and quality assurance. Mr. Seibert came to EPA with eight years of experience in the residential energy efficiency industry managing thousands of single family and multifamily HERS ratings, ENERGY STAR and green building certifications as a HERS Rater and HERS Quality Assurance Designee. As a mechanical engineer by training, he has a thorough knowledge of building science and has supported mechanical system design, building system commissioning and comprehensive energy audits.

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Tadashi Shiga
Principal, Evergreen Certified LLC

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Clint Shireman
Knauf Insulation

Clint Shireman is a training manager for Knauf Insulation. He works with builders and installers nationwide, teaching building science, and spreading best practices. He’s also heavily involved with the High Performance Insulation Professionals, an insulation trade group that’s focused on improving the quality of residential insulation work. Prior to Knauf, Clint worked as a contractor doing whole-house retrofits.

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Brett Singer
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Brett C. Singer, Ph.D., is the Indoor Environment Group Leader and a Staff Scientist in the Whole Building Systems Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He conceives and leads research studies of air pollutant sources, processes, exposures, and control strategies to achieve healthy environments in energy-efficient buildings.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Bill Spohn
President, CEO, TruTech Tools, LTD

BS & MS in Mechanical Engineering, University Of Rochester
Registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Pennsylvania

Bill has designed, marketed and sold a wide array of test and measurement products in the last twenty-five years. Bill was design-engineering manager at Bacharach, Inc. for 10 years and HVAC Product Marketing Manager at Testo, Inc. for 10 years. Since 2009, he has managed and is now President, CEO and majority owner of TruTech Tools, LTD. He and his team have built an Inc. 5000 award winning test instrument web store (#3962 in 2016 & #4509 in 2018). TruTech’s philosophy is to start from the “why” of the customer’s tasks and provide learning materials to help them perform with best practices.

He regularly teaches and writes on technically complex topics to a wide range of audiences on the applications of testing and measurement instrumentation in building science, healthy homes, Indoor Air Quality, weatherization, and HVACR. 

Bill was awarded a 10,000 Small Business Scholarship in 2016 to boost his entrepreneurial skills. He has worked on BPI, RESNET, GAMA, AHRI, OMA, RSES, NATE, and ACCA Technical Committees, and holds three US patents in instrumentation design and several patent applications. He also consults in instrumentation design, development and application along with expert witness work on HVAC equipment, heat exchanger, carbon monoxide and related issues as well as technical education.

Bill is also host of the Building HVAC Science Podcast as part of the BlueCollarRoots.com media network and host of the RESTalk podcast for RESNET.us

Session(s) Presenting:

  • AirFlow 2019
    Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - 3:30 PM-5:00 PM, Nottoway
  • HVAC 101
    Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 1:30 PM-3:00 PM, Grand Couteau

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Tim Stanton
National Regulatory Research Institute

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Kelly Stephens
SunRiver St. George

Kelly has been heavily involved in the construction industry for more than 30 years.  He was instrumental  in making the Sun River Development  100 percent 5 Star Energy Homes for the last 12 years. Recently dropping the Energy Star and embrassing the RESNET Network. Kelly has served on
numerous Boards and currently serves on the Southern Utah Home Builders Association as a State Board Representative. He was President of SUHBA in 2011 and has been elected as President of the Utah State Home Builders Association  for 2015.

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David Stets
Chapter Chair, Sierra Club Delta

Mr. Stets lives in a Net Zero home in New Orleans. He is co-lead of the Sierra Clubs Clean Transportation for All campaign and has owned an electric vehicle for two years. He founded his fourth company, Richmond BySolar in 2007. He was a leader in bringing renewable energy to Virginia. In March of 2011 he installed the first PV AC System in Virginia. Richmond BySolar funded research at VCU to jointly develop the Virginia Heatstore which provides solar space heating for buildings and has been published nationally. He used the Virginia Heatstore to heat his home and domestic hot water. He has consulted with Universities, Cities and manufacturers on renewable energy and sustainability plans. He was a consultant to ODU and Hampton University for the 2013 Solar Decathlon, Team Tidewater house. He is a graduate or the DOE Sunshot program for solar instructors and received his Diploma for Renewable Energy Technologies from North Carolina State University. He installed his first solar thermal system in 1984.

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Colby Swanson
Co-Founder and Partner, Momentum Innovation Group

Colby Swanson is a serial entrepreneur who exists to challenge the status quo. He has spent over twenty years in the building industry gaining a 360 degree understanding of the construction space. He began as a framer and builder, graduated to a building scientist and forensics investigator, has authored corporate strategy at a Fortune 500 company, and started seven companies.

He is currently a co-founder and partner at Momentum Innovation Group, a construction consulting firm helping clients embrace transformation and disruption in their respective industries and find unseen areas of opportunity and growth in the marketplace. He is determined to help the residential industry build smarter, faster and more equitably for everyone.

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Clayton Traylor
LBA

Clayton Traylor joined the LBA staff following five years with Centex Homes where he served as Director of Government & Industry Relations and Sustainability Officer.  In this capacity, Clayton was responsible for the companies’ political, legislative and regulatory activity at the federal, state and local level.  Clayton also spearheaded Centex’s energy efficiency initiatives.

Before joining Centex, Clayton was a Senior Staff Vice President at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) responsible for construction codes, land use and state and local government relations.

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David Treleven
Thermastor

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Mike Turns
Senior Program Manager, Performance Systems Development

Mike Turns, Director of Energy Code and New Construction Programs, has been with PSD for over five years managing several residential new construction and energy code support programs. Currently, Mike manages the implementation of the Mass Save® Codes and Standards Compliance and Support Initiative, Green Building United’s Philadelphia Energy Code Assessment, and several new construction programs covering nearly all of Pennsylvania. Before that, Mike led the DOE-funded Pennsylvania Residential Energy Code Field Study. He is an expert in the International Energy Conservation Code and has developed and taught numerous training programs in several states under a variety of code versions. He has over 10 years of energy code training experience and has presented at national conferences like the RESNET, HPC, the DOE Energy Codes Conference, and AESP. Prior to joining PSD, he was the Associate Director of the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center (PHRC) at Penn State University, where he managed the largest provider of residential building code training in Pennsylvania. Mike has a master’s degree from Penn State with a thesis focused on assessing and reducing energy consumption in new homes.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Gayathri Vijayakumar
Principal Mechanical Engineer, Steven Winter Associates, Inc.

Gayathri Vijayakumar is a Principal Mechanical Engineer at Steven Winter Associates, Inc., a RESNET Accredited Rating Quality Assurance Provider. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Engineering Science and from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a MS in Mechanical Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Energy Policy and Management. Gayathri, an ASHRAE-certified Building Energy Modeling Professional and HERS Rater, currently provides technical support to the EPA's ENERGY STAR Multifamily High Rise program and has over 13 years of experience supporting ENERGY STAR certification of units in multifamily buildings. She currently is a member of the ASHRAE 62.2 Multifamily working group and Chair of RESNET’s Standards Development Committee, SDC300.

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Stephen Wagner
Appraisal Institute

Stephen S. Wagner, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, of West Lafayette, Indiana, is the 2019 president of the Appraisal Institute. He will serve as immediate past president in 2020. He serves this year as chair of the organization’s Executive Committee and chairs its policy-setting Board of Directors.

Wagner has served on the Appraisal Institute Board of Directors and as chair of the Finance Committee and vice chair of the Professional Standards and Guidance Committee. He is a past chair of the Demonstration Report Writing Panel, has served on the Admissions Designations and Qualifications Committee and has been involved in the development of the General Review courses and two Capstone case studies. He also teaches general qualifying education and advanced-level courses and seminars for the Appraisal Institute. Additionally, he served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of the Hoosier State Chapter. Wagner is a senior appraiser in the appraisal firm of Terzo & Bologna, Inc., in Indianapolis.

A graduate of Purdue University, he has been a chief appraiser for a regional bank and currently is a senior appraiser in the appraisal firm of Terzo & Bologna, Inc. in Indianapolis.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Iain Walker
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Dr. Iain Walker  is a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and leads the Residential Building Systems group.  He has more than 20 years of experience as a building scientist and his current work focuses on Indoor Air Quality, retrofits, Zero/Low Energy Homes and HVAC systems in residential buildings.  He is an ASHRAE fellow and serves on several ASHRAE Standards committees. He is Executive Editor of Home Energy magazine.  He is the task group leader for ASTM standards committees on range hood performance, building and duct system air leakage and sealant longevity and serves on Building Performance Institute, RESNET and ACCA Technical Committees, and provides leadership and technical input to many local, state, national and international bodies.

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Lauren Westmoreland
SEEA

Lauren Westmoreland serves as SEEA’s Built Environment Director after beginning in 2013 as the organization’s Energy Codes Manager. Previously, she was a building science consultant and trainer with Advanced Energy in Raleigh, NC. She also worked as an architectural designer for Bentley Architects + Engineers.

Lauren has a Master’s of Architecture degree from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She serves as a board member for the Collaborative High Performing Schools (CHPS) nonprofit.

Lauren is a licensed North Carolina Architect, a LEED AP and a HERS Rater.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Dr. Theresa Weston
Senior Research Fellow, Dupont

Dr. Weston leads building science and construction technology research for DuPont Performance Building Solutions.  She has developed and introduced to market many new products and is an inventor of four U.S. patents. Dr. Weston earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology.  She has worked for DuPont for over 30 years.

Dr. Weston is actively involved with many professional organizations and chairs technical and standard development committees.  She is a member of the executive committee of the ASTM Committee on the Performance of Buildings and chairs the Sub-Committee on Air Leakage and Ventilation. At ASHRAE, she is currently Chair of the Residential Buildings Committee and Chair of the Standard for Energy Efficient Design of New Low-Rise Residential Buildings (90.2) and a past chair of the Technical Committee on Building Materials and Building Envelope Performance.  Dr. Weston is active in the ICC code development process. She is also active in publishing technical papers and presenting at construction industry and building science conferences.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Dan Wildenhaus
Senior Manager, TRC

As the Building Science Manager for TRC, Dan has completely immersed in the discussion of what is required to create High Performance Buildings. Dan has 25 years of experience working directly for both a contractor and a Rating company; performing energy audits & Ratings, weatherization repairs, consulting & analysis for private clients in both New Construction and the existing buildings market. After 15 years working directly in the field, Dan transitioned to the consulting side of the business, working with program implementation companies, finding a home with TRC. Dan currently provides staff management, Building Science consultation, QA/QC design, code evaluation, market channel development, and training & presentation services for a variety of utility and Home Certification Programs across the country.

Session(s) Presenting:

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Amber Wood
Senior Manager, REM/Rate

Amber Wood leads the technical team for REM/Rate and REM/Design. She directs the staff on day to day activities including user support, programming of new features and enhancements, planning and execution of new version releases, and development of custom reference homes and reports for clients. She also focuses on the strategic direction. Amber is involved with providing building science expertise to various RESNET technical committees and task forces.

Session(s) Presenting:

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RESNET Conference 2019