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ABOUT THE GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE |
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Ward Hubbell, President
President
Since helping to establish the Green Building Initiative in 2004, Hubbell has guided its evolution into a national organization promoting green building approaches in dozens of major U.S. markets across the country. Under his leadership, the GBI became the first green building organization to be certified as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and is in the process of establishing its proprietary tool, the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system for commercial buildings, as an official ANSI standard.
For nearly two decades, Ward Hubbell has been a leading communicator and strategic adviser in the natural resources field, serving in a range of capacities in the public and private sectors. Hubbell also spent ten years as a communications executive in Washington, DC, working primarily in the areas of natural resources, environmental energy, transportation and health and safety policy. A native of Mississippi, Hubbell and his family reside in the Portland area, where he is very involved in the Oregon business community. Recently, he has served on the boards of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, Oregon Business Association and SOLV, one of the nation's largest volunteer networks devoted to environmental restoration and community building. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University and Wake Forest University.
Notable Speaking Engagements
United States Senate, Environment and Public Works Committee, "Opportunities to Cut Costs, Improve Energy Performance and Eliminate Waste in the General Services Administration," Washington, DC, March 30, 2011
United States Senate, Energy and Natural Resources Committee, "How Green Building Rating Systems Can Accelerate Energy Efficiency," Washington, DC, February 23, 2009
West Coast Green Conference, June 21, 2007, San Francisco, CA
United States Senate, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, "Green Buildings: Benefits to Health, the Environment and the Bottom Line," May 15, 2007, Washington D.C.
World Chlorine Council, St. Petersburg, Russia, "Green Building Developments in the United States," October 9, 2006
United States Council of Mayors, Las Vegas, Nevada, "The Green Building Initiative," October 6, 2006
2006 Executive Officer Conference Seminar, August 2, 2006, Uncasville, CT
National Green Building Conference, March 12, 2006, Albuquerque, NM
Associated General Contractors of America Annual Convention, March 21, 2006, Palm Springs, CA
International Builders’ Show, January 12, 2006, Orlando, FL
Contact ward@thegbi.org
Bruce Carocci, VP & GM, Certification Services
Vice President & General Manager of Certification Services
Bruce has overall responsibility for marketing, sales, service delivery and product development for the certification services offered by the Green Building Initiative. This includes the Green Globes™ and the Federal Guiding Principles products sold and supported in the US.
Previously Bruce was SVP of Marketing and Sales at Via Training, a developer of custom e-learning programs. Prior to that he was VP of Marketing at FLIR Systems (FSI) where he played a key role in launching new products, developing marketing communications, product management and demand generation programs. Bruce completed B.S. degrees in Science and in Sociology, an M.B.A. and two years of doctoral course work in Systems Science at Portland State University.
Contact bruce@thegbi.org
Sharene Rekow, MSEd, MIM, CAE, VP, Marketing/Membership
VP Marketing/Membership
As VP of marketing-membership for the Green Building Initiative, Sharene is responsible for external activities that educate and inform potential members, partners and the public about ways to play a significant role in the green building movement. Her role includes the development of partnerships, webseminar training, trade show visibility and public recognition of the GBI as a green building leader.
Before the GBI, Sharene was the Nonprofit Channel Director for EthicsPoint, Inc. a for-profit company that sold technology based solutions for the monitoring of fraud, misuse and abuse in the higher education and nonprofit arena. Sharene’s distinguished resume includes over 15 years managing nonprofit organizations. She served as the Executive Director of the Better Business Bureau of Oregon and Western Washington, where she worked with the offices of the Attorneys General in both states on fraud and regulatory issues. She also managed the business education program for the Associated General Contractors of America in Washington DC. Sharene is a seasoned speaker and published writer on the topic of ethics and governance best practices in higher education and nonprofits.
Contact sharene@thegbi.org
Erin Shaffer, VP, Federal Outreach
Vice President of Federal Outreach
Erin Shaffer is a consultant to the Green Building Initiative serving as the key contact in charge of outreach to Federal Agencies, Capitol Hill, and the business community. Erin educates diverse stakeholders and lawmakers to the benefits of Green Globes™.
Ms. Shaffer has more than 20 years of experience managing complex environmental issues in several capacities. She was responsible for directing public affairs operations for a Fortune 30 company and representing the company before Congress, the Administration and the broader Washington community. In this capacity she developed all company environment-related public policy positions and directed all related corporate strategic advocacy work. Ms. Shaffer served as the Director of State Programs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Toxic Substances, where she focused on multi-pathway exposure to pollutants. Ms. Shaffer also served as Staff to Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Senator Henry Jackson (D-WA) and is licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C. and Connecticut.
Contact erin@thegbi.org
Hans Bernard, Director, State and Local Public Affairs
Dir., Public Affairs
Hans joins the Green Building Initiative as Director of State and Local Public Affairs after serving as a Policy Advisor to Oregon Governor, Ted Kulongoski. In 2007 Hans joined Governor Kulongoski’s office as a Senior Policy Advisor on Transportation. In this role Hans oversaw the committee process that drafted the Governor’s Jobs and Transportation Act (JTA) of 2009. In 2008 he was promoted to the position of Deputy Legislative Director where he managed lobbying efforts and represented the Governor in meetings with Legislators, staff and interest groups.
Since January of this year Hans has served as the Government Liaison for ODOT Region 1. In this role he has coordinated the agency presence during stakeholder meetings and worked on projects of regional significance including the Sunrise Corridor, Sellwood Bridge, and Columbia River Crossing.
Hans moved to Oregon from his native Alaska to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Willamette University. From there, he began a career in Oregon politics, serving as Senate Democratic Leader Kate Brown’s legislative assistant for two sessions before being hired as a policy advisor for the Senate Majority Caucus.
Contact Hans@thegbi.org
Kate Pitchlynn, Manager, Communications
Communications Manager
Kate joins the Green Building Initiative as Manager of Communications. Kate spent several years in the telecommunications industry before taking a Media Relations position at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), an international public policy think tank founded by Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM). At CIGI, Kate played a key role in tripling the organization’s international media coverage.
Kate studied Public Relations at Conestoga College in Ontario, Canada, graduating at the top of her class. She received numerous awards including the Garfield Weston Merit Scholarship, a prestigious national award for her commitment to her field of study and her desire to make a positive contribution to her community. In 2009 she was nominated for the Alumnus of Distinction Award – the highest honor conferred by her college.
Kate is active in her community. Her volunteer efforts have included working with seniors, homeless youth, and refugees. Since immigrating to the Pacific Northwest, she has performed pro bono public relations consulting for a number of local nonprofits tackling issues such as homelessness, teen depression and suicide prevention, and human trafficking. Kate paints portraits, writes poetry – and credits her passion for global and social justice issues to the years she spent as a child in Djibouti and Ethiopia, Africa.
Contact kate@thegbi.org
Mark Lesher, Customer Service Manager
Account Manager - Membership Support
As Customer Service Manager for the Green Building Initiative, Mark is dedicated to supporting the GBI and the broader Green Globes community through impeccable customer service. In this position, Mark is responsible for the following: customer service inquiries, user account and subscription support, assessment/certification quotes, scheduling and operations.
Prior to joining GBI, Mark worked for Ricoh Business Solutions for 26 years in various customer service capacities. The last position he held at Ricoh was that of Customer Service Manager for the Pacific Northwest Regional Customer Support Center based in Portland, Oregon.
Contact mlesher@thegbi.org
Dianne Elliott, Project Manager – Customer Service
Membership Support
Dianne manages customer service projects to maximize the customer experience. Supporting customer services activities includes: assisting with user accounts and subscriptions, fulfilling assessment and certification quotes, fostering orders and general inquiries and operations.
Dianne has a strong customer service background primarily in the telecommunications industry. She was, most recently, Call Center Director for Charter Communications with responsibilities for site operations in Vancouver WA. Prior to that position, she spent 10 years with Electric Lightwave LLC customer service in various positions including Customer Service Manager with responsibilities for personnel and operations in six locations. She was a high honors graduate from Portland State University with a B.S. in Business Administration.
Contact dianne@thegbi.org
Jenna Granum, Project Manager – Customer Service
Project Manager – Customer Service
Jenna supports GBI operations and maximizes customer experiences through management of customer service projects, administration of user accounts and subscriptions, fulfillment of assessment and certification quotes, and handling of client inquiries.
Jenna brings to GBI 12 years of customer service, 6 years of management, and 4 years of operations experience in education, retail, banking, and healthcare verticals. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Arizona State University with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and has worked and studied in France, Spain, and the U.S.
Contact jenna@thegbi.org
Micah Thomas, Project Manager – Customer Service
Membership Support
Micah is responsible for the development and implementation of different projects for the Green Building Initiative. His work includes developing tools and processes for new products as well as augmenting back-end administrative mechanisms. It’s Micah’s job to continue refining the entire assessment, rating and certification processes online and off, beginning with the GBI’s system assessing federal buildings for Guiding Principles compliance.
Micah has a background in project management with an emphasis on customer service. He was most recently the Support Department Manager for Play N Trade Franchise, Inc. based out of San Clemente, California. In addition to his management responsibilities for previous companies, Micah has been the Project Manager for hardware and software rollouts in cities across the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Whittier College.
Contact micah@thegbi.org
Kevin Stover, PE, Commercial Programs Consultant
Commercial Programs Consultant
Kevin Stover is a Commercial Programs Consultant with the Green Building Initiative. Stover works with the Green Globes™ rating system and offers support for design, construction and operation of commercial buildings. Stover is responsible for tracking registered projects, interfacing with members and users; addressing technical issues; and reaching out to prospective users, organizations and public entities. He is also responsible for outreach and coordination with the education and healthcare sectors as to the benefits of the Green Globes rating system.
Contact kevin@thegbi.org
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