Board

Build It Green's Board of Directors is comprised of a number of directors elected by the Organization's membership.

Board Elections

The Build It Green 2008 election results are now in.

Welcome to our new (and returning) Board of Directors:

Rich Chien
Matt Golden
Shawn Berry
David Blanke (replacing a Board Member who has stepped down)
Judi Ettlinger (returning)
Galo LeBron
Donald Simon (returning)

More information on our new/returning members

Donald S. Simon, Esq.

Partner, Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean

Mr. Simon is a partner with the Oakland, California full-service law firm of Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean, which was the nation's first law firm to be certified as a green business. He co-founded the firm's Sustainable Business and Natural Products Practice Group and serves numerous companies building the green economy. Mr. Simon earned his law degree and B.A. from the Ohio State University, where he focused on environmental law and served as President of the Environmental Law Association. During law school, he worked with Environmental Defense to create the first international model for addressing cross-border air pollution.

Mr. Simon has been an active leader in the environmental sustainability movement, in addition to serving as President of Build It Green. He co-founded the U.S. Green Building Council's Northern California Chapter. He was a director and principal organizer of the largest international conference of mayors ever assembled from throughout the world to address urban environmental sustainability issues in celebration of UN World Environment Day in June 2005 (www.wed2005.org).

Judi Ettlinger

Director of Marketing, Truitt and White

With more than twenty-five years experience in various aspects of construction, green building, marketing, and business management, Ms. Ettlinger has a proven record of establishing strong, effective marketing programs that produce results. Most recently, her involvement with Build It Green has garnered increased attention and praise from both inside and outside the building industry.

Using her skills as a professional carpenter, certified general contractor, and later the co-owner of a successful remodeling company, Ms. Ettlinger joined Truitt and White in 1991. Working her way through the company, she has held positions ranging from full-line sales to her current position as Director of Marketing.

In 1999, she was instrumental in the development of a highly successful green building program at Truitt and White. This program soon became a model for other companies and earned her a solid reputation for being a leader in the field. In conjunction with organizations such as StopWaste.Org along with colleagues from the construction industry, Ms. Ettlinger spearheaded the creation and development of Bay Area Build It Green in 2003.

In the role of Bay Area Build It Green Interim President, Ms. Ettlinger oversaw all facets of its operations. She has spread green building awareness through articles, newsletters, pamphlets, trade show displays, workshops, seminars, the BIG website and various other outlets.

Having presented green building talks to groups of production builders, homeowners and remodelers, and through her on-going efforts in promoting green building through various organizations, she has become an industry leader, recognized for her practical and results-oriented approach.

Chris Bartle

President, Green Key Real Estate

Chris Bartle’s mission is to help make San Francisco the most sustainable city in the world. Chris started Green Key Real Estate as a way of achieving this goal. Chris is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California as well as a certified EcoBroker and Green Building Professional. In addition, Green Key Real Estate is a certified Green Business in the city of San Francisco and a member of Co-Op America’s Green Business Network. Chris has 20 years of broad business experience. His entrepreneurial career began with starting The Evergreen Group, a sustainable business brokerage that he has been running since 2001 and continues to operate today. He was also a residential agent with Zephyr Real Estate for 2 years.

Chris also had a long career in the corporate world where he held progressively responsible managerial and executive-level positions with Internet and Management Consulting firms, and worked in a variety of industries including aerospace, semiconductor, telecom and software where he led cross-functional teams in engineering, manufacturing, product development and marketing. He holds an MBA in General Management from the University of San Francisco and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University . His combined passion for sustainability, business strategy and green real estate along with his previous experience on 2 non-profit boards of directors make him an excellent candidate for Build It Green’s Board of Directors.

Shawn Berry

Worker/Owner, Woodshanti Cooperative

Graduated SUNY Geneseo 1996 in BA Applied Physics, Art Studio. He founded Woodshanti Cooperative 1997, a custom cabinet shop intended to be a model of sustainable business leadership. He also Co-Founded the Urban Alliance for Sustainability in 2003, which is an innovative organization who’s mission is to inspire and integrate the sustainability movement in the Bay Area. Shawn took Permaculture Design training in 2003 and more recently became a Build It Green Certified Green Building Professional in 2007.

David Blanke

New Construction Manager, Energy Efficiency Programs, Southern California Gas Company, San Diego Gas & Electric

David Blanke is the New Construction Manager for Energy Efficiency Programs for Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric. For nearly 20 years, Mr. Blanke has served as a liaison with the building industry and architectural community for the utilities and has overseen the design, development and implementation of residential and non-residential energy efficiency programs such as the Advanced Home Program and Savings By Design.

Prior to working for the utilities he was the Managing Editor for the Environmental Periodicals Bibliography, the principle publication of the Environmental Studies Institute in Santa Barbara. He is a member of the Building Industry Association of Southern California and was past president of the Sales and Marketing Council of Southern California in 2002. Mr. Blanke holds degrees in Music History from the University of the Pacific and Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Rich Chien

Residential Green Building Coordinator, City and County of San Francisco

Rich Chien currently serves as Green Building Coordinator with the City and County of San Francisco's Department of the Environment, where he provides outreach, technical assistance, and develops policy initiatives to green the private sector buildings in San Francisco. In his previous role with the City’s municipal green building program, Rich helped to implement its LEED® Silver ordinance by developing green design tools and resources, administering a training program for City design professionals, and providing project support for municipal construction projects. Prior to joining the department, Rich practiced architecture and construction in Bay Area design firms, working on a wide range of project types, including earth building, institutional/campus projects, green master planning, and sustainability consulting. He also previously worked for the City of Hayward Planning Department, participating in community planning projects in redevelopment areas. Rich holds degrees in architecture and city planning, is a LEED Accredited Professional, and Build it Green Certified Green Building Professional and GreenPoint Rater.

He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter. Other interests include: modern art and architecture, food culture, vinyasa yoga, political blogs, mah jong, and running.

Matt Golden

President, Sustainable Spaces

Matt is committed to living sustainably in both his personal and business life. Prior to founding Sustainable Spaces, Matt worked as an Energy Consultant helping homeowners and businesses develop solar power systems. He soon realized that he was offering only a point solution and could not really address most homeowner’s desire to make their homes and lives more sustainable.

Matt developed the concept for Sustainable Spaces to meet this market demand by providing a single full-service resource and a brand homeowners can trust to help them improve the comfort, health, and efficiency of their home.

Matt speaks extensively on building science and integrated green design to groups such as the AIA (American Institute of Architects), West Coast Green, Build it Green and others. Matt has authored a number of articles or Home Energy Magazine, and has been featured in the USA Today, SF Chronicle, KQED Radio, and the Ellen Degeneres Show.

Matt has extensive experience working in fast paced start-up environments. Matt previously founded and operated Travelkey Inc., a venture backed leisure travel technology company.

Matt holds a bachelors degree in foreign relations from Georgetown University, and has traveled much of the world and America by bike, bus, train, plane, and foot.

Jeff Jacobs

President, Building Advisory, LLC

I have been involved in the design and construction of energy efficient homes since 1980. In 1981 the first building that I completed won the PG & E Passive Solar Award for design and energy efficiency. For 17 years I ran my own homebuilding business building over 300 homes and developing more than 15 neighborhoods. I have been in the production builder world for over 8 years. In my current role as VP of Community Development, I can build on the hands on experience that I gained while self employed. I have a greater appreciation for the challenges and opportunities that face a large homebuilder and have developed a sense of how to advocate, encourage and implement a change to the current paradigm. There are many stakeholders in a corporate environment. I have learned how to build coalitions within the organization that make going "Green" the obvious path.

I have been involved with the creation and revision of the New Home Construction Green Point Guidelines. In 2001 I built the first Zero Energy Home in Northern California and in 2006 I rolled out the first Zero Energy Home (85+ Green Points) in Alameda County. I have been involved in BIG since 2001.

Galo LeBron

CEO, Energy Inspectors

Galo LeBron, is CEO of Energy Inspectors, one of the largest Residential Energy Consulting and HERS Services companies in the United States, with operations serving production home builders in the western states of Nevada, Arizona, California and Utah. A HERS provider in 18 states, Energy Inspectors consults with builders and Utilities in all of these states regarding residential energy codes, Energy Star Certifications, state energy certifications (such as Title 24), Utility company incentives and rebate programs, residential (single and multi-family) plan reviews and residential diagnostic and HERS services.

Having certified over 40,000 Energy Star homes in the past 4 years, Energy Inspectors was honored by the Environmental Protections Agency as its 2007 Energy Star Partner of the Year for New Homes.

A graduate of Harvard University, with a Masters Degree in Business Administration, Galo seeks to employ his organizational skills and contacts with builders, the business community at large, government, the academic community and utilities throughout the region to promote green building, and the goals and objectives of Build It Green.

Michael McCutcheon

President, McCutcheon Construction, Inc.

Michael McCutcheon, CGBP, is the owner of McCutcheon Construction, Inc. in Berkeley, California, an award-winning, nationally recognized firm with about 40 employees. Since he started "working with his tools" and then built his business from the ground up, Michael is able to speak on many of the typical stages of building a successful company. Michael speaks and writes frequently on industry topics and is active in local industry groups including NARI, the Splinter Group, and the Green Remodelers Guild.

Kae Ono

Planner, Contra Costa County Community Development Department

Kae Ono works for the Contra Costa County Community Development Department as a Conservation Programs Planner. She has been with the County for over seven years, and her main duties reside in two areas of the Conservation Division: watershed/habitat management and solid waste reduction. Green building complements both areas of her work, so in 2003, she started working with Frontier Associates and Build It Green to start a Green Building Program for the County of Contra Costa.

Contra Costa has not been a leader in green building, but Kae is working to change that. In 2005, Kae sought out interested parties and organized an ad-hoc group of green building stakeholders from over 10 jurisdictions in Contra Costa County. She understands that not all cities or agencies are able to afford a staff person to attend BIG meetings held throughout the Bay Area. Therefore, as an active member of the Build It Green Public Agency Council (PAC) and its Technical Advisory Committee, Kae has become the liaison between her County jurisdictions and BIG. Messages that she receives from the PAC meetings are relayed to the ad-hoc group in the County, both as emails and as regularly scheduled meetings. Additionally, when the ad-hoc group identified that training programs for planners and building inspectors were needed to educate government staff on green building techniques, Kae organized a series of nine workshops that will take place in January and February of 2007. It is anticipated that more than 150 people will attend these workshops from all over the County. By doing so, Kae has become the first to coordinate such a large-scale green
building education campaign for government agencies in the Bay Area. Furthermore, Kae has been an active recruiter of new members to BIG, and at the December 2006 PAC meeting, Kae encouraged other new cities outside of Contra Costa to participate. About 10 new jurisdictions attended the meeting, including Napa, Davis, St. Helena and others.

Kae understands how to work with local governments to make green building happen. She is diligent, focused, and is an effective communicator who gets things done. Kae graduated from Sonoma State University, California with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Planning and a Minor in Business Administration. She is an avid hiker, swimmer, and loves spending quality time with friends and family.

Larry Percivalle

Division V.P., EarthSource Forest Products

If a sustainable forest product exists, Larry Percivalle knows how to find it. One of the industry's earliest supporters of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Larry has poured his heart and soul into establishing Plywood And Lumber Sales Inc., as a leader in environmental issues, building the EarthSource Forest Products division and spreading the gospel of green. Under Larry's leadership, EarthSource has become arguably the largest wholesale distributor of FSC certified hardwoods in the country. A nationally recognized expert in the field of sustainable forest products, Larry is the go-to guy for architects seeking sustainable wood product solutions for projects. Larry is a graduate from San Francisco State University with a degree in Marketing. He lives in the East Bay with his wife and two children.

Jennifer Somers

Program Officer: Green Connection, Bay Area LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation)

Jennifer Somers joined Bay Area LISC in October, 2006 and spearheads LISC's Green Connection program, working to build the capacity of affordable housing developers in the areas of green building and energy efficiency. Jennifer is a LEED Accredited Professional and prior to joining LISC, she was an associate for an environmental consulting firm working with clients to bring them through the LEED process. She has also worked for non-profit community development corporations in San Diego and Houston, where she managed a variety of activities to develop both single family and multifamily affordable housing. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and Spanish from Fairfield University and her Masters from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin where she focused her studies on environmental policy and sustainable development.

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