Staff


Twenty talented staff contribute a diverse array of backgrounds and expertise to manage and implement Build It Green’s programs:

 

Bruce Mast – Development Director

Serving as a Director of Build It Green and its predecessor nonprofit Green Resource Center since 2003, Mr. Mast helped shepherd the organization through a period of exponential growth. In June of 2006, Mr. Mast transitioned from the Board to a staff role as Development Director.
Since 2002, Mr. Mast has managed a CPUC-funded education and outreach initiative to help local governments and building professionals promote construction and remodeling practices that maximize energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, resource conservation, and overall sustainability. In that capacity, Mr. Mast helped found the Green Affordable Housing Coalition, made up of local governments and affordable housing developers seeking to incorporate green building practices into affordable housing projects.

Prior to entering the green building arena, Mr. Mast consulted for 10 years to electric and gas utilities, providing market research, competitive assessment, marketing/business plan development, program design and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation services. Mr. Mast also served four years on the City Council in Albany, California, including one year as Mayor.

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Brian Gitt – CEO/Executive Director

As CEO/Executive Director of Build It Green since 2004, Brian directs green building programs and initiatives that promote healthy, energy and resource efficient buildings in California. He combines passion and extensive experience working in the environmental and construction industries.

Brian was instrumental in organizing and launching a diverse network of building industry stakeholders committed to mainstreaming green building including the Public Agency Council, Builders Council, Suppliers Council, Real Estate Council, and Non-Profit Network. Brian is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and a Certified Green Building Professional.

In 2003, the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), a national fellowship program recognizing leaders in the environmental field, awarded Brian a two-year fellowship. Brian received his education in ecological design and environmental studies at Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona.

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Katy Hollbacher, PE - Program Manager

Katy combines practical experience with in-depth knowledge of green building resources, practices, and products to manage Build It Green’s technical information programs. Through previous employment at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, a large engineering/ architecture/ materials science consulting firm, she was involved in numerous new design, historic preservation, and repair projects for both commercial and residential buildings. She has also pounded nails and pulled wires on various construction projects and recently acted as General Contractor for construction of a new green home.

As Program Manager, Katy ensures the quality and effectiveness of the Ask an Expert green building hotline, Berkeley’s Best Builders program, and other informational programs and resources. She is passionate about promoting green building and articulating the health, comfort, economic, and environmental benefits of green building to the public.

Katy received her Master’s in Structural Engineering from the University of Michigan and is a LEED Accredited Professional, Certified Green Building Professional, Certified GreenPoint Rater, and Licensed Professional Engineer in California and Wyoming.

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Michele Brown - Program Manager

Michele brings her experience with and enthusiasm for green building, sustainable living, organic gardening and cohousing to the Build It Green team. Prior to Build It Green, Michele was the Community Programs and Visitor Services Manager at Hidden Villa Farm and Wilderness Preserve, coordinating multicultural and environmental education programs/events for the public. While there, she most enjoyed producing sustainable building and design workshops for both the public and building professionals.

As Program Manager, she manages and coordinates Build It Green Home Tours and Certified Green Building Professional trainings. She enjoys managing these programs that promote green building to homeowners and building professionals.

Michele received her Bachelor of Science degree in Management from the Pennsylvania State University in 1995 and is a Certified Green Building Professional.

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Jennifer R Love – Program Manager

Jennifer brings technical scientific expertise in environmental chemistry, natural and engineered waste treatment, water quality and environmental systems to Build It Green. Prior to joining Build It Green Jennifer was a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley studying wetland treatment systems. Jennifer is currently undertaking a roof to foundation green remodel of her home and gaining valuable insight into what it takes to build green.

As Program Manager, Jennifer oversees the Green Product Directory and lends her technical expertise and enthusiasm for green building to numerous Build It Green programs including the Residential Green Building Guidelines, GreenPoint Rated, Certified Green Building Professional Trainings, and Green Home Tours.  Recently Jennifer has expanded her presence into the affordable housing arena and taken a leadership role in supporting and shaping the efforts of the Green Affordable Housing Coalition.  

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Science from Clemson University. She is a certified GreenPoint Rater and a Certified Green Building Professional.

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Karen L Beck – Project Manager

Karen Beck most recently worked for Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto as their Environmental Product Line Specialist. For the last 2 years her energies have been focused towards her Master’s Thesis on Green Building Policy in the U.S. She is also an active member of her local chapter of the California Native Plant Society and is a Certified Green Building Professional.

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Annette Hartsfield – Development Associate

Annette worked as Build It Green's Administrative Coordinator and Bookkeeper for a year and a half before joining the development team. In her role as Program Associate, Annette works to coordinate Build It Green's various councils and guilds, giving her the unique opportunity to interact with green building professionals from every stakeholder group in the industry. The breadth of presentation topics and viewpoints she is exposed to in this role gratify her life-long status as a compulsive student.

While her professional experience is in office management and bookkeeping, Annette’s academic history and interests lie in the social sciences. She holds BAs in Psychology and Anthropology from Arizona State University and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology at San Francisco State University. An interest in the rhetorical construction of public space and issues of social control and identity in the American suburbs has culminated in a thesis project focusing on Gated Communities and their effect on the social fabric of our cities. Ultimately, she hopes to fuse her ethnographic studies with her environmental values in a new and meaningful manner.

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Ryan Ziegelbauer – Program Associate

Ryan brings a combination of policy and technical experience to Build It Green’s technical programs. Most recently, Ryan worked as an Airport Land Use Planner at the Building and Development Services Office in Trinity County, CA. He was responsible for creating land use plans, reviewing environmental documents and assisting in building inspections. Ryan also has experience in downtown economic redevelopment, geographic information systems and construction. Ryan’s professional interests include New Urbanism, transportation planning and efficient HVAC systems.

Ryan earned an undergraduate degree in Urban Geography from The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 2002, and a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin in 2006 with concentration in Ecological Land Use Planning and Sustainable Residential Construction. He is a certified Green Point Rater, HERS Rater and a Certified Green Building Professional.

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Janell Jacks – Program Manager

Janell manages and coordinates Build It Green’s Professional Training and Certification program. In this capacity, she draws on 25 years of Corporate Training experience in developing, implementing and managing world-wide training programs. Prior to joining Build It Green, Janell led Construction, Human Resource and Technical Writing program development at SJSU Professional Development, while introducing new courses (including Green Building, E-Learning and Blended coursework) to meet the emerging market needs.

Janell has hands-on construction experience, having remodeled several homes. She majored in Marketing and minored in Computer Science, along with professional courses. Her certifications include Construction Management, Technical Writing, Marketing, and several technical computer certifications.

While taking green building courses and designing a Green Building Certificate Program, she became passionate about green building and decided to join Build It Green. She is both Green Advantage Certified and a Certified Green Building Professional.

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Amanda Morgan - Program Manager

Amanda brings ten years of wide-ranging experience in the non-profit world to her position as Program Manager for Membership and Sponsorship. Prior to joining Build It Green, Amanda held development, communications, and management positions at the East Bay Community Foundation, in Oakland; the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts in Eugene, Oregon; and the Department of State's Division of Historical Resources in Tallahassee, Florida.

As Membership Manager, Amanda enjoys the opportunity to connect with green building industry professionals, practitioners, and enthusiasts, and welcomes the chance to conduct outreach that supports and encourages sustainable methods of approaching built environments.

Amanda received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and her Master of Arts in History of Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture from the Bard Graduate Center in New York. She is continuing her education by pursuing coursework related to Environmental Design and Interior Architecture, and is a Certified Green Building Professional.

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Tenaya Asan, GC – Program Manager

Tenaya brings 30 years of experience in the residential construction industry to her position as Program Manager of the GreenPoint Rated program. She uses her construction knowledge and management capabilities to direct this rapidly expanding program. She is responsible for overseeing rater training and certification; ensuring quality assurance for rated projects; providing education and support to builders, raters, designers and others; and developing program protocols and procedures.

Her 12 years experience with building and remodeling homes equips her with a thorough understanding of all phases of construction. Another 15 years experience as a construction defect analyst provides her with unique insights into problematic construction techniques. With this experience, she contributes an understanding and passion about the essential qualities of green building and their benefits to homeowners, builders and the general public. She is a California licensed General Contractor, a Certified Green Building Professional, a Certified GreenPoint Rater and a HERS rater. She has a Masters degree in Education and is certified as a Green Building Professional from Sonoma State University.

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Katie Harris – Program Assistant

Katie brought a diverse background in environmental studies, sustainability and event coordination when she joined Build It Green as an Intern. Since transitioning to her current role, she is excited to continue building upon the success of Build It Green's Home Tours.

Katie studied Interior Design at Ohio University and holds a BA in French and a certificate in Environmental Studies. During that time, she played a vital role in the adoption of greener campus initiatives and served as President of the Sustainable Living Organization and chair of the Renovations Committee for the Ohio University Eco-house. She has produced green events including Athens Earth Day, A Sustainable Film Series and Fair Trade Day in Ohio. She also brings experience in volunteer coordination from her work with the Campus Recycling and Reclamation Center.

Before joining Build It Green, Katie worked part time for Gaia Development Services, a LEED consulting and documentation firm based in Marina del Rey, CA., assisting in the documentation of large scale commercial projects for the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

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Samantha Poblitz - Program Assistant

As an enthusiastic newcomer to the world of green building, Samantha brings her event planning experience to Build It Green as the Events and Membership Assistant. Majoring in Commercial Recreation, Samantha is fueled with passion for planning events, especially “green” events. She is currently assisting with the planning of Build It Green’s 2nd Annual Summit to be held in December. She is an active member of Meeting Professionals International and Bay Area Green Meetings Network. She is a member of the 20th Annual Tradeshow Committee for MPI, and is assisting with enforcing green practices for the Tradeshow. She is very excited about being a member of the Build It Green team and is passionate about learning and implementing green practices.

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Brian Parker – Government Relations Manager

Brian brings twenty years experience as a local government planner to the Build It Green team. Brian’s background includes extensive experience in permitting, environmental review and advanced planning, as well as leading intergovernmental planning projects and hands on experience in building permit processing and inspections. More recently, since earning his MBA in 2000, Brian worked in a wide range of marketing roles with IBM.

As Government Relations Manager, Brian works with local government staff and elected officials to understand and promote residential green building practices, policies and programs. Brian supports our Public Agency Councils, a collaborative effort with local governments to create consistent green building standards and to provide a forum for the sharing of information on local programs and initiatives.

Brian received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Planning and Management and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California at Davis.

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Amy Dryden – Program Associate

Amy brings a combination of her experience as a residential builder and planning consultant with a focus on ecologically and socially minded building to the GreenPoint Rated Program. As Program Associate, she assists with rater trainings and certifications; quality assurance for rated projects; education and support to builders, raters, designers and others; and development and implementation of the GreenPoint Rated Program.

With ten years experience in residential construction (non profit and for profit), Amy has a working knowledge of all trades and phases of construction in new construction and remodel projects. She has contributed to green building specifications and guidelines and LEED projects for affordable housing and has been assisting Habitat East Bay with their green building efforts since 2000. Recently, as a planning consultant, she has developed planning and design proposals and policies from the watershed scale to the site scale, addressing ecological and social goals through community planning in Los Angeles, North Carolina, and Hawaii.

Amy is a Certified Green Building Professional, a Certified GreenPoint Rater, a LEED-AP, and a HERS rater and has completed work in each capacity. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Boston University and a Master in Landscape Architecture and a Master in City Planning from UC Berkeley.

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Corey Fitch - Program Assistant

Corey is the newest member of the GreenPoint Rated team and a recent transplant to the Bay Area. Most recently Corey completed a stint with Peace Corps Philippines where he helped a local Agro-Forestry college establish and write a curriculum for a teaching nursery, and worked with local non-government organizations on sustainable livelihood and alternative energy projects. Corey graduated from the College of Wooster with a degree in Biology, and is currently pursuing an education in Environmental Design and Building Science.

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Elise Hunter – Program Associate

Elise contributes policy experience and an academic background of interdisciplinary environmental science to the technical programs at Build It Green. Prior to joining Build It Green, she worked at the Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco as the industrial waste recycling coordinator, where she focused on advocating beneficial reuse of coal fly ash in structures and transportation applications.

As a Technical Program Associate at Build It Green, Elise is excited to orient her career towards more comprehensive green building science by advising homebuilders through Ask an Expert and Berkeley’s Best Builders. Elise holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Systems Land Management from Stanford University.

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Cindy Newson - Program Associate

Cindy brings over twenty years of administrative experience, including project management, event planning, non-profit management and membership services. She is excited to be a part of Build It Green’s Professional Training Department, where she is responsible for registration and event logistics. She graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in Social Work.

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Cynthia Beaulieu - Bookkeeper

Cynthia brings to Build It Green over twelve years of bookkeeping and human resources experience. A Bay Area native, Cynthia has enjoyed the entrepreneurial spirit of the region and worked for several small or startup businesses. Cynthia is pleased to be a part of a company with a purpose. Cynthia is near completion of a B.S. in Environmental Studies, with an emphasis in Health & Safety at San Jose State University. She also holds a Certificate in Hazardous Materials Management from U.C. Santa Cruz Extension.

In joining Build It Green, Cynthia will be able to utilize both her career experience in Bookkeeping and Human Resources and her educational background in environmental studies.

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Sara Morency - Administrative Coordinator

Sara is very excited to be a part of the Build It Green team, as she has a strong passion for recycling, resource conservation, sustainable building design, and smart planning for healthy communities. As the Administrative Coordinator, she looks forward to supporting Build It Green’s programs, facilitating efficient work operations, and assisting Build It Green’s many stakeholders and colleagues in the green building industry. Most recently, she worked as a Client Services Supervisor in the Community Veterinary Services department of the San Francisco SPCA.

Sara graduated from Tufts University with a degree in Environmental Studies and Political Science. She recently attended Build It Green’s Certified Green Building Professional training and is eager to learn much more about the rapidly growing field of green building. She is especially interested in the intersection of green building and affordable housing, and looks forward to attending meetings of the Green Affordable Housing Coalition.

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