The Board of Directors of the U.S. Green Building Council-Greater Houston Area Chapter are men and women who represent a cross-section of the Gulf Coast Region. They are dedicated to the promotion, awareness and education of eco-friendly, energy-efficient, high-performance buildings, schools, homes and neighborhoods.

JIM BRUNSON - Chair

Jim’s USGBC membership dates back to its inception when the Houston chapter founders were still organizing the meetings. As chair, he is committed to moving the chapter into stronger educational programs and aligning events and activities to the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan. He is also committed to strengthening committee organization and leadership. He was the first recipient of the USGBC Houston Outstanding Environmental Leader award in 2006. During his membership, he said he’s seen fantastic local leaders who set an example for raising the bar in green building leadership. He is a licensed landscape architect who works for Satterfield and Pontikes.

KEITH REIHL - Immediate Past Chair /Treasurer

Keith Reihl is a Sustainable Engineer and President/CEO of Reihl Engineering, LLC. He provides LEED Consulting and Commissioning for a variety of built environments, including existing buildings, new construction and renovation projects. He also provides oversight in the design of MEP systems. Keith has extensive experience in commercial, higher education, K-12, residential, data centers, retail, restaurants, high-tech and airport projects. Keith is known in the Houston business place for his numerous civic leadership roles. He has served as the technical chair and a board member for the Greater Houston Area USGBC Chapter before being tapped as the 2009 incoming chair. Meanwhile, he maintains an active leadership role in ASHRAE Houston where he is the Vice President and the chapter’s chair for Research and Promotion & Sustainability. He is active in the Construction Industry Council, the Energy and Mechanical Code Committees and Recycling committee for the City of Houston. Keith is also on the Gulf Coast Green executive committee as the ASHRAE Liaison. Keith is a licensed professional engineer in Texas. He earned his undergraduate degree in architectural engineering at Kansas State University and earned his MBA at the University of Houston. He is one of Houston’s most highly credentialed green building professionals and has earned more than half a dozen certifications in the area of high-performance buildings, energy management and sustainable practices. He is a LEED AP.

GORDON SHEPPERD - Vice Chair

Gordon is the founder of Apollo BBC, a building consulting firm and has been active in USGBC-Houston for two years. He manages corporate tasks including business development, personnel and project management, accounting and strategic planning. In addition to becoming a member of the succession line leadership at USGBC-Houston, he is also a past President of the Texas Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology. He wants to develop corporate relations in the USGBC by utilizing his resources and leadership capacity in the regional construction, utility, historic preservation and real estate communities. He believes that the USGBC Houston should, in addition to its current activities, begin to engage the public sector. He believes the chapter’s greatest strength is its passion and he wants to see the board begin to move into a business model that is more engaged in executive guidance.

JULIE HENDRICKS - Secretary

Julie has been an integral member in USGBC committees. Julie has been active on the advocacy committee for two years and her promotion to the board comes after she worked hard to increase awareness of LEED benefits to the government sector. She believes that the chapter is facing a pivotal evolution that will require it to facilitate the massive change in the region’s building practices. She is a LEED consultant at Kirksey and has been directly involved in the certification of five LEED buildings. She is the chair of the Citizen’s Environmental Coalition and participates in the Green Building Committee at the Greater Houston Partnership. She believes the vision of the board is vital to the success of the chapter and believes volunteer management should become a priority in the coming year.

BRANDI DOWNY - Rice Board Fellow

Brandi Downy is the Rice Board Fellow for the USGBC-Houston Chapter. As an MBA student at Rice University and a former accountant and auditor for Hines, Brandi competed for and was selected by the Jones Business School to receive leadership and community advocacy skills as a non-voting board member of the chapter. She has been active in the National Association of Black Accountants - Houston Chapter and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas State University where she received a study abroad scholarship and was elected the Homecoming Queen.

ERIK FOWLER

Erik Fowler is a licensed Texas Realtor with 10 years of real estate experience in Houston, including several awards for being a top Realtor in Houston and with the brokerage Greenwood King Properties. He has over 250 hours of continuing education in real estate law, ethics, inspection, investment & appraisal. He is one of the very few certified EcoBrokers® in the state of Texas, which is an industry designation for residential brokers committed to green building education, resources and practice. He is also a certified instructor for NAR Green® (National Association of Realtors), which is the only sustainable property designation recognized by NAR for brokers. He writes regularly for the NAR trade publication on energy efficiency, green building, and green business practices, in addition to speaking engagements. He has promoted green building and sustainable growth at the community, brokerage, and builder level in Houston for several years and sits on the Residential/Homes committee for our chapter.

AMANDA TULLOS

Amanda Tullos is a licensed architect and green building consultant. She has been LEED Accredited twice; once in 2003 and again with the LEED-CI exam in 2006. She is currently working on 12 LEED projects at Green Building Services. She is a regional Team Leaders for the AIA Committee on Environment Gulf Coast and Southeast Regions. She has been a co-chair for the Houston AIA Cote and is the president of Living Paradigm CDC, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable housing. She is involved with the City of Houston’s code review team and REUSE warehouse. She is also a past board member of Brigid’s Place. She has been involved with the USGBC-Houston since it’s inception and currently serves on the LEED for Schools Committee.

STEVEN STELZER

Steven is the Program Director for the new Code Enforcement Green Building Resource Center. As the leader of the green building resource center, which opened on Earth Day, April of 2009, Steve provides optional plan review services for energy efficiency and green building opportunities. The center will also provide both hands-on and online information regarding green building materials and practices with a focus on the Houston climate and local providers. Steven will develop educational curriculum for operation in the center and in the community. He currently coordinates the monthly Green Building Tours of local LEED certified buildings. Steven was accredited as a LEED AP in 2003, and has been involved in the local chapter of USGBC since that time. As At-large director, he coordinated their website and e-mail communications. He taught informal classes on the "Low Carbon Diet" program initiated by the Empowerment Institute.

VICTORIA HOLLON

As senior property manager for Transwestern, Victoria Hollon directs the management operations of more than three million square feet of office buildings located in the Houston area. Having been in commercial real estate since 1980, Victoria has been involved in all aspects of property management, including strategic planning, budget preparation and implementation, construction supervision, capital improvements, contract negotiations, staff development, due diligence and tenant/client relations. She has coordinated management services for a variety of clients, both entrepreneurial and institutional, including New England Mutual Life, CIGNA Investments, Inc., Phoenix Realty, Transwestern Investment Company, Henderson Investors NA, Bank of America, Principal Global Investors and F & A Realty Advisors. Her understanding of the owners’ objectives and the creation of value in their assets have led to expanded business with clients and long-term relationships that have proved mutually beneficial. Victoria is an active member of the following organizations: Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). She is a two-time recipient of Transwestern’s Legendary Service Award and the 2009 National Management Services Award and she is an instructor for Commercial Property Management courses in the Houston area.. She is a former Pershing Middle School Mentor. Victoria received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Tulane University. She is a Certified Property Manager, a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed Real Estate Sales Agent in the state of Texas.

MICHAEL STRONG

Michael Strong is President of Brothers Strong, Inc. and GreenHaus Builders. Incorporated in 1990 Brothers Strong is a nationally recognized residential remodeling firm. GreenHaus Builders specializes in the construction of healthier, high-performance Green Homes built to the standards of the USGBC “LEED for Homes” Program. GreenHaus Builders recently completed construction of Houston’s first LEED home (Gold certified). Under Michael's leadership, these companies have won + 40 awards including the: 2008 National Remodeler of the Year, 1999, 2003 and 2005 Houston Remodeler of the Year, 2001 and 2003 Texas Remodeler of the Year , "One of the 101 Best Companies to Work for in the Residential Construction Industry" by Cahners Publications in 2002 and 2003 and 2005 Small Business of the Year by the Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce. Michael has served on the H.U.D. Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing committee since 2001, the local, state and national board of directors of the NAHB and is a frequent speaker around the country on green building and remodeling issues. He has served on the board of numerous charities including Child Advocates and The New Kid Care. He has an MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA; an MA from Southwest Texas State University; and a BA from the University of Texas in Austin.

DAVID RONN

David L. Ronn is a shareholder in the Houston office of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and has experience in a wide-range of corporate and securities matters, with concentrations in the energy and technology industries. As the owner of the first LEED-H certified home in Houston, he has worked with green building issues, including coordination with Mayor Bill White’s green building task force. Areas of experience include representation of public and private entities (including securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions), master limited partnerships, energy trading, special committees in conflict situations or investigations and representation of venture capital investors and start-up entities. David is also a member of the firm’s Israel practice and spoke at the Israel Prime Minister’s first Alternative Energy Conference in November 2006. He has been selected as a Texas Super Lawyer from 2005-2009, recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in 2008-2010 and listed in Chambers & Partners USA Guide, 2009. David received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, his M.B.A. from Tulane University and his B.A. from Rice University.

DR. CARLOS PRICE (ED.D., University of Memphis)

Dr. Carlos Price is a faculty member in the School of Education at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Most of his classes are in the area of school finance and school business. Dr. Price was a practicing school administrator for 27 years prior to joining the UHCL faculty in the summer of 2006. He was superintendent of schools for three districts in Arkansas for a period of 19 years, the last six years at Hope, Arkansas. After moving to Texas, Dr. Price served for four years as the Assistant Supt. for Business and Operations at La Marque ISD in Galveston County. He currently holds memberships in the American Association of School Administrators, the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Association of School Business Officials. In addition to serving on the advocacy committee of USGBC-Houston for two years, Dr. Price has been active as a board member and is currently treasurer of the board for the Family Service Center of Galveston County.

ANDY MACDONALD

Andy MacDonald is the President of an MEP equipment solution sales company since 1985 in Houston. He serves as the chair of the USGBC-Houston Technical Committee and maintains memberships in the following organizations; ASHRAE and Houston ASHRAE, AIA Houston, IFMA.

ANDY BERGMAN

Andy Bergman is Vice President, Sales & Marketing with Air Zone International. Air Zone International is a Houston based manufacturer of sustainable, ultra-high energy efficient air handling solutions for the commercial construction industry. Andy is a LEED Accredited Professional , a Construction Specification Institute Certified Document Technologist and holds a BS degree from Purdue University in Computer Integrated Manufacturing Technology. Andy has considerable experience in speaking and in authoring papers on issues regarding sustainability, green buildings and underfloor air technology. Prior to joining AZI, Andy held management positions with McCoy Workplace Solutions and Qualified Specialists, Inc.

BRANCH LEADERS

AL BAXTER - Galveston Branch

For the past three years Al has been Senior Commissioning Authority for WorkingBuildings, LLC “Delivering Buildings That Work – Worldwide” focusing on the commissioning of four high profile Texas institutional LEED registered projects, of which three are new laboratory buildings.

Al’s background is as an MEPF engineer, having operated his own design firm for ten years and as an employee of two other design firms. He was state certified to conduct technical assistance audits for public institutions and received regional and national professional awards for energy conscious HVAC and lighting design.

His construction experience includes ten years as part owner/ operator of a multi-million dollar design build mechanical contractor operation, regional manager of a multi-state general contractor, and consultant to a NYSE EPC/O&M contractor.

Having met the requirements of the Project Management Institute, he earned his PMP (Project Management Professional) certification in 2001. He assembled from scratch a major institution’s first Project Management Office (PMO), in six months growing from concept to 12 project managers effectively managing 97 projects totaling $107 million.

Al has held director level positions, with O&M as well as program management accountabilities, at several major institutions, including a university healthcare research institution where he prepared design guidelines for development of new, and retrofit of existing facilities toward sustainability. One new facility became the largest “green” academic building in the Southwest and received a LEED Gold rating in 2006.

Al has served in civic / community service leadership roles as a Municipal Utility District Director (publicly elected, 12 years, president six years), The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency Trustee (six years, president two years), and South Montgomery County (The Woodlands) YMCA Board of Governors (six years, president two years, Volunteer of the Year 1983).

Al serves as chair of the USGBC-GHAC Galveston Branch.

Montgomery Branch - to come

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

TIM MURRAY- South Regional Council Chair/Member National Steering Committee

Tim Murray serves as the Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council - South Regional Council and is a member of the National Board's Chapter Steering Committee. He is a past chair of the Greater Houston Area Chapter. He served as Programs Chair from 2004-2006. He is the past chair of the Green Building Subcommittee of the Greater Houston Partnership and is the Treasurer of the University of Houston Architecture Alumni Association where he has served for 10 years. He is an associate member of the AIA, a member of the Rice Design Alliance and the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and is the Interior Architecture Team Leader at Morris Architects.