I graduated with a Master of Architecture degree from University of Cincinnati in 2004, and since that time, have been focusing my architectural work on sustainable design and construction. I have been given the responsibility of coordinating internal office sustainable design, including internal education and increasing sustainable design strategies in projects. Outside of the office, I regularly participate as a guest critic at the University of Cincinnati for sustainable design studios, and I have served as USGBC Cincinnati Regional Chapter Vice-Chair and Chair of the Emerging Green Builders. I believe that sustainability is an important issue, specifically for our city , and I want to continue to work to promote it and educate others about it.
Chad Edwards, Emersion Design - Chapter Secretary
BRIEF:
Chad Edwards, LEED Accredited since 2004, has been the project designer on design award-winning projects in Architecture and Graphic Design. Chad will bring his combined expertise in building and urban design to the board. Through his active endorsement of sustainable and urban design, he has lectured to various organizations, e.g. the AIA Committee on the Environment and the Smart Growth Coalition. He has been invited to speak to the Kentucky Chapter of the APA, Chamber of Commerce and Planning Commissions, as well as the Contemporary Arts Center’s round table discussion on Building Green. Chad has volunteered to community focused organizations such as the Mt. Washington Comprehensive Plan, The HCRPC-LAND, and the Ohio Planning Conference. He is a regular guest critic for the University of Cincinnati’s architecture program focusing on design, urban and sustainable issues. Chad has a wide range of sustainable design experience ranging from 1,000 SF self-sustaining residences built out of used tires and cans 17 years ago to the more recent 374,000+ SF Campus Recreation Center at the University of Cincinnati. He was the LEED AP responsible for gaining LEED Certification for Morphosis’ design. He has presented to several architectural/ engineering firms on the benefits and process of LEED and has tutored many in the preparation of the LEED examination. Chad is a founding employee of Emersion Design, a new architectural/ engineering/ planning/ interior design firm dedicated to sustainable design. Emersion Design’s office space is a LEED-CI Registered space and is currently in the Design Phase.
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFILIATIONS:
Founding Member –|–Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission’s LAND Committee on Green Building
Member –|– USGBC Cincinnati Regional Chapter
Multiple Buildings - Campus Environments Committee –|–National USGBC
Neighborhood Developments Committee –|–National USGBC
New Construction - LEED Ranking System Committee –|–National USGBC
Mark Fisher, Cincinnati Zoo
A UC Engineering grad, I spent the first 11 years of my professional career with Turner Construction Company working on dozens of projects, several of them at the Cincinnati Zoo. In early 2006 I came on board with the Zoo as Senior Director of Facilities and Planning. Ironically, the project that I was working on with Turner at the time was the LEED Silver Certified, Harold C. Schott Education Center, the first Silver certified building in the city. I spent the first half of the job, including all of the preconstruction, representing Turner and the second half of the job representing the Zoo. As you can imagine, I have a bit of a unique perspective when it comes to building green, and in particular, building to LEED specifications. I saw the good and bad (mostly good) from both sides of the table.
I am looking at taking on a leadership position within the local USGBC for two reasons. First, I think it is critical that there be an "end user" presence within the organization. It is important that the individuals that are operating and maintaining these fantastic structures have a voice. Ultimately, we want the owners and operators of these buildings to be LEED champions, preaching the benefits of building green (and why it is important to pursue LEED certification) to their peers. I am also very much interested in the evolving LEED EB program. I hope to be able to use my experience in building and facilities management in becoming a strong advocate and source of knowledge for others as the EB program rolls out.
The other reason I want to be involved is that I have a personal passion for the concept of sustainability. Not just in how we design, build, and maintain our built environment, but how we manage our waste stream, how we procure our products and understanding the true cost of how we run our businesses and how we live our lives. Economic cost can no longer be the primary driver. We must look at the social and environmental impacts of the decisions that we are making. Fortunately for me, I work for an organization that has conservation as a core mission. Due to the exposure that the Zoo has, we have the opportunity to aggressively and passionately pursue these green initiatives and by showing people what we are doing, and why we are doing it, we can lead and inspire others. Inspire them to rethink how they manage their homes, their places of work, their schools, their places of worship. And I think the LEED building program is a key part of the story that needs to be told.
Thomas E. Kennedy, Tom Kennedy PE*
Tom is an independent engineering consultant in Cincinnati. He is one of the original members of the Board of Directors who attained chapter status for the Cincinnati area in 2003. His USGBC activities include serving on the Events Committee and Public Relations Committee, serving as the chapter’s web page author and speaking before various local organizations on the subjects of sustainable buildings and USGBC.
Tom has experience on several LEED registered and certified building projects; and has served as a charrette facilitator, designer and commissioning authority. Tom is a 1983 graduate of The University of Cincinnati (BSME). He became a LEED accredited professional in June 2003.
Bill Martin, Turner Construction
I have been a member of Cincinnati's Regional Chapter of the USGBC for about 4 years and have been on our public relations media committee. I am a LEED Accredited Professional. I am Cincinnati's Business Unit's Green Champion for Turner Construction, where I report any of Turner's projects to our Sustainable Construction Department in New York City and am the head of the LEED Committee in updating Turner employees in any events. I am currently working as the Construction Manager's Project Engineer on Cincinnati Public School's Pleasant Ridge Elementary, which is scheduled to be the State of Ohio's first publicly funded LEED awarded school project. With the Ohio School Facility Commission (OSFC) requiring all future projects to be awarded with a LEED Silver rating and with a Turner requirement of having at least one LEED Accredited Professional on each LEED registered project, I will be teaching classes for the Turner employees who are interested in passing the LEED AP exam.
Sanyog B. Rathod, Sol Developments
Sanyog Rathod is an active member of USGBC-Cincinnati. He is the LEED for Homes Advocate for USGBC-Cincinnati chapter. In September of 2007 he organized the first USGBC - LEED for Homes workshop in Cincinnati. This workshop, supplemented by presentations from local green home builders and architects, brought new members to our organization from the residential industry. Through his involvement in our Public Relations Committee he initiated the release of our first chapter newsletter in July of 2007. In addition, he continues to serve on our Events Committee to bring leading educational programs in sustainability. On behalf of USGBC-Cincinnati, his goal for the coming year is to organize a residential contractor training workshop and form a local Residential Green Building Committee representing all stakeholders from the Cincinnati homebuilding industry. Sanyog Rathod is a Licensed Architect and a LEED Accredited Professional with 17 years of international education and management experience. He runs an architectural practice, dedicated to promoting environmentally responsive design through sustainable building principles. He has served as a faculty and visiting critique at DAAP-UC, at Chur Institute of Architecture-Switzerland and at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is an active resident of Over-the-Rhine and serves as Treasurer of the Pendleton Neighborhood Council. In the past he has served as a Commissioner on the Standards and Appeals Commission for City of Milwaukee, WI and as the Vice-President of Wisconsin Coalition of Asian Indian Organizations.
Virginia L. Russell, University of Cincinnati*
I would appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the efforts of the USGBC as a member of the local Board. I would expand the Board’s representation to include the local landscape architecture community. I have leadership experience from local to international levels in the ASLA and GRHC. As an academic, I can connect the resources and student energy of SAID to the Board.
Related experience:American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) National Vice President of Membership, 1996 - 1998
Member, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC)
Instructor, Green Roofs 201: Design and Installation
Member, Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, Planning Partnership
LAND-HC Subcommittee on Greenbuilding
Frequent lecturer to civic groups and professional offices on sustainable landscape construction, Stormwater Best Management Practices, Low Impact Development, and green roofs; most recent presentation to SOM, Chicago, August 2006
Recommendations for Ecological Tourism and Economic Development, Hersonissos, Crete, 1999
Sustainable Site Management and Ecotourism Recommendations for Troy, Turkey, 2006
Sustainable Design Recommendations for Fernald, 2006
Sustainable Design Courses Taught since 1989:
Green Roofs
Sustainable Housing
Urbs in Horto: Greening the City
Sutainable Land Development
Site Systems: Sustainable Landscape Construction
Architecture III (LEED-based)
Michael Senger, Heapy Engineering
Mike has been with Heapy Engineering since 2005, working as a Mechanical Engineer. He is a LEED AP in both the New Construction and Major Renovations rating system and the Commercial Interiors rating system. He is responsible for LEED Project Administration, Energy Analysis, Sustainable Design and Standards, and HVAC Design. Mike’s LEED Project Administration responsibilities include assisting with project team coordination, LEED documentation, Eco-Charrettes, and LEED AP Test Training.
As a member of the Heapy Sustainable Design LEED Coordination Committee, he has also been involved with the creation of the Heapy LEED Process and the internal LEED Web Page. His Energy Analysis experience includes ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Energy Cost Budget Method and Appendix G Performance Rating Method, Energy Code permit applications, and Energy Audits.
Mike has been involved with Sustainable and HVAC Design on many projects including Educational Facilities, Office Buildings, and Laboratories. He was the LEED AP responsible for Elements IV Interiors achieving their LEED-CI Silver Certification. He is currently working on the LEED Program Management for the building renovation for the Mid-Ohio FoodBank, the new City of Cincinnati Fire Station #9, the building renovation for the R.W. Setterlin Building Company’s New Headquarters, and the new Miami University Richard T. Farmer School of Business, among others.
As a lifetime resident of Southwest Ohio, Mike is eager to bring a new perspective to the Chapter to assist in helping enact change in the region. He is excited to get involved in the Chapter and, specifically, help better connect the Cincinnati and Dayton memberships
Joe Schutte, Johnson Controls* - Chapter Treasurer
I have worked as an application engineer and account executive for Johnson Controls since graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 1999 with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Johnson Controls is a world leader in energy efficiency and has successfully managed the LEED certification process for over 30 LEED certified buildings. Joe is also one of the founding member of the USGBC - Cincinnati Chapter and has severed on the leadership and development team since its founding in March 2002. In this role Joe has served as board secretary as well as director of finance for 3 years. Through Johnson Controls Joe has had the ability to present and promote the concept of Sustainable Design to several building owners, design teams, and contractors. He is interested in serving on the chapter board in order to continue to shape the development of the chapter and support the chapter vision of establishing healthy, cost effective, and environmentally responsible building practices as the standard, not the alternative in the Cincinnati Region.
Alan J. Warner, GBBN* - Chapter Vice-Chair
Currently serving as one of two active Representatives for the state of Ohio to the USGBC Heartland Regional Council, Alan Warner is the Principal-in-Charge of Sustainability for GBBN Architects, a 115 person firm with offices in Cincinnati, Lexington, KY and in Beijing, China. GBBN Architects works in five primary market segments: Higher Education, Healthcare, Workplace, Arts & Entertainment, and Housing. Alan has served as the 2004 AIA Cincinnati President, the 1997/98 AIA Cincinnati COTE Chair, the Cincinnati USGBC Board (2003 to present), the Hamilton County Green Building Committee, and was the founder and is the current Chair of AIA Ohio COTE, whose primary purpose is to engender legislative change so that all Ohio taxpayer funded facilities are designed, constructed and operated in accordance with High Performance Design principles. Last year, Alan (and fellow GBBN’er Jervy Zhu) were the only architectural representatives on the US Department of Commerce/USGBC First Trade Mission to China.
Alan has spoken on “Green China” in Cincinnati, on “High Performance Design Rating Systems” in Indianapolis and throughout Ohio on the AIA Ohio COTE 2020 Vision for the State of Ohio.
Michael Zaretsky, University of Cincinnati*
I am a licensed LEED accredited architect and an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Cincinnati Department of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. I have been committed to issues of sustainability for nearly 17 years as a design/builder initially, as a practicing architect and as a professor. Through those years I have been involved with numerous “green” organizations beginning with the Eco-building Guild in Seattle, Washington in the early 1990’s and including membership in the USGBC since 2000. I have worked on several LEED-rated buildings for the University of California and was sustainability and LEED coordinator for the University of California at Merced Science and Engineering Building while employed with San Francisco firm Esherick, Homsey, Dodge and Davis Architects. The UC Merced campus is the first LEED-rated campus in the country and our firm was integral in setting the standards of design for all buildings.
I was hired to teach at DAAP because of my experience with sustainable design. I have been charged with helping integrate sustainability into all aspects of the architecture and interior design curriculum. Integration with the profession is a critical aspect of my role and I hope to encourage interaction between the school faculty, students and all encompasses green design in Cincinnati and the region.
I was an active member of USGBC Savannah while teaching at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Though the community is much smaller than Cincinnati, we had well over one hundred people from the schools, the profession and the public at large at all events. The leadership was continually striving to provide inspiration and collaboration for the green design and building community.
As a USGBC board member I hope to be part of a team that is committed to increasing the consciousness and practice of sustainable design in this region.
* Returning from previous Executive Board service