One Day Left to Vote!

______________________________________________________________________________

Though each candidate has exhibited fine dedication to sustainability and are all-around wonderful individuals, what the organization most needs from its board of directors is a candidate who possesses refined leadership abilities and a firm grasp on the DVGBC’s strategic initiatives. Please have a look at a candidate-by-candidate breakdown from one EP’s perspective. The informal meet and mingle the other week was very helpful in providing accesses to many of these individuals. From the discussions with the candidates (who were present) to researching their credentials and hearing about their overall reputations, the following is a candid, personal perspective on the candidates:

Frank Baldassare, President and CEO e3bank (incumbent) – I don’t believe I’ve met Frank, but he’s come highly recommended from the seasoned leaders here at the DVGBC. His background in finance should be ranked quite highly when considering the qualities and attributes one might prefer of a board member.

Laura Blau, Principal, BluPath (incumbent) – her work in Passive design is quite interesting; she approaches sustainability and the direction of the DVGBC through the many hats she wears – business owner, architect, Passive House Consultant, mother, the list goes on… she also has great fashion sense – that’s an intangible I rank quite significantly (:

Abby Pearlstein O'Brien, Sales Executive, County Line Nurseries, Inc. – she brought her newborn to the meet & mingle, that’s true politicking, for sure; it wouldn’t be right to exclude her, lol. Plus, she’s a native of Bridgeton, NJ, not too far from where I grew-up. More specific to her credentials for the board, she has been integral to her firm’s success on university and housing projects and is considered an expert in the sustainable design field – not too shabby.

Kevin Campbell, President and COO, Barry Isett Associates (challenger) – another individual whom I’ve not met; the senior leadership at DVGBC has noted Kevin as a quite esteemed candidate. His leadership qualifications range from championing LEED professional accreditation through in-house training sessions to recruiting members of congress for positions within the USGBC network. His dedication to the Lehigh Valley branch should be considered as an important intangible based on the importance of having a strong voice in that locale.

Spencer Finch, Director of Sustainable Development, Pennsylvania Environmental Council (incumbent) –  I had a wonderful conversation with Spencer at the meet and mingle; he seems quite passionate and dedicated to sustainability.

Fern Gookin, Directory of Sustainability & Special Projects, Revolution Recovery (challenger) – as a fellow young professional, I’ll always advocate for a voice of youthfulness among some of the older heads. Besides that, Fern is phenomenally enthused about the happenings in our region and has contributed much already to the movement.

David Hahn, Director of Construction & Corporate Operations, Columbus Property Management & Development, Inc. (incumbent) – as the founder of the Bunks-Montco DVGBC Branch and well versed in sustainability through his work on housing projects for people of special needs, senior housing and low income individuals and families. He has diverse opinions on how to act on the strategic initiatives defined in the chapter’s 3-year plan which. Having this diversity on the board would allow for continued a balance among board members.

Kim Ilardi, Sustainable Industry Specialist The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company – her position with Whiting-Turner allows her to follow the trends quite closely and that’s critical in this industry. I believe she’s the only candidate from Delaware and I’m not sure if any current board members represent the “First State.” We should at least have one from there, yea?

Scott Ziegenfus, Senior Applications Engineer Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. – is an interesting guy; if there is not much representation of Lehigh Valley on the board, he’s definitely worth considering. Lutron has a wonderful reputation and I’m certain that his involvement on the board with regard to GPIC would be a seamless connection. 

Jim Kerr, Director of Sustainability & Contract Manager  IMC Construction – I’ve met Jim in the past but he wasn’t there at the meet & mingle so I didn’t get to grill him on the 2011-2014 strategic initiatives; however, his reputation is quite impressive and highly commendable. On another note, IMC never returned my calls/emails after a career fair back in University, so that’s not helping his chances. (: All kidding aside, his work with IMC Construction shows he is a true believer of sustainability.

Best of luck to all of the candidates!

Kind regards,

Aaron Roche

DVGBC Metro Emerging Professionals

aaron.roche@stvinc.com