SBE Advisory Board
The SBE Advisory board’s purpose is to support the Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment (BSSBE) and the Master of Integrated Sustainable Development (MISD).
SBE Director
Lisa Sundahl-Platt
Program Director & Assistant Professor
Sustainability & the Built Environment | Interior Design | Florida Institute of Built Environment Resilience (FIBER)
College of Design, Construction, & Planning
Dr. Lisa Sundahl Platt is an Assistant Professor of Interior Design and Research Faculty at the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER), University of Florida. She is the creator of the SAMPL (Sustainable Adaptive Material Performance Level) framework and directs the Design Dynamics Lab at FIBER.
Her research centers on the impact of built environment design—with a special emphasis on materiality resilience—on human health and well-being. Dr. Sundahl Platt uses artificial intelligence and complex modeling to forecast outcomes and inform healthier, more sustainable environments. With over 25 years of experience as a licensed interior designer and international consultant, she brings extensive practical insight to her work. Her interdisciplinary background in interior design, psychology, and systems science supports her mission to create living environments that are safe, supportive, sustainable, and resilient.
Dr. Sundahl Platt teaches Interior Materials, which uses SAMPL as an educational framework; Sustainable Interiors, where advanced students gain hands-on experience assessing and designing spaces for LEED and WELL certification; and Advanced Architectural (e.g. Healthcare Design) Studio. As a CIDQ Ambassador, she incorporates NCIDQ awareness and preparation into her advanced studio curriculum.
Executive Board Members
(Listed in order of Chair, Vice Chair, & Secretary)
Lauren Wallace
LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
Principal & Director of Certifications and Consulting | Epsten Group, Inc.
Lauren Wallace is a Principal and the Director of Certifications and Consulting at Epsten Group where she trains and manages a large group of leaders in sustainability, consulting on thousands of inspiring projects in over 50 different countries. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as two Certificates in City & Regional Planning and Marketing. Ms. Wallace is the founding Facilitator for the Atlanta Living Building Challenge Collaborative, a LEED Project Reviewer, and a WELL Accredited Professional. With a background in Architecture, Ms. Wallace has been an active member of the sustainable design community for more than ten years. Ms. Wallace was recently appointed as a USGBC Faculty member for her experience with the WELL and LEED rating systems. She speaks regularly to large audiences with varying backgrounds about implementing change in the building industry, focusing on technical information and application.
Susan R. KlausSmith
RA, RID, AIA, WELL AP
Associate | Senior Architect & Planner | Life & Work Places | Gresham Smith
Susan KlausSmith is an architect and planning strategist at Gresham Smith with 30+ years of experience, much of that focused on delivering sustainable and resilient community-focused projects for cities, counties, schools and universities across Florida and elsewhere. Susan has designed and delivered new, renovation and remodeling projects under LEED and WELL certification and looks to a near future reality of designing and delivering more projects that meet and exceed the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Zero Energy and Zero Carbon certifications.
Susan believes that architecture thoughtfully designed and implemented can be an instrument of positive change in the world, building it better for all. She also believes that designers of the built environment are stewards of our planet’s resources including our existing built environment. In addition to her role on the SBE Advisory Board, Susan currently serves as Vice Chair of the City of Tampa’s Barrio Latino Commission, which ensures that development within historic Ybor City adheres to established Design Guidelines and The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation; she previously served 6 years on the City’s Architectural Review Commission charged with oversight of 3 additional historic districts and landmark buildings.
Committed to fostering the next generation of industry leaders and influencers, Susan brings a wealth of real-world insight to academia. She has collaborated with institutions to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world market demands, and she has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in architectural design and theory that integrate the living laboratory of the world beyond the walls.
Susan is an alumna of the University of Florida, receiving both a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and a Master of Architecture. While at UF, she attended the Preservation Institute: Caribbean (PI:C) and completed her graduate research work while in residence at the Vicenza Institute of Architecture (VIA).
Daniel Denis
LEED AP (BD+C), LEED Green Rater, FGBC Certifying Agent, NGBS Verifier,
RESNET HERS Rater & ENERGY STAR Verifier
President | RunBrook
Joining RunBrook in 2021, Daniel J. Denis uses his 20-plus years of uniquely diverse design and construction experience to help clients reach their sustainability goals effectively and efficiently. With an education in construction management and professional stops on the design consultant, contracting, and third party inspection sides of the building design & construction process, Daniel’s complimentary educational and professional experiences allow him to most effectively collaborate and communicate with all members of the design and construction team.
Daniel began working on green building projects as early as 2012 while working as an energy modeler for one of Miami’s leading mechanical engineering firms. He soon found a passion for sustainability in the built environment and earned the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) designation. By 2013 he was the firm’s Green Building Project Manager – leading a team of designers through the LEED submission process while also honing his own skills as an energy modeler on a wide range of projects.
In 2015, Daniel joined a firm focused solely on green building consulting. Serving there as Energy Engineer & Consultant, Daniel was an integral part in certifying a wide array of projects across various green building rating systems including Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED), Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), National Green Building Standard (NGBS), and ENERGY STAR.
Board Members
(Listed alphabetically by surname)
James Brauer
Senior Manager of Sustainability
Jordan & Skala Engineers
James believes that we can make the world better, one building at a time. Ever since high school, he has been passionate about the idea of saving energy and water and creating a better indoor environment for healthy living. Seeing this passion through to his career, James leads the sustainability teams at Jordan & Skala to do the same for his clients— guiding, verifying, and commissioning healthy, efficient, and responsible building solutions.
As the Senior Manager of Sustainability, James enables four groups— Green Building, Energy Services, Commercial Field Services, and Residential Field Services— to provide exceptional sustainability services that exceed our clients’ expectations. Guiding the team with a people-first attitude, he ensures that his team has the support, resources, technical knowledge, and expertise to continually evolve with the industry and deliver practical building solutions for a better tomorrow.
At Jordan & Skala Engineers, their goal is to continue to exceed their client’s expectations and deliver the quality that they are known and recognized for. From design through construction and operation, James and the Sustainability team have the technical knowledge to provide guidance and education for a wide variety of green certification needs.
At Jordan & Skala Engineers, their clients’ needs are the foundation of their services. They are committed to providing innovative and custom consulting engineering solutions for any project. Their vision is to be the recognized standard for engineering excellence, and providing this level of service is paramount.
James and his team shares a common thread — they are all passionate about the work that they do. They are rapidly growing and adapting to the demand for sustainability and are looking for new, like-minded professionals to join their team. To learn more about Jordan and Skala Engineers or their career opportunities, connect with James or visit https://www.jordanskala.com/.
John Chyz
PE, GGA, LEED AP, WELL AP
Sustainable & Wellness Strategy Specialist & Business Development
Director | Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI)
John Chyz is a Sustainable & Wellness Strategy Specialist and Business Development Director with Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI). His directed focus on Energy, Water, Wellness, Resilience, and Optimized Operations of AEI’s diverse and specialized client base has helped lead the advancement and delivery of market development and transformation strategy aimed at increasing stakeholder value, protecting natural resources, and enhancing human health.
Inspired by a passion for sustainable thought leadership, John began his career as a Research Engineer at the Natural Energy Laboratory where he designed and conducted experiments aimed at understanding how to grow beneficial bio-fuel products from gasses that would otherwise contribute to global warming. He later transitioned to focus on the engineering, procurement, and construction of renewable energy systems for commercial and residential projects. Throughout his career, John has remained dedicated to the strategic planning of actionable solutions that reside at the intersection of health, innovation, and sustainability.
Holding a Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering degree from Yale University, he has taught the Learning to LEED, Commissioning for High Performance Green Buildings, and Green Building Fundamentals for the Green Globes Professional curricula for the University of Florida. John was also a contributing author to Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design & Delivery (Third Edition).
Marc Craddock
CEM, LEED GA
Building Technologies Division | Siemens Industry, Inc.
Marc leads the Higher Education Team for Siemens Industry’s Building Performance & Sustainability Business Line in the Southeast. Marc’s primary focus is developing energy and sustainability solutions within the Higher Education vertical market. He works with a team of business development, engineering, project management, and performance assurance professionals to deliver efficiency and sustainability projects to Colleges and Universities. Marc is a 1991 graduate with honors of Flagler College and currently sits on their Alumni Board of Directors. He has held the designation of Certified Energy Manager from the Association of Energy Engineers since 2004 and is a LEED Green Associate through the U.S Green Building Council.
Philip M. Donovan
AIA LEED AP BD+C, NCARB, LFA
Partner | Director | Regen CoLab | Little
Philip Donovan is a partner and national director of regeneration as a member of the Regen Colab with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting. Philip’s experience over the past 20 years has been deeply rooted in the design of high-performance, zero-resource, regenerative built environments that are focused on the health and well-being of the building occupants, bio-regions and social communities they are deeply interconnected too. He has served as a project architect on five net-zero energy schools including Discovery Elementary School, the first LEED Zero school in the US, NeoCity Academy in Kissimmee, Florida’s first zero energy school and the project lead for the 4Roots Regenerative Agriculture campus in Orlando, FL which is a Living Building Challenge petal project. Philip has been a project leader on two AIA COTE Top Ten award winning projects, Discovery Elementary School and Alice West Fleet Elementary school. Philip is a member of the Florida State AIA advisory council on Resilient Design, the Green Energy Taskforce for Miami-Dade County Public schools and a member of the Orange County Sustainability and Resiliency Committee. Philip has served as a technical peer reviewer for the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 Schools: Achieving Zero Energy as well as a book reviewer for the USGBC’s Center for Green Schools. Philip has served on the Mount Dora Historic planning commission and currently serves on the advisory board for the College of Community Innovation & Education at the University of Central Florida.
Alfredo Espinosa
Vice President | Solar Preconstruction | Moss & Associates (Construction)
Alfredo believes that construction and infrastructure development form the physical foundation of our community, and outline the way we live and interact with each other. His goal is to be at the forefront our communities’ upward growth, and he strives to lead others in a positive direction.
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Michael Hess
PE, LEED Fellow
Director | Future-Ready | City of Orlando
Mike Hess, LEED AP BD&C, LEED Fellow, PE, is a licensed mechanical engineer and the Director of the Future-Ready (smart city) initiative for the City of Orlando. Previously he was a Vice President with Panasonic, leading their Smart & Sustainable Buildings team. Mike has personally worked on more than 100 LEED Certified projects and has achieved the prestigious appointment of LEED Fellow.
Mike has expertise in sustainability and LEED consulting, energy modeling, commissioning, water re-use and renewable energy systems, and has also developed city codes and incentives and corporate standards for several organizations associated with going green.
Daniele Horton
AIA, LEED Fellow, CEM, CalBRE
Founder & CEO | Verdani Partners
Daniele brings over 23 years of experience in corporate sustainability, real estate and project management to the management of Verdani Partners. She is a licensed architect, a LEED Fellow and a Certified Energy Manager and she currently leads the Verdani team in ESG efforts for 15 national and international real estate portfolios with over 4,600 properties managed across 1 Billion SF of diversified real estate portfolios, representing over $400 Billion AUM.
Most of Verdani’s clients rank among the top ten on GRESB, which speaks to the success of Verdani’s sustainability and ESG programs. In the 2019 GRESB Assessment, Verdani clients earned top ranks – 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their peer groups, and 1st globally, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their peer groups in the Resilience Module. As the head of sustainability for Thomas Properties Group for almost a decade, Daniele led the LEED certification of TPG’s nationwide portfolio of office buildings in house and was ranked as the highest environmental performer on GRESB in the Americas in the Office category (2011, 2012 & 2013).
Daniele is a Harvard graduate with a master’s degree in Sustainable Development and holds degrees in architecture, urban planning and construction management. She is an adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego where she has taught Sustainable Real Estate at their MSRE program since 2013. For almost a decade, she has actively participated on national sustainability committees such as the GRESB Benchmark Committee, ULI Greenprint Performance Committee and she has served on USGBC’s Advisory Council, USGBC-LA, SDGBC Boards and the BOMA Sustainability Committee. For her leadership in the industry and with over 70 speaking engagements on her roster since 2008, she was named one of the “Top 10 Most Powerful Women in Sustainability” in 2014. She also recently started a non-profit organization called the Verdani Institute for the Built Environment (VIBE) to advance global sustainability adoption in the built environment.
Amy Lee
Sr. Sustainability Leader | Circular Economy Solutions | Owens Corning
Amy Lee is a Senior Sustainability Leader with Owens Corning, a Fortune500 manufacturer of roofing, insulation, doors, and composites. In this role, she is responsible for Circular Economy strategy, collaborating with customers and partners to develop business models and implement solutions for products throughout their lifecycles. This includes designing products and processes for circularity, to product end-of-life, and back again.
Steven Moore
Account Executive | Siemens Industry, Inc.
Mr. Moore has been with Siemens for the past 27 years. He has an associate’s degree New England Institute in HVAC and a bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in Industrial Engineering and Industrial Marketing. He is currently an Account Executive for Siemens Industry, Inc and specialize in Building Automation, Security and Fire Alarm, Energy Services and Performance Contracting.
Amy Pastor
PE, CxA, LEED AP
Vice President – Sustainability | EXP
Amy Pastor is the Vice President of Sustainability for EXP. She is a licensed mechanical engineer with over 16 years of industry experience in design, sustainable consulting, energy modeling and commissioning for new and existing buildings in the public and private sectors. Early in her career, Amy developed energy models, provided guidance on Green Building Certification and performed onsite commissioning, retro-commissioning, energy audits, meter validations and other energy services. Prior to her current role, Amy was the Director of Commissioning and Sustainability for EXP’s US Buildings group, leading a national team of experts to enable high performance buildings across EXP’s markets. As Vice President, Amy integrates sustainable practices into all of EXP’s key practice areas: Buildings, Earth & Environment, Energy, Industrial, and Infrastructure.
Amy takes an active role in sustainability within her community and with the US Green Building council, where she serves as the National Co-Chair for the Women in Green Mentorship to Sponsorship Committee and as the Board Chair for the Central Florida Market Leadership team.
Amy has a passion for sustainability that extends beyond buildings and infrastructure. She embraces the ever-changing role and definition of a sustainable leader; we are all charged with mitigating the effects of climate change in our personal and professional realms and can only achieve a better tomorrow through collaborative efforts to educate and quickly implement changes in our lives.
Brian Pippin
Director of Customer Experience Insights & Solutions | JEA
B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech
MBA, University of Memphis
Six Sigma Black Belt
Brian has dedicated 23 years to JEA, Jacksonville, Florida’s municipal electric and water
utility, helping customers achieve greater energy and water efficiency through education,
innovative programs, and customer-focused solutions. A natural collaborator and experienced
public speaker, he has also hosted both radio and television programs on behalf of JEA
throughout his career.
As JEA’s Director of Customer Solutions, Brian leads the utility’s energy and water Demand
Side Management portfolio. His experience spans a broad range of educational and
service-oriented programs, including energy and water efficiency upgrades, customer
incentives, billing and payment solutions, dynamic pricing, renewable energy, beneficial
electrification, and programs designed to support income-qualified customers. He has also
served as Business Project Director for two of JEA’s largest cross-functional initiatives over
the past decade.
Brian previously held credentials as an AEE Certified Energy Manager, HERS Rater, and BPI
Certified Energy Auditor. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southeast
Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) and previously served on the Board of the Association of
Energy Services Professionals (AESP). He lives in Jacksonville with his wife, Jennifer, and
their three sons, Christopher, Nicholas, and Alexander.
Bryan Reardon
Account Executive | Siemens Infrastructure & Cities
Bryan manages and grows Energy and Environmental solutions opportunities as part of the Infrastructure and Cities Sector of the Building Technologies Division to develop and sell business solutions that enable clients to reduce energy and other operations expenditures.
Paul Shahriari
CEO & Founder | Ecomedes
Paul Shahriari is an authority on green building and the application of technology in the real estate, design, engineering and construction industries. He has been a consultant on sustainability since 2000, and has founded three sustainability-focused technology companies.
Sammy Shams
AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, LFA, LSSYB
Vice President & Sustainable Design Leader in Health | HKS
Sammy is a Sustainable Design Leader specifically focused on healthcare design at HKS where he helps project teams develop design thinking and strategies around sustainability, healthy buildings, building performance, embodied carbon & resilience. He coordinates with project teams to achieve LEED, WELL, Fitwel, Living Building Challenge and similar green building certifications. He is a licensed architect in Florida & Georgia.
Patricia Walker
Vice President of Claims | Tower Hill Insurance Group
B.S. Agricultural Economics, Ohio State University
M.S. Risk Management & Insurance, Florida State University
Patricia Walker has over 30 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance
industry, focusing primarily on homeowners’ property losses with a heavy emphasis on
catastrophe response.
She currently serves as Vice President of Claims at Tower Hill Insurance Group in Alachua,
Florida. Her perspective on how homes perform, and fail, under Florida’s storms and hazards
brings a vital risk and resilience lens to SBE’s work preparing students to design and build
more durable communities.
David Wasserman
AICP
Data Science Practice Leader | Alta Planning & Design
David works at the intersection of urban informatics, 3D visualization, geospatial analytics, and visual storytelling. He brings years of experience and passion to applying scientific computing, spatial analysis, and scenario-focused storytelling toward the development of effective transportation planning solutions tailored to enable accessible and resilient communities. He has experience working on multimodal transportation plans, bicycle master plans, systemic safety studies, python tool & web applications, advanced data visualizations, cost benefit analyses, direct ridership models, and station area plans. His current focus areas are enabling data-informed scenario planning, identifying how to align community goals to metrics to track progress towards them, incorporating civic data science into projects with web-delivery and computer vision derived datasets, and generating accessibility metrics that can identify the possible benefits of projects and who they go to.