Board of Directors
NESEA's Board of Directors consists of 13 independent, voting members who are elected on a rolling basis. Each year, NESEA members elect three Board members and the Board appoints one Board member. In addition, every three years the Board appoints a Member Services Liaison. Board members serve for three-year terms and can be elected for two consecutive terms.
Founder/Consultant
Arnold Sapenter Consulting
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Arnold Sapenter is a highly energetic consultant with over 30 years of professional experience in cultural diversity, environmental planning and sustainability, as well as, organization training, project development and management. He is an adept communicator and analytical thinker with proven ability to develop and lead cross-functional teams. An expert presenter, negotiator, and facilitator he is able to forge solid relationships between government and community partners and across multiple organization levels.
Arnold serves as a board member and volunteer for a number of non-profit organizations including the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, the Fenway Health Center, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Boston Chapter and the Shirley Eustis House in Roxbury. After retiring from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as Director of Sustainability and previously serving as the Director of Diversity and Program Monitoring; Arnold decided to use his program development, project management, training skills and experience to assist business, and non-profit organizations in achieving their missions and strategic goals related to cultural diversity, social justice and environmental sustainability. For more information go to: www.arnoldsapenterconsulting.com
Arnold serves as a board member and volunteer for a number of non-profit organizations including the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, the Fenway Health Center, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Boston Chapter and the Shirley Eustis House in Roxbury. After retiring from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as Director of Sustainability and previously serving as the Director of Diversity and Program Monitoring; Arnold decided to use his program development, project management, training skills and experience to assist business, and non-profit organizations in achieving their missions and strategic goals related to cultural diversity, social justice and environmental sustainability. For more information go to: www.arnoldsapenterconsulting.com
Owner
Graphite Studio
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We are a small firm specializing in energy-smart residential design - in existing buildings and new construction. Winner of NESEA's Zero Energy Challenge, and Fine Homebuilding's Best Retrofit award (with C&H Architects) and PHIUS' Best Single Family Passive Home (2nd place). studioWEBSTER is a member of Building Energy Bottom Lines.
CEO
Byggmeister, Inc.
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Rachel White is CEO of Byggmeister Design/Build, a nearly 40 year-old residential remodeling company that is striving to serve as an exemplary steward of homes and to prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Rachel has been affiliated with Byggmeister since 2008, when she hired the firm to renovate her house. What started as an effort to reduce the energy and carbon footprint of her own home became her life’s work. Prior to joining Byggmeister Rachel taught modern Jewish history to adult learners. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Brown University and a BA in Religion from Haverford College.
Managing Director
BlueWave
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Elizabeth (Betsy) Glynn is the Managing Director for Community Solar Partnerships at BlueWave Solar, working to help more residents, businesses and public institutions to save money and be part of the energy revolution. Collaborating with public and private stakeholders, Betsy ensures that BlueWave's solar customers meet program eligibility requirements and investor underwriting thresholds to maximize project viability.
Based in Boston, Betsy has worked with multifamily building owners to implement energy efficiency and water conservation measures, healthy housing practices and renewable power installations to benefit low- and moderate-income communities. She was an appointed voting member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (2014-2017), served as a member of the steering committee of the Network for Energy, Water and Health in Affordable Buildings (NEWHAB; 2015-2017), co-chaired the BuildingEnergy Boston conference (2017-2018) and currently sits on the board of directors of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA).
Betsy holds a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in Geosciences from Franklin & Marshall College.
Based in Boston, Betsy has worked with multifamily building owners to implement energy efficiency and water conservation measures, healthy housing practices and renewable power installations to benefit low- and moderate-income communities. She was an appointed voting member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (2014-2017), served as a member of the steering committee of the Network for Energy, Water and Health in Affordable Buildings (NEWHAB; 2015-2017), co-chaired the BuildingEnergy Boston conference (2017-2018) and currently sits on the board of directors of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA).
Betsy holds a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in Geosciences from Franklin & Marshall College.
Chief Executive Officer
Energy Infrastructure Partners LLC
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Renwick Paige, who founded EIP in 2011, has broad planning, development and financial structuring experience. EIP focuses on clean and renewable energy programs and projects, provides strategic and financial advisory and develops environmental justice solutions.
Mr. Paige also has substantial experience with the municipal and governmental sector client base, the MUSH market, and can deliver substantial insights concerning the delivery of goods and services to that constituency. He has executed over $10B of financial transactions. He led airport and energy financings at Lehman Brothers and launched the project finance and air cargo product lines for the GE Capital/FGIC. He led Acquisitions and Development at U.S. Water (Bechtel and Kiewit) and helped to build the alternative assets fundraising banking business at JP Morgan/Chase. He received a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, attended Wharton Graduate School and received a B.A. from Amherst College.
Mr. Paige also has substantial experience with the municipal and governmental sector client base, the MUSH market, and can deliver substantial insights concerning the delivery of goods and services to that constituency. He has executed over $10B of financial transactions. He led airport and energy financings at Lehman Brothers and launched the project finance and air cargo product lines for the GE Capital/FGIC. He led Acquisitions and Development at U.S. Water (Bechtel and Kiewit) and helped to build the alternative assets fundraising banking business at JP Morgan/Chase. He received a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, attended Wharton Graduate School and received a B.A. from Amherst College.
Managing Principal
BrightBuilt Home
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After a first career as a 500-ton Ocean Master licensed captain and deck officer, Parlin Meyer switched tacks to pursue a second career in Architecture and Development. She joined Kaplan Thompson Architects early in 2013, to help develop a unique concept that would marry off-site construction with high-performance assemblies and design. This concept, first born out of the success of Kaplan Thompson’s BrightBuilt Barn in 2009, would officially become BrightBuilt Home in the summer of 2013.
Under her guidance as Director, BrightBuilt Home has facilitated the completion of nearly 200 homes across New England and the Eastern Seaboard. Parlin leads development of new designs, optimization of processes in offsite building, and identification of best practices and materials for creating healthy homes. Regardless of where she directs her focus, the wind in her sails remains the same: fostering a collaborative and creative spirit among designers, builders, and homeowners in order to forge better solutions for the built environment.
Under her guidance as Director, BrightBuilt Home has facilitated the completion of nearly 200 homes across New England and the Eastern Seaboard. Parlin leads development of new designs, optimization of processes in offsite building, and identification of best practices and materials for creating healthy homes. Regardless of where she directs her focus, the wind in her sails remains the same: fostering a collaborative and creative spirit among designers, builders, and homeowners in order to forge better solutions for the built environment.
NESEA Board Secretary, Board Term:
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Jodi Smits Anderson is a Leader in Sustainability, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL-AP, NESEA Board member, past regional and national U.S. Green Building Council committee member, wife, mom, hiker, kayaker, knitter, and storyteller. She spent the last 15 years as Director of Sustainability for a NYS Authority, and is proud of the interagency work in greening state operations and procurement.
She has spoken at the Living Future conference in Seattle and in Washington, DC, at the NACUBO conference in Austin, TX, at the first Wellness in Design conference in San Diego, CA, and several times each at Greenbuild, NESEA’s Building Energy Boston, and the NYS Green Building Conference, and has been a guest teacher at SUNY ESF, RPI, Ithaca College, NYU, Cornell, and SUNY Albany. She is a NY Energy Code trainer, the 2018 recipient of the Green Building Advocate award, and has assisted in research and writing for Project Drawdown, which cites the 100 market-proven ways we already have in our toolkit to reduce CO2 in our atmosphere.
She had a featured article that appeared in the Journal of Green Building's V14 N3 in July of 2019, on “Excellence in Building Envelopes”, and has co-written a thought leadership paper on ResHalls of the Near Future, learning from COVID, economics, equity, shifts in education styles, and health in buildings. Jodi’s goal is to understand and incorporate informed sustainable practices into design, construction, and living, and to share whatever she has learned and learn still more from whomever will talk with her.
She has spoken at the Living Future conference in Seattle and in Washington, DC, at the NACUBO conference in Austin, TX, at the first Wellness in Design conference in San Diego, CA, and several times each at Greenbuild, NESEA’s Building Energy Boston, and the NYS Green Building Conference, and has been a guest teacher at SUNY ESF, RPI, Ithaca College, NYU, Cornell, and SUNY Albany. She is a NY Energy Code trainer, the 2018 recipient of the Green Building Advocate award, and has assisted in research and writing for Project Drawdown, which cites the 100 market-proven ways we already have in our toolkit to reduce CO2 in our atmosphere.
She had a featured article that appeared in the Journal of Green Building's V14 N3 in July of 2019, on “Excellence in Building Envelopes”, and has co-written a thought leadership paper on ResHalls of the Near Future, learning from COVID, economics, equity, shifts in education styles, and health in buildings. Jodi’s goal is to understand and incorporate informed sustainable practices into design, construction, and living, and to share whatever she has learned and learn still more from whomever will talk with her.
Senior Project Manager
Integrated Eco Strategy
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Matt Root works with owners and design/construction teams to implement strategies for improving building performance and leveraging projects to drive the healthier materials marketplace. Matt works closely with projects pursuing Living Building Challenge certification, and others inspired by the program’s intent. He also supports the development of IES’ proprietary software, Red2Green, which helps project teams identify, track, communicate, and report-out on all building products in the project. Previously, Matt worked at Conservation Services Group/CLEAResult, where he led a team of mechanical engineers, enclosure experts and building scientists. His wide-ranging experience encompasses mechanical systems, enclosure detailing and performance testing.
An active NESEA member, Matt has written articles on healthier materials for BuildingEnergy Magazine and presided as Co-Vice Chair and Conference Chair for BuildingEnergy Boston conferences (‘14 and ’15). He was recently appointed as an inaugural member of the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Codes Technical Advisory committee, helping provide expert review and guidance on MA building energy code language.
An active NESEA member, Matt has written articles on healthier materials for BuildingEnergy Magazine and presided as Co-Vice Chair and Conference Chair for BuildingEnergy Boston conferences (‘14 and ’15). He was recently appointed as an inaugural member of the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Codes Technical Advisory committee, helping provide expert review and guidance on MA building energy code language.