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Meet the Cascadia Staff
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Jason F. McLennan, LEED AP, CEO, Seattle, WA
> Sandy Allen, Staff Accountant, Portland, OR
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Eden Brukman, LEED AP, Research Director, Portland, OR
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Sarah Costello, LEED AP, Development Director, Portland, OR
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Gina Franzosa, LEED AP, OR Director, Portland, OR
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Joanna Gangi, LEED AP, Executive Assistant to the CEO, Seattle, WA
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Bruce Hostetter, LEED AP, Living Building Outreach Director, Seattle, WA
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Mona Lemoine, LEED AP, BC Co-Director, Vancouver, BC
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Mark Masteller, Alaska State Director, Wasilla, AK
> Angie Morgan, LEED AP, Washington Assistant Director, Seattle, WA
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Karen Parusel, BC Assistant Director, Vancouver, BC
> Bob Potter, LEED AP, Assistant Director of Operations, Portland, OR
> Jenny Seifert, Oregon Assistant Director, Portland, OR
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Joel Sisolak, LEED AP, Washington State Director, Seattle, WA
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Brandon Smith, LEED AP, COO, Portland, OR
Darby Strong, LEED AP, Program Administrator, Portland, OR
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Jessica Woolliams, LEED AP, BC Co-Director, Vancouver, BC
Jason F. McLennan, LEED AP, CEO, Seattle, WA
Jason is a nationally recognized leader in the sustainable building industry. He is the author of the Living Building Challenge an international green building program and co-creator of Pharos, the most advanced building material rating system in North America. Jason is known as an international thought leader in the green architecture movement and has lectured on sustainability across the US and Canada. His work in the sustainable design field has been published or reviewed in dozens of journals, magazines conference proceedings and books including Architecture, Architectural Record, Dwell, Plenty, Metropolis, NY Times, The Globe and Mail, The World and I, Ecostructure and Environmental Design and Construction Magazine. He is the author of three books; The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, The Dumb Architect’s Guide to Glazing Selection, and the Ecological Engineer. The Philosophy of Sustainable Design is currently used as a textbook in over 40 universities and colleges and is distributed widely throughout Europe and North America.
He is a former Principal at BNIM Architects, one of the founders of the green design movement in the United States, where he worked on many of the leading high performance projects in the country including LEED Platinum, Gold and zero energy projects. At BNIM he created the building science team known as Elements, which set new standards for energy and resource efficiency on many of its projects in various building types. Jason is also the founder and CEO of Ecotone Publishing, the only dedicated green building publisher in North America. Jason was recently named one of the top 40 under 40 most influential individuals in the design and construction field by Building Design and Construction magazine.
Sandy Allen, Staff Accountant, Portland, OR
Sandy joined Cascadia in September, 2008 upon relocating to Portland from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. in Business Administration – Accounting. Except for the years she spent raising her family, Sandy has always worked for non-profit organizations including private foundations, education and community centers. She is enjoying exploring Portland and all the exciting opportunities the city has to offer. In her spare time, Sandy loves to travel with her family, especially to Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Eden Brukman, LEED AP, Research Director, Portland, OR
As the Research Director for Cascadia, Eden is dedicated to the development and deployment of the Living Building Challenge and the Pharos Project. An architect and sustainable building advisor, Eden has focused her professional career on incorporating socially and environmentally responsible strategies into design and construction. Her past work included research and implementation of sustainable policies, particularly related to building certification using the LEED rating system and the selection of appropriate building materials. Eden received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Illustration from the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. In joining Cascadia, Eden is looking forward to connecting with other enthusiasts, both at her formal workplace and in the extended community.
Sarah Costello, Development Director, Portland, OR
Sarah joined Cascadia in September 2008 and is focused on expanding our Friends of Cascadia program, deepening our relationships with members, and exploring a wide range of funding opportunities. As a fundraising consultant specializing in grants, Sarah has worked with a wide variety of non-profits including environmental organizations, colleges and universities, museums, and relief agencies. She was also the Director of Grants at Lewis & Clark College Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Sarah has a B.A. in History from Reed College and an M.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Gina Franzosa, LEED AP, OR Director, Portland, OR
Gina joined Cascadia in December of 2005 and is working to expand Cascadia’s presence around the state of Oregon. She came from Otak, Inc, a multi-disciplinary firm of architects, engineers, planners, and surveyors where she was a water resources engineer and founding member of Otak’s Sustainability Committee. Her work included stormwater management, water quality treatment, fish passage design, and low-impact methods in Oregon and Washington. Gina strived to bring concepts of sustainability and ecological engineering to all her work, which led such innovative projects as a proposal utilizing constructed wetlands to treat wastewater from a campground in a remote Oregon forest. She also is an active member of the Oregon Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Gina graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering.
Joanna Gangi, LEED AP, Executive Assistant to the CEO, Seattle, WA
Joanna comes to Cascadia from both the education field and the residential construction industry. Originally from the mid-west, she graduated from Ball State University with a B.A. in History and Secondary Education where she focused her studies on multi-cultural and cross-cultural education teaching in Jamaica. From there, she journeyed to New Zealand where she enjoyed teaching in a multi-grade classroom. After relocating to Seattle she pursued a career in residential construction where she realized the true importance of changing the building community towards sustainability. Joanna loves living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and enjoys anything outdoors, mostly if it involves a mountain and a snowboard.
Bruce Hostetter, LEEP AP, Living Building Outreach Director, Seattle, WA
Bruce Hostetter comes to Cascadia with a history of USGBC chapter and regional development, chapter leadership on the Orange County board, and service on the Pacific Regional Council. Bruce is one of a few USGBC certified Dynamic Governance Facilitators and has lead strategic planning sessions for many chapters in the Pacific and Western Regions. Trained in landscape architecture at Cal Poly Pomona under the leadership of John Lyle, pioneer in regenerative design, Bruce was trained in eco-systematic design, focused his grad studies on global energy and material flows and climatically adapted building design. With a background in daylighting and as a practicing architectural lighting designer, active in the IESNA Sustainable Lighting Committee, Bruce is in a transitional role serving since May 2009 as the Living Building Outreach Director.
Bruce has many years of experience teaching and developing curriculum in the fields of landscape architecture and architectural lighting design, and most recently teaching business sustainability strategies at the University of California Irvine Sustainability Certificate Program with his former sustainability partner at YCC International. In his old life Bruce developed the fine art of Creative Intervention that he practiced at a variety of levels as a community and professional advocate in Southern California. In his new life in Seattle, Bruce is engrossed in the constant opportunities for networking, bike commuting, kayaking, living simply in the now, connecting with friends over good cheap wine, and reading about Resilience. Bruce is constantly looking to the young generation for answers.
Mona Lemoine, LEED AP, BC Co-Director, Vancouver, BC
(On maternity leave until spring 2010.)
Mona Lemoine joined Cascadia in August 2007. She moved to Vancouver from Winnipeg, where she worked in consulting for almost ten years spending the last several years focusing her energy on incorporating and promoting social and environmental sustainability as well as a collaborative process on the projects she was involved with.
Mona’s professional experience and qualifications include a broad range of professional and community leadership. She was a founding director of the Manitoba Chapter, CaGBC, serving a total of 4 years at the board level with the last two as Vice Chair. She was a director on the board of the Société franco-manitobaine (SFM) for 6 years, serving the last year as vice-president of the board and she was an ambassador for the Saint-Boniface Hospital & Research Foundation Radiothon de l'espoir CKSB 1050. Mona most recently served on the CMHC External Research Program Selection Committee, the Working Group on the Built Environment and Education Sub-committee for the Alternative Energy Branch.
Mona has traveled to more than 15 countries and has lived, worked and studied in Venezuela, Japan and Chile. She is fluent in French, English and Spanish - with elementary abilities in Japanese. Mona graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Environmental Design and Master of Architecture.
Mark Masteller, Alaska State Director, Wasilla, AK
Mark joined Cascadia in April 2009 after working for 28 years in Alaska as a wildlife biologist and, most recently, as director of the Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology, a group dedicated to sustainable economic development. In this role he worked in project development and design of the state's first LEED-Gold commercial/industrial building, numerous green building and energy-related workshops and seminars, and was co-founder of the Bioneers in Alaska project. In the state with the highest energy consumption per capita in the world, and with some of the most visible early impacts of global climate change, Mark is dedicated to expanding Cascadia's Alaska program to help people address the significant challenges found across this geographically and culturally diverse and beautiful state. Mark graduated from Colorado State University with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Wildlife Biology.
Angie Morgan, LEED AP, WA Assistant Director, Seattle, WA
Angie comes to Cascadia from the field of cancer prevention research. Her area of expertise was exercise promotion as a means to prevent cancer. She will transfer this expertise to the area of green building as a means to further prevent degradation of the Cascadia Bioregion. She commutes to work on her bicycle and when she has to drive, she burns B99 biodiesel in her Golf TDI. Angie is very passionate about the environment and sustainable living.
Karen Parusel, BC Assistant Director, Vancouver, BC
Karen joined Cascadia in August of 2008 where she continues a 10-year career focused on community-based change and sustainability. Prior to joining us, Karen was a Program Coordinator at the Vancouver Foundation where she, in addition to helping fund projects throughout BC, chaired the organization’s Sustainability Committee. She currently volunteers as a Board Member and a Coordinator for the Vancouver Public Space Network, an organization that focuses on improving the public realm through urban design, community gardens, cycling infrastructure, and more. Karen has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Certificate in Community Economic Development, and she is thrilled to bring her passion for sustainability to Cascadia. In her spare time, you’ll find Karen playing hockey at the local rink or riding her bike around the streets of Vancouver.
Bob Potter, LEED AP, Assistant Director of Operations, Portland OR
Bob joined Cascadia in January 2007. Originally from the East Coast, Bob graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004 with a B.A. in Philosophy and Environmental Studies, and relocated to Portland shortly thereafter. A few stints in AmeriCorps brought Bob to The Rebuilding Center, a non-profit community reuse center where he was involved in project management and volunteer coordination. From there Bob migrated to Cascadia where he works on the operational and technology side of things. He enjoys anything Mac, cycling, and getting lost in the Pacific NW.
Jenny Seifert, Oregon Assistant Director, Portland ORIn June 2007, Jenny came to Cascadia with a variegated professional past that has been shaped by her passion for travel and for the environment. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a Bachelors degree in German Language and Literature, Jenny’s career sprouted as a communications intern at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a Washington, DC-based transatlantic relations institute. From there, she journeyed to the tiny Caribbean island of St. Lucia, where she served for two years in the Peace Corps as a community development volunteer. She then migrated from that cruise ship destination to another – Skagway, Alaska – where she was the operations coordinator for a river rafting company. Since landing in Portland and prior to joining Cascadia, she did communications and development work at Sustainable Northwest and wrote website content for the Western Invasives Network. Aside from coordinating Cascadia’s Oregon programs, she writes a sustainable lifestyle column for Ecometro.com. She finds herself endlessly amazed and amused by the beauty and culture, respectively, of the Pacific Northwest and is happy to be working towards preserving both.
Joel Sisolak, LEED AP, Washington State Director, Seattle WA
Joel joined Cascadia in October 2008 where he continues his work of 15 years in the non-profit sector promoting social and environmental sustainability. Prior to joining us, he directed an environmental organization that partnered with local public and private agencies to protect King County’s primary drinking water supply. He's also served in various consulting and leadership roles with organizations promoting affordable housing, habitat conservation, and the arts. Joel brings rich experience with and a strong commitment to collaboration with public and private organizations in the stewardship of the region’s natural capital. Joel holds a masters of urban planning from the University of Washington with an emphasis on sustainable land use and infrastructure. When he's not working or off planting trees with some habitat restoration effort, Joel dabbles in acrylic painting, semi-vegetarian cooking, and sitting meditation (though rarely all at the same time).
Brandon Smith, LEED AP, COO, Portland OR
After joining the Cascadia in February of 2004, Brandon helped organize the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo and build Cascadia’s organizational capacity. He is currently responsible for managing the organization’s accounting, technology, human resources, and corporate fundraising program. He also leads Cascadia’s Green Building Value Initiative. Prior to joining Cascadia, Brandon worked as an Export Consultant on projects in Spain and China. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Master’s Degree in International Business and has lived and studied in France and Mexico.
Darby Strong, LEED AP, Program Administrator, Portland OR
Darby developed a mean crossover dribble as a grade school student and daughter of a former Ohio State basketball player. While she no longer (mostly) employs her patented head fake, she continues to nurture her thirst to save the planet. Darby has filled the lane in a variety of creative and business enterprises, including stints at a burgeoning software development firm, the world famous Chicago International Film Festival, assisting on a critically acclaimed Universal record production, closing commercial mortgages, conducting design meetings for a production builder and most recently, providing energy efficiency assessments and alternative energy paths for residential and commercial properties in the Savannah, Georgia area.
Darby studied liberal arts at Hocking College near Athens, OH and at Columbia College in Chicago. She is pleased as punch to be where she belongs in the Pacific Northwest. (Although she wonders exactly what “pleased as punch” means…)
Jessica Woolliams has been working to mainstream sustainable buildings through advancing critical policy, programs and training for almost a decade. Jessica comes to Cascadia from Light House Sustainable Building Centre, where she was a founding director. Jessica brings extensive green building consulting experience in both the public and non-profit realms. Through her work at Harvard University she managed the design and implementation of Harvard’s first GHG Inventory, Harvard’s first LEED certification and Harvard's first renewable energy purchases that brought Harvard to being the 2nd largest higher-educational purchaser of green power in North America. As a consultant, Jessica was helped establish Green Buildings BC, Canada's first green building program in 2000. Jessica has published both academically and professionally and has lectured at Harvard, BCIT, SFU and UBC.
