ANCR announces a distinguished group of specialists

Last month, the Alliance for National & Community Resilience (ANCR), a member of the ICC Family of Companies, announced a distinguished group of specialists to help develop the nation’s first community-wide resilience benchmarks related to buildings.

The Resilient Buildings Technical Committee consists of architects, code officials, government experts and other industry professionals from the New York City Department of Buildings, Dow Chemical Company, National Institute of Building Sciences and more. The full roster of subject matter experts serving the committee is available here. These specialists will determine the criteria to evaluate a community’s capacity, risk awareness, competence and resources to respond to disasters or other events that affect the accessibility, quality or availability of homes, schools, stores and other buildings.

Michael Olen
Condemnation Inspector
City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Olen’s specialties include building resilience into building codes and helping communities prepare for and recover from disasters using community resilience. He was previously on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Community Resilience Panel where he worked to reduce barriers to achieving community resilience by promoting collaboration among stakeholders to strengthen the resilience of buildings, infrastructure, and social systems upon which communities rely.

Gary Ehrlich
Senior Program Manager, Structural Codes & Standards
National Association of Home Builders
For the last 12 years, Ehrlich has advocated on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders and its members on issues related to structural building code provisions, engineering design standards and their effect on the design and construction of one- and two-family dwellings, townhouses, and residential multi-family or mixed-use buildings.

Rebecca Laberenne, P.E.
Associate Director for Innovation in the Built Environment
100 Resilient Cities
Laberenne is a licensed professional engineer with a background in structural and earthquake engineering. She has more than 13 years of experience in the design and construction of buildings and bridges as well as in project management and strategic consulting for building and infrastructure projects.

Kimberly Cheslak, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BDC
Energy Codes Specialist
Institute for Market Transformation
As the energy codes specialist for the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Cheslak is responsible for developing and implementing IMT’s vision and solidifying IMT as a leader related to building energy codes. She does this through overseeing projects, managing key partner relationships, and directly supporting local governments to maximize savings through adoption of and compliance with code.

Philip Line, P.E.
Senior Director, Structural Engineering
American Wood Council
Line works extensively with wood industry technical committees on the development of wood design standards, including the National Design Specification (NDS) for Wood Construction, Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic, and the Wood Frame Construction Manual. He also serves on several standards and guideline development committees of organizations, including the American Society of Testing and Materials, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC).

Erich Swett, AIA, LEED AP BD&C
Project Architect
Toland & Mizell Architects, Inc.
Swett is an architect and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional with Building Design and Construction specialty certification. He has extensive experience finding better ways to create sustainable designs and synergies for clients. With a master’s degree in business administration from Mercer University and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Auburn University, he is a member of the Atlanta AIA Committee on the Environment, serves as the chair of the Technology Committee and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Illya Azaroff, AIA
Founder & Director of Design
+LAB Architect PLLC, Assoc. Professor NYCCT (CUNY)
Azaroff is a recognized expert in disaster mitigation, resilient planning, design and implementation. In addition to advising the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response on the Federal Disaster Recovery Framework, he works with city and federal agencies on all aspects of resilience and is an associate professor at New York City College of Technology. He has degrees in geography and architecture with research emphasis in climate-related disasters and resilient building strategies.

Mark Ginsberg, FAIA, LEED AP
Founding Principal, Partner
Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP
A native New Yorker, Ginsberg has more than 33 years of professional experience in planning, urban design, institutional and housing projects. His expertise in affordable and mixed-income housing, resiliency and green design has been recognized through his many lectures at national and local conferences and meetings. He is a past president of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and co-chaired the Post Sandy Housing Task Force.

Sandy Gallo, FSEC
Senior Operations Manager
PEG, LLC
Gallo brings a great wealth of knowledge and experience with him, and a unique ability to “think outside the box” and deliver innovative solutions to complex problems. A certified RESNET Home Energy Rater, he is a member of the Building Industry Association of Central South Carolina’s High Performance Building Council, which aims to promote environmentally responsible design, construction and operation of homes and communities.

Jennifer Webb, AIA, LEED AP
Chief Executive Officer/President
Jennifer Webb Architectural Consulting
With nearly 20 years of architectural experience and national expertise in the management of highly complex construction projects, Webb has a clear understanding of sustainable design practices and the knowledge needed to obtain LEED certification. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture/structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Bradley J. Dean, CFM, CE
Coastal Scientist
Michael Baker International
As a coastal scientist and coastal communications specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Engagement and Risk Communication (CERC) Program, Dean’s diverse background in coastal zone management, coastal ecology, natural infrastructure, flood risk, training, and geospatial analysis allow him to provide interdisciplinary planning and resilience guidance to communities. In addition to his coastal role, Dean also serves as a natural infrastructure and future conditions subject matter expert on all national and regional communications planning and initiatives for FEMA’s CERC Program. He is a certified floodplain manager and certified ecologist.

Neil Blais
Chief Executive Officer/President
Blais & Associates
A national expert on hazard mitigation and sustainable community development, Blais became involved in the emergency management industry following the Northridge Earthquake, assisting the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Management to help the state with recovery efforts and then working with communities across the country and the world with their recovery and mitigation efforts to increase resilience against future disasters. He also led a group to develop the nation’s first-ever hazard mitigation loss estimation software tool that is now being used by hundreds of local communities across the nation to assess their vulnerability to flooding. Blais currently chairs the National Institute of Building Sciences Multihazard Mitigation Council.

Nancy McNabb, AIA
Principal/Director
The Continuity Project, LLC
Formerly a staff architect with Building Officials and Code Administrators International, McNabb has experience with the New York State Department of State, Codes Division; the National Fire Protection Association; and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. With her extensive experience in model building/fire codes and standards, she continues to utilize her expertise in community resilience planning, sustainability and energy efficiency before agencies and organizations tied to the building and safety community. She currently serves as the chair of the Communications Committee on the National Institute of Building Sciences’ Multihazard Mitigation Council.

Dick J. Bower, MS, CBO, FM
Building/Fire Official
Carmel by the Sea, California
A supporter of building community resiliency through multi-agency collaboration, Bower believes that individual citizens are on the front line when disasters strike; if they are well informed and prepared, the community will be in much better shape to recover from disasters. Formerly the building/fire safety/emergency management director with the city of Gig Harbor, Wash., Bower leads a team of approximately 40 emergency service workers at Monterey County’s Emergency Operations Center in California who work on updating plans for disaster preparedness using a national incident management system structured by the federal government to manage complex, multi-jurisdictional incidents and make the community more resilient.

Amy Schmidt
Manager of Building & Construction Advocacy
The Dow Chemical Company
Committed to advancing community resilience across the U.S., Schmidt leads a team that is responsible for Dow’s code development and adoption activities and serves as the subject matter expert on energy codes. She serves on the ASHRAE 90.1 and 90.2 committees, and is actively involved with International Code Council code development. Appointed to the ANCR board in August 2017, she uses her expertise in construction, government affairs, chemistry and design to establish benchmarks that will be used by resilient communities to prevent infrastructure failure following natural and man-made adverse events.

Gina Bocra, RA, AIA, LEED AP BDC/IDC, LEED Fellow
Chief Sustainability Officer
New York City Department of Buildings
With 19 years of sustainability experience, Bocra believes that buildings are the largest source of energy consumption in New York City and has worked hard on energy conservation to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. She leads a Department of Buildings’ team of specialists charged with enforcing the energy code and accommodating advances in sustainability. The recipient of last year’s American Institute of Architects NY Public Architect Award, she holds a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia, as well as bachelor’s degrees in environmental design and architecture from Ball State University.

Jeff Brown, MCP
Director of State Building Codes Office
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
Commonwealth of Virginia
With 14 years of experience in building and fire codes, Brown previously worked as the building/fire official for the County of Prince George, Va., before coming to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. He holds the International Code Council’s Master Code Professional (MCP) designation, which is the “gold standard” for demonstrating proficiency in the code profession.

Jeff Ellis, SE
Director, Codes and Compliance
Simpson Strong-Tie
A licensed civil and structural engineer in California, Hawaii and Illinois, Ellis has more than 26 years of experience in the construction industry and manages the company’s codes and compliance efforts. He was a practicing design engineer for commercial, residential and forensic projects for more than nine years. He serves on the International Code Council Evaluation Service Board of Managers and is board director and immediate past president of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California, the secretary of the Structural Engineers Association of California, and a member of the California Building Officials Structural Safety Committee. He has served as the chairman of the AISI Committee on Framing Standards Lateral Design Subcommittee and as president of the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute.

Lindsay Brugger, AIA
Senior Manager, Resilient Communities
American Institute of Architects
Formally a practicing architect, Brugger now manages the American Institute of Architect’s Disaster Assistance and Resilience and Adaptation programs. Her work focuses on education, resource development and policy related to disaster response and recovery, hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and community resilience to help architects address the wide-ranging shocks and stresses that prevent communities from thriving. Brugger is an avid partner in advancing resilience action throughout the building industry. She currently serves on the National Institute of Building Science’s Multihazard Mitigation Council and co-founded Open Architecture DC’s Resilience by Design program.

Ryan Colker
Vice President
National Institute of Building Sciences
Colker is director of the Consultative Council and presidential advisor at the National Institute of Building Sciences where he leads the development of findings and recommendations on behalf of the entire building community and transmits those recommendations to congress and the administration. He also serves on the National Council of Governments on Building Codes and Standards, the Off-Site Construction Council and the Sustainable Building Industry Council. Prior to joining the Institute, he served as manager of government affairs at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers, and as program director of the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation.

Evan Reis, SE
Executive Director, Co-founder
U.S. Resiliency Council
Working with public agencies and private companies nationwide to promote resilience and protect buildings and infrastructure against natural and man-made risks, Reis focuses on developing comprehensive resilience management strategies that include, mitigation, emergency management and business continuity planning, and financial risk transfer. The year following the Loma Prieta Earthquake, he played an integral part in Stanford University’s long-term, seismic resilience program. Reis currently serves on the board of the Alliance for National & Community Resilience.

Harrison Newton, MPH, CPH
Deputy Chief Resilience Officer
Washington D.C.
Newton led early efforts to prepare the District of Columbia for the 100 Resilient Cities project launch and established a focus on resilience within the D.C. Office of the City Administrator. A long-time D.C. official with a history of working on community-focused programs within the Department of Energy and Environment, he previously served as the associate director of its Efficiency and Affordability Division, where he led an effort to develop strategic priorities for programs that help thousands of D.C. residents control their energy costs. Newton is a founding board member of the Alliance for National and Community Resilience.

Suzanne DiGeronimo, FAIA, PP
Owner, President
DiGeronimo Architects
As the only woman in her class at Columbia University School of Architecture, DiGeronimo has had a wildly successful career pursuing her passion in architecture for more than 30 years. A Fellow in the American Institute of Architects and Society of American Military Engineers, she was appointed to serve on the 2018 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design Jury. She has experience with government, historic, resiliency and transportation projects in both New Jersey and New York.

Donna Boyce, J.D.
Independent Consultant
DB Advisory Services
With public, private and NGO experience developing and managing programs assisting underserved populations, including those affected by natural disasters or economic difficulties, Boyce’s unique qualifications make her a recovery and resilience resource for communities both pre- and post-disaster. A National Institute of Standards and Technology Community Resilience Fellow, she works as a principal reviewer for the Alliance for National & Community Resilience, serves on the Standing Committee on Disaster Response and Recovery for the American Bar Association, the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition Policy Working Group and is a Natural Hazard Mitigation Association Board member. Boyce earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from State University of New York—Albany and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Scott Campbell, Ph.D., P.E.
Director of Code Technology
Portland Cement Association
With experience at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Ohio State University and the Structural Analysis Consulting Group, Campbell focuses on the structural provisions of national model building codes and referenced standards, including fire protection, energy conservation, sustainability and enhanced resiliency. He has a Ph.D in structural engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a master’s degree in structural engineering from the University of Illionois at Urbana-Champaign. He recently received the Concrete Sustainability Award from the American Concrete Institute.

James Toscas
‎President
‎James Toscas Associates
With 25 years of experience as an association CEO, 18 of which have been in the concrete industry, Toscas has headed the Portland Cement Association, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, the American Concrete Institute and the American Nuclear Society.  He was instrumental in establishing the Concrete and Masonry-Related Associations, an industry group formed to improve collaboration among industry associations.  He also served as chairman of the board for the International Accreditation Service, a subsidiary of the International Code Council.

Tim Smail
Science and Engineering Instructor
Richmond County Board of Education
Previously a program manager for the Savannah River National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory, and senior vice president of Engineering and Technical Programs for the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Smail’s work involves strengthening homes and safeguarding families against natural disasters, in partnership with organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Storm Shelter Association and the Alliance for National & Community Resilience. He holds a holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Penn State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He currently teaches the Reaching Potential through Manufacturing program in Georgia.

Kimberly Paarlberg, RA
Senior Staff Architect
International Code Council
Paarlberg’s 12-plus years’ experience with the International Code Council includes work in the plan review and code development departments. She serves as code development secretary for the IBC Means of Egress/Accessibility, ICC Administration, and ICC 300 Bleachers, Folding and Telescopic Seating, and Grandstands committees, and represents ICC on development of the ICC/ANSI A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities and ASME 24 Flood Resistant Design and Construction technical standards as well as on the ICC Adhoc Health Care Committee. Before joining ICC, Paarlberg worked as a structural engineer and architect. She is a licensed architect in Illinois and holds an Accessibility Inspector/Plans Examiner certification. She is a member of the Indiana Steering Committee for the Great Lakes ADA Center, which facilitates dispersal of information and technical assistance for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Joel W. May, LEED Green Associate
Manager, Disaster Durable Solutions
BASF Corporation
A collaborator, innovator, thinker and problem solver on investigation, planning and/or execution of disaster mitigation and community development projects, May works with the visionaries on the front lines of disaster durability. He is a U.S. Army Engineer Corps veteran with hands-on construction operations and project management skills that help him serve as an educator and subject matter expert for construction, energy management, inspection and property management industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in community development with a concentration in public administration from Oakland University, and is a credentialed LEED Green Associate with dozens of certifications and professorial group memberships.

Jennifer A. Adams, MPA
Adams is a recent MPA graduate from the University of Akron, with a bachelor’s degree in emergency management and a minor in geography. She completed her thesis on Resilience and Institutions of Higher Education and presented at American Society for Public Administration conference on “Practitioners versus Scholars, Big ‘R’, Little ‘r’ Resilience.” She has been in the emergency management field for almost 20 years. As a volunteer with The American Red Cross, she has seen the importance of not only individuals being resilient but communities and the effects of the recovery time.