Bruce E. Becker Membership Committee Chair

Bruce has been a licensed General Contractor in California since 1987 and has recently added the C-10 Electrical Contractor designation to his license.  He has been active in the construction and design of custom homes and commercial projects in San Diego and Los Angeles County.  In the past 7 years he has concentrated in the specialty of water damage, indoor air quality and its affect on quality of life. During that time he was involved with over 500 commercial and residential projects in the Greater Los Angeles area.

· Technical advisor to the Garden School Foundation in Los Angeles since 2009
· Guest Speaker Health Effects of Mold Symposium (2007) UCLA School of Public Health
· Member of the Long Beach College CTE Green Advisory Board
· Attended the State University of New York at Buffalo and the University Wisconsin

Kevin Devine Co-Chair, Existing Buildings Subcommittee

As the “USGBC-LA EB Subcommittee Co-Chair” Kevin manages the group members, administrative responsibilities, and events on behalf of the USGBC-LA Chapter.   The subcommittee goals are in alignment with Kevin’s career in the Building Operations area.  Kevin has always focused on maximizing energy efficiency and reducing operating expenses and his knowledge and networking connections on the field make him a great fit for his role with the EB Subcommittee. Kevin Devine, Director of Engineering at Brookfield Properties, has overseen the operation of four and a half million square feet of commercial real estate in Southern California since 2007. Kevin has more than 25 years of real estate engineering, operations and construction experience. Prior to joining Brookfield, Kevin was the Engineering Manager at Equity Office Properties, where he oversaw eight million square feet of commercial property in New York City. Kevin has also worked as the Director of Operations at Devon Properties, a privately held national property owner with oversight of a six million square foot portfolio consisting of commercial, residential, industrial properties, ASE Enterprises with a similar portfolio on North New Jersey and has several years of construction management experience doing property redevelopment and commercial interiors and has several years of construction management / commercial interior construction for Pavarini McGovern GMO as well as property redevelopment experience. Prior to elevating to management, Kevin had a hands on career as chief engineer spending 13 years in the Operating Engineers IUOE Local 94 in New York City operating properties ranging in various size from 400K to 1.8K beginning as an apprentice or assistant engineer. Kevin attended Bergen Tech in Bergen County New Jersey where he majored in stationary engineering, HVAC& Refrigeration and worked within the service sector before entering into the commercial office building trades. Kevin currently serves as co-chair of the EB Subcommittee for the U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles Chapter (USGBC-LA), he is a member of the BOMA Los Angeles and participates in Committees on Sustainability and Energy, and is involved with the International Union of Operating Engineers Training and Education programs. Kevin participates in Brookfield Properties Energy Committee where he assists in establishing programs, standards and procedures within the Brookfield Properties family of regions. Kevin has spearheaded Brookfield’s efforts with respect to LEED Certification and enjoys working with the Hi Rise Committee in which Kevin established at the suggestion of Lance Williams and the LA chapter of the USGBC.

Amelia Doyle Government Affairs Co-Chair

Building on experience with the Emerging Green Builders (EGB), a committee of the U.S. Green Building Council focused on the sustainable development and education of students and young professionals, Amelia continues to thrive in this green community. 

In 2003, at Greenbuild, Amelia was introduce to the EGB and was instantly inspired by the notion of a diverse group of young, energetic, motivated people getting together to pursue projects and competitions that rose awareness and creatively addressed issues of social, environmental and economic sustainability.  Amelia was looking for a local EGB group in Los Angeles and upon realizing it did not yet exist she founded the EGB-LA in the beginning of 2004.  Once EGB-LA was up and running, as Chairperson Amelia represented the group on the Local Leaders Committee, a nationwide network of leaders representing the ever increasing number of EGB groups in the U.S.  Soon after, in 2006, Amelia applied and was elected to hold a position with the National Committee of the Emerging Green Builders and in 2007 Amelia was elected Chairperson of the National Committee.  In 2008, with her two year national term coming to an end, she represented the EGB on the Chapter Steering Committee with the National USGBC.  Now, after contributing her volunteer energy at the national level for the last three years, Amelia is excited to focus on local initiatives as the Co-Chair of the Government Affairs Committee.  

Marika Erdely Commercial Real Estate and Finance Co-Chair

As the Co-Chair for the Real Estate and Finance committee, Marika is involved in communicating both the state and federal legislation that affects the sustainability of the commercial real estate industry to other committee members. She is also the liaison to the EB O&M Committee on similar topics. Marika’s LEED consulting practice, LEED by ME, focuses on ROI Economic Modeling to help building owners understand the cost of transforming their buildings to be more energy, water and resource efficient and to improve their day-to-day operations. By understanding the financial cost, Marika hopes to inspire building owners to implement LEED EB O&M.  Marika has the knowledge and skills to successfully administer the LEED certification process for New Construction and for Homes and Neighborhoods. She has just accepted a position teaching an Economics of Sustainability course, part of the Certificate in Sustainable Development and Green Design at UC Riverside’s Extension program, as well working as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for New Millennium Homes, a residential homebuilding and land development company located in Calabasas. Marika has almost thirty years of finance and management experience in a number of industries including high technology, advertising and web development. Marika holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Economics from University of California at Santa Barbara. Marika is also on the Board of Trustees of Mountains Restoration Trust, a land trust protecting open space in the Santa Monica Mountains. She is also a member of the San Fernando Valley Green Building Task Force. LEED by ME is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). Marika also holds a CA Contractors License B. Marika is married and has two daughters in college and is an avid hiker, mountain biker and skier.

James Finlay Commercial Real Estate & Finance Subcommittee Co-Chair

As chair of the Commercial Real Estate & Finance Subcommittee James is helping the committee members build a forum where commercial real estate professionals to expand their network and knowledge about sustainable design.  It is focused on how a LEED or other designation and high-performance design is valued in a lease or sale. James is a senior commercial real estate appraisal manager and Vice President at Wells Fargo Bank in downtown Los Angeles.  He engages appraisers, reviews the report and writes an analysis of risks & benefits for a wide variety of property types.  In early 2006 he was asked to join the bank’s Environmental Initiative team representing the appraisal department and has been the principle appraisal manager for LEED and high-performance commercial real estate appraisals.  As of mid-2009 Wells Fargo had made loans secured by LEED and high-performance property topping $2 billion. Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 1999 he worked in Los Angeles as a commercial appraiser at other banks, appraisal firms, had his own firm based in Santa Monica.  A background as a leasing and sales agent and investment partnerships combines to over 20 years in commercial real estate valuation, brokerage and investment combined.  Rounded off with a construction background at his father’s business provides a solid basis for understanding high-performance building features. He began attending USGBC-LA functions in 2001 and occasional speaker on appraisal and financing of high-performance real estate at a number of professional conferences. James holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from the University of Kentucky, is a General Certified Appraiser and has a CA Real Estate Sales license.

Melissa Gutierrez Government Affairs and Advocacy Co-Chair

As the co-chair for the USGBC-LA Chapter’s Advocacy Committee, Melissa is working on growing the committee and focusing on local/regional issues regarding Green Building initiatives.  With the strong influence Los Angeles has on the local community as well as the country, it is imperative that Los Angeles and the surrounding areas work together with the local governments to become a leader in the green movement, by showing the world how sustainability can be done. When Melissa is not chairing her committee, she is Director of Operations at Gaia Development – a consulting firm focused on building sustainable buildings, LEED CHPS, Energy Modeling and Commissioning.  Gaia Development works with the leading developers throughout Southern California – including such clients as W Hotel, Habitat for Humanity and the Port of Long Beach. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA, she pursued a career in finance at JPMorgan in San Francisco.  Her career in finance led her to pursue a business position within Gaia – a company whose initiatives and mission statement met her own personal goals.  She now works on managing Gaia’s operations while maintaining various client related projects as well.

Paul Ramirez Emerging Professionals Co-Chair

Paul is a young professional in the field of engineering, currently employed by Innovative Engineering Group, Inc. As a student he studied architecture, engineering and marketing at Rio Hondo College, earned a certificate in Plumbing Systems Design at UCLA, a certificate in HVAC&R Fundamentals, and is in an associate member of ASPE. As the co-chair of Emerging Professionals, he is an advocate to students and young professionals; specifically exciting the area of greener businesses, healthier living environments, and sustainable technology. Paul believes the greatest quality in life is a combination of good food, drinks, and social connection. He enjoys the outdoors for such activities as camping, hiking, biking and running. In his words, “I believe one shall love life only as much that it is possible for another to enjoy life with what we have created/allowed/left for him or her to enjoy.”

Drew Shula Events Coordinator, Existing Buildings Subcommittee

As the USGBC-LA Events Coordinator for the Existing Buildings Subcommittee, Drew assists the co-chairs with program development, membership outreach, and administrative tasks, including research and the publication of meeting minutes. Drew has been a member of the USGBC Los Angeles Chapter since 2007 and has previously served as the Emerging Green Builders Co-Chair, helping to organize the Natural Talent Design Competition in 2009. Drew is a LEED Specialist for Thomas Properties Group (www.tpgre.com), a publicly traded (TPGI) full-service real estate firm headquartered in downtown Los Angeles that owns, acquires, develops and manages property. Drew is currently working directly with TPG's Sustainability Manager to assist with the effort ofgreening the company's portfolio of 34 properties (15,000,000 sf) across the country through the LEED® for Existing Buildings Volume Certification Pilot Program. Drew is a LEED® Accredited Professional and holds a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he also completed a Supplementary Major in Philosophy. He is an Associate member of the American Institute of Architects, and previously worked as an architectural designer at The Jerde Partnership (www.jerde.com), a multidisciplinary architecture and urban planning firm in Los Angeles specializing in place-making. Drew is a native of Belfast, Maine and currently resides with his wife in Santa Monica.

David Stevens MGBCE Chair

David is Senior Energy Education Advisor at Southern California Gas Company's Energy Resource Center where he produces education events on sustainability and energy efficiency. Serving his second term on the Board, David chairs the annual Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo. This event is the Chapter's largest free, educational, outreach and networking event for primary decision makers in the Southern California area. In addition, David represents the LA Chapter on the Pacific Regional Council of the USGBC, ensuring the growth of green building throughout our region. An alumnus of Biola University, he brings over 25 years of experience in the utility industry to our board.

Seth Strongin Research Coordinator, Existing Building Subcommittee

Seth provides a variety of research and administrative services in support of the activities of the Existing Buildings Subcommittee. He analyzes data, documents, case studies, and contributes contextual information that is distributed as reference materials to committee members, incorporated into presentations, and utilized to facilitate committee activities. He also helps to construct, edit, and organize committee documents.

Seth is an aspiring young green building professional who is accredited as a LEED Green Associate. He is currently working as a research and policy analysis consultant on land use and open space issues in southern California and is eager to start is career in the green building sector. He has previously served as a staff member to elected officials in California on the state and local level. Prior to moving to California, Seth worked for the National Academy of Sciences conducting scientific research related to national security.

Seth holds a Masters degree in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara and bachelor of arts degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Biology from American University in Washington, DC.

Dave Summers Committee Program Coordinator, Events

David has previously served on the board of the USGBC-LA and has been an active volunteer with the chapter for several years. David has been a LEED Accredited Professional for eight years and is a Registered Mechanical Engineer.  He has worked as a mechanical engineer on over a dozen LEED projects, including several LEED “firsts”, including:

• Elleven, Los Angeles, CA.  This project was the first LEED high-rise residential project in Los Angeles.
• Eugene Federal Courthouse, Eugene, OR, was the first federal courthouse in the nation to earn LEED Gold.
• Providence Newberg Medical Center, Newberg, OR, was the first LEED Gold hospital in the country.
• Earthlink Office Tenant Improvement, Pasadena, CA.  This project earned LEED-CI Silver and was the first project to comply with the City of Pasadena’s LEED program.

David works for multi-disciplinary engineering firm Glumac as the head of the mechanical engineering department in Glumac’s Los Angeles office. He holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Wisconsin and a Bachelors Degree in Physics from Harvey Mudd College.

As the Social Media Coordinator, Ms. Watt manages the Social Media web pages of the Existing Buildings Subcommittee.  These Internet pages include LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and serve as sources for current events and interactive discussion forums related to the LEED for Existing Buildings, as well as professional networking to Green Building professionals in and around Greater Los Angeles.

Stephanie works full-time as an Environmental Compliance Coordinator at Sapphos Environmental, Inc. in Santa Monica. One of Stephanie’s key job responsibilities is to provide project management for development projects of local and regional importance in California that require CEQA or NEPA compliance.  In addition, Stephanie prepares technical documentation and analysis in support of these projects in pursuant to the applicable regulation, with an emphasis on aesthetics/visibility analyses.  Prior to joining Sapphos, she worked as a Programs Associate at the Larta Insitute, a firm that implements commercialization programs intended to promote early-stage high technology in the market.

Ms. Watt holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.  Through her graduate studies at UCLA, she discovered her passion for the environment and is dedicated to burgeoning her knowledge and experience to develop a holistic approach to sustainability.