Green Building Alliance Board of Directors

Christine Fulton, President

Christine Fulton was recently named Vice President of Public Finance and External Relations for Doc-Economou, a partnership between Development Opportunity Corporation and Economou
Partners, two leaders in the development and management of hotels, condominiums, office and retail properties.  The company plans to develop more than seven acres of property surrounding Baum-Liberty in Pittsburgh's historic Bloomfield and Shadyside neighborhoods, as well as one acre of land in the SouthSide Works into a unique mixed-use complex.

Ms. Fulton previously worked as Vice President of External Relations & Real Estate for the Soffer Organization, where she was involved with the SouthSide Works brownfield redevelopment project.  Before joining Soffer, she was the Director of Development at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, responsible for securing funds for early-stage research, in addition to generating funds for a new laboratory and administrative office facility. Ms. Fulton was actively involved in the LEED green design for the new 45,000-square-foot building and interacted with the economic development community to promote the region's growing biotechnology industry. A Pittsburgh native, Ms. Fulton previously held development positions at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and at the University of Chicago. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies from Northwestern University and is a board member of the FISA Foundation. She belongs to ICSC, Urban Land Institute, Working Hearts Initiative, and Venture Outdoors.

Byron Falchetti, Vice President

In his position as President of Standard Property Corporation (SPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Highmark Inc., Byron Falchetti provides comprehensive real estate and facility services to all of Highmark and its subsidiary companies. In addition, SPC is responsible for foodservice, incoming mail, travel and fleet and transportation services for Highmark's 12,000 employees throughout the country. His current major project is the development of a $43M Data Center in central Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining Highmark, Mr. Falchetti was a Vice President for the Soffer Organization, a large-scale office and retail developer in the Pittsburgh marketplace. While there, he had many responsibilities in the development, leasing and management areas of the company. Earlier in his career, Mr. Falchetti was the Director of Facility Planning at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and had charge of all facility planning functions for CMU's academic and research initiatives. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Civic Light Opera, and is a member of Team Pennsylvania. A native of Duquesne, Mr. Falchetti holds a Master of Planning degree from the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia.

William Bates, Treasurer

William (Bill) Bates has a long history of international development experience in corporate real estate and is currently employed as the Vice President of Real Estate for Eat'n'Park Hospitality, Inc. He manages an 80-site corporate property portfolio throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia and is responsible for restaurant division growth through new site identification and acquisition. Previously, Mr. Bates held a similar position at Marconi, Inc. (formerly FORE Systems, Inc.), where he managed the corporate property portfolio expansion from 28 to 150 global sites in five years. He has also worked in the Strategic Facilities Planning department at PNC Bank, the Construction department at Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and has held a variety of architectural and construction positions at other companies, including a partnership at a private architectural practice.

A registered architect with a bachelor's degree in the profession from the University of Notre Dame, Mr. Bates has also completed construction management graduate programs at Pennsylvania State University and Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Besides GBA, he currently serves on the board of directors of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, Presbyterian SeniorCare, and Allegheny Land Trust. He has been appointed to several commissions and taskforces for Allegheny County, and is presently fulfilling a role with the Parks & Recreation Commission.

Michael Kuhn, Secretary

Michael Kuhn is Assistant Vice President for Jendoco Construction Corporation. Formerly, as a Project Manager/Estimator for the company, he was responsible for executing bid preparation duties, including quantity take-off, pricing, subcontractor solicitation and analysis and development of final bid costs. His project management responsibilities included analysis and purchasing of materials and subcontractors, development and maintenance of project schedules, coordination of work activities, daily job tracking, and job and unit costing. Mr. Kuhn, a LEED Accredited Professional, has provided and continues to provide technical guidance to green projects such as Carnegie Mellon University's Baker Hall (which won historic preservation and "best project under $7 million" awards from separate entities), The Western Pennsylvania Historical Society Heinz History Center Expansion - Smithsonian Wing (LEED Silver goal), and the CORO Center for Civic Leadership (LEED Commercial Interior Pilot, Silver goal).

Earlier in his career, Mr. Kuhn worked as a laborer on various construction projects; as a Junior Project Manager and Estimator at Jendoco; and as a Research Assistant in the Architectural Engineering Department at Pennsylvania State University where he developed educational computer software for students and professionals in construction management. Mr. Kuhn belongs to numerous professional organizations and holds a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering degree (Construction Option) from Pennsylvania State University.

Miranda Berner

Miranda Berner is the Project Manager for Berner International Corp. and Berner Energy Recovery, Inc. in New Castle, Pa. For the last 50 years, Ms. Berner’s products have been saving energy and creating healthy comfortable environments for their customers. Ms. Berner is actively involved in all corporate strategic planning, new product development and market development activities. Prior to working at Berner, Ms. Berner worked in Manhattan for gromco, inc. and the Arnell Group. She brought to Berner a wide range of experience in the Internet, communications and marketing. Ms. Berner graduated from the University of Rochester with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics and a Certificate of Management in Finance.

Ms. Berner currently serves on the Boards of the Green Building Alliance, Project Management Institute’s Manufacturing SIG, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, The Girls Scouts of Beaver and Lawrence Counties, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Lawrence County. She is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh’s LDI program as well as of The Katz School’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence Program.

Marco Cardamone

A successful Internet entrepreneur with extensive experience in the Internet, media and broadband content industries, Marco Cardomone is presently the Co-Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Merging Media. His newest company is a privately held Pittsburgh-based start-up dedicated to providing innovative interactive solutions and digital media services to businesses in the music entertainment industry. He also recently founded Club Café, an Internet "wired" music nightclub and content creation environment in Pittsburgh's historic South Side.

Formerly, Mr. Cardamone was a Managing Partner and Digital Media Practice Leader for the Pittsburgh office of marchFIRST (formerly USWeb/CKS), the world's leading Internet professional services firm. Prior to that, he was founder and CEO of Electronic Images, Inc., a full service digital media communications company that he started in 1988 and sold nine years later to USWeb. Before these endeavors, he spent 10 years in New York City in various management, marketing and digital media positions. While there, he worked extensively in computer animation and production services for clients in the broadcasting, cable, advertising, entertainment and corporate communications industries. Mr. Cardamone received his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a major in Broadcasting and Film from Boston University. He was also a Fellow at MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies, a group that has since merged into MIT's Media Lab, now under the leadership and direction of Nicholas Negroponte.

Linda Metropulos

In 2004, Linda Metropulos founded Artemis, a showroom and supplier of building materials that contribute to healthier living, perform well, and have minimal impact on the environment. The company also provides real estate development services to those who are interested in green buildings. Additionally, Ms. Metropulos is the co-founder and director of Artists in Cities, a real estate development corporation that creates affordable space for artists and arts-related businesses and organizations. She has directed projects from planning and pre-development through the entire construction process, including the Spinning Plate Artist Lofts, the Ice House Artist Studios, and the LEED-certified Blackbird Lofts and Artist Studios.

For 10 years, Ms. Metropulos served as the executive director of The Society for Contemporary Crafts, and, prior to that, worked as a management consultant and was employed in various positions for The Extension Dance Company, Parents United, and Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. She is currently a member of the Historic Review Commission of Pittsburgh and has been involved with numerous art- and school-related organizations and committees in various capacities over the years. Ms. Metropulos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Lake Forest College and a Master of Education from the Institute of the Arts and Human Development at Lesley College in Massachusetts.

Gary Moshier

Gary Moshier, AIA, received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Carnegie Mellon University and has completed additional coursework in industrial design and historic preservation. Besides being a Registered Architect in Pennsylvania, he is also a Certificate Holder of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and a LEED® Accredited Professional. Mr. Moshier and his wife are currently partners in an architectural firm called Moshier Studio, and their wide-ranging projects include a new education building for the Boy Scouts of America, renovation work/mechanical upgrades for the Carriage House Children's Center and the Crazy Mocha Café. Previously, he was an Associate with the firm of Kingsland Scott Bauer Associates, a Project Manager with Damianos & Associates and a Sr. Designer and Project Manager with Interspace Incorporated.

Mr. Moshier, who was involved in the Green Building Alliance's formative stage, also served on the organization's Education Advisory Committee and co-chaired the tour sub-committee for the Greenbuild 2003 Host Committee. He's a member of the American Institute of Architects, AIA Pittsburgh (co-founder of that group's Committee on the Environment), the U.S. Green Building Council, and the International Facility Management Association. He serves on several committees for Sacred Heart Parish and holds various positions with the Greater Pittsburgh Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Moshier was a founding board member of the Highland Park Community Development Corporation and frequently serves as a moderator and instructor for courses, seminars and conferences.

Scott Pollock

Scott Pollock, Vice President of Development for Oxford Development Company, has been involved with medical, fitness, hospitality, office and numerous building renovation projects over the years. In total, he has worked on projects in excess of $1 billion and 5 million square feet, which include the adaptive reuse of the former Joseph Horne’s department store to office use; the development and construction of UPMC's Sports Performance Complex; and the O'Reilly Theater, Courtyard Hotel and several other projects in the Cultural District. Currently, Mr. Pollock is working with UPMC as the Owner's Representative on the construction of the new Children's Hospital.

Mr. Pollock's experience includes developing construction delivery methods; establishing baseline cost and schedule controls; and maintaining all cost, schedule and scope management control systems. Additionally, he maintains Oxford's relationships with design and construction professionals throughout the critical development process. He is a board member of both the Urban Land Institute and the Penn-Liberty Historic Review Commission, and a member of the Project Management Institute. He earned his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Fairmont State College.

Mark Popovich

Mark Popovich is a Managing Director in the Pittsburgh office of Holiday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) with over 16 years of experience in commercial real estate finance. He is primarily responsible for originating debt and structured finance transactions throughout the northeast United States. Through the course of his career with HFF, Mr. Popovich has completed in excess of $1 billion in commercial real estate transactions. He joined the firm in January 1997.

Prior to HFF, he was a Manager with PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Real Estate Advisory Services Group. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, and is designated as a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson and Certified General Appraiser in the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Popovich received his bachelor’s degree in Finance from Robert Morris College.

Ernest Sota

Ernest (Ernie) Sota (on right in photo, next to his son) is the president of Sota Construction Services, Inc., a company he founded in 1993. Prior professional experience includes positions as an architectural designer and project manager at the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and as vice president for one of Pittsburgh's major construction and development organizations, where his varied duties included business development and estimating.

Major projects that Mr. Sota has been involved with include the $23 million conversion of Penn Station into The Pennsylvanian, construction of new 95-unit attached townhouses, and several Historic Tax Credit projects, such as the renovation of an abandoned building into a five-unit apartment building and restaurant space, the first such project completed in the South Side's Historic District. Mr. Sota graduated from PA State University with a B.S. degree in Environmental Design/Architecture.

Alan Traugott

Alan Traugott is a principal with CJL Engineering, a 60-person multi-discipline mechanical-electrical engineering firm with offices in Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Youngstown, Ohio. The company has a broad range of experience, including substantial expertise in green/high performance facilities. Prior to joining CJL in December of 2003, Mr. Traugott began his career at the global engineering firm Flack + Kurtz over 24 years ago. He developed the computer energy and systems model for the 8.5-million-square-foot World Financial Center complex in NYC, which uses the Hudson River for cooling nine months of the year. He also led the development of the company's green practices, including the Advanced Building Sciences Group and Commissioning. Prior to Flack + Kurtz, Mr. Traugott taught Environmental Science for the State of New York and provided environmental consulting in the New York metropolitan region. Mr. Traugott was substantially involved in the green building movement in New York City from the mid-1980s until his recent relocation to Pittsburgh.

A founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council, Mr. Traugott served as a director on the USGBC Board for over 10 years. He assisted in developing the Hugh L. Carey/Battery Park City Authority Residential Environmental Building Guidelines and was an advisor for the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, the New York State Green Building Tax Credit Bill, the New York City High Performance Building Design Guidelines and the federal Department of Energy’s Sustainable Building Technical Manual. A frequent speaker and author on green building issues, Mr. Traugott is an AIA Professional Affiliate and a former board member of several regional and national organizations.