Staff of the Green Building Alliance

Rebecca L. Flora, Executive Director
AICP, LEED Accredited Professional

Under Rebecca Flora’s leadership, the Green Building Alliance has emerged as a leading advocate for green development in western Pennsylvania. She was named an “Environmental Hero for 2004” by Interiors & Sources magazine, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has identified her as one of “The Top 50 Cultural Forces in Pittsburgh.”

She is the chair-elect for the U.S. Green Building Council and a member of the USGBC’s LEED Neighborhood Development Core Committee. She serves as an advisory board member for the University of Pittsburgh’s Mascaro Sustainability Initiative and as a board member for Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development.  She is also an adjunct faculty member of Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy and Management.

Previously, Ms. Flora served as executive director of the South Side Local Development Company (SSLDC), which won a Great American Main Street Award during her tenure. Prior to the SSLDC, Ms. Flora worked for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Pittsburgh, serving as project manager for the Washington’s Landing and Pittsburgh Technology Center projects. Before coming to Pittsburgh, she was employed as a planner for K.W. Poore & Associates, a planning and consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia.

Ms. Flora holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Science from Plattsburgh State University of New York. 

Diane Bossart, Education Manager

As Education Manager, Diane Bossart creates and manages all GBA education programs, including the annual Green$ense regional conference, green building tours and LEED workshops. She also oversees GBA’s membership and sponsorship programs and coordinates GBA's relationship with its branches and with other professional organizations regionally and nationally.

Prior to joining GBA, Ms. Bossart worked in the Washington, D.C. metro area and Pittsburgh. Her experience includes marketing, business development, and events and project management. She is currently completing a B.A. degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and has already completed a degree in Interior Design from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She's contributed her time to several arts organizations in the Pittsburgh area and is currently on the Project Review Committee for the Design Fund at the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh and an Advisory Board Member of Saint Francis University’s Renewable Energy Center.

Bev Collier, Executive Assistant

Bev Collier, Executive Assistant, provides administrative support to GBA’s executive director and deputy director, as well as to the GBA’s board of directors and green building products advisory board. Ms. Collier is newsletter editor for The Cornerstone and editor for other GBA publications. She also assists with funding proposals and related research and tracking.

Previously, Ms. Collier was an Intake Coordinator for Southwest Services, Inc., a senior citizen social service agency. She started her own greeting card company in 1996 and continues to caption cards for a company in California. For more than 10 years, Ms. Collier has been a freelance writer for the Pittsburgh Senior News, Beaver County Senior News, and Butler County Senior News. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where she graduated magna cum laude with a dual major in Business and Psychology.

Eamon Geary, Project Specialist

As Project Specialist for the GBA, Eamon Geary works with the Cities for Climate Protection initiative aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Pittsburgh. Mr. Geary also serves as a community resource for green building practices, answering LEED-related inquiries from the general public, maintaining the GBA website, and developing technical content for GBA materials. Mr. Geary also manages GBA’s E-Update, Shades, and Benchmarks publications, as well as researching local green building case studies for publication.

A recent graduate of Allegheny College with a degree in Environmental Studies, Mr. Geary interned for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. He has been webmaster and network director of the French Creek Project, and recently conducted energy audits of homes, schools and neighborhoods for Conservation Consultants, Inc.

Terri Loop, Office Coordinator

As Office Coordinator, Terri Loop handles the day-to-day operations of the GBA office. She assists with administration of GBA's financial management, human resources and information technology functions. She also maintains the organization's database and filing systems and manages vendor contracts.

Previously, Ms. Loop worked at Calgon Corporation in an IT/credit and collections position. More recently, she worked as a computer technician at Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh. Ms. Loop currently volunteers for Exceptional Adventures, a non-profit organization that provides vacation planning and arrangements for handicapped guests, and for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. She has completed course work at the Community College of Allegheny County in business and information science.

Karen Puff, Membership & Events Coordinator

Karen Puff provides administrative support to GBA’s education and membership programs. She coordinates all event logistics, as well as preparing event budgets, financial reports and event evaluations. Ms. Puff is the liaison for all member needs and maintains related database information.

Most recently, she served as an industry show coordinator at Schroeder Industries, assisted the marketing team leader with promotion projects, and was the writer and team leader for the quarterly employee newsletter. Previous experience includes 10 years with the Society of Automotive Engineers. She holds an associate degree from the Community College of Allegheny College.

Aurora Sharrard, Research Manager

Aurora Sharrard manages all research for the GBA’s work, most notably the Green Building Products Initiative and the High Performance Building Database Protocol & Repository. She also develops data tools to support GBA's mission, such as tracking market data, collecting project performance data, and creating case studies.

Ms. Sharrard holds a Master's and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with an emphasis in Green Design from Carnegie Mellon University. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University. Prior to entering graduate school, Ms. Sharrard was a geotechnical engineer for Eustis Engineering. Ms. Sharrard is a member of the steering committee for Connect Greenfield in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Greenfield and volunteers for UPMC's Living-at-Home Program. She is also the youngest member of the Frick Park Lawn Bowling Club.

Jeaneen Zappa, Deputy Director

As GBA's deputy director, Jeaneen Zappa manages much of the organization's day-to-day operations.

Before joining the GBA, Ms. Zappa pursued a career in managing marketing strategy and tactics. Among her positions were Director of Strategic Marketing at Descartes Systems Group and Marketing Services Manager at Vocollect. Ms. Zappa is a member of the Athena Awards Host Committee, a Board Member of the Crafton Public Library, a volunteer for the Allegheny Land Trust, and a former Board Member with the Hollow Oak Land Trust and Women in Communications International. She holds bachelor’s degrees in magazine journalism and marketing from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a 2006 graduate of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership Women in Leadership training program.

Lindsay Baxter, Clean Air-Cool Planet Intern

Lindsay Baxter is a Municipal Climate Fellow with Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP), and works out of the GBA office. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management at Duquesne University. As a CA-CP intern, she researches energy efficiency strategies and uses modeling software to predict greenhouse gas emissions reductions. This information will be incorporated into a Local Action Plan for the City of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining CA-CP, Ms. Baxter worked in watershed protection, particularly with rural landowners. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA.

Maggie Chutz, Communications Intern

Maggie Chutz is the Communications Intern for the Spring of 2008. She is currently a senior pursuing a BA in Communications with a concentration in Visual Arts at Chatham University. As the Communications Intern, she will be assisting in creating promotional graphics for print and the web. Ms. Chutz has recently interned with the local public radio station 91.3 WYEP.org in Music Programming, as well as sunKING Interactive Group, an interactive design firm in Pittsburgh.

Angelica Ciranni, Resource Center Intern

Angelica Ciranni, Resource Center Intern, is currently completing her final semester at the University of Pittsburgh as a Civil and Environmental Engineering student concentrating in Construction Management and Sustainability. Previously, Ms. Ciranni was employed by PA CleanWays as an Environmental Specialist Intern. Ms. Ciranni is actively involved in several organizations on campus and participates in a variety of service and fundraising activities within them.

Ida Linden, DASH Intern

Ida Linden is the DASH (Database for Analyzing Sustainable and High Performance Buildings) intern during the Spring 2008 semester.  Ms. Linden is currently working towards her Master’s degree in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, where she is concentrating on sustainable development and reconstruction.  Previously, she interned with Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity.  Ms. Linden holds Bachelor’s degrees in Interior Design and Liberal Studies from Iowa State University. 

Jaylin Thomas, Education Intern

Jaylin is pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. Originally from Paterson, New Jersey, Jaylin has resided in Pittsburgh for over 2 years and participated in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs in 2006-2007. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a career in environmental justice and policy.