PROGRAM FOR RESOURCE EFFICIENT COMMUNITIES - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Academic Assistant II

I have worked at the Program for Resource Efficient Communities (and its predecessor, the Florida Energy Extension Service) for more than 22 years. In that time I've assisted faculty in researching, designing and editing a wide range of educational materials used in dozens of classroom courses, in-service trainings, workshops, web publications, and print publications. They include posters, flyers, handouts, fact sheets, PowerPoint presentations, participant guides, and even a customized clipboard! Over time, my duties have changed, and while I still help faculty in creating and maintaining course materials and publications, I also currently manage the PREC office.

Job Titles:

• Computer Scientist

Bradley's focus is on the design, implementation, and application of information systems that characterize residential water use and the efficacy of conservation programs, and discovering and sharing those insights with decision-makers through web-based visual analytics and data. Bradley is the architect and principal implementer of the H 2 OSAV system.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Professor / Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering / University of Florida

Chris is a hydrologist and a faculty member of the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology. He has expertise in watershed modeling, watershed biogeochemistry, and the use of climate information in water resource, agricultural, and ecological management, planning, and decision making. His work at the Program for Resource Efficient Communities involves providing content for continuing education courses on various aspects of Low Impact Design. Chris' experience and research focus includes:

Job Titles:

• Professor, Urban Trees & Landscape Plants / University of Florida

Education Ph.D. in Plant Pathology (Rutgers Univ.), 1980 M.S. in Plant Pathology (Rutgers Univ.), 1978 B.Sci. in Forestry (Rutgers Univ.), 1975 Ed Gilman has a 50% research: 50% extension teaching assignment and teaches an arboriculture class. He works with arborists, consultants, landscape contractors, tree nursery operators, urban foresters, planners, landscape architects and others engaged in tree selection, growing, planting and management issues. Research includes irrigation, fertilization, roots, and other tree transplant and after-care techniques and a recent focus on tree response to pruning. Our team provides service to the industry and to citizens in Florida by incorporating this and other research-based information into educational programs, demonstration sites, publications, websites, and software for our target audiences.

Job Titles:

• Architect in Florida
• Lecturer / Dept. of Landscape Architecture

Glenn is a registered landscape architect in Florida, Georgia, and Texas, and has been in practice for over 20 years before joining the faculty of the University of Florida. His practice involved the design of new towns and new communities from their inception to the detailed design of specific sites. Glenn currently serves as consultant to the St. Johns River Water Management District for the design of water conservation demonstration projects. He also served on the national task force to assist in the preparation of the National Association of Home Builders' New Green Design Guidelines. Glenn's research focus includes: • Documenting sustainable land planning and site design criteria • Preparation of case studies in sustainable land development projects in Florida • Water conservation through landscape and site design • Integration of sustainable site design within land development and landscape codes

Job Titles:

• Change Agent

Since 2002, Dr. Knowles has worked for multiple academic and outreach units within the University of Florida. From August 2004 through August 2007, Dr. Knowles served as a faculty-level Coordinator for the University of Florida Program for Resource Efficient Communities (UF/PREC). As a Graduate Research Assistant with the University of Florida Office of Sustainability from August 2008 through August 2009, he helped to coordinate the campus-wide Carbon Inventory and Climate Action Plan as part of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). In both his past coordination and his current Change Agent position with UF/PREC (August 2009 to current), Dr. Knowles promotes the adoption of best green design, construction, and operation practices in community development, monitors and measures comparative urban development impacts, creates extension education materials, develops and deploys energy efficiency financing programs, and fosters public/private partnerships that pursue sustainability in Florida's built environment. Beyond his work for the University of Florida, Dr. Knowles holds experience as a commercial and residential construction project engineer and business development manager. He is a former Treasurer and Board Member of the Florida Green Building Coalition, a 2006 Fellow and 2007-2008 Board Member of the Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute, a former appointed member of the Gainesville Energy Advisory Committee, and a 2009 National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Fellow. Dr. Knowles also has experience teaching continuing education courses on green building and development as well as speaking at conferences and workshops for industry professionals, governmental staff, and elected officials throughout Florida. A 2013 interview on the life and work of Dr. Knowles was conducted for the University of Florida Faces of Sustainability series and can be found at the following link:

Job Titles:

• Research Assistant / Graduate Student

Job Titles:

• Data Analyst

Lynn has worked with the Program for Resource Efficient Communities since 2011. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a MS from Vanderbilt in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. She spent much of her career working with consulting firms and the US Army Corps of Engineers in the US and abroad. Since joining PREC, she has worked on a range of projects, including analysis of utility data for energy and water conservation programs and proposed development projects using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She has done analysis for and written contributions to various reports, for example, on the potential for efficiency gains in multifamily housing, another that described existing racial inequities of housing and utility cost burdens in Alachua County, and a low impact development manual for local government and development professionals. Education 2005 - Santa Fe Community College (Education and biology courses) 2003 - University of Florida (Education courses) 1983 - MS Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN. 1979 - BS Civil Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN.

Job Titles:

• Resource Economist
• State Coordinator of the UF / IFAS Sustainable Floridians SM Program

Jennison conducts applied research and outreach on water, energy, and land-use conservation and efficiency in Florida, with an emphasis on community engagement and facilitation to bridge gaps between science and policy. She is especially interested in the dynamic relationships among land use planning, natural resource demands, utility incentive structures, climate change impacts, community resilience, and environmental justice. Collaborators in her work include state and regional agencies, local governments, utilities, and public- and private-sector practitioners (urban planners, developers, engineers, landscape architects, economists, and educators). As State Coordinator of the UF/IFAS Sustainable Floridians SM Program, Jennison develops educational materials and tools to improve public awareness of, promote actionable dialogue around, and help strengthen community capacity to address today's most challenging ecological, economic, and social issues. She is a co-founder of Florida's CIVIC (Community Voices, Informed Choices) Program, a FAMU and UF Extension partnership, and she served as Conference Chair for the 2019 Joint National Sustainability Summit and National Extension Energy Summit held in Tampa. An Alumnus of the Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute, Jennison also served as an Agroforestry Extension Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps in Kericho, Kenya. Among the many amazing people who have inspired her career, Jennison's two young boys motivate her every day to work for a healthy environment, thriving communities, and a peaceful and equitable world. Education 2005 - MS Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 2004 - M.E.P.C. Environmental Pollution Control, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 2001 - Institute of Environmental Studies, Land Resources Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. 1996 - BS Environmental Studies, cum laude, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA. 1995 - Duke University Marine Laboratory junior semester study, Beaufort, NC.

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor / Soil and Water Science Department

Mark has expertise in wetland ecology, water quality and ecologically enhanced design of stormwater systems to improve water quality of urban and agricultural watersheds. His work at the Program for Resource Efficient Communities involves collaboration with developers, built environment consultants, local governments and homeowners to address water quality and quantity concerns within residential communities and their local watersheds. Mark's experience and research focus includes: • Wetland nutrient assimilation and storage processes • Vegetative succession dynamics • Wetland macrophyte ecophysiology • Ecological engineering design using wetland processes to improve water quality and enhance ecological function of altered landscapes

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor / Dept. of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation

Mark has over ten years of experience in urban wildlife issues and landscape management, with a special emphasis on working with homeowners, developers, and policymakers on ways to manage and design residential developments for wildlife. In particular, he is developing educational programs that will help homeowners manage their yards and neighborhoods for wildlife. He has published in Landscape and Urban Planning, Urban Ecosystems, and has several book chapters on urban design and its effect on wildlife. Currently, Mark and his graduate students are working with several developers to establish wildlife management strategies in communities that are billed as "green" developments. Mark's experience and research focus includes: • The effects of urban landscape design on wildlife distributions from small to large scales • Residential community design and management for wildlife • Environmental education programs for residential communities

Job Titles:

• Professor

Michael's research focuses on efficient irrigation with the goal of water conservation and nutrient management to minimize nonpoint source pollution. Relevant project work consists of documenting residential landscape water use and irrigation system efficiency in the Central Florida Ridge, on-site infiltration rates of urban lots as amended by compost, and development of automatic irrigation systems for agronomic and vegetable crops. His interest in green development consists of minimizing irrigation water use and maximizing on-site infiltration to provide alternative sources of irrigation water supply. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Florida. Michael's experience and research focus includes: • Efficient irrigation design and management • Soil moisture sensor and ET based irrigation control • Crop water use (including turfgrass and landscape plants) • Alternative irrigation systems • Drainage design and planning to provide alternative irrigation water sources

Job Titles:

• State Specialized Extension Agent

Nick Taylor works with the Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC) as an IFAS State Specialized Extension Agent. His research interests include utility data analysis to identify effective water and energy conservation measures and evaluation of land development impacts. Dr. Taylor leads the H2OSAV extension program, providing data analysis tools and data-driven insights that help regional utility providers, governmental agencies and extension agents optimize water conservation efforts. Dr. Taylor received MS and PhD degrees in the College of Design, Construction and Planning at the University of Florida.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Founding Member
• Professor & Director

As Director and founding member of the Program for Resource Efficient Communities, Pierce administers the coordination, development, and delivery of educational programs on best management practices in the built environment. PREC gives special emphasis to energy, water, windstorm, termite, and indoor environmental quality issues related to residential construction. Pierce coordinated the development of Build Green & Profit, a 14-hour, highly interactive, continuing education program designed and approved for presentation to licensed Florida building contractors, inspectors, and architects. He directs applied research projects and training program development funded by US DOE, FEMA, Florida Department of Community Affairs, St. Johns River Water Management District, and Southwest Florida Water Management District. He has also actively collaborated with Audubon International, Energy Star®, Building America, PATH, and the Florida Green Building Coalition in promoting resource efficient residential communities. Pierce's experience and research focus includes: Green building principles and practices Energy efficient residential design and construction Indoor environmental quality and HVAC issues Disaster mitigation through durable construction

Job Titles:

• Climate and Policy Coordinator
• Florida Sea Grant College Program As a Statewide Specialist

Thomas Ruppert works with the Florida Sea Grant College Program as a statewide specialist in coastal planning. Mr. Ruppert is a licenced Florida attorney whose work with Florida Sea Grant focuses on hazard mitigation, post-disaster recovery planning, environmental protection, marine spatial planning, and associated long-term challenges and opportunities of Florida's coastal communities. In this role, Mr. Ruppert provides assistance to agents and local governments served by Florida Sea Grant. Mr. Ruppert's areas of expertise include beach and coastal policy in Florida, Florida's coastal construction control line permitting, comprehensive planning law, sea turtle habitat protection, the Endangered Species Act, coastal and marine permitting programs, and 5th amendment takings law. From 2007 to 2010 Mr. Ruppert with the University of Florida extension system and the UF Levin College of Law's Conservation Clinic in supervising law student work on conservation-related legal issues. Additional environmental issues with which Mr. Ruppert has worked include the Clean Water Act's total maximum daily load program, water quality trading, low-impact development stormwater, homeowners' associations, and boating law issues. Mr. Ruppert speaks fluent Spanish and has worked and presented in several Latin American countries. Topics in this realm have included human rights, water, land use planning, property issues, and U.S. environmental law.