PHIUS - Key Persons
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- 548 Enterprise Chairman & CEO
Robert "A.J." Patton is an accomplished finance, sales, and
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- Quality Assurance Associate
Aditya is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology who started at Phius in July 2023 as a Quality Assurance Associate. Aditya is enthusiastic about indoor air quality, net zero energy, and building science. He loves to play most sports and is an avid food connoisseur.
Al Mitchell joined the Phius team in July 2020 to aid in technical capacities, ranging from research to project certification. He holds degrees in architectural engineering and architecture from Illinois Tech and Ball State University respectively.
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- Board Secretary Owner and General Manager of GO Logic LLC
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- Emeritus Board Member Energy Vanguard Founder
Allison Bailes has a broad range of experience and education, but at heart, he is a teacher. He taught physics at the high school and college level. After building a high-performance home in 2001, he launched himself into a new career in the world of building science. For most of this new career, Dr. Bailes has run Energy Vanguard, which he founded in 2008.
Since 2010 Dr. Bailes has been writing the Energy Vanguard Blog, which averages ten thousand page views per day. He also writes regularly for Green Building Advisor and has had articles published in Fine Homebuilding, The Journal of Light Construction, Home Energy Magazine, and others. Dr. Bailes is also popular speaker at conferences, presenting keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and extended workshops.
In addition, he is a juggler and skier as well as having the honor of being perhaps the only man included in Who's Who of American Women.
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- Phuis in 2017 As a Certification Team Member
Andrés Pinzón joined Phuis in 2017 as a certification team member. During this time, he has been working on project certification and feasibility studies for the Phius Certification. He provides design reviews and energy modeling in single-family, multifamily and commercial buildings. He also assists in protocol and training development.
Prior to joining Phius, Pinzón worked as a scholar and researcher on daylighting and thermal comfort. He is particularly interested in the impact on natural light and overheating inside, shading design and calculation on energy demands and peak loads.
Pinzón holds a BArch from Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá - Colombia, 2002); an MSc in Building Sciences from Delft University of Technology (Delft - The Netherlands, 2008), and a Doctoral degree in Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology (2017) as a Fulbright Grantee.
Tony has a Master's of Science in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College, a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and an Associate's Degree from S.U.N.Y. in Internal Combustion Engine Engineering Technology.
His 36+ years of experience includes mechanical, electrical and plumbing design with an engineering firm, serving as a Maintenance Specialist and Account Executive with Con Edison of New York, Director of Energy Sales with Robison Energy and currently serving as Managing Director at Integral Building & Design, Inc. in Nyack, New York.
Tony has certified more than 3000 dwelling units for the EPA Energy Star Program and more than 1000 units for EPA Indoor airPLUS. He has also certified numerous DOE ZERH, Phius+ homes and completed HERS Ratings for IECC compliance
He is a Certified Energy Manager, Phius Certified Rater, Verifier and Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC®), D.O.E. Zero Energy Ready Home Verifier, RESNET Quality Assurance Designee, RESNET Rater Trainer, Certified Green Professional by NAHB, and IECC/HERS Compliance Specialist and has numerous certifications from the Building Performance Institute.
He previously served on the Board of Directors of the BPCA/NYS, Phius Alliance - Hudson Valley Chapter, several RESNET working groups, is Co-Chair of the Rockland Business Association Green Council, and past Vice-President of the NEHERS. Since 2018, he has been QA/QC Manager for Phius.
Brittany is an emerging professional in the field of architecture and aspiring architect. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a bachelor's degree in Architectural Design, and recently became a Phius Certified Consultant. She hopes to spread awareness of passive building principles, and hopes her influence will someday reach the nations National Parks.
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- Training Program Administrator
Cristina Orozco joined Phius in 2023 as the Training Program Administrator.
Cristina is originally from New York and moved to Chicago in 2013 to teach high school at Urban Prep Charter Academies. Before joining Phius, Cristina was an Instructional Designer with the American College of Surgeons. Cristina's prior work experiences include instructional design with a management consulting company, Ronald McDonald House Charities Global, and other teaching, counseling, and learning development roles within higher education and education nonprofit institutions.
Cristina holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master's in Science in Higher Education from Northwestern University.
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- Design Performance Intern, Lake Flato Architects
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- Vice President of the Board
- Board Vice President Passive House Consultant at RDH Building Science
Board Vice President; Passive House Consultant at RDH Building Science
Dan Whitmore has worked in the construction industry since 1987 as a carpenter, general contractor, builder, and consultant with additional stints as a designer and FEMA Inspector.
His introduction to high-performance building came at an impressionable age when, in 1977, his family built an award-winning Solar Home in Oklahoma where he grew up. As designer, builder, and Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC®), he completed one of the first passive houses in Washington State in 2010. Since then, he has consulted on and/or built more than 20 passive house projects.
He now divides his time between Indicator, his new energy, durability, and constructability consulting firm, and Cascade Built, a builder/developer of sustainable multifamily projects in Seattle. Whitmore is also an Instructor at Phius, co-developer of the Phius Certified Builder Training program, Council Chair of the Phius Alliance, and a founding board member of Passive House Northwest.
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- Program Director at the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
Gabriela has extensive professional sustainability experience that spans the government, electric utility, policy think tank, and non-profit sectors. She is currently the Program Director for Energy at the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, a private non-profit dedicated to advancing renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transforming the built environment through net zero projects. Before pursuing a career in the non-profit sector, she held a key management position at an electric utility, with broad responsibilities for energy efficiency and renewable energy ventures, strategic planning, business plan development, and product innovation. Her prior corporate consulting experience focused on energy, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gas emissions. She has presented at and helped organize numerous conferences, published articles, and chaired Solar Today Magazine. She volunteers as an Illinois Green Alliance Facilities Mentor to guide and encourage others interested in creating a more sustainable future.
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- Senior Scientist & Chair of the Phius Technical Committee
Graham Wright earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois in 1993. After a 10-year career in the printing industry, he refocused his work on energy efficiency and renewable energy in 2007. He first volunteered with Americorps VISTA and then trained as a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC®) in 2008. He worked as an independent consultant, qualified as an instructor for the CPHC Training in 2011, and began working for Phius in 2012 as a building scientist.
He leads the development of standards, certification and energy modeling protocol, sets the research agenda for the Technical Committee, and chairs a working group of the ASHRAE 227P committee writing a consensus standard for passive building design. Graham also develops and manages Phius' product certification programs.
He is a dual citizen of Canada, is a cyclist, guitarist and a three-gallon Red Cross blood donor.
Haley Kalvin-Gold joined the Phius team as a Project Certifier in June of 2023 after serving as a technical intern for more than a year. She earned her associates degree in Architectural Technology and a bachelor's degree in Building Science & Sustainable Design at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. She is a Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC®) and a LEED Green Associate. She is specifically interested in energy conservation through dynamic, high-performance design strategies.
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- Policy Specialist & Project Certifier
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- Program Director
- Certification Program Director
James Ortega is the Certification Program Director for Phius.
Ortega has been with Phius since 2014. He is the leader of the building certification review team, an instructor for Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC®) training, holds a Bachelor or Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is a licensed architect in the state of Illinois.
Ortega's role at Phius has evolved over the years, starting as an intern, then member of the certification review team, becoming the Manager and now Director. His current role involves overseeing the Design and Certification reviews of passive buildings seeking Phius Certification, oversight on feasibility studies, WUFI Passive energy modeling, THERM analyses and hygrothermal consultations. Ortega is also tasked with maintaining and updating Phius' Passive Building Standard and program which involves working with the Phius Technical Committee and Phius' Senior Scientist, Graham S. Wright PhD. As a technical lead at Phius, Ortega also works with Phius' Certified Products Department, gives technical webinars and presentations and assists in reviewing training material. Lastly, Ortega is involved in the high-level decision making of the organization as part of the Phius Executive Committee.
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- Manager of Membership and Programs
Jennie serves as the Manager of Membership and Programs at Phius, supporting members and chapters across the country. She works closely with members to ensure they receive the best possible benefits of being part of Phius. Prior to joining Phius, Jennie worked in development for a local tax assistance organization after moving from Philadelphia where she worked in membership organizations supporting volunteers and communications across internal and external platforms. She has more than 10 years of experience in nonprofits.
Jennie has a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Kalamazoo College as well as a Master's degree in Public Administration, nonprofit management from George Mason University.
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- Professional Training and Education Programs Manager
Karan has a BA in Economics from New York University and Master's Degrees in Environmental Management and Forestry from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.
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- Architect
- Co - Founder
- Executive Director
Katrin Klingenberg is a visionary who, over the past 20 years, has driven adoption and development of passive building and zero energy standards. Passive building methodology originated in the US and Canada in the ‘70s, enhanced in Germany in the '90s. She reinvigorated it in 2003 when she designed and completed the first home to meet passive house standards in the US. Her home sparked considerable interest and she founded the non-profit organization Phius (Passive House Institute US) dedicated to making passive building best practice. She developed and delivered building-science based training in how to design and build energy efficient, zero energy buildings. She has collaborated with federal and state governments' agencies to tailor the Phius Standard for ASHRAE's global climate zones-such cost-optimized passive building has driven widespread adoption. She has consulted on projects nationally and internationally. Phius updated its standard in 2021 to meet stringent efficiency and carbon neutrality goals, and to make buildings the building block of the 21st century electrical grid: resilient, digitized, distributed, interactive.
Ms. Klingenberg has written numerous magazine articles and made several book contributions. She has presented nationally and internationally on the topic of passive building science. Most recent publications: Chapter 14 Stranded Carbon: Approach every project as though PHIUS+, the building energy code of the future, were in effect today" in: Sustainable Nation - Urban Design Patterns for the Future, Douglas Farr, Wiley 2018; Chapter Passive Building and Bioclimatic Architecture in "Handbook of Energy Efficiency in Buildings", Elsevier 2018; Chapter Passive House in "Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology", Springer 2012, updated in 2018; Zero Energy & Carbon Buildings Based on Climate Specific Passive Building Standards for North America, Journal of Building Physics, SAGE Publications 2016; the U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, Building America Program Report Climate-Specific Passive Building Standards, NREL 2015.
In 2015 she won the Woman in Sustainability Leadership Award (WSLA2015). In 2017 she was one of 12 women entrepreneurs selected from around the world for the Global Ambassador Program of Vital Voices. She has been a Senior Fellow at New Buildings Institute (NBI) since 2020. In 2022, she won the Professional Leadership Award of the North Eastern Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) and received the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning.
In 2007, architect Katrin Klingenberg and builder Mike Kernagis cofounded Phius (Passive House Institute US) to train consultants and certify projects on our climate-tailored passive building standard. Today, Phius is the leading passive building standard in North America, and the Phius Standard is applicable globally. We certify the most passive house projects in North America and put passive at the forefront of the zero-energy movement.
Phius Co-Founder and Executive Director Katrin Klingenberg discusses what sets Phius apart from other passive building standards
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- South Region Co - Rep Building Enclosures Practice Lead at Terracon
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- Emerging Markets Senior Product Manager at Mitsubishi
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- Project Architect, Building Science Coordinator at Sam Rodell Architects
Margaret joined Phius in September 2023 as a Technical Intern.
She received her Bachelor's of Arts in Architecture from Miami University (Ohio) with a dual focus in Sustainability. She received her Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC®) credentials through a university-based training course. Currently, she is pursuing my Master's in Architecture at the University of Colorado, Denver and am on the path to licensure. Her goal is to continue to blend sustainability with architecture and introduce Phius certification to more people in the field.
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- Owner, Studio.341 - B Architectural Consultancy
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- Quality Assurance Associate
Mark Smith joined Phius on July 24, 2023 as a Quality Assurance Associate. He grew up in Montana, completed his undergraduate degree at Oregon State University, graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and served a 22-year Army career (12 of which were as an instructor at the US Military Academy, West Point). He then spent four years as a Project Engineer for Walsh Construction Co. in Seattle, and prior to joining Phius, spent 18 months as a Junior ROTC instructor teaching high school students about leadership and becoming better citizens.
He is a Phius Certified Consultant, Phius Certified Builder, and while working with Walsh Construction served as the Project Engineer on Hobson Place, where Hobson Place South (a 92,000-square-foot, 92-unit building with a 26,000-square-foot integrated physical and behavioral healthcare clinic) was built to passive standards.
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- Board President Chair of the Department of Architecture & Associate Professor at Miami University
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- Communications Manager
- Marketing Communications Specialist and Is Now the Phius Communications Manager
Max Lapthorne joined Phius in May of 2021 as the Marketing Communications Specialist and is now the Phius Communications Manager. Prior to joining Phius, he worked as a Digital Marketing Specialist on an in-house marketing team in Hoffman Estates where he spearheaded the launch of a new loyalty program. He also previously worked as a newspaper editor for 22nd Century Media in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago.
Max has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Michigan State University.
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- Operations Project Manager
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- Passive House Practice Lead at Morrison Hershfield
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- Emeritus Board Member Center for Sustainable Cities Co - Director
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- Partner at Forge Craft Architecture and Design, Phius Alliance South Regional
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- Emeritus Board Member Professor of Architecture at Ball State University
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- Project Certifier and Policy Associate