The US Green Building Council South Florida Chapter has announced its new Board of Directors for 2010-11.

Officers
President — Robert Cannellos, LEED AP BD+C, The Spinnaker Group (Delray Beach)

Vice-President — Paul Carty, LEED AP, State Contracting & Engineering Corporation (Davie)

Secretary/Treasurer — Carlos Duarte, Turner Construction (Weston) Immediate Past

President — Kyle Abney, LEED AP BD+C; Homes, Abney + Abney Green Solutions (Palm City)

Chair, Miami/Keys Branch — Carole Schafmeister, FCSI, D&B Tile Distributors (Miramar)

Chair, Broward Branch — Sandra Lee, LEED AP, AICP, Calvin, Giordano & Associates, Inc. (Ft. Lauderdale)

Chair, Palm Beach Branch — Missy Tancredi-Strauss, LEED AP, EcoAdvisors, LLC (Palm Beach Gardens)

Directors

Jonathan Burgess, LEED AP ND & BD+C, Land Design South (West Palm Beach)

Jill Cohen, RLA, AICP, LEED AP,  jbc planning & design (Weston)

Commissioner Doug Coward, St. Lucie County (Port St. Lucie)

Thorn Grafton, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Zyscovich Architects (Miami)

Nick Gunia, LEED AP, The Spinnaker Group (Weston)

Rob Hink, LEED AP, Alterna Corp. (Miami)

Gary Pirtle, CGC, LEED AP BD+C, Pirtle Construction Company (Davie)

Elsi Rose, LEED AP, City of Miramar (Miramar)

Hector Samario, LEED AP,  Siemens Industry, Inc. (Miramar)

John Szerdi, AIA, LEED AP, LDG Florida Architects, Inc. (Lake Worth)

Lou Zaccone, Trane South Florida (Victoria Park)

Representing more than 150 years of hands-on design and green-building experience, the Board’s professional make-up is impressive insofar as “green” and industry credentials. Fourteen members are LEED Accredited Professionals. three are architects, five are engineers, and four are General Contractors. The Board also has in its group LEED consultants, interior designers, green entrepreneurs, marketing specialists, performance contracting executives, environmental planners, government planners, and distributors.

“The truly impressive aspect of our volunteer Board,” said Lee Cooke, executive director of the USGBC South Florida Chapter, “is that their prominent and collective credentials are matched by their drive and determination to educate, enlighten and empower South Florida to adopt an approach to building that is both ecologically and economically sustainable. These talented and passionate volunteers are a microcosm of a growing legion of South Floridians who are committed to green building in our region, and we’re very excited to raise the bar yet again for our nonprofit organization.”

LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building techniques and the LEED Green Building Rating System. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, overseen by the US Green Building Council in Washington, DC, is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art “green” strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

The mission of the USGBC South Florida Chapter, a nonprofit (501[c][3]) membership organization, is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible environment that improves quality of life. Founded in 2003, the Chapter is comprised of a broad coalition of industry members and concerned individuals representing the vanguard in a transformation of the building industry in South Florida into one that will sustain coming generations of residents and businesses in a thriving, healthy, natural environment.