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 identified her as one of “The Top 50 Cultural Forces in Pittsburgh.”

Ms. Flora is the 2008 chair of the U.S. Green Building Council and a member of the USGBC’s LEED for Neighborhood Development Core Committee. She currently serves on the Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition, and recently was an advisory board member for the University of Pittsburgh’s Mascaro Sustainability Initiative, and a board member for Phipps Conservatory and the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development.  She is an adjunct faculty member at 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, she 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 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 provides administrative support to GBA’s executive director and deputy director, as well as to the organization’s board of directors. She is editor of The Cornerstone newsletter and the proofreader for many other GBA publications. She also assists with funding proposals and related research/tracking, as well as being responsible for HR functions including payroll and benefits.

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 a decade, 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.

Jenna Cramer, Resource Coordinator

As Resource Coordinator, Ms. Cramer answers inquiries from the general public and professional constituencies regarding green building practices and technologies.  She maintains GBA's website and database of local green building case studies, manages the organization's reference library collection, and contributes to GBA’s E-Update, Shades of Green, and Benchmark publications.

Ms. Cramer holds B.A. degrees in Environmental Studies and Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  During her time there, she actively participated in renewable energy and sustainable development projects on campus. She also studied International Risk Assessment and Energy Policy in Cambridge, England, where she helped develop global warming models and sustainable policies to address climate change. Previously, Ms. Craner worked at the Southern Environmental Law Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Eamon Geary, Project Specialist

As Project Specialist for GBA, Eamon Geary works with the Cities for Climate Protection Initiative, which has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Pittsburgh. He 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 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 for the French Creek Project, and conducted energy audits of homes, schools and neighborhoods for Conservation Consultants, Inc.

Valerie Hearn coordinates GBA's Green Building Products Initiative, which engages local manufacturers in the green products market. She assists with implementation of the GBPI business plan and the development of related training programs. Additionally, she is responsible for tracking of metrics, delivery of presentations, and production of electronic publications related to the program.

Prior to joining GBA, Ms. Hearn worked as the Energy Program Coordinator for the Northwest Commission, facilitating that program throughout the PA Local Development District network.  Other past experiences include broadcast journalism, community development, and marketing.  Ms. Hearn holds a B.S. in Political Science from Clarion University.

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 and information technology functions. She also manages vendor contracts and maintains the organization's database and filing systems.

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, and prepares event budgets, financial reports and evaluations. Ms. Puff is the liaison for all member needs and maintains related database information.

Prior to joining GBA, Ms. Puff 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 County.

Aurora Sharrard, Research Manager

Aurora Sharrard manages all research for GBA’s endeavors, most notably its Green Building Products Initiative and Database for Analyzing Sustainable and High Performance Buildings (DASH). She also develops data tools to support the organization'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. She is a member of the steering committee for Connect Greenfield in that Pittsburgh neighborhood 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 and represents the organization in the executive director's absence. She oversees all GBA program areas and is directly responsible for management of the Green Building Products Initiative, which seeks to spur economic development in Pennsylvania through the manufacture of green building products and development of related technologies.

Before joining 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 just completing a BA in Communications with a concentration in Visual Arts at Chatham University. Ms. Chutz assists in creating promotional publications for print and the web. She 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.

Elena Goldstein, Green Building Products Intern

A recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Civil Engineeriing and a minor in Environmental Engineering, Ms. Goldstein will intern with GBA throughout the summer.  In the fall, she will return to Carnegie Mellon for her Masters in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Green Design. Elena will assist GBA with the Green Building Products Initiative by interacting with local product manufacturers to promote the use of sustainable building products.

Ida Linden, DASH Intern

Ida Linden is the DASH (Database for Analyzing Sustainable and High Performance Buildings) intern during the Spring 2008 semester.  She is currently completing 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, Ms. Linden interned with Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity.  She holds bachelor’s degrees in Interior Design and Liberal Studies from Iowa State University.

Noah Smith, Education/Branch Activities Intern

Mr. Smith is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Strategy, Environment, and Organizations at the University of Pittsburgh.  In his Summer 2008 internship at GBA, he will work to create, develop, and implement a marketing plan for  branch locations.  He will also explore the role of technology as it relates to GBA’s educational programs.  Mr. Smith’s interests include urban agriculture, veganism, and traditional roots music.  He holds a B.A. in History from Saint Bonaventure University.