About – GreenHome Institute

About The

GreenHome Institute

Non-profit with a mission to empower people to make healthier and more sustainable choices

in the renovation and construction of the places we live. GreenHome Institute was started by our Founder Michael Holcomb, Home Inspector General and community leaders Guy Bazzani and Gayle DeBruyn, Assistant Professor and Chief Sustainability Officer for Kendall College of Art and Design, in 2000. The organization was awarded grants for green building education programs delivered throughout Michigan and in 2005 became one of the Michigan Energy Demonstration Centers. Since then we have educated 1,000’s of people internationally to (re)build better. In 2008 the Wege Foundation funded our Executive Director position with a seed grant to start our LEED for Homes and Green Building programs and since then we have certified nearly 15,000 homes.

Our Current
Board of Directors

Our Current
Board of
Directors

Meet the GHI Staff & Support

Kay T. Rose, President

Secretary at the GreenHome Insititute

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Kay Rose, a West Michigan native, has an extensive background in professional administration and customer service in both for and non-profit sectors. After experiencing a layoff, she launched a virtual assistant business. She brings an overall understanding of business and a passion for being environmentally conscious to the Board. She has served on the Executive Team as Secretary and now serves as President. She is excited to continue supporting GHI’s efforts to educate and encourage residents, and contractors, to explore greener building alternatives. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, exploring the outdoors, hiking, and camping.

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Brendan Molony, Vice President

Board member of Bike Friendly Kalamazoo

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Brendan Molony is a graduate of Aquinas College with a bachelor’s degree in sustainable business and for the last six years has led the sustainability program at Bronson Healthcare Group. Brendan has a passion to drive organizational and community development while taking into account the people, planet, and financial success. Focusing on waste reduction, mobility, green building design, local/healthy food, green cleaning, and smarter purchasing, Brendan has helped Bronson become one of the top 50 Green hospitals in the United States as rated by the Becker Review, while also saving the organization over $2million annually. Brendan has served as past chair of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association’s Green Healthcare Committee, is also a founding board member of Bike Friendly Kalamazoo, and board president of the South West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. He currently serves on the board of Community Homeworks as secretary and the Vine Neighborhood Association as vice president. When not working on sustainability issues, you can find Brendan running on trails throughout Kalamazoo.

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Brad Keuning, Treasurer

Assistant Professor of Accounting at Aquinas College

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Brad Keuning is Assistant Professor of Accounting at Aquinas College, bringing nearly twenty years of industry experience into the classroom. Prior to Aquinas, Brad held various accounting and finance roles at Ernst & Young, General Electric and Herman Miller. For the last six years, Brad has served on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee for the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC), holding the role of Treasurer for the last three. Brad is originally from Holland and lives in the Grand Rapids area with his wife and three school-aged children. Among other things, the family enjoys spending time outdoors at their cabin up-north. Brad is committed to protecting the environment for his children and generations to come. Brad’s current term at GHI is June 2020 – May 2022

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Adewale Adesanya, Ph.D.

Founder/CEO Havenergy Consulting Inc.

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Dr. Adewale Adesanya is an energy and environmental consultant with wealth of experience in the energy sector across the globe. His expertise spans researching, energy systems modeling, energy justice, energy policy analysis, and climate advocacy towards clean and renewable energy transition. Dr. Adesanya has worked extensively on clean energy systems development in the context of technology, project management, public engagement, and policy dimensions. He has about two decades industrial working and researching experience across the globe, including in the U.S., Germany, Scotland, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Tuvalu in the production, oil and gas, renewable energy and public service regulatory sectors. Dr. Adesanya has worked and is still working in collaboration with utilities, stakeholders, community members, and various state energy regulators and authorities to develop pathways to renewable energy transition, net zero emission economy, and energy efficiency. Dr. Adesanya received a Ph.D. degree in Environmental and Energy Policy from Michigan Technological University, where he worked extensively on the analysis of pathways to just 100 percent renewable energy in the U.S. He holds a Master of Engineering degree in Energy and Environmental Management from Europa Universität Flensburg, Germany and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Production Engineering at University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Dr. Adesanya is an associate member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), one of the awardees of the prestigious 40 under 40 Energy News Network for the year 2020 and an En-ROADS Climate Ambassador.

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Julie Woltil

Realtor

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Julie is originally from Montreal, Canada, and has lived on both coasts, New York and California, before settling in to Grand Rapids, MI in 2015. She is passionate about research and statistics, which led her to earn her Ph.D. in psychology, and has been a college professor for the last 11 years. She has always loved researching homes for family members, and finally decided to bring her research talents to real estate! When she is not working with families in finding their perfect home, Julie loves going to pub trivia with her husband Derek, hiking and joining in for family board game night with her four children, Addie, Lucas, Jacob and Brielle.

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Kaylee Swanson

Hazardous Materials & Waste Safety Specialist at Spectrum Health

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Kaylee Swanson works as the Hazardous Materials & Waste Safety Specialist at Spectrum Health and is responsible for educating team members on how to handle hazardous materials from cradle to grave. In her previous role working for the Spectrum Health and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation, she worked with major donors and planned events to raise funds for various programs in need. She has a Master’s degree in Sustainable Business from Aquinas College and Bachelor’s degree in Public and Non-Profit Administration from Grand Valley State University and is passionate about living and working sustainably. When she is not working you can find her hiking, doing yoga or cooking.

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Madeline Walker Miller

Founder and CEO of NexTiles

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Madeline Walker Miller is the Founder and CEO of NexTiles, a Detroit-based textile recycling company that converts textile waste into building insulation. Her professional background focuses on reducing textile waste and its harmful impacts to our natural environment. Her company specializes in creating secondary uses for textiles and engaging more Detroiters in creating circular economy solutions. She is an alumna of Spelman College and earned a master’s degree in Coastal Zone Management from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Madeline’s passion lies in empowering young Black people and people of color to embrace environmentally sustainable behaviors. In her spare time, she enjoys family outings and playing with her boxer, Maximus. Learn more about Madeline here.

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Parth Vaishnav

Assistant Professor of Sustainable Systems School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

I am an Assistant Professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. My work aims to understand how technology can help solve social problems. Much of my research addresses the environmental and human health consequences of energy production and use. I employ quantitative decision analysis, buttressed by qualitative insight, to understand how economic, political, and operational realities constrain technology deployment. In particular, this research focuses on finding strategies to decarbonize the economy, and to adapt to the warming that has and will occur even if we cut greenhouse gas emissions very rapidly. I am keenly interested in finding ways to make both mitigation and adaptation equitable.

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Rob Derksen

Business Development Manager, Enertech

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Rob Derksen has spent the past 32 years in the Geothermal heating and cooling industry and is currently the Business Development Manager for Enertech Global LLC, a Geothermal and Air to Water Heat Pump Manufacturer. Rob is also a Co-Owner of Michigan Energy Services, (an HVAC company specializing in Geothermal heat pump installations). In 2017, Rob started D4 Consulting to develop a much-needed software package that simplifies the design and sales process for HVAC systems. This software allows HVAC Contractors to deliver onsite proposals in a single home visit as well as provides energy and economic life cycle comparisons of Geothermal and other HVAC systems to homeowners. Rob’s well-rounded understanding of the home as a system, and his passion for education-based selling helps Customers choose products and processes that truly match their wants, needs and goals. Rob joined GHI during our residential net zero conference to discuss his net zero home, you can learn more https://youtu.be/57WM-HEDMYo

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Debbie Coleman

Architect – Sun Plans Inc.

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

A GreenHome Institute member since 2018 she is as a licensed architect for over 30 years. Debbie has designed hundreds of low-energy passive solar homes for clients across the United States and Canada in many climate zones. She obtained a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona and has been a licensed architect for over 30 years. In 2002, she founded Sun Plans Inc. which specializes in internet-based, sun-inspired, passive solar home design. Debbie authored The Sun-Inspired House: home designs warmed and brightened by the sun which is available in the ever-expanding eBook from Sun Plans with over 150 house designs. Her design philosophies incorporate Passive Solar Design Strategies; Guidelines for Home Building developed by NREL and are continuously evolving to adapt to the ever-changing low-energy construction methods and climate changes as well as other housing and energy technologies related to green building. She believes in efficiency first and building as small as possible as prerequisites to good house design. Her work has been published in Solar Today, Mother Earth News, Fine Homebuilding, Home Power, and Home Energy. In December 2022, she presented The Basics of Passive Solar Home Design webinar for GHI. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNEBqgmYx6I) As a member of the American Institute of Architects, she understands architects, but with her typical services, her services align well with designers, draftsmen, engineers, and builders. Debbie has worked in construction, been the general contractor on her previous home, and coordinated a renovation on her current home. She is a LEED-GA and an active member of the American Solar Energy Society where she serves on the board of directors, the solar buildings technical committee, and the committee for the National Solar Tour that showcases many forms of sustainable living and buildings across all 50 states. Debbie is passionate about how the sun can warm and brighten the interior of homes but enjoys being outside more than inside. She works very hard at connecting the two by bringing in the outdoors with careful attention to window placement which varies with each climate, piece of land, and family preferences with custom designs. Debbie has lived in a variety of places with cold, moderate, warm, humid, and dry climates. She enjoys traveling and exploring new places from the mountains to the sea, and being with others who share her love of the sun.

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Kahryn Riley

Senior Manager, Policy & Regulatory Affairs – Generac Power Systems

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Kahryn Riley is an attorney and native Michigander dedicated to working on the most pressing social and economic issues. She began her career in public policy as the director of criminal justice policy at one of the nation’s premier state-based think tanks, where she published peer-reviewed papers on the state penal system, juvenile justice system and bail scheme, and helped lead a bipartisan coalition to raise the age of adult criminal liability in Michigan from 17 to 18. Today she works in energy policy and clean energy technology, leveraging her experience with administrative law to pass more effective electricity regulation and open new markets for demand-side technology resources that help make the grid more reliable. She resides near Lansing with her husband and their two young boys. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahrynriley/

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Ralf Scharnowski

International Product Manager for building envelope systems at tesa tapes

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

Ralf is passionate about climate sustainability and social justice. As a board member of the GreenHome Institute, Ralf looks forward to applying his extensive entrepreneurial and business experience to promoting and supporting the organization’s mission. Ralf works as International Product Manager for building envelope systems at Sparta MI-based tesa tapes, focusing on air and waterproofing solutions for energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

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John Pady

Chief Expansion/Program Officer at Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, IL

February 23, 2022 / 0 Comments / in Green Home Institute / by Brett Little

A picture containing screenshot, text, green, rectangle Description automatically generated As the Chief Expansion/Program Officer at CEDA John is seasoned professional in the field of Home/Building Performance, with a passion for net zero construction with a strong emphasis on equity, indoor air quality, and project management. With extensive experience and expertise in the industry, John has consistently demonstrated his commitment to sustainable building practices that minimize environmental impact and promote energy efficiency. Throughout his career, John has played a key role in leading and managing projects that prioritize equity, ensuring that communities have access to high-quality, energy-efficient homes. His deep understanding of the importance of indoor air quality has driven him to implement solutions and technologies that create healthy living environments for occupants in marginalized and disinvested communities. With a passion for net zero construction and a dedication to sustainability, John stays at the forefront of industry trends and innovations. He is a strong advocate for incorporating renewable energy systems, energy-efficient materials, and advanced building techniques to achieve optimal energy performance in residential and commercial buildings. In addition to his professional accomplishments, John is actively involved in professional organizations related to Home/Building Performance. He is a respected member of the industry and serves on the board of directors for the Building Performance Association and is dedicated to advancing sustainable building practices and promoting equity in the industry.

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