Sheila Blanchard

Sheila Blanchard is a Program Analyst II with the State Energy Office, where she has been a member of the Utility Savings Initiative team since fall 2024. Prior to this role, she spent six years as an Environmental Consultant with the Division of Air Quality as the state DERA Grant administrator and on the Volkswagen Settlement team. Sheila holds degrees from North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Indiana University.

Ransom Cope

A rising senior in Sustainable Technology, Ransom Cope is the current Executive Chair for the Appalachian State Renewable Energy Initiative, a student-led organization dedicated to reducing the University's carbon impact by installing on-campus renewable energy and energy-efficient infrastructure improvements. Through his experiences leading students inside and outside of the classroom, he's developed the skills to be a leader in the energy transition and pushes Appalachian State toward a greener future, one project at a time.

Jonathan Culpepper

Jonathan Culpepper is a leader in sustainable building solutions, specializing in resilient construction and high-performance enclosures. As a Field Facilities Professional at Terracon Consultants in Asheville, NC, he applies his expertise to infrastructure assessments and sustainability-driven design. He previously led Appalachian State University’s U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon Design Competition Team (2023–2025), earning awards in the Retrofit (2023) and Education (2025) Divisions. His passion for building enclosures and climate resilience took shape during his studies at ASU, where he earned an MS in Technology (Sustainable Building Design & Construction) and a BS in Building Science (Sustainable Building Systems).

Kaleigh Del Greco

Kaleigh Del Greco serves as the Interim Coordinator of Community-Engaged Leadership and has just finished her master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration. She is an alumna of UNC-Greensboro with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies along with a minor in Psychology. Kaleigh has four years of student leadership and work experience that led to her passion for Student Affairs. As a first-generation student herself, she knows the value and privilege it is to continue her education past high school. She is motivated to support students in their transition, self-discovery, and personal development throughout their collegiate careers. Her professional interests include leadership development, equity issues in education, community engagement, the first-year experience, and social responsibility; she strives to create a kind, inclusive, and experiential learning environment for students to thrive in. Kaleigh is in a long-term relationship, a sister, and wants to travel the world. Her hobbies include crocheting, playing video games, reading, and spending quality time with her loved ones.

Chris Erickson

Chris Erickson has served as the Facility Maintenance Supervisor in Landscape Services at Appalachian State for the last 17 years and has been involved with the supervision and operation of the on-site aerated static compost facility since 2011. Chris has an Associate's Degree in Horticulture, Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture Education, and completed the NC Composting Council Compost Operator training course. In addition, he is a Board Certified Master Arborist through International Society of Arboriculture and a Registered Consulting Arborist through the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

Karan Gupta

Karan Gupta comes from a background in the utility industry and over a decade of experience in on-site and off-site construction. As principal at Elemental Consulting, he specializes in new buildings, retrofits, community development, and prefabrication and manufacturing. He is a Phius Certified Consultant and Phius Certified Builder, a LEED GA, Just Communities AP, and CNU-Accredited. Karan was a research contributor for Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming and 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.

Rob Howard

Rob Howard is President of Howard Building Science based in Granite Falls, NC. As a Licensed General Contractor, Howard Building Science provides sustainable development and net-zero energy home construction in the High Country and Foothills of Western North Carolina. Rob has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. He is the former Director of Construction at Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley where he built ENERGY STAR homes through Advanced Energy’s SystemVision program. He built the first Net-Zero Energy Home in North Carolina in partnership with the Appalachian Energy Center in 2005. He also built the first DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes in North Carolina in 2015. Previous roles include 5 years as a Sustainable Building Specialist with Habitat for Humanity International and 4 years as a Performance Construction Manager with Mitsubishi Electric. Rob holds a bachelor’s degree and a renewable energy technologies diploma from North Carolina State University. He also holds a master’s degree in sustainable technology and building science from Appalachian State University where he serves as a lecturer.

Craig Hughes

Craig Hughes has been the Executive Director of AppalCART since June, 2015. He has successfully directed AppalCART through a redesign of its routes and schedules to address capacity issues and is currently guiding the organization’s transition to electric vehicles. Mr. Hughes has 25 years of experience in transportation. He was a Transportation Planner for the High Point Metropolitan Planning Organization (2000-2006) and for the High Country Rural Planning Organization (2006-2012). As a Transportation Planner, he became familiar with all modes of transportation allowing him to familiarize himself with public transportation systems and developing plans for them. The transit planning experience equipped him to serve as a Mobility Development Specialist with NCDOT where he worked with transit systems in the northwest corner of North Carolina which assisted with his transition to the Executive Director of AppalCART. Mr. Hughes holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography with a concentration in Urban Planning from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Mike Kapp

Mike Kapp serves Appalachian State University as the director of Sustainability and Energy Management. He coordinates with Planning, Design & Construction and academic departments to steer the university toward climate neutrality. Mike’s 38-year career as an architect has been rooted in sustainability as a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor, LEED-Accredited Professional, and Certified Passive House Consultant. He and his wife, Renee, are building the first Passive House home in Watauga County to be their personal residence.

Casey King

Casey King is the Director of Sustainability in Academic Affairs at UNC Asheville. She runs the McCullough Fellowship for applied sustainability research, manages the Interdisciplinary Certificate in Sustainability at UNCA, and teaches systems science courses in the Environmental Science department. Casey coordinates the UNCA Sustainability Council which guides our Carbon Commitment and Climate Action Plan. She promotes in-depth and multidisciplinary understanding of environmental resilience to prepare our community to meaningfully participate in shaping our rapidly transforming world, by working across the campus through Office of Sustainability initiatives. Casey is an interdisciplinary scholar interested in how science and social science research gets articulated through policy, and has a PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences with a Geography specialization from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Francis Koster Ed.D.

Dr. Koster has focused his career on threats to the basic life support systems of air, water, food, and fuel. A pioneer in solar energy, he was recruited in 1978 by President Carter’s administration to establish the first national pilot solar program. Subsequently, he was recruited to a pediatric practice treating tens of thousands of seriously ill children annually. Here, he set up the nation’s first school-based telemedicine program, pioneered patient education websites and helped plan early efforts to geomap the impact pollution had on creating disease clusters. Today, he leads a 501(c)(3) called The Pollution Detectives, Inc., which has a free lending library of monitors and gauges that enables non-scientists to make invisible pollution visible.

Michael Kramer

Michael Kramer leads building enclosure projects for both new buildings and enclosure rehabilitations. His unique blend of academic and working experience provides him with a versatile suite of skills, experience, and expertise. Michael’s building science focus includes the effect of interior environmental conditions on building enclosure performance and the relationships between sustainable building, building durability, and building codes. He was a member of the City of Seattle’s Green Building Team that developed Seattle’s groundbreaking Sustainable Building Policy, the first municipal policy to adopt the USGBC Green Building Rating System. His knowledge and experience make him an asset to any project.

Feletia Lee

Feletia Lee, Chief Sustainability Officer at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, brings expertise from the private sector, where she specialized in creating sustainable solutions in the hospitality industry. Her transition into higher education allows her to integrate academic innovation with real-world practices, fostering a culture of sustainable stewardship among faculty, staff, and students. Passionate about driving change through storytelling, she connects people to impactful, innovative projects on a personal level. A self-proclaimed "trash nerd," Feletia enjoys diving deep into recycling publications, conducting waste audits, and even exploring landfills for inspiration.

Rob Leonard

Rob Leonard is a construction industry consultant, trainer, and instructor. Rob has 46+ years in the construction industry including developing organizations and products, sales, marketing, project management, design / build, safety programming, instruction and instructional program development, off site prefabrication, field operations / field work, and regular local TV construction segments as well as previously owning several construction businesses. Rob’s experience includes a focus on building science, high performing buildings, and improving how buildings are built and renovated. Rob is dedicated to sharing with others his overall construction knowledge as well as his expertise in construction process, construction means and methods, efficient project management, better buildings and building science. Rob’s certifications and accreditations include: State of Virginia DPOR Class “A” builder qualified; HERS Rater; Energy Star Rater; former PHIUS+ Rater; former PHIUS+ Large Building Verifier; phius Certified Passive House Builder Instructor, phius Trades Professional Program Developer and Instructor, phius Trades Professional Certified Enclosure Specialist, Virginia Tech Myers Lawson School of Construction Adjunct Instructor, VWCC Adjunct Instructor, NAHB Certified Green Professional; NCCER Certified Instructor; NCCER Master Trainer; HBI Certified Instructor; NSC Principles of Occupational Safety and Health Trained, OSHA #510 and #500 Certified; OTI OSHA Instructor; ACE Certified Personal Trainer; ACE Certified Health Coach, ACE Certified Senior Fitness Coach, PN Certified Coach / Sleep, Stress Management, and Recovery Coach, Starrett Precision Measuring Instructor, NC3 Mechatronics Instructor. Rob is involved with fundraising for multiple charitable organizations, enjoys spending time with his wife and family. Rob lives a sustainable, self-sufficient Homestead lifestyle in Franklin County, Virginia and participates in hiking, cycling, running, gardening and beekeeping.

Josh LittleJohn

Josh LittleJohn has followed his passion for sustainability as an educator, and implementer to support Building Energy Efficiency and Appropriate technologies for over twenty years in the utility, non-profit, and private sector. As a Business Energy Advisor, he brings that experience to support a wide variety of customers to find the best solutions for their business’s energy needs. Josh holds a BAS in Building Science and Construction Management and a Masters in Appropriate Technology from Appalachian State University. A North Carolina native, Josh and his family live outside of Asheville NC.

Mike Lizotte

Mike Lizotte joined UNC Charlotte in 2013. He holds degrees in Environmental Science (University of Massachusetts), Botany (Virginia Tech) and Marine Biology (University of Southern California). He was previously the sustainability director at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he also served as a professor of ecology and helped found programs in environmental studies and sustainability management. He continues to teach sustainability in an online graduate business degree program and for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Lizotte also has experience in science administration as a research director for Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and as a consultant detailed to NASA Headquarters to study the effectiveness of interdisciplinary science teams. In a research career studying the ecology of algae, he made twelve trips to Antarctica and one to the Arctic. Lizotte Creek in Antarctica was named in his honor.

John Majernik

John Majernik, EI, PEM, CEM, is the Director of Energy, Sustainability & Transportation at Wake Technical Community College. He has over 35 years of engineering and construction experience with an emphasis in energy management and sustainability during the past 15 years. John has been in the facilities department at Wake Tech for over 9 years, leading the college’s transportation, sustainability, and energy initiatives. He holds certifications as a Professional Energy Manager, and Certified Energy Manager. John has a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science degree with a major in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Youngstown State University.

Sophie Martin

Sophie Martin is committed to driving high-performance, sustainable building design through her role as a Building Performance Analyst at Page. As a Professional Engineer, LEED Accredited Professional, and Certified Passive House Consultant, she brings a comprehensive approach to building optimization. Sophie specializes in embodied carbon analysis, thermal and hygrothermal modeling, enclosure review, and daylight analysis, while leading green building certification efforts, with a primary focus on LEED and PHIUS. Her project portfolio spans universities, embassies, government buildings, community centers, schools, hospitals, and a range of industrial, commercial, and mixed-use developments.

Em McLamb

Em McLamb serves as Career Coach for Major and Career Exploration, where they help students identify their goals and build career readiness skills to support their development at Appalachian and beyond. Em values the opportunity to help students make meaning of their experiences as they engage in the classroom and community to learn more about their career interests. With previous experience in community engagement and outreach roles, they are excited to connect students and campus groups to the Career Development Center.

Matt Miller

Matt Miller is the Program Chair and lead instructor for the Sustainability Technologies degree program at Central Piedmont Community College. He teaches courses that lead to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Sustainability Technologies and a Certificate in Renewable Energy. Matt’s coursework focuses on renewable energy, batteries, geography, environmental justice, and upward social mobility. His doctoral dissertation was a Phenomenological study exploring K-8 teacher’s perceptions of sustainability. Matt’s courses bridge practicality with creativity, helping foster a strong renewable energy workforce in the Charlotte region.

Dr. Shaleen Miller

Dr. Shaleen Miller is Director of Sustainability and Intergovernmental Relations at the City of Winston-Salem. She has her PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and is an adjunct professor at UNC Greensboro in the Geography, Environment, and Sustainability Department. She has worked at 6 different universities and published research regarding bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, park equity, and resilience after hurricanes. In the last year, she authored three reports for the City of Winston-Salem on Strategic Energy, Food Resilience, and Environmental Justice. Her team is also responsible for installing EV chargers, rooftop solar PV, litter clean-up adoptions, and other initiatives for Winston-Salem. For hobbies, Dr. Miller is a part-time professional artist, using recycled glass on paintings to create unique mixed media art (and you can find her art at the art gallery in the old schoolhouse at Banner Elk). She also admits to being able to talk about foraging for mushrooms for a very long time.

Chris Moeller

Chris Moeller is the Founder of Orion Growth, where he pioneers sustainable, high-performance housing by merging advanced building science with financial innovation. With 24 years as an entrepreneur and two decades in commercial and corporate real estate, Chris is dedicated to building resilient communities that balance affordability, efficiency, and long-term economic stability. His Pathway Communities model reimagines homeownership by ensuring predictable housing costs, reducing financial risk, and empowering residents. A systems thinker and strategist, he challenges traditional housing norms, proving that sustainability and affordability can coexist. Chris is also a mentor, speaker, and advocate for smart building practices, bringing thought leadership to the future of housing development. He splits his time between Charlotte, NC, and the mountains of Western North Carolina, where he finds inspiration in nature and community-driven solutions.

Jennifer Mundt

In her role as Assistant Secretary for Energy and Infrastructure, Jennifer is helping to lead North Carolina’s efforts to secure economic development and workforce opportunities across the energy sector. She is a key player in the development of the state’s energy resources, including nascent opportunities like offshore wind, working with colleagues across the Stein Administration to advance our energy transition through policy, regulatory, and economic development workstreams. Prior to joining Commerce, Jennifer served as Senior Policy Advisor in the NC Department of Environmental Quality working with then-DEQ Secretary and former EPA Administrator, Michael Regan. Prior to her work at DEQ, she spent more than a decade as a nonpartisan Senior Legislative Analyst at the North Carolina General Assembly. Jennifer graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and political science from Virginia Tech and earned a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Will Pfleger

With over 15 years experience, Will Pfleger leads Schneider Electric’s residential community microgrid strategy and business development as part of the Home & Distribution team. He is responsible for solution integration, technological evolution, and project development and sales that combine Schneider Electric’s industry leading microgrid offers and their state-of-the-art residential smart home product suite delivering energy resilience, sustainable power, and cost optimization to residential communities. Will also assists in general business and marketing activities, relevant product research and development, and trains and mentors company employees on all things microgrid and distributed generation. Prior to his current role with Schneider Electric, Will worked as a Microgrid Project Development and Engineering Manager, a Microgrid Solutions Architect and Team Leader, and a Microgrid Business Development and Marketing Specialist. Will holds Masters Degrees in Appropriate Technology, Building Science, and General Experimental Psychology as well as a bachelor’s degree in Psychology all from Appalachian State University. Prior to joining Schneider Electric, Will held employment a professor at Appalachian State University teaching renewable energy engineering and worked as a design engineer, project manager, project estimator, and manager of the Drafting and Design team for Mid-South Engineering.

Alesha Reardon

Alesha Reardon stumbled into commercial energy efficiency in 2016 when she began working as the energy manager for Buncombe County Schools. Since then, Alesha has thrown herself whole-heartedly into C&I energy efficiency within the public and private sectors. She now serves as the manager of the Business Energy Advisor team in the Carolinas with Duke Energy. In her current, and previous role as a Business Energy Advisor, Alesha truly enjoys sharing her unwavering passion for improving building energy performance while also helping customers benefit from utility programs to meet their goals. Alesha holds a BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a MA in Geography & Planning from Appalachian State University. Although not born and raised in Western North Carolina, Alesha and her family have called Asheville home since 2004.

Dr. Jamie Russell

Dr. Jamie Russell serves as Director of the Appalachian Energy Center at Appalachian State University. He holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University and earned his doctor of philosophy degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina. He joined Appalachian State University in 2008 where he now holds the rank of full professor. Dr. Russell has also worked for seven years as a machine design engineer and environmental health and safety manager in the architectural glass industry, two years as a research fellow at Ulster University in Belfast, as well as serving for two years as an invited professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. Jamie enjoys working with teams to develop products from concept to reality and has managed three Solar Decathlon Competition projects including the Solar Homestead (US Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon 2011), Solar Decathlon Europe 2014, and US DOE Solar Decathlon 2017.

George Santucci

George Santucci is the Town of Boone’s Sustainability and Special Projects Manager. He now manages Boone's Community Climate Action Plan, GHG inventory, renewable energy purchases, solar installations, electrifying the town's fleet, increasing public EV charging infrastructure, funding to improve stormwater infrastructure, and funding stream restoration and water quality improvements. Boone has a strong commitment to sustainable practices. It is the first town in NC to purchase all municipal electricity from 100% renewable sources. To achieve this goal and ensure renewable energy for the entire town by 2050, Boone hired George in January of 2021. George comes to Boone with a strong environmental and river conservation background. For the last 15 years, George was the executive director of the New River Conservancy. Prior to that, he worked in outdoor experiential education with NC Outward Bound, 4-H, and as an adjunct instructor at Appalachian State University. George also served on the Mountain Resources Commission from 2009-2013.

James Sharp

James Sharp serves as Outreach Manager for the Appalachian Energy Center with a focus on facilitating partnerships to co-create clean energy strategies and policies supporting economic growth, environmental protection, and resilience for North Carolina communities. He manages the Center’s workshops program and other extension initiatives. James has 20 years of experience serving organizations and communities with a focus on strategic planning, business development, project management, and stakeholder engagement programs. Certified by the American Institute of Community Planners, James is a doctoral candidate in urban planning and public affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington, where his areas of research focus include socio-technical transitions in rural communities, location behavior, and the role of planners in preparing their communities for better futures. James is also an adjunct instructor in Community and Regional Planning at App State."

Casey Shotton

Casey Shotton serves as the Sustainability Coordinator at UNC Wilmington. In her role, Casey leads campus-wide initiatives focused on advancing sustainability through outreach and education. Her work focuses on creating meaningful opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to connect with sustainability, fostering leadership, professional development, and a shared sense of environmental responsibility. With a passion for mentorship and collaboration, Casey is committed to helping the campus community explore their role in creating a more sustainable future—both on campus and beyond.

Justin Shultz

Justin Shultz has a passion for problem-solving. Working alongside his design colleagues, Justin uses computational analysis to answer our most pressing sustainable design questions. In his role, Justin partners with clients and design teams to set bold sustainability goals and map out clear, effective strategies to achieve them. He provides performance-based recommendations through climate, building energy, building envelope, daylighting, computational fluid dynamics analyses, and more. With a Ph.D. in Arch. Sci. and a certificate in Building Energy Modeling, understanding complex problems and providing simple solutions has defined Justin’s career.

Sandy Skolochenko

Sandy Skolochenko works for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Recycling and Materials Management Section. She has 12 years of experience working to advance recycling in North Carolina at the local and state level. Sandy works with local governments and private businesses to expand access to recycling, improve collection and processing, and build stronger and more resilient end markets in the state.

Hannah Stroot

As a Community Recycling Specialist with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Hannah works with local governments, state agencies, and educational institutions across the state to improve their recycling programs. She has experience managing grants, providing technical assistance, and supporting collaboration and data-driven decisions in materials management. Hannah holds a Master's in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment from University College London and has a broad background in climate action, clean energy, and sustainable resource use.

Skyler Strzelecki

Skyler Strzelecki is a 2025 graduate of Appalachian State University's Masters of Technology: Sustainable Building Design and Construction program. As a graduate student, he worked with Dr. Benjamin Sanchez to develop a methodology for an improved life cycle assessment of adaptive reuse projects. These contributions earned him recognition as a Domer Graduate Research Award winner. His research focus is in embodied carbon reduction and circular economy. He will be presenting as part of the Solar Decathlon Education Division Team.

BJ Tipton

BJ Tipton is the AASHE STARS data assistant for Appalachian State University. She recently received a Master's in Sustainability and Environment from UNC Greensboro. She worked a full and rewarding career in collegiate recycling and waste management at both UNC Charlotte and UNC Chapel Hill before joining the App State Sustainability and Energy Management team. In her off hours, she enjoys mountain biking and knitting, just not at the same time!

Dr. Shea Tuberty

Dr. Shea Tuberty, App State Quality Enhancement Plan Director, joined App State’s faculty in 2002 and served for seven years as the department’s assistant chair (2015-22). Dr Tuberty was appointed the QEP Director in the 2022/2023 academic year to lead a 5-year effort to integrate Sustainability & Climate Literacy into the App State curriculum and enhance co-curricular activities. As a professor in the Department of Biology he teaches Ecotoxicology, Zoology, and Climate Responses & Response-Ability; conducts transdisciplinary environmental justice, water quality, and aquatic biodiversity research; and has long played a leadership role in sustainability and climate literacy efforts on campus. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Tulane University and a B.A. in general biology from Vanderbilt University and spent 4 years as a postdoc at the USEPAs Gulf Ecology Division lab in Pensacola, FL. Read more about Shea here.

Christine Wittmeier

Christine Wittmeier is the Organics Recycling Team Lead for the Recycling and Materials Management Section at DEACS. She holds a degree in Environmental Science from Auburn University. Before joining DEACS, Christine served as the Environmental Educator at Asheville GreenWorks and later as the Environmental Programs Supervisor for Henderson County. With a strong background in sustainability and materials management, she is dedicated to advancing organics recycling initiatives and food recovery in North Carolina.