Paul Bielicki

Paul Bielicki is a licensed architect who loves solving problems. He finds it especially rewarding when the solution has a practical application and can be seen and analyzed in use. Further knowledge can be gathered from this solution and then used in the formulation of the next solution. It is a cyclical process of discovery, learning, and discovery again. He is currently applying his love of the problem to building enclosures and their direct impact on interior environmental quality. Paul is also trained as a structural engineer helping to add an additional level of project problem-solving abilities. However, even having gone through engineering, drawing remains his favored method for problem-solving. Paul’s research interests are based on efficiency, particularly how sustainability is a specialized form of efficiency. In addition to building enclosures, he is interested in how building materials and systems may be reused rather than recycled at the end of a building's life, thereby saving the energy required to recycle the components. Reuse is most often undertaken as an adaptive change to building programming, but his focus is on component reuse in other building projects. Outside the office, Paul is a founding member of the Building Enclosure Council-Charlotte, is a former vice chair, has served on the strategic planning committee since the chapter’s founding, and is the 2026 Knowledge Director. He is also a lead mentor with Architecture Construction Engineering (ACE) Mentoring-Charlotte and has been involved with the organization for the past seven years.

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.

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.

Aly Khalifa

Aly Khalifa is a systems thinker, inventor, and sustainability strategist with more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of innovation, manufacturing, and environmental stewardship. He has developed more than 47 patents and led award-winning initiatives that embed sustainability into product architecture, supply chains, and business models — linking technical design to long-term environmental and economic performance. He is the founder of Positive Company and the originator of the Coflourishing framework, which explores how institutions, infrastructure, markets, and natural systems can be intentionally designed to thrive together. His work spans circular economy strategy, sustainability platforms, and materials innovation — grounded in the belief that meaningful progress requires shared prosperity.

Natalie MacDonald

Natalie MacDonald is an associate in Buro Happold’s Durham office, where she specializes in mechanical buildings systems design with a focus on sustainability, decarbonization, and energy efficiency. She has experience in the design and energy modeling of HVAC systems in a variety of markets including higher education, state/local, federal, K-12, healthcare, and laboratories. In addition to design, she has extensive experience with building assessments, particularly facility condition assessments and energy audits, helping facilities optimize energy use and carbon footprint with practical operations and cost. Outside of Buro Happold, Natalie serves as the governor-appointed mechanical engineer seat on the North Carolina Building Code Council. She is also highly active in ASHRAE, volunteering in multiple capacities such as President of the Triangle Chapter for the 2021-2022 year, Student Activities Regional vice chair for Region IV, and voting member on TC 2.8 Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability.

Dr. Jamie Russell

Dr. Jamie Russell serves as director of the Appalachian Energy Center at Appalachian State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University and earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina. He joined AppState 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 (U.S. 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, greenhouse gas (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 North Carolina to purchase all municipal electricity from 100% renewable sources. In 2021, the Town of Boone hired George to achieve this goal and to ensure renewable energy for the entire town by 2050. George comes to Boone with a strong environmental and river conservation background.

Jessica Scarlett

Jessica Scarlett joined WoodWorks Wood Products Council in 2021 as the regional director of the Carolinas and Tennessee and comes to the team with a background in architecture, structural engineering, and acoustics/vibration. Jessica is a native Carolinian, but has worked all across the U.S. and Canada. She holds a bachelor’s from UNC Charlotte and a master/s from Clemson University. What she enjoys most about her role at Woodworks is being able to utilize her design and technical backgrounds in concert. Upon joining WoodWorks, she becomes the third generation of her family to work in the wood industry.

Bekim Sejdiu

Bekim Sejdiu brings momentum and systems thinking to shape a thriving resilient future. He helps teams envision what’s possible by connecting inputs to outcomes, translating data into compelling design strategies, and building excitement around regenerative approaches that create positive spillover across projects and culture. Bekim uses data to drive accountability and guide decisions, while reminding teams that “every line we draw has a massive climate impact.” He’s passionate about showing what’s achievable through case studies and how core building science principles can unlock climate-responsive solutions anywhere. Outside the studio, Bekim turns to the natural world for renewal and perspective. Whether he’s hiking the ancient Smokies, or exploring another national park on his list, time outdoors sharpens his curiosity and deepens his belief in people as stewards of the living systems around us.

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 Appalachian State University.

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 degree in economics and policy of energy and the environment from the University College London and has a broad background in climate action, clean energy, and sustainable resource use.

Christine Wittmeier

Christine Wittmeier is the organics recycling team lead for the Recycling and Materials Management Section at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service. In this role, she provides statewide technical assistance on organics recycling, manages the Food Waste Reduction Grant, and leads the state’s food waste prevention campaign, Use the Food NC. Prior to joining the state, Christine served as environmental programs supervisor for Henderson County, where she spearheaded multiple composting initiatives. With a strong background in environmental education and materials management, she is dedicated to advancing organics recycling and food recovery across North Carolina.