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Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
C.R. “Chuck” Pennoni (Chair) is chairman and chief executive officer of Pennoni Associates, Inc., a consulting engineering firm in Philadelphia. Mr. Pennoni is a member of the National Academy of Engineering; past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers; a trustee and past president of United Engineering Trustees; past president of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; and a member of the U.S. Council for International Engineering Practice. Mr. Pennoni is chairman of the Board of Trustees of Drexel University and was president of the university for the academic year 1994-1995. He has served on the engineering advisory boards of several universities and is a member of the board of Jefferson Bank, DHA Engineers, and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. He is licensed as an engineer in 11 states and has lectured at colleges and universities on engineering, planning, ethics, and professional development. Mr. Pennoni holds a B.S. and an M.S. in civil engineering and an honorary doctorate from Drexel University.
Robert Blancett is director of the Materials and Construction Laboratory at the USG Research and Technology Center, where he oversees the operation of five laboratories involved in product development, systems engineering, and code certification work for building materials. Prior to joining U.S. Gypsum in 1987, Mr. Blancett held various product engineering and research management positions with Owens-Corning, a large building materials manufacturer. He is coauthor of a number of publications on energy utilization in buildings and on sustainable construction. He is a member of the Building Environment and Thermal Envelope Council Board of Direction, the National Evaluation Service Building Innovation Center (NES-BIC) Board of Direction, and chair of the Membership Committee of the Industrial Research Institute. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Ohio State University.
Paul R. Fisette is director of the Building Materials and Wood Technology Program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Mr. Fisette was selected as a member of this committee for his expertise in light-frame construction, residential energy efficiency, sustainable building practices, and the performance of residential building materials. He has developed an innovative Web service that provides technical advice to builders and researchers regarding the performance, specifications, and use of building materials. Mr. Fisette frequently contributes articles to regional and national publications on
building materials and the residential construction industry. Mr. Fisette was previously senior editor of Custom Builder Magazine, which covers technical information and information about innovations of interest to small and medium-sized residential building firms. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in wood technology from the University of Massachusetts.
Karen L. George is a principal at Primen and previously director of Residential Services at E Source, Inc., involved in information service for utility companies for strategic business analyses, technology assessments, and market research. Ms. George is also principal author of the Residential Appliances Technology Atlas (E Source, 1999), a reference book for those engaged in energy efficiency programs. Ms. George was selected for this committee for her experience in the residential energy and housing markets and her focus on product analysis and technology transfer. Prior to joining E Source, she was a consultant to many firms, such as R.W. Beck and Associates and RCG/Hagler-Bailly, Inc. She was also an independent consultant to other clients including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the China Association of Science and Technology, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In addition, Ms. George was manager of the Residential and Renewable Energy Programs for the Colorado Office of Energy Conservation and a professional research assistant for the Joint Center for Energy Management at the University of Colorado’s Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Department. Ms. George holds a B.S. in education from California State College.
Manuel Gonzalez is a principal at KTGY Group, Inc., in Irvine, California, an award-winning planning and design firm focusing on single and multifamily residential projects. Mr. Gonzalez was selected for this committee because of his experience and expertise in architectural design and technology innovations for the homebuilding industry. Prior to joining KTGY, Mr. Gonzalez was executive director of architecture for Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation where he was in charge of residential planning and design. Under Mr. Gonzalez’ direction, Kaufman and Broad received widespread industry recognition and design awards. Mr. Gonzalez was previously a partner with Johannes Van Tilburg and Partners where for 10 years he directed the design of award-winning single-family and multifamily residential projects and master-planned communities. He holds a B.A. in architecture from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.Arch. from the University of Southern California. Mr. Gonzalez is a registered architect in seven states and recently served as chair of the Housing Committee for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Ashok Goswami is director of the Housing and Building Technology Division of the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting quality and innovation in the built environment through technical services, education, and training. Mr. Goswami was selected for this committee because of his promotion of safe new technologies in building construction and interstate acceptance of modular buildings. He oversees a program that provides third-party monitoring and associated services for state and local governments, the construction industry, and homeowners, and oversees similar services in the modular-building industry through his involvement with the Industrialized Buildings Commission and by providing construction inspections, quality audits, and contract/regulatory compliance evaluation services of builders and their factories. His division also performs plan reviews and product assessments and evaluates the performance of building systems and new construction technologies and products. He is a certified quality auditor and a registered professional engineer with a B.S. and an M.S. in civil engineering from Punjab University and an M.S. in business and public administration from Southeastern University.
Charles J. Kibert is interim director and CSR/Rinker Professor in the M.E. Rinker, Sr., School of Building Construction at the University of Florida. He was director of the Center for Construction and Environment at the University of Florida from 1991 to 1999. He was selected for this committee because of his research and expertise in construction-waste management, environmental impacts of
construction, and recycling of residential construction debris. Dr. Kibert has published more than 90 papers and books and edited several publications on construction and the environment. He is cofounder and chairman of the Cross Creek Initiative, a nonprofit industry/university joint venture seeking to implement sustainability principles in construction. He has worked with neighborhood-based housing corporations on the renovation of derelict structures into high-performance homes. Dr. Kibert has created an innovative educational outreach program and several continuing education classes for building contractors, and teaches a newly developed graduate course on sustainable construction. He is a registered professional engineer and a chartered engineer in the United Kingdom, and a mechanical and electrical contractor in Florida. He has a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, an M.S. in nuclear engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of South Florida.
Joseph Laquatra is a professor and extension housing specialist in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University. Since 1984 Dr. Laquatra has conducted research and educational programs for Cornell Cooperative Extension and other groups on technical issues related to housing, including homebuilding, homebuying, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and housing technology. Over the years he has educated homebuyers, homeowners, and homebuilders through partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Consumer Research Council, the American Association of Retired Persons, the New York State Energy Office, and the National Association of Home Builders, among others. Dr. Laquatra has published findings from his research in journals and trade magazines and has presented papers at national and international conferences on subjects related to environmental quality energy performance and housing economics. He is currently working on on-site management of residential construction waste. He also holds several Cornell administrative positions, including Department Extension Leader, Faculty Senator, and Chair of the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Healthy Living and Learning Environments Program Work Team. He is currently President of the American Association of Housing Educators. He holds a B.S. in hotel administration, an M.S. in consumer economics and housing, and a Ph.D. in consumer economics and housing from Cornell University.
Tricia Parks is founder and president of Parks Associates, a consulting firm that analyzes and forecasts the home networking and broadband industries, in addition to many other industries involved in service markets for residential and light-commercial technologies. She was appointed to this committee for her understanding of automation, electronic, and communication technologies in residential environments. Ms. Parks founded Habitech, a trade and training show for home systems, which was sold to the Electronic Industries Association. Parks Associates owns and cohosts Forum, an annual state-of-the-nation overview of current and emerging residential systems and services markets, and cohosts Connections, a showcase event for in-home networks and gateways. Prior to starting her own firm, she was a founder of MARTECH and a senior vice president of Future Computing. She is a contributor to industry trade magazines and is a frequent speaker at trade events. She is the founder of Wiring Americas’ Home Campaign, launched in 1997, and a board member of the Home and Building Automation Association. Ms. Parks has a B.A. from Sweet Briar College and completed graduate studies at the University of Texas.
Timothy Reinhold is associate professor of civil engineering at Clemson University. He was selected for this committee for his expertise in wind effects on structures, structural dynamics, reliability engineering, and structural analysis and failure investigations. He is currently involved in wind-load studies for low-rise and specialty structures, including the resistance of structures to wind effects. Dr. Reinhold’s research has included projects to improve simulation of wind loads on residential and low-rise structures; to investigate wind-loads for coastal structures; and to investigate retrofit solutions for
existing structures subjected to high winds. Dr. Reinhold is a member of the Wind Effects Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Southern Building Code Congress International Wind Loads Subcommittee, and the ASCE-7 Standard Wind Loads Subcommittee. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in engineering mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
John K. Spear is a practicing architect specializing in affordable housing. He was appointed to the committee because of his knowledge of technical and social issues for affordable housing and related HUD programs. He is founder and board member of the Houston Community Design Assistance Center, providing design services to help neighborhood groups and families build high-quality affordable housing. He is also president of Richwood Development Corporation, which promotes and invests in affordable homes in the Houston area. As a practicing architect he advises developers on site analysis and design review. He was chair of the American Institute of Architects Housing Committee in 2001. He holds a B.A. and B.Arch. from Rice University and an M.S. in environmental design and urban planning from Yale University.
