Board of Directors - Meeting Information

Meetings of the Board of Directors and General Operations Circles are open to visitors. Seating is available for guests to observe the sessions. If you have questions, after the meeting a member of our Board will be available to offer answers or other resources to get your questions answered. Please RSVP as requested as noted in the meeting information.

For upcoming meeting dates, look for "Board of Directors/General Circle" meeting dates on our Calendar of Events.

Meeting Minutes of Board of Directors

BOD Minutes June 9 2010.pdf

BOD Minutes May 12 2010.pdf

BOD Minutes April 14 2010.pdf

BOD Minutes March 10 2010.pdf

BOD Minutes February 10 2010.pdf

BOD Minutes January 20 2010.pdf

BOD Minutes May 13 2009.pdf

BOD Minutes April 8 2009.pdf 

Gen. Operations Circle Minutes-March 11 2009.pdf 

BOD Minutes February 11 2009.pdf

Gen. Operations Circle Minutes-January 12 2009.pdf

Education Circle Minutes-January 12 2009.pdf

BOD Minutes-December 10 2008.pdf

Board of Directors 2010

Nick Carlson, Secretary

Director of Environmental Sustainability, Goodwill Industries of Grand Rapids
Nick has a bachelors and a master’s degree in Theology from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL.  He has worked for Goodwill since November 2006 and has been in Grand Rapids since November 2008.  He is currently the Director of Environmental Sustainability, in charge of Goodwill’s comprehensive recycling center designed to handle household donations that do not sell in their retail stores and/or that are in non-working condition.  Nick has also been charged with evaluating and improving energy consumption and our overall environmental impact of doing business for Goodwill.  Nick sits on a number of internal committees at Goodwill including Organization Safety, Strategic Innovation, Curriculum Development and Senior Leadership Team.  Nick is serving as Secretary of the Board of Directors of USGBC West Michigan Chapter.    

Heather DeKorte

Architect, Cornerstone Architects
Heather is a Certified Historic Architect with Cornerstone Architects in Grand Rapids, where she specializes in historic preservation, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects. Heather is a LEED AP and successfully combines her knowledge of sustainable building design with her interest in historic preservation. Heather’s projects have received multiple awards for implementing innovative green concepts, restoring historical integrity, and revitalizing historic neighborhoods.

Earl Eddy, LEED AP, Treasurer

Senior Living Market Leader, Kingscott
Earl has broad experience and construction knowledge in all areas of general contracting and construction management, which has served to benefit owners, clients, colleagues and trade contractors alike.  In his various roles, Earl has been responsible for overseeing and coordinating all facets of the construction services’ process for many varied project types, sizes and complexity.  His strong leadership and negotiating skills contribute to the “team” effort and ultimate project success. He has provided construction management services around the West Michigan area for a variety of construction projects including senior living, office, retail, manufacturing, church and educational projects. For seven years he served as president of a commercial/industrial general contracting firm in the southern California area.

Kris Ford, LEED AP

Project Manager, Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.
Kris has 25 years of construction experience, the past 17 as a project manager with Owens-Ames-Kimball Co. Among his notable projects are renovations to the Grand Rapids Public Library’s Main Ryerson Building and the new Byron Center High School. A LEED AP, Kris has served on the USGBC West Michigan Chapter’s Program Committee since 2007.

Renae Hesselink, LEED AP, Chair

VP of Sustainability, Nichols and President of SustainAble Solutions, a Division of Nichols
Renae is a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan chapter, completing her fourth year on the board of directors. She has been with Nichols (a distributor of custodial and packaging supplies) for 15 years in various positions and two years ago moved into to a new role within the company as Vice President of Sustainability.  Nichols is seeking LEED-EB O & M (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance). Renae has been involved in the successful implementation of eight Green Cleaning programs that have lead to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits and another eight programs in process.  Other roles include: leadership team of the Muskegon Sustainability Coalition; advisor for MiBiz Triple Bottom Line quarterly news; Grand Valley State University’s Sustainable Community Development Initiative (SCDI); and on an advisory committee for Delta Institute in Michigan. Renae is a regular writer for the U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter’s monthly column in MiBiz. Identified by MiBiz as a “Champion of Sustainability”. Contributed two cases studies published in “The Business of Green Cleaning” by Stephen Ashkin and David Holly.  In 2009 she was recognized as an “Agent of Change” by the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce and featured in the Muskegon Chronicle’s Working Women: Learning from These Successful Area Women”.  She holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Leadership Studies from Baker College and undergraduate degree from Grand Valley State University. 

James McCarty, LEED AP BD+C  

Sustainable Programs Manager, Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc.
Jim began serving on the Board in January of 2007 and served two years as Secretary. He has been involved in building design and construction in several locations around the United States. He has been a faculty member at four universities and became involved in construction research while at Cornell University. In his 10 years at FTC&H, Jim has had project management roles in over $200 million in project construction, and deals with LEED projects on a daily basis. At FTC&H, Jim oversees all project sustainability coordination, LEED Administration efforts, and coordinates efforts of consultants in his firm, in other firms, and in other states and countries

Steve Price, LEED AP 

Senior Environmental Engineer, Steelcase Inc.
Steve has a BS Civil Engineering, MBA, LAP, 35 years experience in construction, facilities engineering, environmental engineering & management (2 yrs.). Steve is a Member of the LEED-EB Core Committee and has participated in a rewrite of EBOM.

James Russell, LEED AP 

Owner and CEO of F.C. Moran Son, Inc. and Navitas Commissioning and Consulting, Holland Michigan. 
James has worked in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industry for over 41 years. Mr. Russell is a LEED-AP, ASHRAE Certified Commissioning Process Management Professional, licensed mechanical contractor and has refrigeration certifications. He also has his Green Advantage Certification, and he is the past president of West Michigan American Society of Heating, refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE), member of the USGBC, a Board Member of the West Michigan USGBC Chapter. James has been developing and facilitating training for contractors and inspectors since 1984. He also has significant depth in his training including areas such as HVAC commissioning and servicing, air/water balancing, and many others. He is a registered instructor for the State of Michigan mechanical inspectors and has approved programs. He has held numerous positions in the HVAC&R field such as vice president of sales and engineering, territory manager, partner, and a wide variety of other positions. 

Brian Shultz, LEED AP 

Construction Trades Manager, Grand Rapids Community College/Tassell M-TEC
In his professional capacity as Construction Trades Manager at GRCC Brian has played a key role in the development of the school's Green Building programs. This includes the LEED certified Habitat for Humanity of Kent County homes GRCC builds and remodels through its Residential Construction and Construction Remodeling programs. It also includes GRCC's Green Advantage certification program for construction workers and supervisors.

Scott Whisler, LEED AP 

Project Manager, Grand Valley State University
Scott became a LEED Accredited Professional under LEED v2, and has been a Project Manager with GVSU since January of 2008. Prior to GVSU, Scott worked for a local construction firm for 5 years. Between GVSU and his previous job, he has had experience working on more than 10 LEED projects of different types and sizes. He has experience with the LEED process from a contractor's as well as an owner’s perspective, providing a wide range of experience. He is committed to improving our impact on the world by living and building in a sustainable manner.

Steve Willobee, LEED AP, Vice Chair

Senior Project Professional, NTH Consultants, Ltd.
Steve has been a Senior Project Professional with NTH Consultants Ltd., since 2006. Steve is responsible for packaging and negotiating financial incentives on behalf of clients for redevelopment projects pursuing brownfield tax increment financing and single business tax credits, and other state and local resources. Prior to coming to NTH, Steve was a Community Specialist with the Community Assistance Team at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Michigan State Housing Development Authority.