Dedicated to advancing sustainable laboratories globally.
Board of Directors
I2SL, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, was established in 2004 by Phil Wirdzek, Kath Williams, and Beth Shearer, three leaders in the world of sustainable laboratories. Founder Phil Wirdzek passed away in 2021; read more about his contributions to I2SL and the sustainable laboratory community. In addition to the founding officers, former officer Dan Doyle of Grumman Butkus Associates served on I2SL’s board and as its Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer for many years, as well as helping to start I2SL chapters and update of I2SL’s best practices guides.
The I2SL Board of Directors was established in February 2007 with the intention of directing the organization toward its mission and goals. Read on to learn more about each member of I2SL's Board of Directors.
Airflow Kinetics
President
Secretary/I2SL Board of Directors
Siemens Industry, Inc.
Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder
3Flow
JE Dunn Construction
Vice President
P.E., Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Ph.D., Yale University
Alexandria Real Estate
Environmental Defense Fund
Cator, Ruma & Associates
Treasurer
P.E., CPP Wind Engineering
Cannon Design
University of Georgia
Eastern Research Group
Ex officio, non-voting advisor to the Board
Gordon P. Sharp
Gordon Sharp is the President of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL), a non-profit organization dedicated to decarbonizing and making laboratories more sustainable across the world. Gordon is also the inventor of many important, widely applied technologies that have had a significant impact on lab sustainability and energy efficiency such as sash sensing VAV fume hood and laboratory airflow controls, the electronic venturi airflow valve, and demand based control of lab ventilation. He is also the founder of two major companies in the lab sustainability field: Phoenix Controls, a well-respected laboratory airflow controls company, and Aircuity, a leader in healthy and energy-efficient ventilation for laboratory and commercial buildings. The many technologies invented by Gordon at Phoenix Controls and Aircuity are today saving well over $2.5 billion annually in energy use and cutting over 7.5 million metric tons annually in carbon emissions from thousands of commercial and laboratory facilities around the world.
Gordon has over 35 years of experience and over 35 patents covering energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, laboratory controls, and even airflow-based kinetic artwork. Along with his efforts to decarbonize lab buildings, Gordon also founded and is the President of Airflow Kinetics, which creates large, airflow-based kinetic sculptures that are mesmerizing, educational, and designed to increase the public’s understanding and appreciation of airflow and building ventilation.
Gordon is an MIT graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. He is an ASHRAE Fellow and has been an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, and has served as a voting member of the ASHRAE Standard 170 on Healthcare Ventilation, the ANSI Standard Z9.5 on Laboratory Ventilation, the ASHRAE TC9.10 committee on Laboratories and the TC9.11 committee on Clean Spaces. He has also testified before the U.S. Congress on the topics of climate change and energy efficiency.
Kevin Brettmann
Kevin Brettmann is the National Director of Science and Technology for JE Dunn Construction. This vertical market focuses on the Laboratory and Advanced Technology markets for university, federal, city/county, corporate, and institutional clients. He has been a speaker and moderator at the I2SL Annual Conferences, and a speaker at TRADELINE and Laboratory Design conferences. Kevin was the founding president of the Colorado Chapter of I2SL and founding board member and treasurer of I2SL's Arizona Chapter. He was a 2020 Lab Manager “Lab Design Excellence Awards” judge and has authored articles in Laboratory Design Newsletter, Controlled Environments, and R&D World publications.
Sean Convery
Sean T. Convery joined Cator, Ruma & Associates in 1995. Cator, Ruma & Associates in one of the preeminent laboratory designers in the western region and has designed over 5 million square feet of laboratory space. Sean has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and is a Professional Engineer in Colorado and Wyoming. He has a broad array of experience in the design of mechanical systems for laboratories, including BSL-2, BSL-3, wet and dry research labs, vivariums, veterinary medicine, and human healthcare applications. To date, he has been involved in the design of over 100 laboratory projects for higher education, research, biomedical, and government campuses. He has been a speaker at the I2SL Annual Conference for over a decade and is particularly knowledgeable about energy-efficient mechanical systems. Sean was a founding board member of the I2SL Colorado Chapter, and recently joined the board of directors as treasurer/officer for I2SL National. Additionally, he has served as the I2SL Colorado Chapter’s Treasurer and is the current I2SL Colorado Chapter President.
Alison Farmer
Alison is a former research astrophysicist who is dedicated to saving our home planet by bringing energy efficiency to lab buildings. Alison has worked in both consulting and lab owner's roles and serves as Secretary of the I2SL Board of Directors. She was a 2018 recipient of the I2SL Go Beyond Award.
Alison earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in physics from the University of Cambridge in England and a PhD in astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Deirdre Carter
Deirdre Carter, P.E, has more than 15 years of consulting engineering and energy management experience. She is the Energy and Sustainability Manager at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she works to decarbonize Berkeley Lab through operational building efficiency, ongoing commissioning, energy efficient new construction, electrification of building heating systems, and renewable energy procurement. Deirdre is the coordinator for Berkeley Lab's “smart labs” program, which is called the Integrated Laboratory Airflow Management (ILAM) program.
Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, she was a Mechanical Engineer at Taylor Engineers, where she designed energy efficient HVAC systems for high profile buildings, including the SFMOMA museum and a county crime lab; performed building energy modeling; worked on measurement based retro-commissioning (MBCx) utility programs for existing buildings; and researched new measures for Title 24, California’s building energy efficiency standard.
Deirdre holds a M.S. from Stanford University and B.S.E. from Duke University, both in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She also serves on the Duke University Undergraduate Advisory Board for Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer with the state of California.
Brad Cochran
Brad Cochran has over 25 years of experience conducting wind tunnel and numerical modeling assessments related to laboratory exhaust design. He is a registered Professional Engineer with the state of Colorado; serves on the ASSE Z9.5 Laboratory Ventilation sub-committee; primary author of Chapter 9 – Exhaust Stack Design in the 2015 ASHRAE Laboratory Design Guide, and is the current chair of the ASHRAE TC-9.10 Laboratory Ventilation Technical Committee. He is also the lead author on the 2011 edition of the Labs21 Best Practice Guide "Modeling Exhaust Dispersion for Specifying Acceptable Exhaust/Intake Design". Mr. Cochran also served on the AMCA Induced Flow Fan CRP Committee that developed AMCA Standard 260-07, "Laboratory Methods of Testing Induced Flow Fans for Rating."
In 2011, Mr. Cochran received an individual Go Beyond Award from I2SL.
During the past decade, Mr. Cochran has focused on defining new design and control techniques to minimize the energy requirements for laboratory exhaust systems. In 2005, Mr. Cochran developed the first laboratory exhaust system that utilized local wind data to minimize exhaust fan horsepower requirements, and in 2008 introduced the concept of monitoring chemical constituents within the exhaust manifold to reduce volume flow rates when measured VOC concentrations are below an established threshold. Since then, Mr. Cochran has implemented VAV controls in over 150 laboratory exhaust systems throughout the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Mr. Cochran has authored and presented several papers on the subject of energy-efficient laboratory exhaust design for Sustainable Labs Canada (SL-Can); S-Labs (UK), DELabCon (India), Australasian Laboratory Management Association (ALMA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc. (ASHRAE), I2SL, R&D Magazine, Lab Manager Magazine, LabWize, the International Facility Management Association, Air Movement and Control Association International, Inc., and the Air and Waste Management Association.
Chad House
Chad House is the head of Life Science, Americas for Siemens Industry, Inc. With more than 25 years of industry experience, he currently leads the development and deployment of go-to-market sales and operational strategies and the growth of the Siemens Life Science solution/service portfolio. His work includes supporting Siemens branch offices and implementing standardized processes and best practices to meet the changing needs of life science lab users and emerging market developments.
Since joining Siemens in 1996, Mr. House has held several positions in sales and operations. He began his career in engineering and project management, responsible for designing and managing control installation projects. His career led him into sales and account management, responsible for managing accounts including higher education, healthcare, research, and development laboratories in Michigan. Mr. House joined Siemens Industry, Inc. North American Headquarters in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, where he was a Senior National Sales Manager for Life Science supporting North America.
Mr. House is an active participant in the life science industry and has been a member of I2SL since 2013. He is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer in the United States for industry-related events.
Mr. House holds a Bachelor of Science in HVAC Engineering Technology from Ferris State University.
Christopher Incarvito
In his role as Associate Provost for Science Initiatives at Yale University’s West Campus, Dr. Incarvito leads development of research, faculty recruitment, campus expansion, sustainability, and has oversight for communications. He is responsible for the quality and creation of new research programming and facilities through collaborative work with faculty, directors, deans, department chairs, and other university leadership. He spearheads an ambitious program of laboratory modernization, delivering a significant expansion of Yale's science and engineering capacity. He manages strategic capital investments, deployment of high-value shared research instrumentation laboratories, and has built successful collaborations with global scientific research organizations.
Punit Jain
A LEED Fellow and leader in the science, technology and sustainability practices at CannonDesign, Punit Jain brings extensive experience in the integration of systems, spaces and experiences for higher education, corporate and federal clients. Having designed over 25 LEED projects in the life sciences, engineering and physical sciences, he is responsible for generating innovative solutions in regenerative and net zero design for complex scientific facilities at a campus and building scale. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a Masters in Architecture and Construction Management, Punit has taught at the School of Art & Design at Maryville University and St. Louis Community College and frequently presents at national and international conferences. He has served on the national board of the U.S. Green Building Council and was honored with the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories’ 2010 Go Beyond Award for his sustainable laboratory design efforts. He now serves on the national board of I2SL and the advisory board of the Scientific Equipment and Furniture Association (SEFA).
Kathryn Ramirez-Aguilar
Kathryn Ramirez-Aguilar, PhD, has a doctorate in Analytical Chemistry and 15 years of laboratory research experience. Since 2009, she has created, grown, and managed the CU Green Labs Program at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). The CU Green Labs Program works to advance sustainability in laboratory research for the CU Boulder campus and the greater community to maximize the positive impacts of research investment for people and the planet while minimizing the negative effects resulting from significant resource use and waste generation. She chairs the I2SL University Alliance Group (UAG), and through UAG, leads the Bringing Efficiency to Research (BETR) Grants effort to connect efficiency expectations and sustainability to research funding.
Eleni Reed
Eleni Reed is Senior Vice President and Head of Sustainability for Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Eleni has been driving environmental sustainability, health, and social impact outcomes from strategy to execution across real estate portfolios in both the private and public sectors for nearly 20 years. Since joining Alexandria in January 2021, she has been advancing the company’s sustainability strategy around climate readiness, healthy buildings, and ESG more broadly, working in collaboration with corporate functions and regional markets.
Before joining Alexandria, Eleni was Head of Sustainability/Americas at Lendlease, where she led the strategic implementation of the firm’s corporate sustainability framework and targets across construction, development, and investment management platforms. In this role, she also spearheaded social impact initiatives including workforce development and suicide prevention in the construction industry.
Eleni also served as Chief Greening Officer at the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Public Buildings Service, where she led the integration of sustainability practices in real estate operations to create healthy, productive and environmentally high-performing workplaces across GSA’s portfolio. During her tenure with the agency, she stood up GSA’s Green Proving Ground, a program that tests cutting-edge sustainable building technologies and provides recommendations on their deployment. Past positions have included leading sustainability programs at Cushman & Wakefield and the Mayor’s Office of New York City.
Star Scott
Star Scott is the Green Labs program manager at the University of Georgia. She has a background in conservation-driven research including ecology, wildlife biology, and endangered species genomics and is a deep believer in the interconnectivity of all living things. Star is dedicated to making the research enterprise more sustainable and more equitable; she is currently focused on fostering resource conservation and landfill diversion from labs, creating and promoting equitable systems, fostering environmental and social justice, ensuring sustainable procurement, and building stronger teams through meaningful communication and psychological safety. She is a founding vice president of the Georgia chapter of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories and is the Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association’s liaison to the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium.
Tom Smith
Thomas C. Smith is the president and CEO of 3Flow, formerly Exposure Control Technologies (ECT), Inc. Mr. Smith has more than 30 years of experience helping research facilities design, build, operate, manage, and maintain laboratory hoods and ventilation systems. He founded ECT, Inc. in 1994 to help research facilities achieve safe, energy-efficient, and sustainable performance laboratory ventilation systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (industrial hygiene) from the University of North Carolina. Mr. Smith has served as chair of ASHRAE TC9.10 Laboratory Systems, chair of the ANSI/AIHA Z9 Standards for Ventilation and Health, and vice chair of the ANSI/ASHRAE 110 Fume Hood Testing Standard. He serves on the board for the International Institute of Sustainable Labs (I2SL) and was recently inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame for the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at North Carolina State University. Mr. Smith has participated in hundreds of laboratory ventilation projects and helped optimize performance of thousands of laboratory hoods and ventilation systems.
Kelly O’Day Weisinger
Kelly O’Day Weisinger (she/her) joined I2SL in 2012, co-launched the Laboratory Landfill Diversion Working Group in 2016, co-founded the I2SL Georgia Chapter in 2019, and joined the national board of I2SL in 2022 during her ten-year career path to Director of Sustainability Initiatives at Emory University and Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. Kelly departed Emory in 2022 and joined the Environmental Defense Fund as Director of Corporate Sustainability where she leads organizational strategy and guidance on internal policy, practices, expectations, and goals aligned with EDF’s environmental mission, planetary health, and business resilience and sustainability. Kelly earned a Master in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and a B.A. from Connecticut College and has breadth and depth of expertise in organizational sustainability, global environmental and social policy, climate solutions, and social and environmental sustainability leadership. Though she has lived in Connecticut, Brazil, Colorado, and Vermont, she is an Atlanta native and now calls Decatur, Georgia, home.
Kathleen Brady
Kathleen Brady, a vice president with support contractor ERG, has served as I2SL’s Executive Director since November 2022 and as staff director since its inception. Kathleen manages the day-to-day operations and staff for I2SL, including administration, finances, programs, communications, education, and events. She is a trained meeting facilitator and communications professional who provides social marketing strategies for voluntary public-private partnership efforts, nonprofit organizations, certification programs, and market transformation initiatives in the energy and environmental arena. Her current work also includes managing branding and marketing support for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense and Stormwater Smart programs.
Prior to joining ERG and I2SL, Kathleen was a vice president at Goddard Claussen, a public relations firm focused on environmental issues, and Director of Communications for the National Recycling Coalition. She also served as editor of Recycling Times, a national newspaper on recycling markets, and as a reporter covering the Michigan state legislature. Kathleen holds a degree in journalism from Michigan State University.