GreenPros Instructors

Alicia Ravetto, GreenPros LLC co-founder - Green Building Design & Construction / SBIC’s Green Building Guidelines©: Meeting the Demand for Low Energy, Resource-Efficient Homes / Green Building Construction Strategies / ENERGY-10™: A Powerful Energy Simulation Tool for Buildings and Homes - Version 1.8 / Green & Passive Solar Case Study & Design Lab

Alicia runs a small minority/woman owned architecture business specializing in environmentally sensitive design, located in Carrboro, NC.

She designed the first Energy Star label office building in NC, won the 2002 Sustainable Buildings Industry Council's Best Practices in Sustainability Award, and the 2004 Sustainable NC Business award in Green Building. She is a Sustainability, LEED™, Daylighting Consultant for local architects on projects such as LEED™ silver North Branch. Other LEED™ consulting projects include the 270,000 SF Durham County Human Services Complex, the 30,000 SF Merck OSF Building, the UNC-Chapel Hill - Botanical Garden Visitor Center and the Golden Belt, a private redevelopment project in Durham.

She holds a Master of Architecture (1987) from UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Los Angeles, CA where she was a Fulbright Scholar and is an Architect from the National University of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Architecture School (1980).

She is a LEED™ 2.0 Accredited Professional, Energy Star Partner and a national instructor of a variety of green building courses including Energy 10, High Performance Schools, Daylighting and Green Building Design and Construction. Visit Alicia's website.

Bob Kingery, GreenPros LLC co-founder – Solar Electricity / Solar Hot Water

Bob co-founded Southern Energy Management (SEM) in 2001 with his wife, Maria, and is currently the Operations Manager. He has been involved with the sustainable energy industry for more than twenty years.In addition, he has more than fourteen years experience in business development and operations with experience in manufacturing, design, consultation and planning.He has been a solar technician, solar engineer, plant engineer, and director of manufacturing.His extensive knowledge and working experience has focused on green building, energy efficiency and renewable energy consulting and implementation.

Prior to starting SEM, Bob was part of the team of Burt's Bees in NC and was key in growing the company from revenues of less than $1 million to over $60 million in sales. At Burt's Bees he was the Director of Manufacturing and managed all aspects of manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, and materials management for this personal care products manufacturer and distributor. Visit Bob's website.

Paul Konove, GreenPros LLC co-founder – Green Building Design & Construction / SBIC's Green Building Guidelines©: Meeting the Demand for Low Energy, Resource-Efficient Homes / Green Building Construction Strategies / ENERGY-10È: A Powerful Energy Simulation Tool for Buildings and Homes - Version 1.8 / Green & Passive Solar Case Study & Design Lab

Paul Konove founded Carolina Country Builders(CCBCCI) in 1985.The business has been since its inception designing and building custom residential homes with a focus on renewable energy. The company has received the NAHB Research Center 2005 Silver winner of the Energy Value Housing Award (EVHA) - 2005, was the First gold certification (highest level) in the NC HealthyBuilt Home Program – NC's statewide green building program conducted by the North Carolina Solar Center. In 2005, he participated in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Exemplary Homes Program 1993-97 and received the Custom Home of the Year Award for Best Environmental Design from Custom Builder Magazine – 1992.

He has trained construction professionals and the general public in green building strategies at National conferences, and at seminars around North Carolina including SBIC's Green Building Guidelines Seminars at the Sara Susanka Show House at the International Builders Show in Orlando 2005, the American Solar Energy Society Annual conference in 2005 and 2006 –the National Building Museum, Washington, DC 2005 and other locations.

Paul's experience allows him to communicate the complexities of best practices construction techniques into a form that both professionals and the general public can understand. Visit Paul's website.

Dan McFarland – Green Building Design & Construction / Green Building Construction Strategies

Dan McFarland is presently the Director of Builder Services at Southern Energy Management (SEM), He draws upon his professional experience of over 25 years in the field of applied residential building science where he has developed and implemented residential energy efficiency programs for utilities, state and local governments, and both for-profit and non-profit organizations. He has worked to develop and implement of a number of residential market initiatives including energy bill guarantees and green building programs. Prior to joining SEM, he served as the Senior Project Coordinator and Training Manager at NC State University's North Carolina Solar Center and the NC Healthy Built Home program. Dan's career includes 16 years as a Senior Building Science Specialist with Advanced Energy, a nationally recognized research and consulting organization based in Raleigh, NC. His practical knowledge and experience makes him an effective trainer who has conducted workshops and seminars for a variety of audiences including builders, sub-contractors and allied professionals.

Shawn Fitzpatrick – S olar Electricity

Shawn works with the Southern Energy Management (SEM) solar team as the lead solar engineer and is the proud owner of a grid-tied PV system on his Raleigh home.

Shawn comes to SEM from the NC Solar Center at NC State University, where he led the professional PV training and system design assistance programs. He has a comprehensive understanding of the codes and standards applicable to solar thermal and PV systems for residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Shawn designed and taught the Solar Center's PV for Electrical Contractors workshop, a NC Electrical Board approved continuing education course that has been offered to inspectors and electrical contractors across North Carolina since 1999. Shawn has over nine years of research and design experience with renewable energy systems including photovoltaics, solar thermal, hybrid PV/Thermal and wind power. His experience with these technologies involves system engineering, installation, code compliance and acceptance testing.

Ed Witkin – Solar Electricity

Ed Witkin has been designing, installing, and teaching about solar electric systems since 1987. He also teaches the four day photovoltaic course for the NC Solar Center diploma series. Before moving to North Carolina in 2002, Ed and his family lived in an off-grid solar powered house in Bridgewater, CT, which he built using a solar powered generator to run all the power tools during the construction.

Ed is the owner of Carrboro Solar Works, LLC in Carrboro, NC. He lives with his wife, Ellen and two daughters (Amelia and Chloe) in Calvander, NC, in the northern reaches of Chapel Hill. When he's not installing solar panels Ed performs as a musician in several music groups in the Chapel Hill area.

Fred Stewart - Solar Hot Water

For the past 25 years, anyone searching for solar energy equipment in the Triangle would have found Solar Consultants, founded by Fred Stewart. After graduating from the nation's first accredited alternative energy program, Fred started building and installing solar systems in 1977. After moving to the Triangle in 1979 he worked for two years with Apollo Solar a solar manufacturer building solar collectors and installing solar thermal systems.

In 1982, identifying a need for competent installation and service support, Fred ventured out on his own and Solar Consultants was born. In 1985 the government withdrew federal solar energy tax credits, critically crippling many in the solar industry, with the notable exception of Solar Consultants which survived by providing high quality solar installation and system maintenance services to Triangle customers.

Solar Consultants has installed thousands of thermal solar systems across the state and helped develop some of the most innovative solar energy systems in the world. In 2003 Fred partnered with Solargenix energy to redesign and repair three 150 collector solar domestic water heating systems at the Camp LeJune marine base in Jacksonville N.C. and in 2004 Fred designed improvements to and worked with Solargenix on the 180 collector thermal solar heating/cooling system at the administration offices of Austin Energy in Austin Texas. The work has expanded to include radiant floor heating.

Fred lives in Franklin County, North Carolina and spends much of his time in southern California with his granddaughter's family.

Maria Kingery, GreenPros LLC co-founder - Green Marketing

Maria is a cofounder of Southern Energy Managment. She currently serves as Director of Human Resources, and has more than 15 years of experience in business development, operations, sales and marketing.

Her responsibilities include building SEM’s top-notch team of sustainable energy professionals, and works to create a balanced work environment where people are challenged to grow and develop to their full potential, both personally as well as professionally.

Prior to co-founding SEM in 2001, Maria was retail operations manager for Burt's Bees. She helped create a business framework that led to increasing the availability of Burt's Bees products across the state and country, and opened the company's first retail store in Carrboro, NC. She also has more than a decade of experience in sales and marketing, primarily in the commercial printing industry.

Maria graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English Literature from NC State University.

Evelyn Contre - Green Marketing

Evelyn is the Founder and Managing Director of Springleaf Strategies, a marketing consulting firm specializing in the real estate and sustainability industries. With 12 years of diverse professional experience, her work includes strategic marketing activities, project management, and communication planning. Prior to founding Springleaf Strategies, Evelyn served in multiple roles at Greenfire Development and Highwoods Properties.

Evelyn works with her clients in a range of activities - from project manager to in-house marketing director. Her work includes media relations, communications strategy, marketing planning, and community outreach. Previously, Evelyn led system selections for marketing and sales tools to increase efficiency. Her experience also includes training and presentation development.

Evelyn graduated with honors from North Carolina State University, earning Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. She also holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mike Ruck, Rain Water Solutions, co-owner, Raleigh, NC - Water Conservation

Mike Ruck is passionate about rainwater harvesting and all things
environmentally friendly. He currently serves as "Chief Water
Officer" for Rain Water Solutions, providing oversight for all operations while coordinating sales and product distribution. Mike graduated from Appalachian State University and recently served as the southeastern representative for the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association, ARCSA. Mike sits on the Green Builders of the Triangle Education Committee and is an active member of the Emerging Builders of the Triangle, part of the US Green Builders Council.

Jessica McNaughton & Stacy Glass Integrated Interior Design and Products Selection

Jessica McNaughton is CaraGreen’s Director of Sales and Marketing. Jessica has fifteen years of sales and marketing experience in new product introduction, most recently for a green building products company based in Sunnyvale, CA. She has successfully managed the integration of wholesale partners, trained dealers, and had products specified into high-profile projects. Jessica is LEED AP and holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont.

Stacy Glass is the President of CaraGreen and is responsible for strategic partnerships and operations of the Company. Prior to joining CaraGreen, Stacy was a consultant working with the non-profit sector, private industry, and government to develop and execute start-up strategies for businesses and social enterprises. She specializes in all aspects of operationalizing a business including financial modeling, business development, and fundraising. Prior to starting her own consulting practice, Stacy was a management consultant for ten years with an international firm where she contributed to rapid growth and expansion by developing new markets and managing multi-million dollar projects. She holds a BA degree from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Duke University, where she participated in a unique global program that included on-site experience in over a half-dozen countries.

Carol Wilburn

Carol Wilburn is a Professional Engineer, consultant and educator for sustainable building design. Her work particularly considers the impact of buildings on energy and water systems. Ms. Wilburn has a broad background, with 19 years of experience in mechanical, facilities and process engineering, and sustainable systems design. She has a solid knowledge of Mechanical and Building Construction systems gained in industrial, commercial and residential projects, as a consulting engineer, general contractor and as Lead Thermal Engineer for construction.

She brings critical experience in integrated design and LEED® consulting with project teams in Orange, Wake and Chatham Counties, both as an engineering design professional and as a project team administrator for LEED® certification. Carol has also created dynamic, wide-ranging Energy, Water and Marketing presentations for green building design that educate and inspire. She has both delivered and developed professional seminars and reference manuals in the field, and has written website content promoting sustainable design. Ms. Wilburn is licensed as a Professional Engineer in North Carolina and Virginia. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Triangle Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and has been a LEED® Accredited Professional since 2004.

For descriptions of the workshops, visit our Workshops page.