Introducing the Team
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- Introducing the Executive Director
Gabriole Van Bryce is a forerunner in high-performance building design and possesses a 16-yr. design career in renovations management within the residential and commercial sectors. She has been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2004 and a LEED-Homes Certifying Agent since 2007. Additionally, she has accrued over 200 hours of technical training in high-performance building and energy-efficiency through the United States Department of Energy, the United States Green Building Council and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Ms. Van Bryce is also an experienced green building educator and has been a frequent guest instructor at conferences, workshops and colleges throughout the United States. Recently, she was invited to be a statewide radio speaker for Build a Safer Florida, a project of the Florida State Building Commission, the Department of Community Affairs and Governor Crist’s Climate Change Initiative.
Gabriole Van Bryce has lived in Miami Beach since 2006 and currently serves on the City of Miami Beach’s Sustainability Committee, representing Commissioner Michael Gongora; the Greater Miami & the Beaches Hotel Association’s Green Hospitality Council; and the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainable Business Council. She was the organizing Chair for the first annual Mayors’ Green Initiatives for Economic Growth, August 2010, hosted by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and City of Miami Beach Mayor Mattie Herrera Bower. -
Christopher Block is the founder and co-owner of the of the Miami-Dade franchise of Pro Energy Consultants, America’s first national energy auditing firm. Pro Energy provides customized, comprehensive energy audits designed to maximize a home or commercial building’s comfort and energy efficiency while reducing costs and carbon footprint. Christopher has tremendous passion for sustainable building and is dedicated to helping South Floridians increase the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses, save money on their energy bills, and reduce their impact on the environment.
Previously, Christopher was a partner at Job2Career, an international healthcare recruiting and staffing firm responsible helping more than 500 foreign nurses emigrate to the US to work at hospitals across the United States. He has also worked for Dacra, a Miami real estate development firm who projects include the Miami Design District and Aqua.
Christopher received his bachelor degree and MBA from Duke University and his Master's Degree in Architecture from the University of Miami. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and has also been certified as a Building Analyst by the Building Performance Institute. He resides in Coconut Grove, Florida with his wife Catherine and their son Sander. -
- Co-Founder
Carlos is a graduate of West Point. He later served as a commissioned officer in several Army units including the 101st Airborne Division (Ft. Campbell, Kentucky), the 2d Infantry Division (Camp Stanley, Korea), and the 18th Airborne Corps Support Group (Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia). As an Army aviator, Carlos had a bird’s-eye view of our environment while piloting the UH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopter, the OH-58 scout helicopter, and the UH-1 Huey utility helicopter. He achieved the rank of Captain before leaving military service.
Carlos followed up his military career with a legal career. He earned a law degree from the Florida State University College of Law and later became a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., where he currently practices commercial litigation. He is also a graduate of the Global Executive MBA program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Carlos also devotes time to pro bono legal services and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Legal Services of Greater Miami, an organization dedicated to providing free legal services to Miami-Dade County’s low income citizens. -
Lynette Cardoch is a supervising scientist with MWH Americas, Inc. with an emphasis on water quality, coastal sustainability, environmental restoration and coastal policy. Previously, Lynette was a research scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency in North Carolina. Her research focused on nitrogen in the Neuse River Basin. More broadly, her interests lie in the distribution and allocation of water resources, both in terms of quality and quantity, for natural and human environments.
Lynette received her PhD. from Louisiana State University (Oceanography and Coastal Sciences). She was a Fulbright Scholar in Barcelona, Spain focusing on ecological economics. Lynette received her M.A. from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami (Marine Affairs and Policy) and her B.A. from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges (Biological Anthropology). -
Matthew Flax is a consultant in the FTI Forensic and Litigation Consulting/ Construction Solutions segment and is based in Miami, Florida. Mr. Flax has approximately 5 years of experience which includes owner’s representation, construction management, design/build, and construction related forensic accounting. He has provided construction litigation support, project administration and project planning on large commercial projects.
Mr. Flax has expertise in golf course management/design and has worked on a construction renovation/re-design of a golf course as well as specializing in the design/construction of customized amenities such as synthetic putting greens, athletic fields as well as recreational facilities and town/city parks.
Mr. Flax holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from the University of Maryland with a background in Architecture focusing on golf course management. He is also currently completing his Masters program at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business at Nova Southeastern University seeking a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. Mr. Flax is a licensed General Contractor and a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional in New Construction and Major Renovations. -
- Chairman of the Board & Co-Founder
Nick Gunia was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Miami, Florida. He graduated from Dartmouth College (home of the Big Green!), where he received his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Nick earned his Juris Doctor degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was on the University of Miami Law Review.
He began his career at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City, where his practice areas included mergers and acquisitions, banking and investment management. At Davis Polk, Nick advised Fortune 500 clients, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., AT&T and Johnson Controls, as well as private equity funds and investment advisers.
From June of 2003, Nick was C.E.O. and General Counsel of K.G. International, Inc., a leading Miami-based distributor of packaging and raw materials. He is a 2005 graduate of the Leadership Miami program of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Today is President of Alterna Corp., the leading supplier of green building products in Florida, Georgia and the Caribbean. In his spare time, Nick enjoys painting, collecting contemporary Chinese art and going to the beach. -
Jenny May was raised in Las Vegas, NV and moved to Miami, Florida in 1990. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree, in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry, from Florida International University. After graduating, Jenny began her career with LAW Engineering and later moved to Tallahassee, Florida where she worked for the Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Air Division. There she conducted compliance and enforcement inspections for Title V and Non-Title V stationary sources, inspected renovations and demolition projects complying with the National Emissions Standards for Asbestos, and Open Burning complaints. She later was transfered to the Ombudsman's Office, where she provided educational assistance and training outreach to small businesses regarding compliance with the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and assisted with the development of rules and guidance.
She later moved back to Miami, where she worked for Miami-Dade County Environmental Resources Management (DERM) and managed various activities and projects of the Urban CO2 Reduction Program. This included calculating greenhouse gas analysis for Miami-Dade County, transportation and energy related issues. After DERM she coordinated the “Everglades Restoration Initiative” for Montgomery Watson and later became the Coordinator of the Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative (BBPI) for the Biscayne Bay Foundation and the FAU/FIU Joint Center for Environmental and Urban Problems. The BBPI was a year long scoping process designed to produce a report of recommendations to the Florida Legislature in 2001.
She is a dedicated environmentalist who serves on several boards which promote sustainability awareness and regulations with the intention of fighting global warming even if it means planting and hugging a few trees on the way to the office or her passion for mentoring women towards leadership roles in the society as a Board of Directors member for the Girl Scouts of Tropical South Florida. Her continued dedication to her civic duties and volunteering to her causes has made noticeable distinction within the community. She has made stride in the Political world by mingling with US Senator's, US Congressman’s and future President’s with planned fundraisers in her home.
Ms. May is also a top producing real estate “Green” agent. Her experience combined with her electric personality has given Jenny access to some of the wealthiest, most influential and sometimes famous residents of South Florida. She enjoys spending quality time with her son Reilly in the City of Coral Gables. She is a dedicated homeowner and landlord with several properties in Coral Gables and the State of Maine. -
- Officer of Board of Directors
Rennie Peddie was born and raised in Vermont, the Green Mountain State. Her background is primarily in business development and marketing, and she provides research and strategy consulting services in wireless telecommunications, energy consulting and the non-profit spaces. Rennie had the opportunity to serve as the Interim Executive Director for Dream in Green in 2010. In that role, she was successful at doubling enrollment for the Green Schools Challenge, and coordinating and delivering a professional development workshop for 200 attendees.
Previously, Rennie worked at Microsoft where she led the Latin American expansion of a program aimed at bringing computing and the Internet to middle and lower income segments in developing markets. Prior to Microsoft, Rennie held a number of marketing and strategy-related roles at companies focused on IT, telecom and research. Much of her work has been focused on Latin America, and she lived in Central America for a number of years as well.
Rennie received her B.A. from the University of Virginia, with a double major in Economics and Spanish. She attended the Kellogg School of Management for an Executive Marketing program, and she participated in a graduate course on Environmental Policy at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. -
- Co-Founder
Amy Rosenberg is an attorney and arts & environmental advocate who founded the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts young patrons group and is the co-founder of the environmental non-profit organization Dream in Green. Amy is a member of Art Basel’s Junior Host Committee and sits on the boards of LegalArt, the Funding Arts Network, New World Symphony’s executive committee and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Amy is a Leadership Miami alum and was a Fellow in the prestigious Miami Fellows Initiative. Amy has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.
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Karina was born and raised in The Netherlands. She moved to Miami to attend the University of Miami, where she received her Bachelor of Business Administration, cum laude, in Economics with a minor in Spanish. In addition, she was awarded Departmental Honors for outstanding student in her major. Prior to moving to Miami, she traveled around the world for a year visiting Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay and Spain.
She began her career at BankUnited in Coral Gables, where she graduated the formal commercial credit training program. After graduating the program, she worked as a Private Banker and Credit Analyst. She went on to work for Terrabank as an AVP/Credit Analyst. She is currently pursuing a joint Master of Environmental Management and Master of Business Administration at Duke. At Duke she is a member of Net Impact and the Energy club. -
- Board of Directors
Meital Stavinksy is an attorney with Greenberg Traurig. Based in the firm’s Miami office, she works as an Israeli Business Consultant and coordinates practice development and initiatives for the firm’s Israel Practice, a group of approximately 40 attorneys throughout Greenberg Traurig’s 29 offices. She is a member of the firm’s Global Climate Change Initiative, the Corporate and Securities Department and the Global Practice Group. Through frequent business trips to Israel, she has helped to connect numerous companies in Israel to joint venture partners, potential funding sources and to technology, intellectual property, and corporate and securities lawyers. Recently, she organized and served as a panel moderator for a “Global Resources Conference: The Challenge and the Opportunity,” a seminar held in conjunction with WATEC Israel 2007 (Water Technologies and Environmental Control) in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Prior to joining the firm, Meital served as director of legal and business development at Gilat Latin America Inc., a provider of telecommunications solutions based on Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite network technology. During the late 1990’s she was a legal correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s largest daily newspaper. Meital received her LL.M. from Tel Aviv University and is admitted to practice in New York and Israel. -
Jonathan Torrens is an attorney with Hogan & Hartson in Miami. He focuses his practice on commercial and international litigation and arbitration matters with an emphasis on cross-border disputes. While in law school, Jonathan was a senior editor for the Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business. He also conducted extensive research on the United States-Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) trade issues and led research trips to China and Russia. Prior to joining Hogan & Hartson, Jonathan served as a staff attorney to Justice Raoul G. Cantero, III at the Florida Supreme Court. Jonathan has a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and a B.A. from Duke University.
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Eric Wenke was born in Queens, NY and has lived in several cities before settling recently in Miami Beach, Florida. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in the Biological Basis of Behavior with a Concentration in the Physiology of Neural Systems. After graduating, Eric began his career at the New England Consulting Group, a boutique strategy consulting firm where he worked with C-Level Executives at Fortune 500 clients on acquisitions and new business development. Representative clients included Sprint, Heinz, Nabisco, Acxiom, AC Nielsen, Tickets.com and Sprague Energy.
After consulting, Eric next co-founded a profitable Internet Telephony start-up, Civicom, Inc., where he served for several years as Chief Operating Officer and currently sits on the Board of Directors. From 2004 to 2008, Eric lead Strategic Planning and Business Development practice for Telefonica North America, supporting and managing several Telefonica SA operations in the region with a focus on developing and bringing to market innovative communications solutions. Eric is currently AVP, Corporate Development at Baptist Health South Florida. Outside of work, Eric is an avid fan of life on the beach, reading, fitness/nutrition, music/entertainment and pop culture. -
- Director of Directors
Ben Wolkov was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and raised in London, England. He graduated from New College of Florida, the Honors College of the Florida University System, where he received his Bachelor of Arts, in International Relations. Ben earned his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was on the University of Miami Law Review, the University of Miami Moot Court Board and served as a Dean's Fellow.
Ben began his legal career in 2000 at the law firm of Hunton & Williams in Miami, Florida where he advised international power developers and financial institutions with respect to the development, construction, operation and financing of power plants and associated infrastructure in the US and Latin America. In 2005, Ben spent a year at Galicia y Robles, S.C., a prominent corporate law firm in Mexico City where he advised Mexican and foreign clients on a variety of cross-border transactions. In 2006, Ben spent a year at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP where he deepened his expertise in infrastructure and energy sector finance transactions. Ben currently works at McDermott, Will & Emery LLP in Miami, Florida where he advises clients on cross-border and domestic corporate transactions.
Ben has experience negotiating standard power sector agreements including power purchase, fuel supply, tolling and EPC agreements and is familar with different types of power technologies both conventional ( e.g. combined-cycle, coal-fired, co-generating and hydro) and alternative (e.g. geothermal, wind, solar etc.). Ben also volunteers for Dream in Green, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which is focuses on promoting environmental sustainability in South Florida, including energy and water conservation, green building and renewable energy. Ben is fluent in Danish and proficient in Spanish and Portuguese. In his spare time, Ben enjoys running and expanding his music collection. -
Pedro Zuloaga currently serves as Sustainability Practice Leader for URS Corporation in Miami, Florida. Pedro has served as an engineering, management and environmental consultant for URS in the United States and Latin America for 21 years. Pedro’s not for profit work centers around leveraging organizations with common goals in order to multiply the benefits to all. He focuses on connecting organizations that promote sustainability and education, and currently serves as co-chair of the K-12 program for theFlorida Engineering Society.
Pedro received his B.S. in civil engineering and M.E. from the University of Florida. He is a Professional Engineer in the State of Florida, also holds AVS (value engineering) and LEED AP accreditations.
Introducing the Advisory Board
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Jay Calkins was born in Orono, Maine and raised by a family who loved the outdoors and all things natural. He has a Bachelors in Biology from the University of Maine and a Masters from Florida State in Oceanography and Science Education. He taught high school for ten years in Florida before becoming a Sea Grant Academic Scholar back at the University of Maine, where he completed a Doctorate. Dr. Calkins spent the next nine years as the Associate Director of the University of Georgia’s Marine Extension Service and the Director of The Marine Extension Center in Savannah, GA.
While paddling in the Everglades, Jay met his future wife and moved to Miami to work as a teacher and science/math Department Chair at MAST Academy. During his five years at MAST, he developed one of the first AP Environmental Science courses in Dade County and also taught marine biology. Ransom Everglades School recruited Jay to join their faculty as science Department Chair and to teach AP Environmental Science. Dr. Calkins is in charge of the ‘Greening of Ransom Everglades’ and continues to be active outdoors in camping, diving, fishing and paddling. -
Dr. Wafa Khalili is Science Department Chair at MAST Academy, a magnet high school for marine sciences and technology. She currently teaching three honors classes in renewable energy at MAST. Dr. Khalil has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Claude Bernard in Lyon, France, an M.S in Science Education from Lebanese University, and a B.S. in Life Sciences from Lebanese University.
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Pamela Schlachtman is an educator at Palmetto Senior High School, a Sunshine State Scholar Outstanding Science Teacher in 2005 and 2006, and a 2007 Dade County Science Teacher of the Year. She is currently teaching five sections of Advanced Placement Environmental Studies at Palmetto. Pamela has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Miami, a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Florida International University and a M.S. in Environmental and Urban Studies from Florida International University.
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Bertha Vasquez has been teaching science (and occasionally French) for eighteen years. She is currently a science teacher at George Washington Carver Middle School. She have traveled extensively and participated or witnessed scientific studies in Antarctica, Africa, India, Australia, and the Amazon. She is married to an art teacher and has a 4-year old son.
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