GBI Staff

Vicki Worden

Vicki Worden is the President & CEO of the Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making buildings healthy places to live and work while reducing their impacts on the environment.

GBI makes aspirational goals achievable through user-friendly tools built upon comprehensive standards and supported by outstanding staff and expert assessors. GBI has third-party certified thousands of buildings across North America. Its Green Globes and Guiding Principles Compliance programs support every building situation from individual buildings with sole owners through some of the largest corporate and government portfolio owners in the world, including the Departments of Defense in both the United States and Canada.

Before taking the helm of GBI, Worden served as President of Worden Associates, Inc., a consulting firm, from 2005 to 2015 where she progressed sustainability goals in sectors that included government agencies and international non-profits. Her firm consulted on a diverse group of industries such as solar, wind, parking, furniture, mattress, composites, wood products, and rainwater harvesting.

Worden has previously served as the chair of the National Institute of Building Sciences Consultative Council, was a judge of the White House ‘Closing the Circle’ Awards, and served as the President of the Maine Women’s Network. She is an accomplished public affairs and association management professional holding an MBA from Loyola University in Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from West Chester University. She also earned the Institute for Organizational Management (IOM) credential from the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Worden moved from the Washington, DC, area to Camden, Maine in 2006 and brought her appreciation for remote working to GBI in 2015. GBI operates 100% remotely with staff and contractors throughout the United States and Canada and benefits from the volunteer time of its 700+ members and subject matter experts.

Nina Armstrong

In her role as Senior Manager of Marketing & Engagement, Nina provides market development support by establishing and maintaining relationships with national corporate portfolio managers and other portfolio managers, and community members. She represents GBI at various national conferences by attending, presenting at, and hosting booths as well as identifying speaking and sponsorship opportunities to increase brand awareness and bolster thought leadership programming. Prior to this role, Nina led project teams through Green Globes and Guiding Principles Compliance assessments and conducted training on the Client Services team.

Previously, Nina worked in member engagement, development, and fundraising for a variety of environmental nonprofit organizations and brings with her a passion for sustainable buildings and spaces.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Anthropology from Eckerd College.

Nina was born and raised in New York City and currently resides in Portland, Oregon.

Contact: narmstrong@thegbi.org

Megan Baker

As Associate Vice President of Engagement, Megan develops and executes GBI’s community building initiatives, including overseeing its marketing and communication strategies, leading education and training development, and representing GBI through partnerships and various national and municipal engagement activities throughout the commercial real estate industry. She is an expert presenter on GBI’s Green Globes and Guiding Principles Compliance programs and a passionate advocate for the benefits of credentialing as a Green Globes Professional, Guiding Principles Compliance Professional, or Green Globes Emerging Professional.

Megan and her engagement teammates work to open markets to ensure innovative tools and strategies are in the hands of facility design and operations teams as they implement integrated and standardized sustainability strategies.

Previously, Megan provided sustainability consulting and led stakeholder engagement for a Boston-based hospitality group and has worked in member relations in the luxury hospitality industry. She served as the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Pikes Peak Post Membership Chair and is a member of the ASAE Marketing Professionals Advisory Council. She resides in Rhode Island and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Mary Washington and a Master’s of Business Administration from Regis University.

Contact: megan@thegbi.org

Emily Bowers

As Director of State & Local Affairs for GBI, Emily provides support to GBI working with state and local government entities as well as interested policymakers providing educational resources on new and existing Green building requirements.

Emily Bowers is an Atlanta native with more than six years of outreach, advocacy, and public policy experience. Early in her career, Emily worked for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs where she fostered inclusive, affordable, and sustainable housing opportunities throughout the state. This experience made her passionate about policies that impact the built environment.

Most recently, Emily worked to advance lighting quality, energy efficiency, and the adoption of codes and guidelines that promote sustainability for an international association based out of Chicago, Illinois.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in public policy from Northwestern University. She resides in Atlanta.

Contact: ebowers@thegbi.org

Anna Bushee

Anna comes to GBI with a background in non-profit educational association management, customer service, and direct caregiving. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s in Communication and a minor in Anthropology.

In her role as Manager of Client Services and Engagement, Anna provides highly detailed project management and administration of building certification projects, assists in the delivery and development of promotional and educational materials, and ensures the delivery of high-quality customer support that GBI is known.

She currently resides in western Pennsylvania.

Contact: abushee@thegbi.org

Kate Callahan

In her role as Director of Client Services and Engagement, Kate provides highly detailed project management and administration of building certification projects, assists with general inquiries, and develops and delivers educational training.

Kate brings to GBI nine years of experience in customer service roles, as well as three years of project management, both in for-profit and nonprofit settings. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s in Art History and Italian from the University of Arizona. She is passionate about sustainability and resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Contact: kate@thegbi.org

Kat Cooper

In her role as Manager of Creative Content, Kathryn “Kat” identifies creative ways to connect with the GBI community, contributes to the strategy and implementation of social media content, and manages GBI’s brand and website design.

Kat adds to GBI graphic design and branding experience from a variety of industries. She holds both a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Idaho and an associate’s degree from the Art Institute of Portland. She is an avid rock climber and resides in Portland, Oregon.

Contact: kat@thegbi.org

Adam Feiszli

In his role as Sr. Manager of Client Services & Operations Adam provides highly detailed project management and administration of building certification projects, assists with general inquiries, and develops and delivers educational training.

Adam brings to GBI four years of customer service and support experience, along with a background in Environmental Consulting. He holds a bachelor’s in Geology from the University of Rhode Island as well as a bachelor’s in Chinese. Adam is fluent in Mandarin and has lived, worked, and studied in China for over two years. He was born and raised in upstate New York and currently resides in Portland, Maine.

Contact: afeiszli@thegbi.org

Elizabeth Fjerstad

In her role as Sr. Manager of HR & Administration, Elizabeth provides support to a variety of services with GBI, including managing our day-to-day HR operations, finance and administration programs, assisting with general inquiries, and various other administration programs.

She comes to GBI with experience in both customer service and human resource administration. Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Arizona University with an emphasis on Interdisciplinary Studies. She resides in Peoria, Arizona.

Contact: elizabeth@thegbi.org

Amryl Jenkins

As Sr. Manager of Accounting and Administration for GBI, Amryl supports GBI’s clients, leadership, and team members.

Prior to GBI, Amryl worked for 20 years in the office equipment technology industry, where she was able to obtain experience in general administration, office management, human resources, accounting, and sales support. Her experience in change management has taught her the importance of both building and maintaining relationships, the need for constant and clear communication, and the gravity of excellent customer service. She earned her associate’s degree from Tallahassee Community College.

Amryl enjoys giving back to her community. She serves as a volunteer youth basketball coach, participates in her local Adopt-A-Family program each year, and has hosted several food drives. She was born and raised in beautiful Monterey Bay, California, and currently resides in Ocoee, Florida.

Contact: ajenkins@thegbi.org

Emily Marx

As Senior Manager of Standards and Program Support, Emily manages and collaborates with volunteer subject matter experts to obtain consensus on technical requirements in GBI’s ANSI Standard. Emily has ten years of experience working in the association, environmental, and construction industries. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both Political Science and Environmental Studies from Ripon College and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) from the American Society of Association Executives.

Contact: marx@thegbi.org

Jenniffer Mata

In her role as Manager of Client Services and Engagement, Jen provides highly detailed project management and administration of building certification projects, assists with general inquiries, and develops and delivers educational training.

Jen comes to GBI with ten years of bilingual experience in customer service in both the private and public sectors. She has also gained experience in purchasing, communication, and financial tasks. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a tourism degree from Arizona State University (ASU) as well as a master’s degree in Global Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU.

She enjoys traveling throughout the United States and Europe and serves as an event coordinator for her local church. She was born and raised in El Salvador and currently resides in El Paso, Texas.

Contact: jmata@thegbi.org

Jenna Middaugh

As Vice President of Operations, Jenna leads multiple teams to drive organizational efficiency and effectiveness while maximizing user experiences.

Jenna brings expertise in customer service, operations, and project management in education, retail, banking, nonprofit, and healthcare verticals. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Arizona State University with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies and has worked and studied in France, Spain, and the U.S. She resides in Chandler, Arizona.

Contact: jenna@thegbi.org

Jenna Morgan Hamilton

Jenna is a Washington, D.C.-based leader with more than 20+ years of experience in the buildings and construction sector and significant expertise in public and governmental affairs. As Vice President of National Affairs for GBI, Jenna conducts outreach and education on green building issues with GBI’s growing list of national customers and stakeholders as well as non-profit and for-profit community members. Jenna is also the primary liaison for GBI to the federal government as GBI continues its support of federal Agencies and Congress in the shared pursuit of sustainability goals for the built environment.

While lending her skills to the Green Building Initiative, Jenna brings significant experience in construction practices, energy efficiency, sustainability technologies, liability and tax issues through her work with the Leading Builders of America—a trade group representing the nation’s largest home builders. Additionally, she worked for almost a decade for the National Association of Home Builders, where she was the Assistant Vice President for Government Affairs and the association’s principal government liaison for the NAHB Research Center, a 501c3 charitable organization now known as the Home Innovation Research Labs.

Jenna holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honors in Political Science and American government from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Sara Rademacher

Sara brings over 20 years of experience in project management and customer service to her role as Associate Vice President of Programs and Services. She works with customers to manage the assessment and certification process as well as assists with customer support inquiries.

Previously Sara worked for a business consulting and technology service company where she was the education and customer support manager. Her background also includes government relations, financial services, and education. She graduated with a degree in Economics from St. Michael’s College.

Contact: sara@thegbi.org

Annie Snyder

As Senior Manager of Educational Programming & Events, Annie works with the engagement team to develop and coordinate the Green Building Initiative’s calendar of events, including webinars, GBI hosted events and conferences. She oversees the end-to-end professional credential training development and serves as the lead production project manager for webinars and other online trainings. Annie also establishes and maintains relationships with higher education institutions to incorporate Green Globes and the GGEP training program into curriculum.

Previously, Annie planned and executed events for both nonprofit organizations and hospitality groups. She is passionate about nonprofit work and incorporating best practices into event standards. Annie graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Communication with a focus on media development. She currently resides in Cape May, New Jersey.

Contact: asnyder@thegbi.org

Kevin Stover, P.E.

Kevin Stover is the Chief Engineer with the Green Building Initiative. Stover works with the Green Globes rating system and offers support for design, construction and operation of commercial buildings. Stover is responsible for tracking registered projects, interfacing with members and users; addressing technical issues; and reaching out to prospective users, organizations and public entities. He is also responsible for outreach and coordination with the education and healthcare sectors as to the benefits of the Green Globes rating system.

Contact: kevin@thegbi.org

Micah Thomas

Micah Thomas is GBI’s primary content expert and heads development of GBI’s user-friendly assessment tools and rating systems. As Senior Director of Program Development & Compliance, Micah refines the assessment, rating and certification processes; develops customized tools and processes to meet the specific and unique needs of federal Guiding Principles Compliance users; and augments back-end administrative mechanisms. Micah is staff liaison for the Performance & Tool Development Committee. He also shares his expertise through webinars, speaking engagements, and participation in various organization’s conferences and programs.

Micah’s background is in project management for technical programs. Prior to joining GBI, he led the support department for Play N Trade Franchise Inc. in San Clemente, California. and was responsible at several organizations for hardware and software rollouts in cities across the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Whittier College.

Contact: micah@thegbi.org

Adam Wellen

In his role as Director of Membership and Community, Adam supports GBI’s mission by engaging with GBI members and maintaining the platforms which enable them and their organizations to collaborate, share, and learn.

Adam comes to GBI with a background in membership association management, customer service, and project management. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University at Albany and earned his MBA from Portland State University where he focused on marketing and sustainability. He currently resides in western Massachusetts.

Contact: adam@thegbi.org

Tori Yattaw

In her role as Senior Director of Finance and Administration for GBI, Tori supports GBI’s clients, leadership, and team members. She has 20 plus years of experience in accounting in both privately and publicly held corporations.

Prior to GBI, Tori worked for 15 years in the manufacturing industry where she led financial compilation and reporting audits and oversaw human resources. With accounting and compliance experience for small and large operations, she has a solid understanding of the importance of relationship building and excellent service.

Tori holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Southern Maine and currently resides in Warren, Maine.

Contact: tori@thegbi.org