Staff
Jack Hébert is President/CEO and founding chair of the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC). Jack spent his early years in Alaska wintering 60 miles from an Inupiat community in the mountains of the Northwest Arctic and summers in the “old” Denali Park. His mentors and teachers were the people that thrived in these environments, the First Alaskans that lived a traditional life and the next Alaskans, homesteaders and pioneers that brought change to a timeless land. His relationship and commitment to Alaska were born from these deep roots in the “Country.” For the past 36 years, Jack has been designing and building homes as a licensed general contractor in Interior Alaska through his companies Taiga Woodcraft and Hébert Homes LLC. His homes and planned communities have created many high-quality, well-designed, environmentally appropriate, and energy-efficient buildings over a long career.
Jack is a graduate of the University of Washington, a Certified Green Professional, and is trained in LEED standards. He has received numerous honors, including the U.S. Green Building Council Cascadia Fellowship in recognition of his contributions to sustainable building, design and science; the first State of Alaska Governor's Award for Excellence in Energy Efficient Design; and the Energy Rated Homes of Alaska President’s Award. He has twice been honored as the Alaska State Homebuilder of the Year.
As an active member of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Jack has held many leadership roles on local, state, and national levels including the NAHB Executive Board, National Vice Chair for the 5 Northwest States, President of the Alaska State Home Building Association and State Representative for Alaska. He addressed the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Energy on “Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment” and served as host and moderator of the Circumpolar Forum at the Sustainable Northern Shelter 2007. Jack has been an invited speaker at many conferences in North America and most recently in Scandinavia and Greenland. He and his wife Michele have raised five of Alaska’s next generation and look forward to watching their children’s children embrace a healthy, vital and sustainable future for the Circumpolar North.
Rose Baumes
Grants/Contracts Manager
Rose Baumes has 24 years in the contracting/purchasing field. She moved to Alaska in 1988 while serving in the military at Eielson Air Force Base. After retiring from the military in 1995, Rose and her family moved back to Alaska and made it their home. Rose is the grants/contract manager at CCHRC and is responsible for all grants and contracts.
Ilya Benesch
Building Educator
Ilya Benesch was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. He joined the CCHRC staff in August 2008 after spending the previous 15 years working as a residential carpenter. His educational background includes two years in an accredited furniture-making program at the Oregon College of Art & Craft and an associate’s degree in Wood Technology with an emphasis in Residential Construction from Seattle Central Community College. He also completed an intensive three-month apprenticeship touring with the Timber Framers Guild of North America, which left him with a lifelong passion for antique tools. His professional experience revolves around all phases of home construction, custom millwork and finish carpentry which he does out of his cabinet shop. Ilya has traveled and worked in many places, but ultimately came to the conclusion that he is unfit to live anywhere but Fairbanks. He works in the CCHRC design group writing educational articles, researching building trends, promoting energy-efficient construction, and answering building questions from the public.
Ryan Colgan
Chief Programs Officer
Ryan Colgan was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska where he studied political science and economics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He worked for six years as staff in the Alaska State Legislature during which time he primarily focused on energy and natural resource issues. He has also worked as the Executive Administrator of the Alaska Gasline Port Authority, and the Biomass Energy Project Liaison for the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
Aaron Cooke
Project Manager/Architectural Designer
Aaron Cooke has had a deeply rooted interest in the socially conscious development of rural communities for years. After graduating with a BA in Education, Linguistics, and English at the University of Northern Colorado, he worked with the U.S. Peace Corps as a Rural Developer in the Solomon Islands. There, he analyzed the needs of rural Melanesian communities in terms of water/sewage systems, electrical feasibility, and transportation. He implemented the first Ranongga Island electrical light system and designed a public school transportation project. This experience gave Aaron the desire to further his knowledge of infrastructure development by studying Soviet-Era Urban Planning and Russian language at Nobosibirsk State Tech. University, as well as, Construction Science in the Applied Science Program at the University of Alaska. He culminated his studies by pursuing a Masters of Architecture at the University of Cincinnati. Combining his interests and experiences Aaron worked with GBBN Architects of Cincinnati, OH in their China Studio and Health Care Studio. Joining the CCHRC in 2008, Aaron returned to Alaska eager to assist the rural communities in the state where he was born and raised. Recognizing the serious impact of climate change and the poor housing conditions of these communities, his focus has been on northern-specific adaptations to building techniques for native rural Alaskans. His dedication and expertise in this area solidified him as the Design Lead on the Mertarvik Evacuation Center where he worked with the Newtok community developing an environmentally and culturally sustainable facility.
Colin Craven
Product Testing Director
Colin moved to Alaska in 1991, leaving later to attend college, then returned to Fairbanks for work in 2001. He earned his BA in geology at the University of Colorado in 1998 and an MS in geochemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000. During his studies, Colin conducted research on mineral surface chemistry at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Georgia Tech. From 2001 to 2008, Colin worked in the field of environmental restoration of contaminated sites with a focus on sampling design, remediation, and evaluating the fate and transport of chemicals in the subsurface and indoor air. Since starting with CCHRC in 2008, Colin has led CCHRC efforts on building science projects, product tests and the development of the Certified Alaska Tough program.
John Davies
Senior Researcher - Energy Policy
John Davies received a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1975. He served as the State Seismologist for the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys from 1981-1986 and was a principal in creating the Alaska Earthquake Information Center and the Alaska Volcano Observatory while serving as State Seismologist for the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (1986-1992). John was an elected Representative to the Alaska State Legislature from 1992-2002 where he served on the Resources, Legislative Budget and Audit, and Finance committees. Along the way, John designed, built, and has resided in two energy-efficient homes. John was the CCHRC Research Director from 2003 to 2009 and is now the lead researcher at CCHRC on topics related to building energy efficiency policy, specializing in work advancing the AHFC Building Energy Efficiency Standard (BEES).
Corey DiRutigliano
Project Manager/Architectural Designer
Corey was born in raised in Columbus Ohio, and moved to Fairbanks in Fall 2011. He found his design and building calling at an early age with Lincoln Logs, K'nex, and through a collection of involuntary lessons in home repair. He tracked these interests through to a B.S. in Architecture at The Ohio State University, and later a Masters in Architecture at the University of Cincinnati. During this time he developed a passion for problem solving and has participated in a variety of design competitions around the world. From prototype research stations in the Antarctic and homeless shelters in urban Cincinnati, to solar-powered transportation infrastructure and recyclable cardboard furniture, he enjoys challenges of every scale and type. Corey hopes to apply his knowledge of visual representation, planning and design, as well as lend a swinging hammer on prototyping projects both in the research center and on-site. He is eagerly awaiting his first real winter in Fairbanks, and has assured his family that he will be on the lookout for bears.
Kathryn Dodge
Policy Research Director
Dr. Kathryn Dodge has been passionate and curious about arctic housing, energy efficiency and alternative structural design and energy production since the mid ‘70s. In her role as Policy Research Director at Cold Climate Housing Research Center she gets to ask interesting research questions and learn more about new building science, energy technology and research. Kathryn has a background in organizational management, regional and state economic development, IT, electronics, and systems theory. She also has a passion for gardening and animals. Her private menagerie is made up of Gracie, the Amazon parrot, Timmy, Perry, Moose and Bitsy, rescued Pekingese, and Tawney Amber and Oliver Oscar, rescued cats.
Michele Doyle
Chief Operations Officer
Michele grew up in Western New York, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at SUNY Fredonia. She began spending her summers working at Denali National Park in 1992, and traveled during the winter. After the summer of 1994 she moved to Healy year-round. During her nine years in Healy she worked for the National Park Service and private tourism businesses. Afterwards Michele spent five years in Minnesota working for a contracting company specializing in cold storage construction. In Minnesota, Michele lived in, and was very closely involved in, the conception and construction of a highly energy-efficient and sustainable ICF home, the design of which also focused on function, air quality, aesthetics, and minimizing sound. In September 2009 Michele earned her MBA at the Minnesota School of Business. Michele came back to Alaska and lives in Fairbanks with her twin children Cierra and Hunter. Michele oversees the general operations of the organization.
Birgitta Evans
Financial Administrator
Gitta was born and raised in Germany, and earned her Master’s degree in Audiology at the Technical Institute of Audiology in Lübeck, Germany. She moved to Alaska 14 years ago, and started her own bookkeeping business in 2003. She is the bookkeeper for CCHRC and the organization’s Sustainable Northern Communities addition. In her spare time she backpacks, hikes, motorcycles, reads, plays music, teaches and works with young people. She is the proud stepmom of six, and grand-stepmom of 11.
Robbin Garber-Slaght
Product Testing Lab Engineer
Robbin moved to Alaska in 1997 from Maryland, where she completed her B.A. in history, Spanish, and archaeology. She spent six years travelling and living in rural Alaska, in the process earning her M.S. in library and information science. In 2005 Robbin returned to school, finishing her B.S. in mechanical engineering at UAF in 2008. She is interested in ideas that will make living in Fairbanks more comfortable and sustainable.
Bruno C. Grunau, P.E.
Research Engineer
Bruno C. Grunau is enthusiastic about life. He is also passionate about developing and implementing socially conscious and sustainable technologies in Alaska and the North. Bruno joined the CCHRC team in the winter of 2011 after serving as the chief engineer for a local renewable energy firm that specializes in the design and fabrication of solar and wind energy systems. His efforts in renewable energy system design, consultation, and project management have been applied to on-grid residential and commercial systems, as well as off-grid remote applications. His experience installing and troubleshooting energy systems in Alaska constantly reminds him of the importance of a clean, well-planned, and functional system design. His passion for sustainable technologies began when participating on Virginia Tech’s Solar Decathlon Team in 2001. As an engineer, he spent six years at a shock and vibration test laboratory where testing and analysis were a part of his everyday life. Though he never knew it, these experiences were leading him to his current position, where the mission of the CCHRC merges with his passion. When not at work, he can often be found making music, dancing, and playing in the backcountry of Alaska.
Judith Grunau
Project Manager/Architectural Designer
Judith's career has focused on humanitarian relief, green building, and sustainable community design. She earned her Bachelors of Architecture at Virginia Tech. She was the Project Designer for Engineering Ministries International, Mussoorie, India where she designed orphanages, schools, and clinics. Judith developed her professional skills and green-building practices through internships in Virginia with SFCS, Inc; Dominion Development Resources; Sunbiosis, PLC; and in Fairbanks, Alaska with L64 Design. She is a LEED AP and a member of the Cascadia Green Building Council and the AIA. While her professional experience includes work on residential, commercial, and institutional projects, her passion remains in socially and environmentally conscious design. She continues to fuel her passion by leading projects in the Sustainable Northern Communities Program at CCHRC. Judith’s goal is to create holistic designs that help provide healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate, and environmentally sustainable housing for native rural Alaskans and people of the circumpolar north.
Sandee Mayo
Lead Administrative Assistant
Sandee grew up in California and moved to Fairbanks with her husband, Jim, in 1976. She worked in the banking industry as a secretary and was promoted to construction loan officer. She changed careers in the mid-80s and became a paralegal and office manager in the legal field, where she worked for 20+ years. Sandee is now part of CCHRC and wants to help make Alaskan homes more energy-efficient and affordable in our cold climate, especially in Fairbanks. Sandee earned associate degrees in Small Business and in Paralegal Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Sandee is also a PADI MST scuba instructor as well as a certified first responder and CPR instructor. She has two children who have built their own homes in Fairbanks and two beautiful grandchildren.
Molly Rettig
Communications Coordinator
Molly Rettig grew up in an old farmhouse in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She played soccer and studied sociology at the University of Richmond. After graduating in 2004, she moved to Colorado to ski, and later earned an MA in Journalism with a focus on Environmental Policy. She specializes in science writing, multimedia and digital storytelling.
She moved to Fairbanks to work as a reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in 2010, covering local government, science, education, and the environment. She became intrigued with the research coming out of CCHRC, publishing articles about Sustainable Northern Communities, energy efficiency, and other topics. She joined CCHRC to be part of an effort to make communities more sustainable.
Dave Shippey
Building/Project Manager
Dave Shippey had lived in eight states by the time he was 18. He studied electrical engineering at DeVry Institute of Technology and then earned his BA, Economics and BS, Finance from The Pennsylvania State University. After college he joined the banking world. Finding that it wasn't the type of work he enjoyed, he noticed that the "septic guys" were making more money than he was, and having more fun. So in 1993 he bought a dump truck, a backhoe and a bulldozer and went into the excavation business. A few years later he determined that it was actually the carpenters who were having the most fun, so he gave up his business and went to work for Jack Hébert at Taiga Woodcraft. In the mid-1990s he tested the waters of the general contracting world, building two homes. Then he returned to Taiga Woodcraft where he worked as a carpenter and foreman. When the CCHRC Research and Testing Facility was built, he was the working foreman for the project. After the building was completed, he was asked to stay on as the building manager.
David Slaght
Communications Liaison
David Slaght was born in Munich, Germany and spent his childhood moving around the world because of his father’s job with the U.S. State Department. In the summer of 2008, David came to Fairbanks to visit his brother and fell in love with it. David graduated from Eastern University, located in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, in 2010 with a major in sociology and a minor in Spanish and psychology. In the spring of 2011, after a year working for a security company, David decided that he wanted to experience life in Alaska. He was fortunate enough to meet several people working at CCHRC when he first moved to Fairbanks and was excited when an opportunity opened up. David enjoys playing sports, particularly soccer, hockey and badminton. David hopes to become more involved in camping, kayaking, and skiing now that he lives in Fairbanks.
Cole Sonafrank
Assistant Director of Research
Cole Sonafrank joined CCHRC after a 26 year career with the University of Alaska Fairbank's Geophysical Institute (GI). From 1995 to 2005 he managed the GI's Computer Resource Center providing a full range of Information Technology (IT) services to countless research projects in the GI and the International Arctic Research Center. From 1979 to 1995 he developed and managed the computing facilities for the Seismology and Volcanology research groups, the Alaska Earthquake Information Center and the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Cole's specialties were real-time data acquisition, automatic analysis and distributed network system development. Cole has a BA from UAF in Economics. He was elected to and served on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly and has also served on the FNSB Planning Commission. His personal interests revolve around his wife and two grown children and their fledging "Elves of Ester" art studio. Cole's responsibilities within the CCHRC include research project, outreach and IT management.
Ness Spencer
Research Scientist
Ness began working for CCHRC as an intern in 2010. She was born in New Mexico, grew up in Texas, and then moved to Colorado in high school. She received a BS in physics from Texas A&M in 2004 and then spent 2 years serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania before moving to Fairbanks. In Alaska, she earned a MS in physics from UAF while working as a teaching assistant for a distance education physics course. Her professional interests include all types of science education, sustainable housing and green energy. In her spare time, Ness enjoys paddling during the summer, skiing during the winter, and cycling year-round.
Kristen Thomas
Information Technology Specialist
Kristen was born in Alaska but moved to Michigan for six years to attend school before joining the CCHRC staff in October 2007. While in Michigan, Kristen was a certified massage therapist, land surveyor, and computer technician. Kristen worked at the University of Michigan Health System at the computer helpdesk and then as an application programmer/analyst. In 2010 she received her BS in Information Technology: Website Development from The University of Phoenix. Her personal interests include computer technology, roller skating, and photography.
Olin Twitchell
Building Assistant
As a fourth-generation Alaskan, Olin grew up in Port Alsworth/Lake Clark National Park and in Healy/Denali National Park before moving up to Fairbanks with his family for high school. Living in such unique places sparked a strong interest in his surroundings and fisheries. After a short stint of schooling (and skiing) in Bozeman, Montana, and a year abroad at the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science in Tromsø, Norway, Olin returned to Fairbanks to study fisheries at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). During the summers he worked as a carpenter building homes for Jack Hébert. In addition to his building experience, Olin has spent three field seasons working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Flathead Lake Biological Station as a fisheries bio-technician studying Salmonid biodiversity and productivity in riverine systems in western Alaska. Olin began working for CCHRC in the summer of 2009 and recently completed his BS in Fisheries at UAF.
By Valentine
Data Analyst/Sensor Technician
By Valentine joined CCHRC in 2011 after spending many years as a technician in the Glaciology Lab at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. She has a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in biological sciences. By moved to Alaska with her husband in 1996, but previously lived in the Carolinas, California and Colorado. Everywhere she has lived, she has thought about climatically-appropriate and energy-efficient housing design. By firmly believes that housing can and should be safe, affordable, energy-efficient, and aesthetically pleasing. Professionally, By likes working with data, solving quantitative problems, asking important practical questions and designing the tests to answer them. In her spare time, she likes playing with her daughter Laurel, gardening, woodworking, paddling, being outside, playing music and acting in plays.
Nathan Wiltse
Project Manager/Building Energy Economist
In December of 2007, Nathan Wiltse received his M.Sc. in Mineral Economics from UAF, where he worked closely with the Mining & Geological Engineering Department and the Economics Department. He has presented at the Alaska Mining Association Biennial Conference a number of times on such topics as, Assessing Risk in Achieving an Acceptable Rate of Return, and a Feasibility Model of a Rock Quarry. He worked on USARAK's pre-feasibility study for an All-Weather Crossing for the Tanana R. He graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota in 2000 with a B.A. in Economics. He minored in Computer Science and Management. While at St. Olaf he spent a year abroad attending the University of Ottawa in Canada. He was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska and attended West Valley High School.