Page 18 - Green Builder Media Sustainability Symposium 2018

Speakers In order of appearance

Ron Jones, President, Green Builder Media— Mike Hess, VP Smart Cities, Panasonic—
considered one of the pioneers of the green Hess leads Panasonic’s Smart & Sustainable
building movement, Jones has been a national Buildings team and supports CityNOW
award winning green builder for over 35 years. initiatives for smart and sustainable cities.
Jones co-founded Green Builder Media to He has expertise in sustainability and LEED
deliver essential information about sustainable consulting, energy modeling, commissioning,
living to building professionals, manufacturers, and homeowners water re-use, renewable energy, micro-grids, energy storage,
across North America. The only person to have ever served on and intelligent control systems, code development, and
the Boards of Directors for both the NAHB and USGBC, Jones corporate standards for private organizations. Hess is currently
works with individuals and organizations across the country to the Chair of the USGBC Florida.
influence green building programs, national codes, and policy. CR Herro, VP Innovation and Sustainability,
His passion for sustainability and demand for quality has shifted Meritage Homes—Herro has a 25-year history
the paradigm within and beyond the industry, and his unique of successful industry disruption and new
ability to inspire people, blended with his extraordinary business development for multi-billion dollar
credentials, makes him a true champion of change.
construction industries, running business
Mayor Buddy Dyer, Mayor of Orlando— development, green building, and M&A groups
Buddy Dyer has served as Mayor of the City of for Vulcan Materials, Lafarge / Holcium, and Meritage Homes.
Orlando since 2003, and from his first day in In 2009, Herro joined Meritage Homes (eighth largest
office, he has worked tirelessly to advance the production builder in the country) as the Vice President of
community’s shared vision for Orlando as one Innovation, where he has led their efficiency, automation,
of the nation’s fastest-growing cities focused renewable, and advanced building programs.
on inclusiveness, opportunity and quality of life, with a strong Governor Martin O’Malley, 61st Governor of
focus on innovation, transportation, sustainability and Maryland—O’Malley served two terms as
government efficiency. Governor of Maryland from 2007-2015. Prior

Jeremy Rifkin, President, Foundation on to that, he served two terms as Mayor of
Economic Trends and TIR Consulting Baltimore. O’Malley has been recognized for his
Group—economist, futurist, and author of skillful leadership of Maryland and his success
The Zero Marginal Cost Society and The Third in implementing critical progressive priorities such as raising
Industrial Revolution, Rifkin is working with the minimum wage, signing marriage equality into law, abolishing
leaders in the U.S., European Union, and China the death penalty and passing the DREAM Act to provide in-
to implement comprehensive local and national sustainability state tuition for undocumented immigrants. In 2016, O’Malley
plans to mitigate climate change. Rifkin believes that buildings ran for the Democratic Nomination for President of the United
are the key to transforming our current energy and economic States, and many of his policy proposals became part of the
paradigm—he considers them to be the ‘nodes’ for smart most progressive Democratic Party platform in history.
technology, connectivity, and renewable energy.

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