Our Team

Sarah Armand, Director, Communications

Sarah leads the marketing and communication efforts and strategy for Home Innovation. Prior to joining the team, Sarah built her marketing knowledge in a professional association and an accounting firm. She graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and Public Administration where she also worked as a writing consultant. 

Pam Barksdale, Project Manager/Research Analyst

Pam is a Research Analyst II with nearly 20 years of experience in housing related research and real estate. She analyzes economic and statistical data and performs condition assessments for Home Innovation’s military housing clients. Pam is also part of our NGBS Green Certification team, providing verification report reviews and verifier guidance.

Katie Dorn, Green Building Programs Associate

Katie is Program Associate for the NGBS Green program, assisting with day-to-day program management, including certification reviews, verifier support, advocacy efforts and ESG development. She joined the Home Innovation team in 2022 with experience in the green building industry, previously interning for one of our verifiers. Katie holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland.

Michelle Foster, Vice President, Sustainability

You can usually find Michelle on the road touting the benefits of our green building certification program based on the ANSI-approved National Green Building Standard®. Prior to joining Home Innovation Research Labs, Michelle cultivated decades of housing experience in planning, environmental, land use, and financing issues.

Ed Hudson, MBA, Director, Market Research

Ed has 20 years of experience conducting research in the home construction industry. He and his staff conduct a wide array of both qualitative and quantitative marketing research supporting the development and commercialization of new building products and technologies.

Kevin Kauffman, Research Engineer II

Kevin is involved in a variety of projects for Home Innovation in support of HUD, DOE, NAHB, and USDA Forest Products Lab programs. His work spans both the Building Science and Laboratory divisions, and includes residential regulations and code issues, product standards, technology innovations, and construction systems, which affect the affordability, safety, and livability of homes.

David Mallay, Research Engineer

David conducts research and engineering analysis on residential HVAC and building enclosure systems for Home Innovation and works as a project and research engineer for our U.S. DOE Building America team. Dave is also a BPI Certified Building Analyst Professional, BPI Certified Envelope Professional, and part of our NGBS Green Certification team.

Lynda Marchman Mosteller, NGBS Green Certifications Administrator

Lynda is the Certifications Administrator for Home Innovation’s NGBS Green Certification Program, which means she manages our extensive program database and all the daily interactions with NGBS Green Verifiers as well as other program partners. From top to bottom, if you’ve received correspondence regarding the NGBS Green program, you’ve likely had contact with Lynda!

Joanne McAlpin, NGBS Green Programs Associate

Joanne is Programs Associate for the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), the first ANSI-approved consensus standard on green building, assisting in day-to-day certification program administration through-put as well as acting as lead for Home Innovation’s training programs, including the Verifier accreditations, NGBS Green PRO, and the AIA and ICC continuing education opportunities. She also assists the Green Certified Products program and our advocacy and research work.

John Peavey, PE, Director, Building Science

Re-joining Home Innovation in August 2019 as our Building Science Division Director after a stint at AIA, John leads a broad range of projects in support of DOE, NAHB, HUD, USDA FPL, and American Chemistry Council (ACC) programs to improve the performance, safety, and affordability of housing. His team conducts performance assessments of new housing systems in the field, new construction technologies, construction best practices, universal design, NGBS Green reviews, construction codes and standards development, energy efficiency, and field assessments of existing residential construction.

Pranav Phatak, Research Engineer

Pranav is a Mechanical Engineer who joined the Home Innovation team in 2020, splitting his time between the Building Science and NGBS Green Certification divisions. He is an EIT and LEED - Green Associate with specific skills in MEP, building commissioning, CAD, and manufacturing, and extensive knowledge of HVAC and thermal systems, renewable/non-conventional energy, and power plant equipment operations.

Deanna Williams Seale, PE, Director, Laboratory Services

Deanna is a licensed professional engineer with expertise in materials testing, structural forensics, and the design and restoration of buildings, bridges, and other structures. She provides consulting and engineer-of-record services for Home Innovation clients seeking code compliance recognition for their products and innovative technologies.

Nay Shah, PE, Test Lab Engineer

Nay is a Research Engineer with mechanical engineering and analysis expertise in HVAC systems. He leads and provides technical support as a project and research engineer for Home Innovation’s Building America Program work. He also conducts verification reviews for the NGBS Green Certification program and administers HUD’s Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee.

Tynica Stefun, Project Manager

Tynica is an experienced project manager with the knowledge and capability to plan, implement and monitor projects from start to finish. Her proven track record of meeting high expectations, managing multiple tasks, and successfully delivering projects on schedule is an asset to the Building Science Division. Ms. Stefun is skilled in communicating with private and government clients and providing data analysis to produce and deliver all reporting requirements.

Chris Steuble, Associate Director, Market Research

Chris has been in the market research industry for over 20 years and has been Manager of the Builder & Consumer Practices Survey (BPS/CPS) program for over a decade. Chris develops building materials demand data using expertise in conducting nationwide surveys, analysis of building industry activity, construction technologies, and data computational modeling. The scope of his work includes new home construction, home remodeling, and non-residential building construction—in the U.S. and Canada.

Elina Thapa, Research Engineer

Elina has been studying various building codes and standards and their cost impacts and researching on disaster resilience policies and retrofit techniques. One of her favorite projects was studying the cost implications of a residential photovoltaic system. After graduating with a Civil Engineering degree in 2016, Elina worked in the reconstruction project where she mostly inspected the construction of houses in a rural village in Nepal. Having worked closely with builders, homeowners, and engineers, she understands the need of sustainability in construction and is glad to be a part of our NGBS Green reviewer team.

Jon Violette, Manager, Marketing Research

Jon joined our marketing research team with more than 25 years of marketing & advertising research experience. Working for some of the nation’s leading advertising agencies and marketing research firms, Jon has designed and analyzed research for many of world’s most influential brands, including American Express, AT&T, General Motors, and Kraft Foods, to name just a few. Yours could be next!

Cindy Wasser, MBA, Senior Manager, Green Building Programs

Cindy leads technical oversight, advocacy, and manufacturer engagement for the NGBS Green certification program. Prior to Home Innovation, Cindy was a consultant with ICF where she supported the implementation of EPA’s residential labeling programs, including ENERGY STAR, Indoor airPLUS, and WaterSense. Previously, she provided sustainability technical assistance at the National Association of Counties and engaged communities for long-range planning within the City Planning Department of Montpelier, Vt. Cindy holds an MBA in Sustainability from Bard College and a B.S. in U.S. Environmental Policy from Rutgers University.