Mel Baiser
(they/them)
Co-Founder, Director of Vision & Strategy
Mel believes in the transformative potential of the construction sector. This industry, which contributes nearly 40% of the carbon emissions wreaking havoc on our planet, is well positioned to become a catalyst for change in the movement for climate justice. Mel is passionate about making that happen. One could say Mel was destined to enter the construction trades. A 7th-generation Vermonter, they come from a long line of builders and homesteaders. After years working as a residential carpenter, project manager, and estimator in both the San Francisco Bay Area and New England, Mel couldn’t ignore the tremendous opportunities for improvement they saw for the industry. With a degree in sociology, decades of organizing experience, and a desire to engage with the building world, Mel co-founded HELM to provide a much-needed service—while simultaneously disrupting business as usual. They became a BPI- and PHIUS-certified professional, are an ICF ACC-accredited coach, and have been providing business consulting, coaching, and project management services to companies throughout North America over the past ten years. As Director of Vision and Strategy, Mel leads the effort to generate and hold HELM’s vision of making a positive impact on the world in the areas of climate change and social justice. They live in Brattleboro, VT, with their wife and son where they enjoy monthly hikes on big mountains, speaking Spanish, and listening to music.
Kate Stephenson
(she/her)
Co-Founder, Director of Training & Finance
Kate is an experienced leader in the fields of green building, professional education, sustainability, and business management. She’s worked with established and emerging businesses and non-profits to achieve triple bottom line metrics, develop business systems, and plan for a dynamic and resilient future. She has deep experience in post-secondary education, and led the Yestermorrow Design/Build School for over thirteen years. Kate helped to develop and is a facilitator for NESEA’s BuildingEnergy Bottom Lines program. Kate is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program, a member of the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, and serves on the Boards of NESEA and the Studio for High-Performance Design and Construction. She holds an MS in Management from Antioch University New England and a BA in Anthropology and Environmental Science from Haverford College.
Karen DeTemple
(she/her)
Professional Coach
With over three decades in the nonprofit sector, Karen has been instrumental in helping change-making organizations raise millions of dollars through impactful strategic planning, leadership activation, donor engagement, and relationship building.
She also coaches brave individuals toward their optimal path. She is committed to unlocking the remarkable potential of my clients, so they can achieve extraordinary results and create a brighter future for all.
Karen is a member of the Board of Trustees at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and recently took on the deep, challenging work of completing my Being True To You Addiction Recovery and Psycho-Spiritual Integration Coaching certification.
Karen has had the opportunity to live across the country and currently splits her time between Boston and Mexico and brings her adventurous Shiba Inu, Shiva, with her on all of her adventures. Karen loves traveling, playing tennis, scuba diving, and weight training and is learning Spanish in the hopes of becoming bilingual. She has a son at UMass Amherst enrolled in the Building and Construction Technology program.
Kevin Huntting
(he/him)
Professional Coach
As a professional coach, Kevin Huntting specializes in helping leaders and changemakers build greater self-awareness so they can make an even bigger impact in the world. He describes himself as a humanist and very early on in life he recognized the power, beauty, and potential that every individual possesses. Human connection feeds his soul! And, it helps maintain our emotional and physical health, and it has the power to deepen the moment, inspire change, and build trust. He spent over 17 years working in senior marketing functions like CRM, Ecommerce, and Digital Marketing for Fortune 500 brands like GE, Gap Inc., Fossil Group, and the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC before launching his own coaching practice 2 Steps Forward Coaching. He has had the opportunity to live in amazing places like San Francisco, Mexico City, DC, and Miami, and he shares his life with his husband Jonathan and their 2 crazy husky mixes Teo and Tulum. He loves indie music, live music venues, new music, traveling, learning about different cultures, and dancing loudly and unapologetically wherever there is a good beat.
Tia Garcia
(she/her)
Business Consultant & Professional Coach
Tia has 30 years of construction experience, with over 20 years as supervisor, self-employed general contractor, and project manager. She developed her carpentry and leadership skills while working in and around New York City. She moved to the Brattleboro area in 2001, where she developed a loyal customer base and ventured into the exciting world of commercial construction as site supervisor and project manager/estimator for complex and demanding projects. She is motivated by love and respect for all with a deep sense of Oneness. While she was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, she considers Brooklyn, NY to be the Motherland. She currently lives in South Kingstown, RI and enjoys dancing and adventures with her boyfriend, Kurt. She is a Passive House U.S. Certified Builder and is a Certified Integrative Life Coach through Integrative Wellness Academy.
Paul Eldrenkamp
(he/him)
Business Consultant
Paul’s first job in construction was building panelized passive solar livestock confinements in Eldora, Iowa in the late 1970s. Shortly after finishing college, in 1983 he founded Byggmeister, Inc, a residential design-build remodeling firm. In 2014, Byggmeister began a conversion to employee-ownership that was completed in October of 2021. Paul was an early participant in groundbreaking remodeling industry peer review groups such as Les Cunningham’s Business Networks and Linda Case and Victoria Downing’s Remodelers Advantage; from that experience he went on to co-found NESEA’s Bottom Lines peer review networks with Jamie Wolf and John Abrams in 2014 and continues to serve as a group facilitator. He was a member of the first Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) training with Katrin Klingenberg in Urbana IL in 2008, and a founding member of the Passive House MA board in 2010. He has served on NESEA’s board and as chair of the Building Energy 13 conference. Over the years, he has written several dozen articles on business and technical topics for the Journal of Light Construction, Green Building Advisor, and Fine Homebuilding. Most recently, he helped establish NESEA’s BEST program, which creates mentoring and career discovery opportunities between small design, construction, and engineering businesses and students from Boston-area vocational high schools.
Brad Richards
(he/him)
Project Team Captain & Business Consultant
Brad brings over 20 years of construction experience to HELM. He has worked as a carpenter, supervisor, project manager, and director of operations for residential remodeling companies in Maine and Massachusetts. He currently holds a Massachusetts Construction Supervisors License, as well as OSHA10 and Lead Safe certifications. He enjoys project planning as much as executing a build, and loves to work as part of a team. He has developed training programs for carpenters and supervisors, and has experience implementing and improving company practices. He renovated his home in Somerville, Massachusetts to incorporate energy efficient technology which was featured on the Sustaina-Ville tour as a resource for neighbors interested in performing their own improvements. After moving to Maine with his wife and two young children he renovated their home in Portland using recycled insulation and removing the oil heat in favor of electric heat pumps. He now enjoys being outside with his kids instead of tearing down chimneys or wiring condensers.
Erin Rennoldson
(she/her)
Project Manager
Born in Vermont, Erin brings to HELM over fifteen years of experience working in the construction industry in a variety of roles. A Passive House U.S. Certified Builder, her knowledge of interior design, kitchen & bathroom cabinetry, windows & doors, and plumbing & lighting fixtures positions her well to support our clients during the selection process. As a project manager, Erin fulfills many of the duties to keep a renovation or new construction project organized, on budget and on schedule. With a BA in Environmental Science from Franklin Pierce, Erin is constantly seeking ways to lessen our footprint on the planet, from the simple tasks of specifying locally sourced and sustainable materials, to the big picture of being a part of creating high-performance buildings.
Lilly LaPage
(she/her)
Project Manager
Lilly brings to HELM years of estimating and project management experience working in high-end residential construction in the Greater Boston Area. She currently holds a Massachusetts Construction Supervisors License and a BA from Hampshire College. She enjoys developing projects and improving the estimating process. Lilly recently renovated her own home employing energy-efficient technology and locally sourced materials. Born and raised in San Francisco, she moved to Massachusetts in 2006 where she currently resides with her wife.
Chrissy Lee
(she/her)
Graphic Designer
Chrissy is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in Southern Vermont. Her multi-disciplinary practice is geared toward helping businesses develop an impactful and consistent visual brand—as well as practical tools and skills to level up their design game. Her expertise include print and digital design, illustration, branding/logo design, and marketing strategy.
Sabrina Carpenter
(she/her)
Project Manager
Sabrina has over 20 years of construction experience in the field, from roofing to carpentry and property management. She’s spent over a decade as a project manager for custom home builders, Habitat for Humanity, and materials supply houses. Sabrina grew up in Korea and Iowa, and her work and love of road trips has taken her across the country many times. She graduated high school at age 16 and went on to get a certificate in the building trades. She lives in Jersey City, NJ with her wife, her son, and her dog and spends her spare time in the woodshop, enjoying delicious food, and driving her motorcycle. Sabrina came to HELM because she wants to be part of implementing a better approach to how construction projects are managed.
Kath McCusker
(she/her)
Operations and Training Manager
Kath has been working in the design and construction fields for over 20 years. She was a Museum Exhibition Designer before shifting gears to focus on sustainable construction and green buildings. Her professional work has focused on green building certification systems and she is an experienced Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Living Building Challenge consultant. For the latter projects she took a deep dive into the world of healthy building materials, creating training materials that made this complex process more manageable for project teams. Kath and her family live in the hills of Western Massachusetts in an off-grid home. Kath holds a BA in Anthropology from McGill University, an MA in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design from the University of the Arts and an MS in Environmental Conservation with a Concentration in Building Systems from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Justin Watts
(he/him)
Professional Coach
Justin spent 14 years in commercial general contracting, starting in the trades and eventually becoming CFO for an ENR 400 contractor. Because of this, Justin understands the unique demands that construction places on both field and office staff. As a professional coach, Justin’s focus is on the deeper meaning behind our pursuits - not just what we are pursuing and striving for, but why, and just as importantly, how. He recognizes that the future is merely a collection of present moments, and to have a future filled with purpose, enjoyment, and love, our present moments must also be made up of these. This focus on intentional living, paired with practical implementation and support, allows his clients to create the future they dream of in the now. Justin is an autodidact and polymath with a wide range of interests. He loves cooking, practices Brazilian jiu jitsu and yoga, and is a breathwork instructor and spiritual guide. He is also a voracious reader, loves the outdoors, and is energized by travel and adventure. Justin holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Harding University. He is a Certified Professional Coach and ELI-MP through iPEC, and an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. He lives in Little Rock, Arkansas and shares his life and his love with his girlfriend Molly, his two children, Henry and Claire, and their three dogs.
Navid Foroughi
(he/him)
Business Consultant
Navid joined the HELM team after starting and running a successful residential construction company with his father over the last 19 years. He has specialized in energy-efficient building in North Alabama and tailored each custom home based on client preferences - including insulated concrete forms, solar power, and geothermal. He has worn many hats including laborer, office manager, and project manager. Navid studied Psychology in college and is passionate about teaching and social action. He is working to build an equitable and just culture in the construction industry and encouraging other entrepreneurs to do the same. Navid is an ultramarathoner and avid hiker and enjoys exploring all mountain ranges and traveling with his wife, two daughters, and dog Coconut. Navid serves on the Desegregation Action Committee for Huntsville City public schools, and he would like to learn more about aquaponics and start a sustainable farm.
Lisa Holt
(she/her)
Professional Coach
Lisa is a life coach, transpersonal counselor, and keynote speaker. She enjoys helping her clients strategize on effective communication practices in all types of relationships.
Lisa holds a Master's degree in Human Services Counseling with an ICCA certification in Life Coaching. She comes from a background of salon ownership for many years and uses that experience in her leadership skillset. She is currently working on her PhD in Counseling. In addition, she has also completed numerous leadership and mastery programs including SYMBIS certification and Reiki I, II, and III.
She lives in central Florida with her loving husband and spends her free time gardening.
Marisol Camacho
(she/her)
Coaching Coordinator & Professional Coach
Marisol Camacho is an iPEC Certified Life Coach and Certified Trauma-Informed Professional, on a mission to empower individuals to create lives, careers, and relationships that inspire them. She is dedicated to the well-being of her clients, so she uses a holistic approach to help her clients actualize balance and achieve goals in all aspects of their lives. As someone who identifies as neurodivergent herself, Marisol focuses on executive functioning skills collaborating with clients to design their days/ways to be most productive in their workplace and their life. Through a very direct approach of Clarity + Action, she has helped clients actualize and see the results they desire in their lives.
Marisol Camacho es una entrenadora de vida certificada por iPEC y profesional certificada en trauma, con la misión de capacitar a las personas para crear vidas, carreras y relaciones que los inspiren. Está dedicada al bienestar de sus clientes, por lo que utiliza un enfoque holístico para ayudar a sus clientes a actualizar el equilibrio y lograr metas en todos los aspectos de sus vidas. Como alguien que se identifica como neurodivergente, Marisol se enfoca en las habilidades de funcionamiento ejecutivo colaborando con los clientes para diseñar sus días/maneras de ser más productivos en su lugar de trabajo y sus vida. A través de un enfoque muy directo de Clarity + Action, ha ayudado a los clientes a actualizar y ver los resultados que desean en sus vidas.
Christina Morrison
(she/her)
Business Consultant
Christina brings to HELM a variety of skills across the design and construction fields. As a Development Director for high-end residential construction, Christina has managed all aspects of project lifecycles from interior design, cost estimation, field management, and close out. Working daily with both executive and field personnel, historically seen as dueling departments, highlighted to Christina a need for better integration and mutual respect within the industry. Her focus on efficiency in internal communication and processes consistently produced revenue increases and positive project outcomes. HELM gives Christina the opportunity to exercise her mastery of internal and external relationships to assist the next generation of leading industry companies who are focused on triple bottom line outcomes. Florida born and raised, Christina spends her free time “hiking” the flatlands around Tampa Bay with her husband and daughter. She has a love of historical legal books, Pilates, and waffles.
Rachel Murphy
(she/her)
Business Consultant
Rachel has over 17 years of experience as an operations manager and consultant in the high-performance construction industry. She thrives on helping other people grow and manage their businesses and particularly enjoys working with small and medium-sized businesses to design effective systems and feel fully comfortable with their financial and operations management. Since 2015 Rachel has also owned a small rural coworking space that has become a thriving community hub and operates out of a Net Positive building.
Rachel lives in the woods of Maine with her husband and two kids in a high-performance house they built on the land where she grew up. In her free time, Rachel can usually be found sitting at her sewing machine or drinking a cup of tea while admiring the bountiful weeds in her garden.
Chris Crass
(he/him)
Professional Coach
For over 30 years, Chris Crass has been developing and supporting leaders for positive social change in a wide range of efforts to advance racial, gender, and economic justice. As a young person working for social justice, he learned about and witnessed the divisions and injustices of racism, sexism, and economic inequality, and quickly learned that in order to make social change, we need leaders rooted in vision and values and sustained in cultures of nourishment and belonging.
Chris has been a professional coach, DEI educator, and consultant for over 20 years, mentoring and supporting leaders in community groups and non-profits, in religious and spiritual communities, in schools and businesses, in unions and the labor movement, and in national campaigns to expand multiracial democracy and economic justice. He specializes in making space that honors leaders’ dignity and humanity, the complex messiness of trying to operationalize our values in our workplaces and lives, making meaning, and drawing lessons from our everyday experiences.
He was trained as a leadership coach by veterans of the Civil Rights and Feminist movements and by dozens of social justice leaders who mentored, supported, and worked alongside him.
He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Master's Degree in Race, Class, Gender and Power Studies. He is an author, an educator, and a Dad raising his kids to become Jedi.
TJ Fattaruso
(they/them)
Project Manager
TJ has over 15 years of combined experience in construction, first in masonry and slate roofing and for the past seven years in solar installation, sales, operations, and service. They are a certified Project Management Professional who believes the best solutions are created through meaningful connection and collaboration using relevant and impactful data and analysis. They believe that climate justice is social justice, that environmental solutions are greatly needed, that each person has the power to enact change, and that together the impact we can have is immeasurable. They live in Worcester, MA, and enjoy meandering walks with their wife, dog, and cat, a cup of coffee any hour of the day, reading, baking, and community engagement and activism.
Mary Veerkamp
(she/her)
Professional Coach
Mary is passionate about supporting people to take the meaningful steps toward who they want to be while also learning to honor their own enoughness so they may live more joyfully, authentically, and confidently. She weaves research-based practices of mindfulness, self-compassion, embodied awareness, and intentional cultivation of values-aligned living into her coaching work.
Mary lives in Coastal Maine with her husband Danny and her cat, Lililu. Her son, Finn, attends Macalester College. She is a voracious reader of non-fiction and a big fan of walks at the ocean, awesome food trucks, and laughter shared with friends.
She is a self-identified recovering perfectionist who holds a Ph.D. in Human Behavior and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential through the International Coaching Federation.
Miriam Aylward
(she/her)
Director of People & Operations
As Director of People & Operations, Miriam is responsible for managing all aspects of the human resources and operational functions at HELM, and plays an integral role in developing and implementing strategies, procedures and business plans. She has worked with non-profits and mission-driven organizations for over 15 years.
Prior to joining HELM, Miriam served as Chief Operating Officer at Terra Praxis, a global nonprofit accelerating the integration of emission-free heat sources in existing energy infrastructure, and Executive Director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, a network of over 15,000 people advancing sustainability practices in the built environment by cultivating a cross-disciplinary community where practitioners are encouraged to share, collaborate, and learn.
Miriam holds a Master of Business Administration from Antioch University New England, where her areas of study included organizational development and the economic impact of worker ownership. For over a decade she lived in the Rocky Mountains, running an event planning business in Montana and leading backpacking trips in Wyoming and Utah. She now resides in western Massachusetts and in her free time you can find her exploring the lakes, trails, and breweries near her home with her shepherd-ish dogs.
Eleanor Kinsey
(she/her)
Professional Coach
As a professional coach and founder of Dive Intuit, Eleanor Kinsey is dedicated to personal transformation and the science of consciousness. With over 15 years of experience in holistic health, Eleanor brings a wealth of knowledge from her roles as a Medical Assistant, Board Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Personal Trainer, and an instructor in Qigong, Mindfulness, and Meditation. Her training in the Feldenkrais Method and Certifications in Parts Work and IFS Informed Hypnotherapy, along with Breathwork, Bodywork, and Energywork, enable her to help clients navigate the complexities of their psyche, fostering awareness and facilitating deep, lasting change.
Eleanor's approach goes beyond traditional concepts, focusing on creating new possibilities and awakening creativity. She is passionate about helping individuals overcome challenges and succeed in all areas of life, guiding them towards self-discovery and alignment with their inner wisdom. Through her work, Eleanor aims to catalyze healing, nurture self-love, and empower her clients to emerge from their sessions with renewed purpose and clarity.
A seasoned professional in the industry, Eleanor lives in Vermont with her husband, Dylan. Together, they own and operate a construction company specializing in high-performance custom homes and renovations.
Christian Hartley
(she/her)
Professional Coach
Christian Hartley is a dedicated Professional Certified Life Coach (PCC) committed to fostering cultural wellness and instilling confidence. Leveraging 25 years of experience in business management, operations, and strategic planning, she discerned her innate business acumen, leading to the establishment of her own professional coaching and consulting practice. In her role as the founder of TWIDWID C&C LLC, she empowers individuals to cultivate resources and practical tools that optimize performance, resolve conflicts, refine perspectives, and enhance day-to-day tasks. Christian utilizes positive psychology to assist clients in addressing intricate issues and achieving effective resolutions.
With a mission to empower one million individuals to eradicate self-doubt and nurture confidence, she endeavors to advocate for the well-being of people, businesses, and communities. As an accomplished consultant and Empowerment Coach, she collaborates with clients to harmonize all facets of their lives by aiding in the identification, prioritization, and accomplishment of their unique goals. Christian places great value on fostering genuine partnerships aimed at eliminating fear and inspiring value alignment.
Will Neff
(he/him)
Business Consultant
Will brings to HELM a balanced set of leadership and technical skills which he has honed through 15 years of field experience along with an MBA in Collaborative Leadership. He spent nearly a decade as Lead Carpenter building net-zero homes for median-income homeowners in Massachusetts and high-end custom homes for a design-build firm in Maine. As a consultant, Will focuses on building relationships with his clients based on clear communication and developing trust together. This enables him to understand his client’s strengths and struggles and how he can best help them grow the business they dream of. Will’s approach to leadership is founded on the belief that everyone’s strengths are unique and the strongest teams harness the collective genius of the whole. Currently, Will spends much of his free time on his own home renovation, which is especially pressing as he prepares for his growing family! When he’s not working on his house, he savors outdoor time with his partner and dog, and the opportunity to play basketball, ultimate frisbee, and beginning to learn the confounding game of golf.
Daniel Singer
(he/him)
Training & Strategy Consultant
Daniel Singer, MEd, PhD, is an independent Learning & Development specialist focused on positively impacting people, planet, and prosperity. He works with businesses and nonprofits on strategy and training projects that upskill teams, educate the public or industry groups, improve business processes and organizational development, and meet defined strategic goals.
Whether facilitating strategic planning processes, helping align purpose/vision and action, building public educative messaging strategy, or designing employee training, Dan’s practice is defined by respect for others’ lived experience and varied expertise and a focus on achieving directly observable outcomes (strategy that leads to measurably positive impact and training that really works).
His work has ranged from UN Foundation projects with global entrepreneurs to urban rail station redesign; from regional youth substance abuse prevention to international refugee resettlement; from building high-performance construction training to co-designing workshops for WMBE leaders and others in the AEC industry.
Dan lives in northern Vermont with his wife and children and enjoys woodworking and hurtling down mountains on wheels and planks.
Ivey Jenkins-Long
(she/her)
Project Manager
Ivey comes to HELM with an extensive background in Passive House construction, custom interior installation, and sound treatment, as well as tested knowledge in all aspects of residential construction, energy efficiency, and building science. She holds a CPHC credential through PHI and carries many years of boots-on-the-ground carpentry experience. Having first found her passion for building at age 11 in a woodshop, she continued to hone her Project Management skills through systems-based organization and dynamic collaboration with peers while running her own fabrication business in New York City before delving into sustainable homebuilding. She has completed several high-performance, low-carbon builds including the 2024 US Department of Energy Grand Prize-winning PHIUS Certified and LEED Platinum home in New York. Ivey has seen how clear communication leads to a successful project and wants to continue collaborating with others to lead the construction industry toward its new era. When she isn't in the office, you can find her spending quality time with her family and friends, or finding spots in the 1880s house she recently gut-renovated that could still use more insulation.