EEBA Staff

Aaron Smith is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) which represents a community of over 70,000 builders and their stakeholders across North America that are truly the early adopters and innovators in driving sustainable transformation of the homebuilding industry.

Aaron has over 25 years of experience in home construction, building products, sustainability and non-profit board leadership. He has worked for companies including Kohler, Uponor and ASSA ABLOY as well as startups in Silicon Valley and his own building and remodeling company. Aaron previously served on non-profit Boards for Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC), CT Sustainable Business Council, and co-founded the CT Collaborative - Living Building Challenge.

Aaron completed his undergraduate studies at West Point and St. Cloud State University and is a 2016 graduate of the Yale University MBA program with a focus on Sustainability. He loves green building and sustainability as well as hockey, hiking, skiing, gardening and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, 3 boys and 4 cats and chickens at their home in Minneapolis.

Nancy Bakeman is the Executive Vice President of EEBA, the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance, a community of over 70,000 members whose goal is to help high performance builders thrive and drive the transformation of sustainable building across North America.

She has been with the organization for over 17 years and has played several different roles and adapted to lots of changes in the industry over those years. In her past life, she spent many years in the legal profession and made the leap to the non-profit world in 2005 and never looked back.

Nancy lives in the Minneapolis area and likes to travel and spend time outside in all seasons, but mostly loves spending time with friends and family, especially all of her grandkids.

Gabrielle Konopaski is a strategic marketing professional and multidisciplinary designer with a BA in Communications from Moody Institute in Chicago, Illinois.

With experience spanning brand development, content strategy, integrated marketing, and digital experiences, Gabrielle brings a growth-driven approach to connecting audiences with brands and organizations. She combines strategic thinking with a strong foundation in UX/UI and visual design, creating intentional, user-centered experiences that strengthen brand identity, drive engagement, and support organizational goals.

As Director of Marketing at the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA), she leads B2B marketing strategy, digital initiatives, content development, and audience growth in support of advancing healthier, more resilient, and energy-efficient homes.

Merielle McLaughlin is pursuing UI and Graphic Design and previously attended Normandale Community College for Psychology.

She believes in leaning into new experiences to enhance her perspective and skill set. Her approach is guided by research psychology and user experience which influences her design discipline. Merielle has previously worked as an interior design assistant and freelanced in graphic design and illustration which opened collaboration opportunities with APP developers, top online retailers, and various musical artists.