We are a seasoned team of experts with a passion and dedication to help our clients reach their sustainability goals.
Gil Yaron, LLM, LLB, BA.Sc
Managing Director, Circular InnovationGil brings a strategic and wholistic lens to designing innovative solutions to challenges facing clients related to sustainable building policy and practice. His work spans more than 30 years in green building, waste management, extended producer responsibility, product development, communications and governance; assisting government and industry clients in maximizing project outcomes, whether educational, financial or environmental. Gil holds a Bachelor of Laws (1996) and Master of Laws (2000).
Joanne Sawatzky LEED® AP BD+C (2002), Built Green HD Verifier, CPHC
Managing Director, Regenerative Built EnvironmentJoanne leads the Light House regenerative team, providing regenerative visioning and technical expertise on Light House projects. She draws from her 20+ years of experience in the green building industry, finding ways to elevate built environments to nurture both human and ecological health. With a background in architecture, building science and energy-efficient buildings, Joanne is especially familiar with the construction of building systems, materials and assemblies. Although she enjoys getting into the details, Joanne identifies success when teams work together to unlock big underlying sustainability goals. Joanne holds a Bachelor of Technology, Architectural Science, Building Science (Ryerson University, 1999) and a Master of Science in Energy Efficient Building (Oxford Brookes UK, 2002).
Jane Zhu
ControllerJane is not a traditional accountant. She has been a CPA, CGA since 2003 with more than 25 years of experience in accounting, management, technology and communication skills. Jane holds a Bachelor of Science degree (Shanghai University) and is happy to work with Light House to contribute to global sustainability.
Ava Campbell, BA
Circular Impact LeadAva is results-driven sustainability practitioner who has built a career focused on strategy development, storytelling, and executing ESG goals. She is passionate about businesses advocating for circular innovation and sustainability in the built environment. Her work involves developing projects at the cutting edge of the circular economy; collaborating and connecting with stakeholders within the circular ecosystem. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Toronto Metropolitan University (2018) and a Sustainable Business Leadership Advanced Diploma from BCIT (2023).
Adrian Lopera-Valle, PhD
Circular Innovation AdvisorAdrian is a mission-driven engineer with a decade of expertise in implementing innovative sustainable materials and manufacturing solutions. He has dedicated his career to the ideation and development of products and systems that fit circular and sustainability models. Adrian holds a Bachelor's (National University of Colombia, 2012) and a Master's (University of Alberta, 2015) in mechanical engineering and a Doctorate in materials engineering (U of A, 2019). He is a qualified TRUE Advisor.
Shijie Wang BSc, MEng, LEED® AP BD+C, CEM®, WELL™ AP
Project ManagerShijie Wang has worked in the sustainability industry for over eight years, gaining experience in green building rating systems, health and wellness, embodied carbon, and energy efficiency. A seasoned project manager, Shijie is passionate about advancing regenerative design and circular economy. Shijie holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics (Jilin University, 2007) and a Master’s degree in Building Engineering (Concordia University, 2019).
Oluwasina (Sina) Agunbiade, LEED® Green Associate™, WELL AP
Junior Green Building CoordinatorSina is dedicated to sustainable development and regenerative thinking. Leveraging his background as an architectural designer with experience in construction projects and property development, he serves as a Junior Project Coordinator on our regenerative team. He has a knowledge of energy modelling, building systems, life cycle assessment, green building standards, and passive design. At Light House, he enjoys working with other professionals trying to push the needle towards a more sustainable future. Sina holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Architecture (Covenant University), and a Master of Engineering Leadership – High Performance Buildings from the University of British Columbia, and holds accreditations as a LEED Green Associate and WELL AP. In his spare time, Sina enjoys photography, soccer, golf and watching documentaries about history.
Mariya Chugay, B Com
Project ManagerAs a Project Manager, Mariya’s role revolves around the successful planning, implementation, and delivery of Light House programming. With a background in local circular economic development, Mariya has a proven track record of managing circular economy initiatives and collaborating with organizations to action on sustainability opportunities. Skilled in transforming complex, entangled challenges into impact-driven outcomes, Mariya holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a Minor in Sustainability Studies from Concordia University (2019).
Molly Coulter, BLA
Project ManagerMolly has a breadth of experience working in the built environment sector across Canada and Australia. With a background in landscape architecture, their projects have included urban design reports, creek restorations, green star targeted developments, parks, cemeteries, First Nations memorials and a range of cultural green infrastructure projects. Recipient of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Future Leader Award 2022, her skills lie in leadership, communication, and creative thinking. Molly brings a passion for circular economy and new ways of prioritizing cultural and environmental resilience to the way they work. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architectural Design (2019).
Board of Directors
Alfred V. Waugh
President Formline ArchitectureAlfred Waugh (Architect AIBC, OAA, MRAIC, LEED® AP) is the president of Formline Architecture, an award-winning architecture firm. The studio specializes in working on environmentally responsible and culturally sensitive projects that reflect and reinforce the values and visions of the client, including the UBC Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre in 2017, the North Island College Aboriginal Gathering Place in 2021, and the Saskatoon Public Library (current). Alfred is Status Indian and part of Treaty 8. He was born and raised in Yellowknife, North West Territories, Canada, and was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with honours from UBC School of Architecture in 1993 and become LEED accredited and a registered architect. Prior to his architecture degree, Alfred acquired a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Urban and Regional Analysis at the University of Lethbridge in 1989. Alfred Waugh was selected by Maclean’s (2021) to be on ‘The Power List – 50 Canadians who are breaking ground, leading the debate and shaping how we think and live’.
Bryn Davidson
Principal, Lanefab Design/BuildBryn Davidson (B.Sc., M.Arch., LEED® AP) designs and builds custom energy efficient homes and laneway houses, and acts as a freelance consultant for governments and businesses seeking to address peak oil and climate change impacts. Bryn’s notable clients include the Southern California Association of Governments, TransLink and the Rocky Mountain Institute. Bryn was instrumental in building Vancouver’s first laneway house in 2010, and the first net-zero solar powered laneway house in 2012; Lanefab’s designs are now incorporating purple pipe (greywater) systems and designing to Passivhaus standard. Lanefab’s award-winning (Arthur Erickson Memorial Award 2013, Scotiabank EcoLiving Award 2013, REFBC 2013 Land Award) net positive design is in high demand; Bryn spoke at Tedx Renfrew Collinwood in 2014, and Lanefab’s Dumfries St Solar Lane House was featured in the New York Times on January 22, 2015.
Freda Pagani
Architect (retired)Freda Pagani (Ph.D) is an icon in sustainability – she is a founding director of Cascadia Green Building Council, is a Cascadia Fellow and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in sustainability from the CaGBC. She started the UBC Office of Sustainability, which was the first campus sustainability office in the country, by offering it as a zero-cost proposition to administration and funding it with the energy and water-saving measures she implemented at UBC. Freda is a retired architect and teacher and an active multi-media artist.
James Boothroyd
Boothroyd CommunicationsJames Boothroyd (BA, M.Phil, MA) is Senior Policy Advisor for Metro Vancouver’s ground-breaking National Zero Waste Council, and as a consultant for, among others, the directors of a coalition of 14 major national environmental groups, including WWF, Greenpeace and Pembina. Previously, he managed David Suzuki Foundation’s Communications Department and provided strategic communications services to public health and environmental clients, including the World Health Organization, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the German Technical Cooperation, Canadian HIV Trials Network and Ecojustice. James is the author of Project Green Bloc, a three-year project designed by Riley Park, Vancouver residents, which tests research and activities which address hyper-consumption and climate change.
John Holland (Board Chair)
Chief Development Officer, Pinchin Ltd.John Holland (P.Eng., C.Eng., LEED® AP) joined the Light House board in 2008 and got to know the Light House team well using Light House’s services at Pinchin West on a number of occasions, including facilitating sustainability visioning sessions, developing a model for green leases (which promote shared tenant/landlord responsibility for reducing energy consumption), studying the financial impacts of the BOMA Go Green program and creating a green building toolkit for the RCMP. John sees Light House as a “coherent, ethical, and respected advocate for sustainability” and works hard to guide it toward success. John also serves on the UBC Faculty of Applied Science Technical Advisory Committee, and is a Fellow of Engineers Canada. He is the former Chair of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC) Environment Committee and has served on the Sustainability Committee.