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People

Staff
Board of Directors
Interns
Volunteers

Staff & Associates

Each collaborator of our multidisciplinary team plays an important role in fostering a supportive environment and sharing a unique set of skills and experience.

Co-Director

Pliny Fisk III

With a background in architecture, landscape architecture, and the systems sciences, Pliny has made pivotal contributions to the sustainability movement for more than four decades by developing replicable prototypes, protocols and policy initiatives.  His prototypes challenge conventional wisdom about building design, engineering, materials, economic development, and landscape and regional planning.

Pliny’s seminal life cycle-based protocols helped shape the first green building program, and influenced many more. He has collaborated on federal demonstration greening efforts, including:

  • Greening of the White House
  • Greening of the Grand Canyon
  • EpiCenter building in Montana
  • The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston
  • The Seattle Justice Center
  • Solar Decathlon entries with the University of Texas (2002) and Texas A&M University (2007)

His policy initiatives, including the Austin Green Building Program, the AIA’s Environmental Resource Guide, and greening the Texas Architecture + Engineering Guidelines, have established new protocols with broad implementation. Pliny’s has received several national and international recognitions including:

  • The Lewis Mumford Award
  • The 1992 Earth Summit Award (with the City of Austin)
  • The U.S. Green Building Council’s Sacred Tree Award
  • The Passive Solar Pioneer Award

In 2006, Metropolis Magazine recognized Pliny as one of 14 Visionaries; in 2008, Texas Monthly called him one of “35 People Who Will Shape Our Future”; his work has appeared in numerous media.

Pliny was on the faculty at Ball State University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Texas A&M University, and held teaching positions at the University of Oklahoma and Mississippi State University.  He also served as an advisor to the MacArthur, Gates, and Enterprise Foundations and served as a Peer Professional for the GSA.

He is an inventor, as well as CEO and founder of two proactive private sector technology companies: Sustainable Earth Technologies and the EcoInventorium.

Co-Director

Gail Vittori

For more than three decades Gail has been a catalyst for local, state and national initiatives advancing green building protocols, policies and prototypes with a focus on the intersection of green building and human health.

In 1989, Ms. Vittori developed the conceptual framework for what evolved as the City of Austin’s Green Builder Program, the first green building program in the world. In 2001, she convened the Green Guide for Health Care, catalyzing a revolution in healthcare design, construction and operations. She served on the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) Board of Directors from 2011-2019, including as Board Chair from 2013-2019, and on the USGBC Board of Directors from 2002-2010, including as Board Chair in 2009.

In addition, Gail is Vice-Chair of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative Board of Directors, was Founding Chair of the LEED for Healthcare committee (2004-2008), and co-author of Sustainable Healthcare Architecture.

She was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and was featured as an Innovator: Building a Greener World in TIME Magazine. She was the 2015 recipient of The Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership, and the 2020 recipient of the USGBC’s Kate Hurst Leadership Award.

Architect, Senior Associate

Lauren Rochell

Lauren Rochell, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP is a registered architect whose passion lies in the anthropological offerings of architecture and sustainability. She has researched indigenous dwellings in southern Brazil, designed a landscape surrounding a Yucatecan cenote, and lectured on natural building misconceptions in Vancouver. With a BA in Architectural Studies from Tufts University, Lauren cut her teeth on a straw bale farmhouse in rural Italy before moving to Berkeley, CA to work under respected straw bale architect Daniel Smith and Associates.

In 2009, Lauren received her Master’s in Architecture from University of Texas at Austin where she was awarded a sustainability fellowship, professional development award, and travel scholarship. Since then, she has collaborated with numerous local non-profits and design firms, seeking out ways to incorporate vernacular, minimally-processed, healthy materials into contemporary urban environments.

Sustainability Associate

Jaime Hutton

Jaime Hutton is an experienced construction project manager with a LEED AP BD+C certification. Her interest and exposure to construction and building started at an early age where she witnessed and worked with her father who flipped houses and worked as a home appraiser.

In 2008, Jaime discovered Natural Building, which perfectly tied her interest in construction to her core belief that a more sustainable lifestyle is paramount. She began her career working for local design-build firm Clay Sand Straw, building straw bale and cob residences and small structures.

In 2011, Jaime completed a Natural Building Apprenticeship, which included traveling throughout the pacific northwest learning about various building techniques being explored. In 2016, Jaime received a BS in Construction Management from Texas State University. Following graduation, she worked as a commercial Project Manager where she independently managed multi-million dollar projects of large scope. This experience, along with her natural building experience, provided Jaime the unique perspective of understanding both the need for implementation of environmentally-minded sustainability practices and the needs of a general contractor with a budget and timeline.

While Jaime prefers the slow pace and hard work of residential natural building, the need for professionals who prioritize environmentally sustainable choices and material selection is extremely important in this day and age, and Jaime feels very lucky to have found a career path that ties her interests and core beliefs together.

Office Coordinator

Kiran Topiwala

Ken McKenzie

Site Steward

Rich MacMath

Consulting Architect

Board of Directors

Alberto Luera

Treasurer

Amanda Masino

David Dewane

Edie Wall Muehlberger

Gail Vittori

James D. Nations

Emeritus

Jorge Vanegas

Board President

Michele L. Van Hyfte

Immediate Past President

Pliny Fisk III

Ex Officio, Non-voting Member

Wendy Vittori

Strategic Advisor

Interns

Since 1990, the Center has offered a limited number of credit- and non-credit-based internships to qualified young adults. The interdisciplinary approach bridges practical, hands-on work opportunities with individual CMPBS projects that draw on the interns’ skills and interests.

Interns from many academic disciplines come to the Center between undergraduate and graduate programs for a summer hands-on practicuum, to fulfill academic internship requirements, or to enhance professional skills relating to sustainable planning and design.

Inquire about Interning

Volunteers

As a nonprofit organization, CMPBS depends on the generous contribution of time from our network of volunteers.

We host periodic volunteer days, often to assist with a major push on a particular effort at CMPBS.  Volunteer days offer individuals the opportunity to learn more about the organization and our work. Subscribe to our mailing list and watch our events page for details on the next call-for-volunteers!

We also host volunteers who donate time on a regular basis. Regular volunteers have varied backgrounds and skills and participate in a range of projects.

Inquire about Volunteering
Thanks to our 2025 Interns, Volunteers and Associates

Meng-Shin Lin  •  Suchita Toshniwal  •  Atithi Shrestha  •  Mic Hoeffer  •  Aylin Cibik  •  Hasen Zimmerman  •  Mark Thaler  •  Sean Power •  Sarah Grubisich