Leigha Dickens Email & Phone Number

Asheville, Nc, Us

Asheville, Nc

I manage Deltec Homes' sustainability, building science, and innovation efforts. This role includes working closely with clients to build the green home of their dreams; with engineering and marketing on new product development, marketing content and strategy; and with corporate management on sustainability and company strategy.• Consult with clients on building science and green building. I offer, as applicable: energy modeling, building enclosure design, fresh air ventilation and HVAC design, green certification program guidance, energy code compliance, material sustainability guidance. Two projects were DOE Housing Innovation Award winners in 2023 and 2024. • Design building enclosure and HVAC specifications and oversee green certification through programs such as Energy Star for homes built by our local building company. Train site supervisors and contractors. • Teach customer seminars and local classes on green building topics such as passive solar design and Indoor Air Plus. • Lead and work in cross-functional new product development and market development teams. For a new collection of 32 pre-designed home kits I recently served as general project manager; designed the building enclosures, mechanical and electrical specifications; and completed energy modeling of each plan in HERS software to assess compliance with Zero Energy Ready Home V2 certification. I led process change implementation and contributed high-level strategic vision, I participated in design and creation of new website copy and branding presentation to drive clients to this new collection, and I worked with marketing to implement data collection and customer feedback on product performance to guide strategy for future phases of this project. I am co-presenting the technical details and business case on this project at the EEBA 2024 Summit. • Presented at the 2022 ASHRAE Buildings XV conference and 2023 Summit conference on panelized construction for net-zero homes.

Managed the Green Built Homes certification program and Appalachian Offsets regional carbon offset program, including making technical interpretations, guiding program designs, writing, speaking, and engaging w/ the region's builders, businesses, and homeowners on green building, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Key accomplishments:• Developed and launched the first Green Built Homes Multifamily certification checklist• Updated stormwater calculation tools and credits within the Green Built Homes program• Started a local builder peer group to exchange building science and building business ideas • Created a corporate sustainability language and marketing toolkit for corporate carbon offset donors • Developed a class on passive solar design for North Carolina General Contractor Licensing Board continuing education credit

Managed the green building department of Deltec Homes, a high-performance panelized home manufacturer in Asheville, North Carolina. Key accomplishments: • Consulted on green building for over 100 projects all across the US, and oversaw green certification through programs such as Energy Star, the Zero Energy Ready Home program, or a local program on over 30 homes built by our local building company. Two projects were DOE Housing Innovation Award winners in 2019 and 2021. • Created fact sheets, wrote articles, taught classes and seminars to customers and builders on building science and green building. Have presented seminar overviews of high-performance building to over 400 customers. Worked with marketing to manage company sustainability and high-performance building communication strategy. • Implemented and directed company sustainability initiatives, including: BCorp Certification, facility lighting and building envelope retrofits, data analysis and annual reporting on facility waste, energy and water metrics, quantifying scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. Managed our sustainable manufacturing efforts and generated detailed sustainability reports each year. • Designed and implemented building enclosure improvements to our panelized product. Successful projects include factory-applied building gaskets, double stud walls panels, drainable house wrap and breathable exterior insulation materials. • Handled energy code compliance questions relevant to our product in all 50 states and Canada.• Managed fresh air ventilation, solar hot water, and designed-for net-zero home kit product lines. • Managed interns and part-time assistance staff. • Performed energy audits and building performance upgrade estimates for a branch of our company that provided local insulation until 2015, then transitioned to managing estimation staff. Developed a sealed crawlspace protocol.

Asheville, North Carolina, United States

• Consulted with custom home clients on green building practices. • Worked on teams within the company to develop new product offerings such as a double stud wall for cold climates and Design to Earn the Energy Star services. • Performed energy audits and building performance upgrade estimates for a branch of our company that provided local insulation services. • Created web content, fact sheets, training tools, and spoke at customer seminars to promote green building practices.

Shenandoah National Park

Wrote and led interpretive ranger programs at the Big Meadows visitor center in Shenandoah National Park. Assisted full-time ranger staff in the development of an interpretive video about park air quality and air pollution.

Asheville, North Carolina, United States

Worked on a part-time, as-needed basis on high ropes course, alpine tower, and indoor climbing wall programs put on by the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly's outdoor recreation program.

Assisted a UNCA Physics Professor, and a lead scientist at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, WV, on a radio astronomy study. Used IDL programming to write a statistical data analysis routine of radio astronomy data from four sources. Performed data analysis on results.

Directed low ropes course program for the campus and larger Asheville community, while I was a student at UNC-Asheville. Supervised and trained facilitation staff.

Asheville, North Carolina, United States

Worked on an undergraduate research team to reduce data from computer simulated analysis of the steam reforming of hydrogen over various catalysts to create ethanol.

Participated in the modeling, construction, and performance analysis of a small off-grid photovoltaic array at a remote radio astronomy site.

Rutherfordton, North Carolina, United States

Worked three summers as a camp counselor for a combined climbing tower, low ropes course, and high ropes course program at Camp Bud Scheile in Rutherfordton, NC. Served as the director of this program during a week-long special event in the final year.