Symposium Speakers

presenters & speakers

Calling all homeowners!

Our next passivhausMAINE retrofitting training happens June 9 in York. This $25, day-long session will get you started with retrofit planning in Maine.

Click here for more details.

The 2025 retrofitMAINE Symposium is inaugural one-day symposium — focused on advancing high-performance retrofits and energy education. We’re bringing together builders, architects, contractors, policymakers, renter and homeowners, to share case studies and expertise, and to build momentum for Maine’s retrofit movement.

Ian Burnes

Director of Strategic Initiatives, Efficiency Maine Trust

Ian is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Efficiency Maine Trust, the independent administrator for programs that promote beneficial electrification, energy efficiency, alternative energy resources, and carbon savings in Maine. The Trust plans and manages programming for all contributions from the electric and gas ratepayers, RGGI revenues, and Forward Capacity Market revenues. The Trust also administers federal grants and funds from various settlements.

As Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ian manages a diverse portfolio of projects that includes planning and researching associated with the Trust’s Triennial Plan; designing and implementing the Trust’s innovation program; designing and implementation the quasi-state agency’s demand management programs; and overseeing the evaluation, measurement and verification of the impact of the Trust’s programs. In addition, Ian is responsible for maintaining the Trust’s relationship with Maine’s Public Utilities Commission and related policy forums.

Before coming to the Trust in 2009, Ian worked as the Deputy Director of Policy and Planning at the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security.

Ian is speaking in the panel discussion ‘Policy that Packs a Punch,’ 11a – 12p

Sarah Derecktor

Architectural Designer and Sustainability Coordinator, SMRT Architects & Engineers

Sarah Derecktor

Architectural Designer and Sustainability Coordinator, SMRT Architects & Engineers

Originally from New York, Sarah earned her architecture degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has worked as an architectural designer at SMRT Architects and Engineers in Portland, Maine since 2022, and joined the board of PassivHaus Maine in 2024. In both her roles as an architectural designer and sustainability coordinator at SMRT, she focuses on integrating eco-friendly strategies and energy-efficient practices into the design process. Sarah also provides her expertise to residential side projects that emphasize sustainable and intentional design. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking in the mountains, attending live concerts, and spending time with her dog, Mango.

Sarah will be presenting the ‘To Retrofit or Not to Retrofit‘ session, 9:10a – 9:30a

David Gibson

Director of Energy, College of the Atlantic

David Gibson is an energy systems educator, clean energy advocate, and homesteader who brings deep expertise and real-world experience to his role as Director of Energy at College of the Atlantic. He’s taught courses on everything from building science to decarbonization, and he’s helped pass landmark climate legislation in Maine–including bills to fund clean energy in vulnerable communities and divest state pensions from fossil fuels.

With a degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, David has worked across the country as a solar designer, Energy Efficiency Specialist, Energy Technologies Instructor, and green building expert. At home in Morrill, he and his wife Willow are transforming their 1828 farmhouse into a fossil-fuel-free permaculture homestead–with a number of nut and fruit trees.

David is speaking in the panel discussion ‘Intersections of Retrofits,’ 9:50a – 10:50a

Mika Heming

retrofitMAINE & BuildingsUP Program Manager, passivhausMAINE

Mika Heming serves as phME’s BuildingsUp Project Director while also working to expand and guide the organization’s retrofitMAINE initiative. Previously, Mika served as the program manager for Flood Ready Neighborhoods in New Hampshire, a part of the NH Sea Grant, as well as spending four years in Mississippi helping local communities mitigate and adapt to sea level rise.

Mika will be opening and closing the event and facilitating the day’s programming

Hilary Landfried

Climate Policy Advisor and Climate Council Coordinator, Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future

Hilary Landfried is the Climate Policy Advisor and Maine Climate Council Coordinator with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Prior to joining GOPIF, Hilary led the development of over $1.7 billion in U.S. federal investments in food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture, managed market entry and field trials in emerging markets for clean energy technologies, and was on the founding team of a nonprofit focused on global policy innovation. She holds an MPA from Princeton University with a focus on environmental policy.

Hilary is speaking in the panel discussion ‘Policy that Packs a Punch,’ 11a – 12p

Kevin Leonard

Senior Housing Manager, Community-Concepts

Kevin Leonard is the Senior Housing Manager for Community-Concepts, the Community Action Agency and nonprofit covering Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford counties. Kevin holds State of Maine DEP-issued licenses as a lead paint risk assessor, lead paint designer, lead paint consultant, and is an energy auditor/ReHab manager. He has 45 years of hands-on experience in building maintenance.

Kevin is speaking in the panel discussion ‘Intersections of Retrofits,’ 9:50a – 10:50a

Jess Maurer, Esq.

Executive Director, Maine Council on Aging

Jess Maurer is the Executive Director of the Maine Council on Aging, a multidisciplinary network of 140 businesses and community members working to ensure we can all live healthy, engaged, and secure lives as we age. She leads data-informed policy change efforts on issues related to ageism, equity, poverty, housing, transportation, workforce, and care. Throughout her work, she maintains focus on underserved and marginalized older people and consistently lifts up the impact of intersectional bias. A licensed Maine attorney, Jess worked for 17 years in the Maine Office of the Attorney General.

Jess is speaking in the panel discussion ‘Intersections of Retrofits,’ 9:50a – 10:50a

Tagwongo Obomsawin

Clean Energy Partnership Program Manager, Maine Governor’s Energy Office

Tagwongo Obomsawin serves as the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) Program Manager for the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO). The CEP was established to advance Maine’s clean energy, climate, economic development, and workforce goals and since 2022, Tagwongo has overseen over $10 million in awards through the Partnership in support of clean energy workforce development and innovation initiatives. Prior to joining the GEO, Tagwongo worked for several years in Maine’s renewable energy industry and with small businesses focused on decarbonization, electrification, and local economic development. Tagwongo grew up in Farmington, Maine and earned her Master’s in Business Administration from Bard College, and Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Maine.

Tagwongo is speaking in the panel discussion ‘Policy that Packs a Punch,’ 11a – 12p

Randy Rand

Training Coordinator at passivhausMAINE and owner and founder of r. haus

Randy Rand is passivhausMAINE’s Training Director, managing our statewide training program which has held day-long sessions from York to Presque Isle. Our trainings, supported by the Harold Alfond Foundation, allow participants to learn retrofitting and passive principles training, and explore the MUBEC building codes and other aspects of construction–all for $25 per session. Randy works with our local instructors and trainers, devises curricula and keeps the training schedule packed. He’s is also the owner of r.haus, a design and building company located in Orono, where he lives with his family.

Randy is presenting the ‘Master Planning for Retrofits‘ session, 9:30a – 9:50a

Matt Wellington

Associate Director, Maine Public Health Association

Matt Wellington is MPHA’s Associate Director. He manages MPHA’s membership recruitment and engagement, organizes its training program, and supports the organization’s advocacy and communications efforts.

Before coming to MPHA, Matt spent ten years working on public health campaigns nationally to keep antibiotics effective, reduce youth tobacco use, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and more. He’s combined strategic communications with stakeholder organizing to achieve meaningful results for public health. Matt also has a deep history of training health professionals to be effective advocates and communicators on health issues, and has presented on those topics at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Yale School of Public Health, the World Medical Association and more.

Matt is speaking in the panel discussion ‘Intersections of Retrofits,’ 9:50a – 10:50a

Get registered!

Thanks to our Symposium sponsors

And to our 2025 booth sponsors

We’re actively seeking event sponsors who want to align their brand with sustainability, innovation, and community impact. As a sponsor, your business will gain visibility with renters, homeowners and players in the building and energy sectors. This is a great chance to connect with potential customers and collaborators, and demonstrate your leadership in supporting Maine’s transition to a more energy-efficient and resilient future.