The Team
Kris D. Kimble, LEED AP
Partner, CEO
Kris D. Kimble has been a business professional for 26 years. Starting a profitable business with social benefit has been a long term dream. Growing up in Michigan, Mr. Kimble is the son of parents who recycled, bought health food by the pallet and sought sustainable alternatives “before it was cool”.
A graduate of Michigan State University, Mr. Kimble has developed his sales, marketing, management and leadership skills with firms such as IBM, Motorola, and Pagenet. The environmental and energy conservation interest manifested itself in positions with Waste Management, Lighting Technology Services, and Sun Energy Solutions.
The entrepreneurial aspect of Mr. Kimble’s professional development has been the formation of DDK & Associates, a real estate LLC completing 13 real estate projects and most recently The Green Hive.
Mr. Kimble is a member o the CA Green Workforce Coalition and participated in the Leadership Manhattan Beach program resulting in his appointment as Commissioner with Parks & Recreation Commission for the City of Manhattan Beach.
Mr. Kimble has been married since 1990 and has two sons.
Kimberly Robinson, LEED AP
Partner, COO
Kimberly Robinson brings a broad range of creative talent, goal driven vision, project management, sales and marketing experience to The Green Hive. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and holds a professional certification in Architecture from El Camino College, where she also studied Construction Technologies.
Kim developed skills in leadership, team building, sales and inventory performance analysis, and a working knowledge of retail-financial metrics working with Banana Republic/GAP Inc. In City Sports Magazine, Kim had responsibility for advertising strategies, developing new business, and maintaining existing accounts. After Kim’s mother was diagnosed with ALS, in 2000 Kim returned to the family home in the Washington DC area, to assist in her care. Through this life changing experience, Kim and her sisters founded The Rupertus Foundation to Cure ALS, a non-profit foundation to raise money for research, awareness, and patient support. Additionally, Kim became acutely aware of the need to make of our built environment accessible to the disabled. Spending the summers of her childhood with her family in a remote area of upstate New York influenced her passion for sustainable building design and green living. Living ‘off the grid’ with nature and observing the declining health of a precious environment, has made Kim both conscious of and dedicated to conservation and stewardship.
For the last 10 years Kim has been involved in building design, construction, and project management either on her own projects or for others. She is committed to sustainable alternatives within the industry, locally and globally. Her mission is to facilitate mainstreaming environmentally sustainable approaches to modern living. As a business woman who is also dedicated to public service and community advocacy, Kim serves on the Board of Directors for the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, as an Executive Board Member and treasurer of the Manhattan Beach Youth Basketball Program. She is part of the Cool Cities Initiative as a representative of The Green Schools Committee, and serves as a member of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District’s Bond Oversight Committee.
James R. Meyer, AIA
Partner, Creative Director
James Meyer founded the Architectural Design/Build practice of LEAN ARCH. As Principal he has overseen the design and execution of residential and commercial tenant improvement projects throughout the Los Angeles area. James was featured in the March 2005 issue of LA Architect Magazine and recipient of the 2005 Meliora Award for Best Renovation presented by the Los Feliz Improvement Association. He is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Board and the American Institute of Architects.
Prior to founding LEAN ARCH, James worked for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (1995-1997) in New York, Johnson Fain Partners (1997-1999) and Lubowicki Lanier Architects (1999-2000) in Los Angeles. During his tenure with SOM, James served as an influential member of the design teams for well-known projects including The John F. Kennedy International Arrivals Terminal in New York, Logan International Airport in Boston, and The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. SOM was awarded Firm of the Year (1996), by The American Institute of Architects, and all of the above-mentioned projects were featured as part of the firm portfolio deserving of the honor. At Johnson Fain Partners in Los Angeles, he served as Senior Designer for The Department of Education and General Services East End Complex in Sacramento, the new MGM Tower at Constellation Place in Century City, as well as for several design proposals for the Robert Mondavi Wineries. The East End Complex was certified by LEED, The Leadership in Environmental Design program of the U.S. Green Building Council.
He is an active educator, spending time with students at Cal Poly SLO, USC, and Santa Monica City College, and has taught Interior Design at Brooks College in Long Beach. James has participated in urban and architectural study programs abroad. In 1991, he attended CVUT in Prague, Czech Republic, and in 1994, the Washington Alexandria Architecture Consortium in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1994, James received the scholarship for Professional Degree Candidates from the American Institute of Architects. He has interned with Holt Hinshaw Jones Architects in San Francisco (1993), and STUDIOS Architecture in Washington DC (1994). James graduated in 1995 from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
Adam Feldman, LEED AP
Project Manager
Adam joined The Green Hive in September, 2008. His desire was to apply his experience in sales, marketing and training to a company that was providing innovative solutions to enhance the quality of peoples' lives while also improving the environment. The Green Hive proved to be a perfect fit.
Prior to his current role at The Green Hive, Adam was a corporate trainer at Quicken Loans. There he authored an extensive reverse mortgage training manual and educated and trained over 100 employees in Quicken’s emerging reverse mortgage division. Upon moving to California’s South Bay to live with his fiancé, Adam sought a change away from the corporate environment and into a rewarding and challenging position with an opportunity to make a significant impact on the world around him. His responsibilities include the research, development and implementation of The Green Hive Library, the exploration and application for grant funds, and business development for sponsors, tenants and exhibitors.
Adam earned his BA from the University of Massachusetts and recently obtained his LEED accreditation. He is planning to begin taking continuing education classes in the fall towards a Sustainability Leadership Certification from the University of California, Irvine. In his spare time, Adam can be found outdoors enjoying the endless California’s summers on a board, bike or trail.
Monica Gilchrist
Executive Director, Green Hive Foundation
Monica Gilchrist is a committed and experienced leader in sustainability. With a background that straddles the non-profit and business worlds, she has professional experience both creating and implementing cutting edge green building and sustainable development programs, policies and projects. A deep sense of ethics and a passion for creating buildings, communities and educational opportunities that protect the environment drive her leadership of the Green Hive Foundation.
As Co-Founder and Co-Owner of green building consulting firm Eco Creative Solutions, Monica most recently worked in the for-profit sector providing green building and sustainability consulting services ranging from basic sustainability reporting to turn-key project fulfillment for new and existing buildings and operations.
Formerly the National Resource Center Coordinator for environmental non-profit Global Green USA, she helped create the green building product and material displays, resource library, event programming, professional development, databases of products and building professionals, outreach and consultations at Global Green USA's Green Building Resource Center. She managed the daily operations of the center, providing green building advice to hundreds of residents, building professionals, students, municipalities and developers. She assisted in the creation and opening of Global Green's second resource center in New Orleans, as part of Global Green's response to hurricane Katrina.
Monica has done extensive work developing municipal green building programs, working with cities such as Irvine, Pasadena, West Hollywood, and Cupertino. She helped author the Global Green publication "Developing Green Building Programs: A Step-By-Step Guide for Local Governments," a guidebook outlining a process for local agencies to develop green building programs.
Seated on the Advisory Boards for Greenopia and the Green Home Guide, she has been featured in numerous media outlets from print to television as an expert in green building. Monica holds an MA in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles with an emphasis on Sustainable Development. She and her husband live in Saugus, California where they are raising three beautiful children, four horses and six goats.
Board of Advisors
Michela O'Connor Abrams
President & Publisher, DWELL
Michela O’Connor Abrams is the President and Publisher of Dwell, the award-winning design and lifestyle media company. In 2006, Dwell hit the coveted Adweek HotList as well as the Advertising Age A-List, and was a Cappell’s Circulation Top Ten Performer for the second consecutive year.
In 2005, Ms. O’Connor Abrams helped see Dwell to its first major award when the magazine won General Excellence at the National Magazine Awards. She was also honored in 2005 by Media Industry News (min) as Sales Leader of the Year.
Prior to Dwell, Ms. O’Connor Abrams was the President of Imagine Medias Business Division, including the flagship publication Business 2.0. She has over 20 years of experience in publishing, trade show management, online branding strategies and strategic business development. She has held executive positions at IDG, Ziff-Davis and McGraw-Hill.
Ms. O’Connor Abrams serves on the Board of Magazine Publishers of Americas Independent Magazine Advisory Group (MPA-IMAG, is an Operating Partner at Meriturn Partners, and holds advisory roles at GOOD Magazine, AdPerk and Enclave Rising.
Rose Tourje, CID
President, Procurement Strategies Consulting, Inc. (PSC)
Rose Tourje possesses clear leadership and expertise as a certified commercial interior designer, manager and strategist. With over 26 years of experience in the local Los Angeles Interior Design Industry, Rose launched her own firm, Procurement Strategies Consulting (PSC) a little over three years ago. Prior to opening PSC, Rose was Senior Associate for DMJM Los Angeles, initiating and heading the procurement division for LACCD (Los Angeles Community College District) Program.
LACCD represents the largest Community College District in the nation with a Bond Program of $6B. PSC, currently serves the LACCD in several related sustainable capacities. Spear-heading and in development are two innovative programs:
1. PSC leadership program focusing on closed loop post-consumer waste materials to new product generation, and
2. Cause Neutral LACCD; a third party certified carbon offsetting program designed to capture and track greenhouse gas emission reductions, readying LACCD for the carbon trade market.
In addition to her professional practice responsibilities, Rose is founder and president of ANEW, a non profit organization dedicated to re-purposing surplus assets to the underserved and those who support them throughout various communities across the nation. www.anewfound.org
These passions are nurtured as Rose’s children - Her first being a beautiful and talented daughter in her own right, Xiomara Tourje Garza.
Todd Klawin
Founder Moon Tide Media, LLC
Todd Klawin is a proven entrepreneur and executive with 15 years of experience in traditional and online media and marketing. During his career he has provided senior-level marketing, media and customer relationship management consulting to scores of companies from startup to Fortune 500.
Currently, he is CEO of Moon Tide Media, a profitable and fast growing start-up company and publisher of the Luxury Life & Style family of print and online magazines which he founded in 2006.
Prior to Moon Tide Media, Todd was a pioneer and thought leader in the online Customer Relationship Management (CRM) category. In 1999, he was part of the founding team at Radical Communication, one of the first email marketing companies, where he co-authored the business plan and participated in every facet of the company’s capitalization which included $3 million in angel financing and a $15 million Series A private placement led by Lehman Brothers. As Vice President of Sales, he was responsible for the direction and execution of all the company's sales, new business development and consulting activities, teams and strategies. When the company was successfully sold to Avalon Digital, a publicly traded company, in 2001 he assumed the same role there where he managed global sales and business development.
Later, Todd was Vice President of Business Development at Silverpop, Inc., where as part of the executive management team he directed all channel sales and strategic partnerships globally and helped grow the company into the #1 ranked (Jupiter Research, Forrester Research) player in the multi-billion dollar email marketing services industry.
Jack E. Williams III
President, Ceres Management Group
Jack E. Williams has been a managing partner of Ceres Management Group, LLC, a property acquisition and management company for the past 10 years.
Jack has more than twenty years in senior technical, strategic, and operational roles in the environmental management and sustainability industries including environmental impact analysis, air pollution control, and geographical information systems (GIS), bioremediation, and waste-to-energy for start-ups and Fortune 500 technology and environmental management companies including TRW, URS, and International Technology.
He has extensive experience working with private equity firms, venture capitalists, and start-ups developing and commercializing sustainable technologies. From 2005 to 2006 Mr. Williams served as VP Operations and Business Development for CyberCity LLC, GIS/visualization software and digital modeling provider for infrastructure, planning, and architecture clients.
Jack holds a BS in environmental science from University of California, Riverside, an MS in environmental engineering from University of Southern California, and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
Susan Piedmont-Palladino,AIA
Curator, National Building Museum
Susan Piedmont-Palladino is an architect, a curator at the National Building Museum and a Professor of Architecture at Virginia Tech's Washington/Alexandria Architecture Consortium (WAAC), the urban extension of Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies. WAAC serves graduate and upper level undergraduate students and hosts a consortium of architecture and landscape architecture programs from around the US as well as Asia, Europe and Latin America. At the National Building Museum, she is the curator of the current exhibition Green Community. She had previously served as a consultant and guest curator, most recently for the exhibition Tools of the Imagination: Drawing Tools and Technologies from the Eighteenth Century to the Present.
She is the author of two books, Devil’s Workshop: 25 Years of Jersey Devil Architecture, and Tools of the Imagination, the companion book to the exhibition, both published by Princeton Architectural Press. She is currently working on the companion book for Green Community, expected to be published in October 2009. She writes frequently on American urbanism, sustainability, design-build, and architectural education. Her articles have appeared in the popular and professional press, including “Blueprints”, the “Journal of Architectural Education,” and “Perspecta 29” among others.
Susan received her Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech and her Bachelor of Arts in the History of Art from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Before joining the faculty at the Washington/Alexandria Architecture Consortium, she taught at the University of Maryland and at the Catholic University of America. She is the former national president of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility and served on the design committee for the National Peace Garden Foundation, and was an advisor for the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon in 2005.
Sandra Dino, LEED AP
Director of Sustainable Interiors, Environetics
Sandra Dino began her career as a concept designer for fast food restaurants. She spent a few years in Boston, Massachusetts as a Commercial/Retail Designer and Project Manager. Projects included Thomas Weisel Partners, Siebel, and Au Bon Pain.
Designing a concept was fun, but she yearned to detail, construct and build the supportive documents that would make a concept come to life. She began an internal search to bring more purpose to her work. It was then she would attend a lecture that would change the course of her life. The speaker was the famous green architect William McDonough. That night, he invited the community to join a revolution to save the world from destruction. From that point on she made it her purpose to advocate and create healthy interiors.
Sustainable Design became her passion and she began learning in any possible way. She would share with and educate her clients and peers.
Sandra Dino is now a LEED Accredited Professional and she developed a green building initiative at Environetics. That initiative has grown into a Sustainable Interiors Department. She is a member and is actively involved with the U.S Green Building Council Los Angeles Chapter and the Green Building Initiative. At Environetics, her client portfolio includes Fremont Investment and Loan, Fox Entertainment Group, Countrywide Capital Markets, and Gemstar TV Guide International, Inc.
Her objective includes demystifying the myths that surround sustainable building. Her specialty lies in no/low cost approaches to green building. Every project, regardless of budget has the fundamental duty to protect and contribute to its occupants. It is her philosophy that every person can choose to make a difference in the world regardless of scale.
Professional Registration and Organizations: LEED Accredited Professional, U.S Green Building Council Los Angeles Chapter. Green Building Initiative.
Tania Konishi
President, Accordian Brands
Tania Konishi has twenty years experience in positioning and strategic design in corporate, retail, and service industries national and internationally. She had lived in Europe, the Middle East, and the USA with extensive additional experience in Pan Asia. Sensing the change that technology would bring to the branding process and understanding the role of design in marketing, Tania founded Accordion in 1997 utilizing many of the international relationships within the design industry that she has made in the last two decades. She is a strategic thinker, with vision.
Prior to starting accordion, she was managing director with Bright Strategic Design in Los Angeles. With Bright, Tania managed and developed business relationships with many large corporations. Past and present clients have included Western Digital (USA), Marauchi Furniture and Nihon Architects in Japan. Allergan (global), Monsanto, Kirin Brewing Company, and Miller Brewing Company, NATPE, Ceiva Logic , Latin e Ventures and IBM.
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