Director of Construction
YouthBuild USA
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In 2004, I joined the YouthBuild mission to assume the position of Construction Manager for the YouthBuild program in Waukegan, Illinois. As the Construction Manager, I was responsible for all operations, logistics, training and scheduling inside the Construction Department.
In 2011, I began consulting for Youthbuild International facilitating Building Science, Energy Auditing and Weatherization workshops in Brcko, Bosnia.I was given the unique opportunity of introducing energy auditing equipment, such as blower door technology, to the region which would enable Bosnians, for the first time, to measure ventilation rates (ACH), ensuring healthier and more livable physical environments. The introduction of such equipment, when partnered with infrared imaging (IR) equipment, gave BiH the opportunity to align themselves with widely accepted energy efficiency standards while measuring the thermal performance of common building envelopes. Eventually, I would move into a role that would assist with scaling our international programs across a dozen countries -- with a focus on Africa and Central America.
In March of 2020, with the arrival of the pandemic, much of our international work at YouthBuild came to a grinding halt. The following month, the position of Director of Construction,YBUSA became available, and by the grace of God, I applied for this position and was hired on officially in June of 2020. In this position, I am charged with supporting our field of over 200+ programs with the implementation of their construction component. More specifically, the work of the Construction Department is to ensure that YouthBuild Construction Trainers and Managers are provided with the support they need to effectively deliver the construction component to YouthBuild trainees. In addition, our department ensures that new (YouthBuild DOL) grantees are apprised of all the
requirements set forth by the Department of Labor as it pertains to Trainee Certification, the development of Affordable Housing and staying abreast of the latest trends around Green Sector Jobs and Strategies -- to ultimately best prepare our young people to transition into the (green) construction sector.
Disclosure information not submitted.
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