About The Team Members

The GSE Team:

Doyle Tinkey, Team Leader, Engineer

I am a retired Civil Engineer with 32 years experience working as a  consultant  and manager in the US and Southeast Asia as a Vice President of CH2M HILL.   I have a master’s degree in environmental engineering and my specialty is the efficient treatment of drinking water and wastewater.  I grew up in Northern California on a small farm and where I attended college studying Oceanography.  I transferred to Utah where I obtained my engineering degrees.  During my career, my family and I have lived in Redding and Lake Tahoe California; Chicago, Ill; Denver, CO; Bangkok, Thailand; and Singapore. In 1994 I was a member of a Japanese team working for The Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) that prepared a project evaluation in Hyderabad, Pakistan.  I am past president of the Denver Southeast Rotary Club and I am currently President of our club’s foundation. In the past three years I made two trips to Nairobi, Kenya to support our Rotary International 3H grant project where we constructed water ports for people in the Kiberia slums. Through programs run by our club, my wife and I support High School students in Thailand and Kenya.  We have two married children and 3 grandchildren who all live close to us in the Denver area.

Lauren Coyne, Co-Owner Education & Outreach Manager, Namaste Solar

I am a Co-Owner and the Education and Outreach Manager for Namaste Solar.  Our company designs and installs solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for homes, businesses, non-profit organizations, and government entities throughout the Front Range area of Colorado.  As a Co-Owner of the company, I participate with my colleagues in creating a vision for our company’s future and crafting the strategies and policies that will help us to reach our goals.  As our Education and Outreach Manager, I manage all aspects of our community education efforts, outreach events, strategic partnerships, and customer relations.  I enjoy educating the community about solar PV and the important role it can play in our local and global energy future.  I grew up in Denver, CO and now live there with my husband, Will, who is a co-founder of a public affairs consulting company.  We enjoy spending time in the Colorado outdoors with our Alaskan Malamute, Mia.

Spenser Villwock, MNM, LEED AP,  Deputy Director, Center for ReSource Conservation

 

Spenser is the Deputy Director of the Center for ReSource Conservation (CRC), overseeing 23 sustainability programs along the Colorado Front Range.  Spenser was raised in Iowa and has lived in Portland, Oregon, rural Japan, and Baltimore, Maryland prior to relocating to Boulder, Colorado in mid-2007 with his wife, Amy.  Spenser holds a master’s degree in non-profit management(MNM), LEED-AP (Existing Buildings) accreditation, and an undergraduate in English literature.  With professional experience in community organizing on environmental issues, population-based philanthropy, leadership development, organizational capacity building, and running two start-up companies, Spenser focuses his current efforts at the CRC on maximizing conservation program impact.  A strong and accomplished advocate of sustainable communities and green building, Spenser is the President of Board of Directors for the Boulder Green Building Guild, and an active member of the Colorado Association for Recyclers.

Alicen Kandt, Senior Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

I am a Senior Mechanical Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). I have worked at NREL for over seven years helping to identify opportunities for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, provide technical support for projects, and teach workshops in how to identify technical opportunities for saving energy or water. I have a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and an undergraduate degree in mathematics. I’m currently a PhD candidate in a civil engineering program focusing on sustainable urban infrastructure. I grew up in Colorado Springs, CO, where my parents also grew up. I love Colorado and am happy to have settled here with my husband after attending colleges out of state. We play soccer on a couple of teams together and we enjoy to travel; with trips to Japan and South Africa planned for this year, we’ll have visited every continent except Antarctica.

Michelle Wheatley, Architect & Owner, Studio Arc-hive, LLC.  www.studioarc-hive.com

I have been practicing architectural and urban design, for the past 11 years in California and Colorado.  In 1999, I graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Environmental Design, and immediately went to work with LPA (Leason Pomeroy and Associates), a pioneer of LEED certified buildings in Southern, California. I have worked on a variety of civic, educational, office, and retail projects.  In 2004, I returned to Colorado, and worked with Communication Arts for 4 years, gaining experience in the design of street scapes, storefronts, signage, and specialty fabrications.  I am a Registered Architect with the State of Colorado and owner of Studio Arc-hive, where I practice an integrated, holistic approach to home design and sustainable living.  It is my goal to design and build nearly net-zero homes, co-housing, mixed-used and live-work buildings, using appropriate systems and materials that enhance the environment.  I stay involved with the University of Colorado’s School of Environmental Design and volunteer with Historic Boulder, Habitat for Humanity, and ClimateSmart.  During my free time, I lead kick-boxing and indoor cycling classes a local health club.  I am so grateful for the incredible opportunity that awaits us in Sendai and to be a part of an amazing team!