earthpark
» faqs
» Earthpark development team
» board of directors
» education advisory team
» contact information
project facts
spacer
 

Earthpark development team

Executive Team
David Oman David Oman
Executive Director
David Oman’s professional experience includes government, business, and media - coupled with extensive volunteer leadership and a strong commitment to family. A former telecommunications executive and Iowa gubernatorial candidate, Oman is the only Iowan to have served as Chief of Staff for two governors. Committed to improving the environment, Oman has served as past chair of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Oman serves on the boards of the University of Northern Iowa Foundation and the Iowa Health System.
John Norwood John Norwood
Triple Bottom Consulting
Project Finance & Business Strategy

A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and the Yale School of Management, John Norwood consults with private and non-profit organizations committed to achieving superior economic, environmental and social returns on investment. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Norwood oversaw the management of $30+ million toward conservation, agriculture and economic development goals. More recently, John has been active in Iowa’s bioeconomy, leading USDA and state green energy production initiatives.
Mary Schon Mary Schon, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor for Science and Education
Dr. Mary Schon will assemble and work with a regional team of scientists and educators to design science education programs and create partnerships that will allow Earthpark to become a National Center for Science Literacy and the Environment. Her experience includes seventeen years at Epcot®, Walt Disney World, where, as Manager of Science Communications, she developed science shows and trained scientists for effective public communication. A native Iowan, Dr. Schon has M.A. in Biology and Ph.D. in Agronomy/Plant Physiology. She is currently Senior Scientist for The Krell Institute in Ames, IA.
Kathy Rank Rachel Smith
Office Manager
Rachel Smith handles administrative support, accounts payable and payroll. She also assists with various projects, contract administration, human resources functions and serves as interim secretary for the Board of Directors. Smith studied anthropology and environmental science at the University of Iowa as an undergraduate and received her B.A. in Business Management with summa cum laude honors from William Penn University in 2000. She brings over fifteen years of administrative and office management experience to Earthpark.
Project Management
John Picard John Picard
E2, Business Development & Techology Advisor
John Picard’s role at Earthpark is to identify and exponentially expand environmental opportunities. As president and founder of E2, Environmental Enterprises, Picard has helped corporations, organizations and design professionals cost effectively make their buildings more efficient and environmentally responsive. Based on its extensive residential and commercial construction experience, E2 has become a premier consulting and resource network.
James Fultz James Fultz
Business Development
Mr. Fultz is an equity partner in the Terrapin Partners FUND II. Terrapin Partners FUND II invests in new technologies and organizations focused on renewable and sustainable fuels. Mr. Fultz has served as CEO of several technologies companies in Silicon Valley; and he founded and built the first software republisher and distributor in the People's Republic of China. This company was later sold to Acer TWP and Intel Corporation. Mr. Fultz' involvement in Earthpark is in building strategic financial alliances on the For-Profit and Not-For-Profit sides of the business.
John Best John Best
Kajima Urban Development (KUD), LLC
Project Manager

A licensed architect, Best has a broad background in development cost analysis and control, transactions, owner representation, construction and architecture. The list of projects on which he has worked includes the Aquarium of the Pacific in California, Biota! in United Kingdom and the Tokyo American Club in Japan.
Tom Winter Tom Winter
KUD, LLC
Director

Director of KUD’s United Kingdom subsidiary, KUD Limited, Tom Winter’s ability to creatively structure transactions that combine public and private sectors has led to the development of many unique complex projects with specialized uses. In addition to U.S. projects like SBC Park for the San Francisco Giants and the Aquarium of the Pacific, Winter has been responsible for Silvertown Quays, a 60 acre mixed-use development.
Design Team
Grimshaw
Andrew Whalley Andrew Whalley
Grimshaw
Managing Architect

Andrew Whalley (AIA, RIBA, FRSA) leads Grimshaw’s New York office where he oversees all active projects in the Americas. A native of the UK, Whalley acted as director in charge of a number of award-winning projects including the Eden Project in Cornwall. He regularly contributes to lecture programs and publications worldwide and acts as the sustainability columnist for Architecture Magazine.
Vincent Chang Vincent Chang
Grimshaw
Managing Architect

A major contributor to the Eden Project, Vincent Chang (RIBA) has been with Grimshaw since 1996. He was responsible for establishing the practice’s New York office and led the firm’s first American commissions, which included the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis. He currently leads design for the Fulton Street Transit Center in Manhattan and regularly contributes to academic and lecture programs.
David Burke David P. Burke, AIA, LEED AP
Grimshaw
Project Architect

A senior architect at Grimshaw, David Burke has a long history of developing inventive structures, including the Athletes' Pavilion at the 1996 Olympic Games and a traveling exhibition for the UN Commission for Sustainable Development's Earth Summit 3. At Grimshaw he has had primary roles on the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center and the Fulton Street Transit Center. He regularly lectures and contributes to academic institutions nationwide.
RDG Planning & Design
Philip Hodgin Philip A. Hodgin, AIA
RDG Iowa
As a principal architect with RDG IA and CEO/President of RDG Planning & Design, Phillip Hodgin specializes in education work including K-12 and collegiate clients. His national exposure includes contributions to the AIA, CEFPI, CAE and participation in research through AMI and the Global Design Alliance.
Kevin Nordmeyer Kevin Nordmeyer, AIA, LEED AP
RDG Iowa
A partner at RDG Planning and Design in Des Moines, Kevin Nordmeyer specializes in sustainable design. His expertise has lead to his positions as chair of the United States Green Building Council-Iowa Chapter, a board member of the Iowa Environmental Council and the Center on Sustainable Communities and an architecture faculty member at Iowa State University. Nordmeyer was recognized nationally for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Office Facility, one of the “Top Ten Green” buildings in the country in 2002.
Additional Design Team
Mechanical Engineering
Fiona Cousins Fiona Cousins
ARUP
Since joining ARUP in 1985, Fiona Cousins has worked on a wide variety of building projects including office developments, laboratories, libraries, performing art centers, airports and educational buildings. With a strong interest and practice in the thermal performance of buildings, Cousins worked on the development of thermal analysis software and energy analyses for complex building types. She is also a LEED™ accredited professional with experience on a number of projects that are pursuing LEED™ goals.
Exhibit Design
Steve Lenox Steve Lennox
Lyons/Zaremba
Principal
Prior to joining the Lyons/Zaremba team in 1998, Steve Lyons was vice president of Joseph A. Wetzel Associates. Lyons has also served as curator of exhibits and graphics at New England Aquarium. Lyons blends his concern for the “visitor experience” with the demands for aesthetic and technical excellence to ensure that LZI exhibits remain successful well after the ribbon-cutting.
Frank Zaremba Frank Zaremba
Lyons/Zaremba
Principal
Blending a love of history and nature with strengthes in design, Frank Zaremba is one of the foremost leaders in the field of exhibit planning and design. Frank continues to work on all phases of his projects from their conceptual beginnings through to their final installation and completion. Prior to founding Lyons/Zaremba, Zaremba worked for 14 years with Cambridge Seven Associates where he was principal from 1978 to 1987.
Energy Systems
David Callan David P. Callan, PE, CEM, LEED AP
Syska Hennessy Group, Inc.
Director of Sustainable Design & Energy Systems

As Syska’s Director of Sustainable Design and High Performance Building Technology, David Callan serves as Earthpark’s sustainable design and alternative energy systems engineer. Callan has experience in the design and analysis of building systems and energy saving measures for projects in the U.S. and abroad. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Green Building Council, National Capitol Region and consults for the U.S. General Services Administration.
Life Support Systems
Michael Rozenblum Michael Rozenblum, P.E.
Syska Hennessy Group, Inc.
Director of Life Support Systems

A professional engineer for more than 30 years, Michael Rozenblum holds a M.S. degree in Water Supply/Waste Water Disposal from the Civil Engineering Institute, Odessa, USSR. With his strong background in water treatment, Rozenblum has led his team on more than 30 aquarium projects including the new $290 million Georgia Aquarium and the 20,000 square foot National Marine Life Science Center. Rozenblum is also an active member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).
Horticultural Planning
Rob Halpern Rob Halpern
Zoo Horticulture Consulting & Design
Landscape Design

As horticulturist at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and curator of horticulture/senior member of the design team at the Bronx Zoo, Rob Halpern has created exciting animal and plant experiences that have been recognized by the American Zoo Association and the Association of Zoological Horticulture. Since starting ZHCD in 2001, Halpern has designed habitats for animals as diverse as Asian otters and African elephants, howler monkeys and butterflies.
Structural Engineering
Aine Brazil Aine Brazil
Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers
Managing Principal/SVP

Among Aine Brazil’s list of accomplishments is leading the structural engineering teams for the over three million square feet of office development in Times Square, all completed in the last ten years. Other notable projects for which Brazil was responsible include the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, the New York Presbyterian Hospital Greenberg and the tallest buildings in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 2006,
Brazil was one of the top 20 women honored by Development New York in 2006.
Financial Modeling
Larry Hudspeth Larry Hudspeth
Larry Hudspeth Consulting Services
A graduate of UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management, Larry Hudspeth has held key leadership positions with not-for-profit organizations including the Long Beach Aquarium Project and UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture. With a successful track record in finance and administration, Hudspeth has developed business plans and strategies that offer practical solutions for a multitude of organizations operating in our complex world.