The board of directors of the U.S. Green Building Council - Long Island Chapter met on October 18 to nominate and elect members from within the board to serve as officers for the calendar year 2012. Elected to the 2012 USGBC-LI executive board are Rudy Holesek as chairman, Sammy Chu as vice-chairman, Victor DaCosta as secretary and Nate Green as treasurer. Having begun his involvement back in 2007 on the membership committee, Green joined the board in 2009 and will be moving from finance chair into his new role as treasurer. Green is the metro New York regional sales manager for Humanscale, a premier manufacturer of ergonomic seating and work tools with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability. Green is also a member of IFMA-LI, Corenet Global, and CIBS (commercial industrial brokerage society). DaCosta has been working as vice-chair of the programs committee alongside Richard Neuman for the past two years. DaCosta joined our board this year and has spearheaded numerous projects with aplomb. The chapter has benefited greatly from DaCosta's exceptional project management skills and looks forward to putting those skills to the test as chapter secretary. DaCosta is a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a founding partner in Alternative Solutions of New York, a company whose focus is on "working together to transform the social, environmental and economic future through sustainable practices." Chu is the program director of Babylon's Long Island Green Homes Program. This program helps homeowners to lower their utility bills by making their homes more energy-efficient. The LI Green Homes Program is saving Babylon residents an average of $1,085 per year off of oil, gas, and electric bills. LIGH foots the entire upfront cost of the improvements. You pay for the improvements over time using the money you save on your energy bills. The Long Island Green Homes project has won national acclaim and most recently served as the model for the newly formed Long Island Green Homes Consortium, a cooperative effort of seven Long Island municipalities. Chu has served on the board of directors of the USGBC-LI over the past two years and has brought his extensive knowledge of residential green building to our residential green building committee along with that of working with local government and municipalities. As vice-chairman, Chu will be in a great position to use his considerable skills and talents for the benefit of our chapter. Holesek brings years of service and experience to his new position as chairman, having served on the board since 2007, as treasurer in 2010 and vice-chairman throughout this year. Holesek has been integral to the growth and success of our chapter. Holesek is the president and founder of Apollo HVAC, a Long Island based mechanical contractor which is approaching its 40th year providing high-quality installations and service to the industrial and commercial community. Recently Apollo HVAC Corporation was honored as one of "Long Island's Fastest Growing 25 Companies" by KPMG LLP and Hofstra University; and was featured on the Discovery Channel in Pat Summerall's "Champions of Industry" series. Rudy is the current vice-president of BOMA-LI. An instrument rated pilot, Holesek manages to find the time to fly animal rescue missions from the Carolina's to New England and is an Angel Flight pilot. Angel Flight was created by a group of pilots who believe in the benefit of volunteering. It is a non-profit charitable organization of pilots, volunteers, and friends that will arrange free air transportation for any legitimate, charitable, medically related need. Angel Flight is financially supported primarily by the pilots who fly the missions (by donating the use of their airplanes and operating expenses) so that children and adults may access life saving medical care free of charge. We are very fortunate to have such an accomplished, talented and selfless individual lead our chapter in support of its mission. Vince Capogna, LEED AP, is the executive director of US Green Building Council - Long Island and principal of Synergy Green Building Group, Inc., New Hyde Park, N.Y.Vince Capogna, USGBC