Our Mission
Passive House Rhode Island (PHRI) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the Passive House Building Energy Standard in Rhode Island through public outreach, education, advocacy, and training, PHRI provides opportunities for practitioners, industry professionals, policymakers and the general public to collaborate and participate in a shared mission, ensuring the success and vitality of the Passive House Building Energy Standard.
Our Members
Passive House Rhode Island is made up of building professionals, architects, builders, consultants, designers and members of the general public who represent about fifty businesses in and around Rhode Island. We are all working toward creating sustainable buildings by employing Passive House methodologies. Our members come together to share information about the various issues and challenges involved with building Passive House homes. We compare notes and share solutions to problems big and small, simple and complex. We also strive to expand the Passive House standard into the commercial and public building sector. We are active on many fronts and gladly welcome support from like-minded people.
Our Board
The board of Passive House Rhode Island is dedicated to advancing the adoption and implementation of Passive House standards throughout the state. Comprising leaders in architecture, engineering, and sustainable building practices, the board works to educate the public, professionals, and policymakers about the benefits of Passive House design, which emphasizes energy efficiency, comfort, and sustainability. The board oversees initiatives to promote high-performance building practices, supports the development of local training programs, and collaborates with community organizations to foster a more sustainable built environment across Rhode Island. Through advocacy, education, and outreach, the board plays a crucial role in driving the state’s transition to a greener future.
Beth Campbell, CPHB, CPHT
Board Chair
Beth is a dynamic construction professional with a deep commitment to scaling energy efficiency. Based in Providence RI, she has a track record of delivering innovative single family and missing middle residential projects, particularly in net zero and passive building construction. Beth’s professional journey began over 20 years ago with “tool bags on”, graduating to Project Manager at vanguard high performance and panelized construction design/build firms. She also instructs the Phius Builder Certification course, grows a lot of greens, and loves getting out biking, paddleboarding, and XC skiing.
Tristan Grant, CPHC
Secretary
Tristan is a Director for the New Buildings Institute, leading the Codes and Policy team on their work with model codes and jurisdictions to advance baseline and stretch codes, develop climate focused policy solutions, and to further decarbonization, resilience, health, and equity in the built environment. Tristan has previously worked in the renewable energy industry and high-performance building design and construction space.
John Deans, CPHB
Treasurer
Originally from Maine, John has settled in his wife’s home state of Rhode Island. Having spent nine years as a campaigner with Greenpeace USA, John switched gears in 2017 and started building high performance homes. While in Maine he was a board member of passivhausMAINE and has continued to be active helping to grow the high performance building community. John now works as a Product Consultant for 475 High Performance Building Supply. He has a bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Outside of his building interest, John spends his time with his favorite person and wife, Liia, and against all sound advice loves to play lacrosse, mountain bike, and snowboard.
J.R. Coffin, AIA, CPHD, CPHB, LEED AP
Board Member
J.R. is a Principal Architect at Studio Den Den who has always felt that promoting sustainable practices is an inherent part of her responsibility as an architect. She worked on Winthrop Tower—the largest certified Passive House office building in the world—and has spent the past decade in sustainable architecture, focusing on the design and construction of multi-family developments, private residences, and commercial buildings. She holds a certificate in Healthy Materials and Sustainable Construction from Parsons New School and cares deeply about bringing healthy, sustainable homes to a broader community.
Prior to co-founding Studio Den Den, she served as Sustainability Lead at multiple firms, where she provided training, implemented office standards, and advanced leadership in sustainable design through strategic initiatives. More recently, she founded Dwelly, a company focused on making high-performance, thoughtfully designed ADUs more accessible throughout New England.
Stephen Demetrick, CPHB
Board Member
Steve is the owner of DeMetrick Housewrights and has been building houses since he graduated from Georgetown University in 1995. He worked for Habitat for Humanity in inner city Washington, DC as an AmeriCorps volunteer for two years, then moved back to Wakefield in 1998 and has been building and remodeling in his community ever since. He is a Certified Passive House Builder and built the first PHIUS Certified Passive House in the state. He is an active member of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and is an occasional contributor to the Journal of Light Construction and Fine Homebuilding magazines. He also served on the Board of Passive House Massachusetts. Steve lives in Wakefield, RI with his wife and four children.
Jon Erickson, CPHC, CPHB
Board Member
ohn Erickson brings over two decades of experience as a high-performance builder and building science consultant. He recently co-founded Building for People, a design and consulting practice focused on supporting industry peers in delivering high-performance buildings.
Previously, as an Account Manager at CleaResult, John provided building science guidance, energy performance consulting, and verification services to builders across the state. In that role, he focused on helping teams at all levels understand and successfully implement Passive House principles.
John holds multiple certifications through Passive House Institute US (Phius), including Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC), Phius Certified Builder (CPHB), and Certified Verifier, and is also a HERS Rater.
Kyle Macht, AIA, CPHC
Board Member
Kyle is a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) with a background in architectural engineering. He has spent the last decade in sustainable architecture, focusing on designing and building custom homes, energy consulting for residential and commercial buildings, home performance contracting, and renewable energy systems. Today, Kyle applies his knowledge in building science to low-carbon architecture as Principal of Macht Architecture.
Lilli Markle, WELL AP
Board Member
Lilli Markle is a WELL Accredited Professional and the founder of Well Adapted Group, with over a decade of experience across the nonprofit, built environment, technology, and wellness sectors. Lilli brings a human-centered lens to organizational and environmental impact—helping to embed wellbeing, sustainability, and engagement into the places where people live, work, and gather. In her role as Education Director at Built Environment Plus (BE+), her work is focused on the integration of health and performance outcomes in the built environment, leading workforce training and community-building initiatives that support the adoption of high-performance building standards, including Passive House, LEED, and other sustainability frameworks. She works closely with architects, engineers, builders, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to translate complex building science concepts into practical, scalable solutions that improve energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and climate resilience.
Katie Row, LEED AP
Board Member
Katie is a mechanical engineer and sustainability consultant with a passion for making and learning. In her current role as a Senior Sustainability Consultant at Arup, she focuses on existing building and portfolio-scale decarbonization. She has also worked as a professional curriculum developer and developed sustainability trainings for audiences including building designers, real estate professionals, and HVAC installers. Katie lives in Providence with her husband and cat and spends her free time on her bike or at the sewing machine making clothes/objects out of discarded materials.
Kurt Teichert
Board Member
Kurt Teichert is a Teaching Professor in Environment and Society at Brown University. He teaches courses and advises students on sustainable design, adaptive reuse, environmental stewardship, urban infrastructure, and transportation technology and policy. Kurt came to Brown in 1992 to manage an early campus environmental stewardship initiative before transitioning to full time teaching. He has been involved in research, design, and construction of high-performance educational facilities and the management of rental properties for over 40 years. Teichert serves as a member of the RI Energy Efficiency & Resource Management Council and serves on the Boards of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance and Congress for New Urbanism New England. Prior to coming to Brown, Kurt served as Research Associate and Facilities Manager at New Alchemy Institute. Mountain and gravel biking and traveling to live music venues and festivals are favorite activities.
Becks Akins
Student Board Member
Becks Akin is a construction decarbonization advocate and environmental engineering student at Brown University, focused on advancing sustainable, high-performance design in the built environment. Born and raised in Costa Rica, they bring a global perspective and a deep commitment to climate resilience, equity, and community impact. Their experience spans both research and hands-on construction, including work with Habitat for Humanity where they conducted embodied carbon analysis and developed cost models for high-performance homes. Through their research and community engagement, they highlight the long-term environmental and economic benefits of zero energy and positive energy housing. At Brown Design Workshop, they also mentor and train community members in fabrication and building tools, fostering accessible, collaborative learning environments. Becks is passionate about making sustainable building practices more understandable and actionable, and is driven to create a future where homes are energy-efficient, joyful, and accessible to all.