Speaker Bios

Jeff Avallon holds a B.S. in finance and entrepreneurship from Babson College. He is co-founder of IdeaPaint, Inc. coming on board early in product development. During the start-up Jeff was influential in raising initial angel and institutional financing, and channeling strategy; he was responsible for the planning and execution of the launch; he helped train a national sales force as well as establish marketing strategies. Currently he’s focusing on managing IdeaPaint’s commercial market, assists in marketing efforts, and is involved in new business development.

Eve Blossom is the founder/president of Lulan™ Artisans, a textile company committed to sustainable business practices; it produces luxurious, hand-woven fabrics in partnership with artisans from Southeast Asia. After leaving the Los Angeles office of Gensler, she spent two years in Vietnam restoring French villas for clients such as Price Waterhouse and Chase Manhattan and training Vietnamese architects in technology. It was there that she discovered a passion for the hand-weaving traditions of the region and realized the unparalleled talent and spirit of the local artisans.

Andrew H. Dent is vice president, Library & Materials Research, Material ConneXion, plays a key role in the expansion of the global materials consultancy’s technical knowledge base. His primary function is to direct research into innovative products and processes. His research directs the implementation of consulting projects and the selection of some 60 new materials juried into consultancy’s Materials Library monthly. He oversees Material ConneXion’s libraries in New York, Milan, Cologne, Daegu, and Bangkok as well as an online database of over 4,500 materials.

Anna Dyson teaches design, technology, and theory at the School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute . She is the director of the Graduate Program in Architectural Sciences (Built Ecologies) and has worked as a design architect and product designer in several offices in Canada, Europe, and the United States. She is a co-founder of MATERIALAB, a consortium of architects, engineers, economists and social theorists, that is focused on the development and revaluation of building products that deploy technical transfer from emerging material technologies for sustainable built environments.

John Goscha is the founder of IdeaPaint, Inc. and has served in this role since 2003. He has been influential in raising initial angel and institutional financing for the company, has lead the company’s national entry into the commercial wallcovering market with MDC Wallcoverings, and continues to lead the company’s strategic decisions around product development and distribution strategies.

James Ludwig is vice president of global design for Steelcase Inc. Trained as an architect , he now has global responsibility for the product design direction of the Steelcase brand, overseeing teams in Europe, Asia and the United States. He is also responsible for the design direction of all Steelcase showrooms and WorkLife Centers. Prior to joining Steelcase, he was a founding partner of bold:architects.designers in Berlin, an interdisciplinary consultancy.

Jonathan Marvel, co-principal (with Rob Rogers), Rogers Marvel Architects, a multidisciplinary practice of 45 architects, landscape architects, urban designers, preservationists, and product designers, working on a wide range of projects including museums, schools, and public spaces. A small satellite office in Cody, Wyoming focuses on houses and land planning. Jonathan and Rob also co-founded TRUCK Product Architecture (furniture and home-wares for modern living) and Rock12 Security Architecture (brings design to streetscape elements).

Morgen Newman, co-founder of IdeaPaint, Inc.., has been focused on business development and market growth. After helping to establish an initial distribution relationship and executing the company’s launch, he focused on training a national sales force of 90. Currently, he manages sales growth within the commercial interiors industry as well as expanding the availability of IdeaPaint outside the US. He hopes this international expansion will bring with it an excessive amount of worldwide travel and adventure.

Henrik Otto is the head of global design at Electrolux, an organization of more than 100 designers in seven countries on four continents. Since joining the firm in 2004 he has embarked on a mission to make design a force that powers the evolution of Electrolux into a leading global appliance brand.

Peter Yost is the residential program manager for BuildingGreen, LLC in Brattleboro, Vermont. He has been building, researching, teaching, writing, and consulting on high performance homes for more than 20 years. His expertise stretches from construction waste management and advanced framing to energy efficiency and building durability. Peter has made significant contributions to the work of many leading homebuilding organizations and initiatives—NAHB Researcher Center, Building Science Corporation, 3-D Building Solutions, EEBA, Masco’s Environments for Living® program, USGBC’s LEED for Homes program, and the US Department of Energy’s Building America program.