The Health Benefits of Home Performance

Jonathan Wilson, Director of Research, National Center for Healthy Housing

Jonathan Wilson, MPP, has worked for NCHH since 1994 and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Research. During his tenure, Mr. Wilson has served as a program manager for research, technical assistance, and policy work. He helped to coordinate the Evaluation of the HUD Lead Hazard Control Grant Program, the largest and most comprehensive study of lead hazard control in housing ever undertaken in the United States. He also led research exploring the EPA lead risk assessment protocols and the effects of window and porch interventions on lead exposure. Mr. Wilson has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed research manuscripts evaluating assessment tools and interventions for healthy housing hazards. He also served as the NCHH representative to the federal Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention from 2004 to 2010. He came to NCHH with a background in nonprofit housing development and a Master of Public Policy from Duke University.

Ellen Tohn, Principal, Tohn Environmental Strategies

 Ms. Tohn is an environmental and health consultant with over 20 years of experience. She is the founder and principal of Tohn Environmental Strategies and a nationally recognized expert in housing based environmental health threats, healthy housing and indoor air quality, and lead poisoning prevention. Ms. Tohn also has extensive sector experience working on clean air, solid and hazardous waste, toxic substances, and comparative risk. Ms. Tohn works with housing developers, property owners, managers and architects to create green and healthy housing. She has assisted national/regional and local health advocates catalyze effective and lasting policy solutions; contributed to numerous Federal and state guidance documents; developed Federal and local healthy housing and lead training courses; and designed and managed environmental health research studies resulting in peer-reviewed publications and influencing Federal regulatory actions. She recently directed a project to develop Guidance for EPA’s Energy Star Indoor Air Quality Specifications and serves as an advisor on indoor air quality issues to the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes standards setting process and numerous other green building programs.

Ely Jacobsohn, Program Manager, Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, US Department of Energy

Ely Jacobsohn is focused on transforming the home improvement market. He joined the U.S. Department of Energy in 2009 has been working in the Building Technologies Office developing strategies, programs and policies to encourage consumers to improve the performance of their homes. Currently, he directs the National Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program and looks for collaboration opportunities to scale home performance and all clean energy. Before joining DOE, Ely worked at the Maryland Energy Administration as the Residential Program Manager, and was one of the architects of the EmPOWER Maryland Act which set a statewide energy efficiency savings target.