2005_Leadership_Presentat... >
2007AwardsLuncheonInvite.... >Dennis Creech
Meet the Keynote Speaker for the JRGBC Leadership Awards 2007
Mr. Creech was a co-founder of the Southface Energy Institute, a private nonprofit organization providing education, technical assistance and research in energy, sustainable technologies, and applied building sciences. He has served as Executive Director for over 25 years.
He is a nationally recognized leader in the energy and sustainable development fields. He directed the development of EarthCraft House, a voluntary, market-based green builder program sponsored by Southface, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, government and private industry. Southface also is active in commercial green building and is a regional affiliate of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Mr. Creech has served on the Board of Directors of the Energy and Environmental Building Association, Affordable Comfort, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, the Atlanta Regional Health Forum and the Georgia Environmental Council. He has served on numerous policy bodies for federal and local government and industry, and is an alumnus of the Regional Leadership Institute and the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership. Mr. Creech is a LEED Accredited Professional, has been an Adjunct Professor in Environmental Studies at Emory University and was named 1999 Environmental Professional of the Year by the Georgia Environmental Council.
Mr. Creech frequently speaks on energy and environmental topics ranging from "green" building products to creating sustainable communities, and often serves as a media spokesperson. His House Doctor column is a regular feature of Georgia Magazine and he is a frequent contributor to trade publications.
In 1996, Mr. Creech directed a project to design and construct the Southface Energy and Environmental Resource Center, a state-of-the-art demonstration facility featuring over 100 energy and resource efficient technologies. The Resource Center has been featured worldwide in over 150 media stories, has received several professional design awards and has hosted events for groups ranging from the President's Council on Sustainable Development to Habitat for Humanity.
Before founding Southface, Mr. Creech did research at the Georgia Tech Engineering Experiment Station and was Deputy Director of Atlanta 2000, a nonprofit regional planning organization. He has also worked as a field ecologist conducting research on nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. He lives in an environmentally-restored 1950s ranch-style home and drives a hybrid vehicle.