Green Building Slam 2025

Sean is the Tribal Program Manager at Säzän Group, where he leverages over a decade of expertise in Tribal program administration and management. He holds an MBA in Finance from Arizona State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Tribal Governance and Business Management from Northwest Indian College. In his current role, Sean spearheads initiatives in Tribal sector engagement, such as strategic planning and implementation of microgrid systems, renewable energy solutions, and energy efficiency strategies.

Sean will discuss how Tribes are exercising their sovereignty for energy projects in their communities.

BreAnna is an avid student both on and off campus, deeply passionate about improving the efficiency of the built environment and actively involved in efforts to make it more sustainable. During BreAnna’s time at Western’s Institute for Energy studies, she has developed strong technical and mathematical skills necessary for energy auditing and building performance work while bridging communication between people, data, and design. Recently, BreAnna has had the opportunity to apply these skills in real time through her role at McKinstry, where she supports efficiency-driven projects within their growing Technical Services department.

BreAnna will be sharing the opportunity she has had to take that classroom knowledge into the field in the Clean Building Performance sector, where she is contributing to projects that directly impact building efficiency and energy use across the region.

Natalie Smith is a Project Manager with Dawson Construction, a local general contractor building in Whatcom County since 1967. With over 10 years in the industry, she has led projects ranging from estimating to construction management and was recognized during Women in Construction Week for her leadership and impact. Her most recent projects have all been leading an eight-block redevelopment bringing new homes, businesses, and community spaces to Old Town and Bellingham’s Waterfront.

Natalie will share how Dawson’s Old Town project is bringing sustainable building practices to the heart of our community while honoring Bellingham’s past and paving the way for a sustainable future.

Julia Atkins and Stone Faison are the duo and heart behind Refine Design Architecture, a boutique residential architecture firm based in Washington State. With nearly a decade of experience designing custom homes across both Eastern and Western Washington, they bring a thoughtful, place-based approach to each project.

Their work places sustainability at the forefront, whether through passive solar strategies, all-electric systems, or the integration of emerging building technologies. In recent years, Julia and Stone have focused their efforts on wildfire-resilient residential design, helping homeowners navigate the unique challenges of building in the wildland-urban interface. Through materials research, performance-driven detailing, and code-savvy design, their team is creating homes that are not only beautiful and livable, but also built to withstand the increasing threats of climate change now and into the future.

Julia and Stone will be discussing wildfire resiliency in construction as well as sourcing resilient natural materials.