Derek Miller – Urban Planner & Consultant, HlpSum1 Inc. – dmiller@HlpSum1.com
Derek Miller has built the front end of his career on helping communities to bring services to households and businesses to improve overall economic health and vitality. With a desire to work in public service as an urban planner, Derek pursued a Bachelor’s degree in City and Regional Planning through the Knowlton School of Architecture at the Ohio State University. Derek developed his project management experience in the Statewide Planning and Research group for the Ohio Department of Transportation, working with metropolitan/regional planning commissions and communities. Focusing on public transportation needs and services, he supported communities in their application process for federal and state funding for transportation projects. Participating in state-wide strategic annual planning initiatives, Derek acquired valuable knowledge on obtaining agency support. He went on to pursue a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning while continuing his work at ODOT. Derek is currently serving HlpSum1 Inc, an organization with a mission to support communities and individuals on developing sustainability action plans, as a Planning Consultant, advising and reporting on current trends and best practices in combatting climate change, wellness, and energy equity. Derek currently resides in the Greater Columbus area, enjoys family time and is an avid Buckeye and Cleveland sports fan.
Joyce Mihalik – Principal at HlpSum1 Inc. – jmihalik@HlpSum1.com
Joyce serves NOPEC, a council of governments who have formulated electric and natural gas aggregation in their communities, in the position of Chief Operations Officer. She contributes to the development of Sustainable Programs for NOPEC’s member communities. After graduating from The Ohio State University with an Industrial and Systems Engineering degree, Joyce began her professional career with the CNG Companies, learning energy and utilities as a trade. She was conferred the Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Akron. After a twelve-year career with CNG, she left to join a capital venture firm, and served as Vice President of Public Relations, concentrating on permitting and regulatory affairs in the power industry. She then pursued her interests in the energy arena as an “end user”, leading supply and demand side strategies at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Joyce was an executive at Forest City Realty Trust leading the Integrative Design Services group to identify best practices and standards for new construction design, sustainable programs, facilities engineering and building systems. Central to her role with Forest City was executive accountability to core company values such as Sustainability, Alignment of Talent, Healthy and Wellness and Operational Excellence. She is certified as a LEED AP with the USGBC and a WELL AP with the International WELL Buildings Institute. She served as Vice Chair of the Real Estate Roundtable and on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Market Transformation. She resides in Richfield, Ohio where she enjoys running a Bed & Breakfast near the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks