Professional Builder 40 Under 40: Amber Wood

Amber Wood, 32

Manager, energy programs

NAHB Research Center, Upper Marlboro, Md.

EDUCATION

BS, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, MS, Engineering Systems, Colorado School of Mines

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Manages engineering research programs focused on energy performance of residential construction

Led team that was selected as a DOE Building America research team

Oversees NAHB Research Center’s Energy Value Housing Awards program

EXTRACURRICULAR

Staff liaison for energy efficiency task group that developed (and is now updating) the ANSI ICC-700 National Green Building Standard

Worked with DOE to develop option for builders to have homes dual-certified through both Builders Challenge and NGBS

OFF THE CLOCK

Relaxes by reading, cooking, and playing “vintage” video games with her husband (current challenge: “Legend of Zelda 3”)

Fave food: Dark chocolate and stinky cheese (“It’s an amazing combination, but not in the same bite”)

All-time reads: “Crocodile on the Sandbank,” “A Calculated Risk,” and “Life Expectancy”

SECRET LIFE

Rescued her dog, an Alaskan Malamute named Maverick, by feeding him beer (As a stray, he was fed by local college students, so what do you expect he’d like?)

Builds computers from scratch with neat features like water-cooling systems