August 11, 2020
Mark Jackson, Vice President of Energy Solutions at Community Housing Partners (CHP), has been appointed by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to the Board of Housing and Community Development.
The board oversees housing and community development projects throughout the commonwealth and has 14 members, including 11 who are appointed by the governor from each of Virginia’s congressional districts. Northam announced the appointment of Jackson, who lives in Blacksburg and will represent Virginia’s 9th Congressional District for a four-year term, during his recent round of appointments on Friday, Aug. 7. (View the full list of gubernatorial appointments.)
“Mark’s indefatigable commitment to CHP’s mission to create homes and communities that are healthy, sustainable, and affordable, combined with his expertise in programs that deliver energy efficiency, health and safety, and building science make Mark a valuable and ideal candidate for Virginia’s BHCD,” said Jeff Reed, President of CHP, in his recommendation letter.
Andrew McCoy, Director of the Virginia Center for Housing Research and a member of CHP’s Board of Directors, agreed. “Mark has also become a national voice for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and the development of a green job workforce,” McCoy wrote in his recommendation letter. “He has advocated for his craft at the state legislature, in Congress, and through presentations all over the country. Mark has also become an international advocate through his work with Weatherizers Without Borders, expanding his footprint of success around the globe.”
Jackson joined CHP in 2009 after 20 years of business management and real estate development experience, including as the project manager and managing partner of a 33-acre co-housing development in Blacksburg. During his time at CHP, he has developed and expanded multiple projects for the Energy Solutions business lines, resulting in 400% growth over 10 years.
“I first met Mark when he took the position of Director of the Community Housing Partners Energy Solutions Training Center,” wrote Billy Weitzenfeld, Executive Director of the Association of Energy Conservation Professionals (AECP). “In an amazingly short amount of time Mark took an empty shell building and turned it into a state-of-the-art Weatherization training facility that has trained thousands of individuals in all areas of home weatherization, energy efficiency measures, competency certification, and much more – all the while utilizing innovative teaching methods in the classroom, in the field, and online.”
Jackson serves on the board of the AECP. He also co-founded and serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Weatherizers Without Borders, an international NGO that develops weatherization programs globally. Recently, he helped establish the first weatherization training center outside the U.S. (Read more about Jackson’s work in South America.)
Jackson is not the only CHP staff member to serve on a state-level committee. Last year, Northam appointed Janaka Casper, Chief Executive Officer at CHP, to the Virginia Clean Energy Advisory Board.