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What’s the best part about your job at LEAP?

There is never a dull moment—ever. Since fall of 2010 when I became the third employee, we have been moving full-speed-ahead, and we’ve accomplished so much that people are talking about us all over the country.  It’s extremely rewarding to be one of the people responsible for making that happen. And my colleagues—they are exceptional people, great to work with, and they make me laugh—all the time.

Tell us about your house.

My house, which I share with my two teenagers and my two dogs, is your typical 1960s ranch house in a true “Leave it to Beaver” neighborhood in Charlottesville. It had a few inches of fiberglass insulation in the attic when I bought it, none in the walls or basement, and it cost me a fortune to heat and cool. I’ve let my building science colleagues and UVA engineering students use my house for testing, and as a result have learned a ton about how to make my home more efficient. I’ve added blown cellulose to my attic, switched all my bulbs, replaced my faucets and showerheads, sealed my ducts, caulked around windows and doors and changed my thermostat settings. I now pay about half in electric and gas bills compared to my pre-LEAP life.

What do you do when you’re not working?

Fascinating answer to this one: clean house, wash clothes, run errands, yard work, take dogs to park, chauffer teenagers . . . and then it’s Monday again.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A prima ballerina. No kidding. It took years to get over the day that my ballet teacher of six years told my mother that my toes wouldn’t curl enough for pointe shoes and there was no point in my continuing ballet. Really, my dream career was shot down by my toes.