Who We Are

Board of Directors 2023

Michael Rubino

Chair & Co-Founder

Michael Rubino is an air quality expert who helps bridge the gap between the air in our homes and its direct impact on our health. Rubino works with over 100 doctors globally to not only raise awareness but also provide solutions to correctly identify and remove the pollutants causing this global health crisis.

 

As President of HomeCleanse, Rubino specializes in working with people who are immunocompromised or have acute and sustained reactions to mold exposure and has helped heal over 1,000 families—including celebrities and athletes. He is also a council-certified Mold Remediator by IICRC and ACAC and is a contributing member, sponsor, and speaker for the Indoor Air Quality Association.

 

He is a contributor to MindBodyGreen and has been featured on Gwyneth Paltrow’s The goop Podcast and goop's website, Brandi Glanville’s Unfiltered podcast, Luke Storey, NBC, ABC, Fox, Forbes, USA Today, and Livestrong, to name a few. He hosts the YouTube series, Mold Talks, where guests include medical experts as well as mold recovery patients, including media icon Atoosa Rubenstein.


Email: [email protected]


Kendra Seymour

Vice-Chair & Co-Founder

Kendra Seymour is a Co-Founder and Vice President of Change the Air Foundation and a passionate advocate for improving health by improving indoor air quality. She oversees foundation initiatives, with a special focus on raising awareness, outreach, and fundraising.


As a mother of two, Kendra discovered hidden mold and water damage in her home were harming her family’s health. After years of research into mold and indoor toxins, and a lot of hard lessons-learned, she became dedicated to helping others by building awareness in online communities and collaborating with fellow advocates to educate the public around the importance of indoor air quality.


Kendra is an educator at heart. She graduated from Miami University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and later completed a master’s degree in Initiatives in Education Transformation from George Mason University. She spent nearly a decade as a teacher and Instructional Coach in Fairfax County, having taught students at the elementary level for several years before transitioning to the role of Instructional Coach where she led professional development and supported teachers and administrators in making data driven decisions. 


Email: [email protected]

Jamie Way

Board Member

Jamie Way is passionate about how indoor air has affected autoimmune diseases, particularly how it impacts alopecia. In 2018 his family was greatly impaired by toxic mold, which resulted in his daughter losing her hair. It took years of research to find that her condition has triggered by issues in their home. He has since become dedicated to sharing their story and building awareness, to connect the dots of alopecia to indoor air quality.

He joins Change The Air Foundation with a background of over 10 years in eCommerce strategy and marketing, as well as over 20 years in the entertainment space.


Email: [email protected]

Jessica McQuade

Board Member

Jessica McQuade is a Mold Consultant and Residential Mold Inspector specializing in hypersensitive occupants. As the founder, owner and operator of Mold Mentor LLC. she provides comprehensive consulting, coaching and support in navigating the process of dealing with mold in one’s home. As the founder, owner and operator of MoldEase LLC, she provides specialized residential mold inspection for the hypersensitive community in the greater Denver/Boulder, Colorado area. 

A problem-solver and toxic mold survivor herself, she is extremely passionate about supporting others who are going through what she refers to as the “journey” of dealing with toxic mold. Jessica’s mission is to usher others through the often complex journey to make it as efficient, effective and simple as possible. She brings a degree in Psychology and a professional background of 18 years in Human Resources. A strong proponent of educating and empowering others, she considers it her professional responsibility to never stop learning.

Andy Pace

Board Member

Andrew Pace is a Healthy Home Concierge and Founder of The Green Design Center, a leading resource for homeowners and contractors looking to source products that are healthy and green and receive expert consulting advice on designing and building healthy green homes. Andrew is the host of the weekly Non Toxic Environments Podcast. He is a worldwide expert on green and healthy building products and services customers and contractors from around the globe. As founder of the oldest healthy building supply company in the United States, Andrew has become one of the single most helpful and educational experts dealing with the day-to-day concerns of those individuals who suffer from allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities.


Email: [email protected]

Staff

Brandon Chappo

Director of Public Policy & Co-Founder

Brandon Chappo is a Co-Founder and Director of Public Policy for Change the Air Foundation. Serving as Director of Public Policy, he heads the organization’s advocacy development and implementation strategies. In working closely with community stakeholders and elected officials, he brings much-needed attention to the worldwide epidemic of poor indoor air quality and the need for improved standards nationwide.

Brandon’s advocacy journey began in the summer of 2019 after his health drastically began to deteriorate due to unknown exposure to mold and microbial growth from a water-damaged housing rental. His firsthand experience sparked his passion to help others suffering from similar circumstances. No one, he believes, should have to live in an indoor environment that makes them chronically ill. Since this realization, he’s become a resolute defender of healthier indoor air quality standards for all.


Brandon's tireless involvement with state legislators and volunteer constituents has led to the creation of eight state bill proposals regarding mold and indoor air quality. He was also instrumental in the creation of federal legislation, the Healthy at Home Act of 2023 (H.B. 5533, S. 2834), which aims to combat indoor mold in residential and HUD housing across the United States. Brandon's dedication led to his feature in the December 2021 issue of Healthy Indoors Magazine promoting his advocacy efforts.

Email: [email protected]

Strategic Advisors

Justin Nahama 

Justin is a passionate and highly-accomplished business strategist, attorney, and Marine veteran committed to creating impact for all.  He has 15 years of experience leveraging a unique blend of legal, business, and non-profit acumen to help scale the global reach of industry leaders and early-stage companies. Justin has worked closely with disruptive visionaries in wellbeing ranging from Deepak Chopra, Oprah’s Executive Director, CrossFit’s founding team, leadership in the Navy SEAL and special operations communities, and cryptocurrency/blockchain innovators. According to a successful founder he advised, “Any effort Justin leads becomes a movement without fail.”

An intuitive “fixer” who thinks fast and effectively, Justin forged his legal practice as a federal prosecutor and Marine JAG shortly after 9/11. Justin became a sought-after advisor to senior military officers where he prosecuted felony cases earning the reputation—according to one of his awards—“as one of the premier litigators in the Marine Corps.”  Justin’s success and commitment to service continued when he transitioned to one of the largest law firms in the country. During his tenure, Justin broke the mold to make partner based on his ability to fuse business and legal strategy to empower companies around the world.  

Justin currently serves as the COO of the Chopra Foundation, a partner at the world’s largest distributed law firm, and a general partner at the venture-capital fund he founded to support veteran entrepreneurs. 

Michael Pinto

Michael A. Pinto is chief executive officer of Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc., a manufacturing and environmental consulting firm that specializes in identification and control of all types of indoor contaminants. For over 40 years Michael has provided professional safety and industrial hygiene services related to asbestos, lead, IAQ, mold, chemical exposures, infectious agents, and noise. Mr. Pinto is the author of over 230 published articles and several books including, Fungal Contamination: A Comprehensive Guide for Remediation and Forensic Restoration: Procedures to Protect Operators and Occupants.

He completed doctoral course work in environmental engineering and holds numerous certifications in the environmental and safety areas, including Certified Safety Professional, Safety Management Specialist, Certified Mold Professional, Fire Loss Specialist, and Certified Forensic Operator. In addition to being a frequent speaker at industry events, Michael has been honored with such prestigious awards from the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) such as the Golden Quill, Martin L. King Award, and the Phoenix Award for Innovative Restoration. He has also been honored with the President’s and Emeritus Board Awards as well as the Snider Lifetime Achievement Award from the Environmental Information Association (EIA). He also served as an RIA representative on a joint task force with members from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) providing education and guidance regarding the provision of restoration services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From asbestos to mold Michael has been on the forefront of industry trends and shared expertise with homeowners, property managers, the restoration industry, cleaning contractors, and the general public. He is known internationally for his expertise in dealing with situations involving sensitized individuals and has been recognized by federal and state courts as an expert in addressing indoor contaminants.

Medical ADVISORY PANEL

Dr. Tania Dempsey

Dr. Tania Dempsey, MD, ABIHM is a world-renowned expert in complex, multisystem diseases such as
autoimmune disorders and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and is sought after internationally for her knowledge of chronic immune dysregulation. As founder of the AIM Center of Personalized
Medicine, in Purchase, NY, Dr. Dempsey uses functional and integrative medicine to get to the patient’s
root cause(s) of illness, to understand why people get sick, to help patients understand their body, and
to understand why it fails them when it does. She works with patients all over the United States, as well
as from places around the world such as the UK, Israel, Australia, and France. Dr. Dempsey’s extensive
knowledge and experience with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Mold, and Lyme and other Vector-Borne
Diseases, has propelled her to the forefront of the functional medicine community as a recognized and
trusted speaker, researcher, advocate, and physician.
Dr. Dempsey is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Integrative and Holistic Medicine. She received
her MD degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and her BS degree from Cornell
University. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at New York University Medical Center.
She is a newly elected member of the Board of Directors of ILADS (International Lyme and Associated
Diseases Society), a faculty member of the ILADS Vector-Borne Illness Fundamentals course, and a
frequent presenter at their annual conferences. She is also a member of the U.S. ME/CFS Clinician
Coalition, the American Academy of Ozonotherapy, and ISSWSH (International Society for the Study of
Women’s Sexual Health).


She is an accomplished international speaker, writer and thought leader. She is well published in the
medical literature on topics related the MCAS and was a co-author of a chapter titled “Urogynecology
and Hypermobility” in the 2020 book, Disjointed Navigating the Diagnosis and Management of
hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders. She was involved in a research study in collaboration with the TILT team at University of Texas Health Science Center at San
Antonio which led to two publications: Mast cell activation may explain many cases of chemical
intolerance (2021) and Chemical Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation: A Suspicious Synchronicity (2023).


She is also a co-author on the groundbreaking paper, Diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome: a
global "consensus-2". Her most recent paper from August 2023 is titled: Learned cautions regarding
antibody testing in mast cell activation syndrome.
Attending, speaking, and hosting summits, seminars, webinars, podcasts, and conferences are a routine
part of Dr. Dempsey’s academic and professional regimen. As a trusted expert, Dr. Dempsey is
committed to furthering her knowledge of the most innovative, leading edge medical diagnostics and
therapeutics. She is passionate about educating patients, their families and other physicians who are
searching for answers. Her latest endeavor is cohosting the new podcast, Mast Cell Matters, where each episode takes a deep dive with experts covering symptoms, testing, diagnosis, treatment, practical strategies, latest research findings and clinical pearls, with the goal of helping doctors and patients better manage MCAS and its associated co-morbidities.

dr pejman katiraei

Dr. Pejman Katiraei 

Dr. Pejman Katiraei is a board-certified pediatrician who is also boarded and fellowship-trained in integrative medicine. He completed his undergraduate at UCLA and then obtained his osteopathic medical degree at the Western University of Health Sciences. He completed a pediatric residency at Loma Linda University, where he stayed on as teaching faculty for over 4 years. Dr. Katiraei has also completed two fellowships in integrative medicine. He is now in private practice in Santa Monica, where he focuses on helping children with severe behavioral challenges. He is also working with a talented team to build an AI online portal that empowers providers to help families understand the root cause of their child’s behavioral issues and what steps they can take to help resolve it.

Dr. Terri Rebibo Fox

Dr. Terri Rebibo Fox is a holistic, integrative, functional medicine doctor In Boulder, Colorado. She works on her patient’s behalf as a medical detective searching for the underlying dysfunction, instead of just treating the symptoms. She has expertise in fatigue, bio-identical hormones, sleep disorders, gastro-intestinal dysfunction, and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome from mold toxicity and Lyme disease.

Dr. Fox is board certified in Integrative Holistic Medicine.  She is a founding member of ISEAI, the international Society of Environmentally Acquired Illness.  She is a founding physician for Ravel, an organization committed to bring affordable care to Lyme patients. She is trained in functional medicine and has been practicing functional medicine for 22 years.

Dr. Fox is a trained family physician who integrates natural healing modalities with Western medicine, providing integrative care for the whole family.  She brings a unique blend of western medicine, herbal medicine, nutrition and exercise counseling, supplements and stress reduction techniques to provide her patients with a true holistic approach to healing.

Dr. Fox will search for the underlying triggers that contribute to imbalance or dis-ease by using the latest cutting edge technology and lab testing.  She does an extensive work up and tailors a unique individual treatment for you to restore balance and bring you back to wellness.

Through her work with fatigue and pain disorders, she specializes in Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome from mold toxicity and Lyme disease. She treats Lyme with an effective, natural approach by eliminating any factors that can impair your immune system and prevent your body from fighting the bacteria. Dr. Fox will search for the underlying triggers that contribute to imbalance or dis-ease by using the latest cutting edge technology and lab testing.  She does an extensive work up and tailers you treatment plan to you as an individual.  She uses many modalities to treat Lyme, including herbs, homeopathics, micronutrients, and a variety of IV's that treat Lyme, its co-infections, and mold. She focuses on detoxification and treatments that remove biotoxin so that you can feel better while undergoing treatment. 

Dr. Fox has launched her Mold Treatment Masterclass, an online treatment course for patients with mold toxicity.  She is the founder of Boulder Holistic, Functional medicine in Boulder, Colorado.  

Scientific Outreach Committee

David Fontaine

Chair of the Scientific Outreach Committee

David Fontaine is Chair of the Scientific Outreach Committee. David has a Masters degree in Systems Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and leverages 20+ years’ experience in aerospace/defense systems engineering, including safety-critical systems design, root cause analysis, project and test planning, and decision analysis.

David and his wife, Lissa, lost home and health, due to water damage hidden in their home and exposure to multiple species of toxigenic mold.  This was followed by a failed remediation, leaving them with a gutted, contaminated home.  With few good options, they sold their distressed home with full disclosure and liquidated their salvageable belongings.  They purchased a 36’ fifth-wheel RV, which has been their full-time home since 2018, while they travel with the seasons, treating with specialists along the way. 

With his background, David has a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of things.  Over the past 4 years, while doing personal research to aid his own recovery, he has examined the toxic mold problem from many different perspectives.  Studying winners and losers, profits and losses, across the landscape of real estate, insurance, public health, agriculture, state and federal agencies, veterinary medicine, and our healthcare systems, he quickly recognized deep, widespread, and totally inconsistent patterns of messaging and behavior around mycotoxins in different contexts..

David hopes his unique perspectives, passion, and tenacity will help bring improved understanding of and protection from the dangers of mold and mycotoxins.  And, as he likes to note, there are profits to be made in the solutions – and solutions are everywhere!

Email: [email protected]

Building Advisory Committee

Brian Tinker

Brian Tinker has been building custom homes in Colorado for the last 20 years.

During this time, Brian has seen many changes in building science, and oftentimes the changes within building codes have not been based on what's best for the people that live in the homes.

This became very real for Brian, when his family discovered that his wife and son both had mold illness. Living in a 1931 house with plenty of water damage became an immediate issue. Tinker Homes had already begun changing the way they were building to make homes healthier, but this new information rapidly increased the building science changes in his company.

Brian is now working with several organizations and groups to increase awareness about building new homes with better building practices to change the quality of the air inside the homes.