NAIMA Canada Staff

Jay Nordenstrom is the Executive Director of NAIMA Canada representing the mineral fiber insulation manufacturers. He promotes energy efficiency and environmental preservation through the use of members’ products and encourages the safe production and use of these materials. Mr. Nordenstrom helped found Efficiency Canada, our nation’s leading voice for energy efficiency. Formerly, Jay was Executive Director for the Canadian Association of Railway Suppliers. Prior to leading associations, Mr. Nordenstrom worked for the Mayor of Ottawa as well as the federal Secretary of State, International Financial Institutions.

Jay was a former executive member of the Carleton University Board of Governors, and was the President of the Carleton University Alumni Association and a former member of the Carleton University Senate. He was also actively involved with a variety of charitable causes including the United Way where he received the Community Builder Award. He is also a past volunteer and board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa.

He was awarded Ottawa’s Forty Under 40 distinction which recognises accomplished leaders who are under the age of 40 and also give back to their community.

Andy Cockburn is a Red Seal General Carpenter with experience in custom home building, panelized construction, timber framing, stair construction, architectural drafting, and historic restoration. He is also a certified Passive House consultant.

As part of his work at NAIMA Canada, Andy serves on boards and program advisories at educational and industry organizations across Canada. This includes work in technical standards development with the ULC S700 (S702.1, S702.2 & S714) Committee(s) on Thermal Performance and Energy Use in the Built Environment and the CSA Technical Committee for Standard Z301 on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Apprenticeship Program.

Andy is a member of Passive House Canada, the Canadian Association of Consulting Energy Advisors (CACEA) and past president of the Lanark and Leeds Home Builders’ Association (LLHBA). He volunteers his time with the Green Building Skills program at YMCA Ottawa and with climate councils in his hometown of Perth, Ontario.

Gary Sharp is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario. Gary has been involved in the construction and renovation industry for over 25 years, always working towards improving the energy efficiency of Canadian housing.

Gary is a member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) and has contributed to the industry by managing and writing the updates to the national CHBA Builders’ Manual for the last 5 editions spanning 25 years. The Renovators’ Manual and the Builders’ Manual both provide students with a technical understanding of building science and the details of how to build or renovate homes to meet the Net Zero and Net Zero Ready technical requirements. He authored the “Ask an R-2000 Expert” column for Homes and Cottages Magazine. Gary also coordinated and co-authored the Advanced Houses Workshop Manual.

While at the CHBA, Gary was staff lead on their Technical Research Committee and the Canadian Renovator Council and Home Modification Council. Mr. Sharp served as representative on the National Building Code advisory body, committees and working groups as well as representative on various CSA Standards.

Gary was also responsible for upgrades to the R-2000 Technical Requirement for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and provided technical expertise to for the Advanced Houses Program within NRCan.

In addition to his work with CHBA and NRCan, Gary facilitated technical expertise for the Ontario Ministry of Housing and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Canada (CMHC). Gary was also responsible for preparing various technical fact sheets for the R-2000 program.

Jillian is NAIMA Canada’s Senior Director of Communications, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s presence and fostering communication strategies. With a diverse skill set spanning collaboration, website curation, digital marketing, research, analytics, and dynamic content creation, she ensures a holistic approach to project management and implementation.

Her expertise spans across various areas, including policy, advocacy, and workforce development.

Jillian holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Communications Studies from Carleton University and a post-graduate diploma with academic distinction in Interactive Multimedia and Graphic Design from Algonquin College.

Jillian actively contributes to the community, serving on the Canada Green Building Council’s Workforce 2030 Coalition, the National Deep Retrofit Working Group, and the Municipal Deep Retrofit Community of Practice. Additionally, she volunteers her time with Techsploration, inspiring and empowering young women to pursue careers in science, trades, engineering, and technology.