Elizabeth “Liz” Perez-Halperin is the President and founder of GC Green Incorporated (GCG), a certified woman-owned, Native American, and 9/11 service disabled veteran-owned Green Build General Contracting and Consulting Firm. GC Green is involved in an effort to broaden the outreach and impact of the green economy. In addition to being an active builder and installer of green solutions, GC Green participates in a growing network of providers and promoters of education, training, apprenticeship, and project placement opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable energy systems for Veterans and other displaced workers in California.
Prior to starting GCG, Liz was in the green build and engineering industry for six years in San Diego, California. Liz also served in the United States Navy for over eight years as an Aviation Logistics Specialist. During her time in the Navy she did several deployments in the 5th and 6th fleet and recognized that saving energy meant saving lives on the battle field, and that the root causes of conflict and future wars can be reduced by being more resource efficient and by broadly embracing sustainable practices. She developed GC Green as her personal way to be a positive agent for that change.
Additionally, Liz is a member of the North Fork Mono Indian tribe located in California and is proud of her Native American culture. In 2010, she collaborated with the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association on an energy efficiency grant which was recently awarded to 10 tribes in California. Ms. Perez-Halperin was a candidate in 2011, for the Indian Energy Commission for the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGA) for the Western Region of the United States.
In addition to her own business, Liz is passionate about using her experience and network to help other Veterans to find job opportunities in the green economy and to help Veterans seek out and follow their own entrepreneurial dreams. Liz currently serves on the San Diego State Sustainability Advisory Board as a job creation champion, and is Chairman of the Board of the Jonas Project – a nonprofit organization that assists Veterans in becoming entrepreneurs. This builds on her past accomplishments of being selected to participate in the Entrepreneur for Veterans Bootcamp program at Texas A&M University and then being selected to bring this message of entrepreneurship to other Veterans through a fellowship at the Kaufmann Foundation as well as with the SBA’s Boots to Business & Ready Vet Hire program at Camp Pendleton. In addition, she was selected as a fellow with Mission Continues to specifically expand efforts to provide outreach, training, and job placement for Veterans in the green industry. Her future ambition in this area include working collaboratively with other stakeholders to develop the first Military Cleantech Hub for Veteran Entrepreneurs in the emerging Clean Energy industry. As a participant and member of the Wounded Warrior Project, Liz is working with that organization and others to expand broad Veteran empowerment options specifically to the Native American Veteran population.
Liz is active in championing policy development in sustainability as an affiliate with the Truman National Security Project and Operation Free – both coalitions of Veterans advocating for clean energy and national security. In addition, she was selected in 2013 to be one the first Veterans to be a part of the American Council of Young Political Leaders. Ms. Perez-Halperin will be serving as a United States Delegate to Japan starting September 2013. She will be highlighting National Security, Water Conservation and Energy policy in the United States and how it relates to the Japanese government.
Liz is also an active educator in the sustainability field. She is an instructor at San Diego State University “Green Certificate” program co-teaching course in energy efficiency and in water conservation.
Ms. Perez-Halperin has a degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle University with a Minor in Logistics, Business & Safety Management. She is currently enrolled in a MBA program at National University and is also currently studying for the California General B Contractor license exam in July 2013.