We are deeply saddened by the death of Sharon Gaber, The Passive House Network’s longtime General Manager and Director of Education. She died Saturday, August 5 – with her family in upstate New York – after a long battle with breast cancer.

Sharon joined The Passive House Network as the first full-time employee in 2017. Over the years she managed and developed the growth of an array of Passive House training options and focused on strategic partner alliances. Perhaps the single biggest challenge was when, as the pandemic started in early 2020, Sharon pivoted the upcoming Certified Passive House Designer courses, from in-person to a mix of live-online and on-demand. Sharon was a conscientious and committed professional who could be counted on to lean into the annual conference and help manage the chaos with a smile.

Sharon graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, and then from the Fashion Institute of Technology, with a Master of Arts in Museum Studies, Decorative Art.

Sharon was committed to energy efficiency and green building protocols for over 18 years. Starting out in the art & design industry Sharon recognized early on the need to reduce building waste and create more energy-efficient systems. Sharon was a LEED AP and BPI certified, and she combined her passions by helping clients in the museum and design world create more efficient and healthier spaces. Once with PHN, Sharon served as the Development Chair for the Environmental Climate Network at the American Alliance of Museums and volunteered her time educating those in the museum/art world. Sharon was connected to PHN through her volunteer efforts at the volunteer driven nonprofit Greenhome NYC.

At Rutgers University, into 2023, Sharon continued to co-teach an online Capstone class as part of a Masters of Business and Science program and had been recently coaching a team working on seaweed-based plastic bags for produce.

Sharon cared deeply for students, her colleagues, friends, and family, and for the environment, the animals, and our collective future. She is greatly missed.

Sharon’s obituary is here. In memory of Sharon, consider a gift to the wild bird sanctuary upstate that gave her comfort, Wild Wings.

A memorial celebration of Sharon’s life will be held 2:30 pm, Saturday, September 23rd, at the 11th Street Bar, 510 East 11th Street, New York, NY.