Bios: Chairs and Task Leads

TASK LEADS

Dave Hewitt | Market & Policy Lead

Dave Hewitt is the task lead for developing Analysis of Cost and Non-Cost Barriers Report for the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium and will coordinate with the Market & Policy working groups.

Dave Hewitt is Executive Director of New Buildings Institute (NBI), a national nonprofit which conducts research, develops strategy and publishes technical guidance to reduce building energy use, primarily in the commercial sector. Prior to joining NBI, Dave directed the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s commercial sector portfolio. He has also served as Director of Research, Development and Evaluation at Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships; Director of the Energy Office for the City of Portland, Oregon; and the first Executive Director of the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation. Dave’s work includes 15 years as a consultant with Pacific Energy Associates, with clients in the utility, government and advocacy sectors relating to demand-side program design and evaluation throughout North America. He also helped design the initial set of program for the Energy Savings Trust in London, UK.

Brad Hollomon | Technologies & Practices Lead

Brad Hollomon is the task lead for developing the Next Generation Technologies Report for the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium and will coordinate with the Technologies & Practices working groups. 

Brad Hollomon is an independent consultant specializing in renewable energy and efficiency, technology transfer, and market development. In his former position as Program Manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, his focus was on equipment in commercial buildings, using approaches ranging from regulatory standards to large-scale procurement initiatives organized to stimulate industry development and production of innovative systems. Before joining the laboratory in 1995, Mr. Hollomon was a program officer at Winrock International, a contractor to the US Agency for International Development.

In earlier positions, he directed the renewable energy and alternative fuel vehicle programs at the NY State Energy R&D Authority, conducted market planning and research for a biomass energy venture by the International Harvester Co. (now Navistar), and directed studies of energy technology and national policy at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.

 

WORKING GROUP CHAIRS

Markku Allison | Integrated Design and Building Delivery Chair
Markku Allison joined the American Institute of Architects in May of 2005, bringing over 20 years of experience as an award-winning designer in professional practice to the Institute. In his position as Resource Architect on the Strategy and Business Development team and as an experienced, licensed architect , he serves as an in-house content expert on issues of both current and future concern to architects and the profession.  He staffs the Board’s Integrated Practice Discussion Group, dealing with the important and complex issues of building information modeling, interoperability, project delivery, risk management, energy efficiency / emissions reduction, collaborative delivery models and the like. Markku also serves on special project teams and task forces, utilizing practice knowledge to enhance organizational leadership on various initiatives from an architect’s perspective.

Gregg Ander | Voluntary Programs Chair
Gregg Ander is the Chief Architect for the Customer Service Business Unit of Southern California Edison (SCE). He is the manager of SCE’s Design and Engineering Services, of which the RTTC is an integral part. He is the author of over 65 technical and design related articles and was the executive producer of four “Environmental Showcase” television programs for NBC. He recently received the Corporate Architect Award from the California Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Michael Bobker | Workforce Development Chair
Energy engineer Michael Bobker is a Senior Fellow at the City University of New York (CUNY) Institute for Urban Systems. In partnership with CIUS and Planning and Continuing Education and Public Programs, The Graduate Center, CUNY, Bobker is coordinating the CUNY Sustainable Building Initiative. He is also working to help CUNY establish a “Building Performance Lab”:  a permanent focal center for the study and practice of enhanced building performance. Bobker comes to this activity from a background of twenty five years of work in NYC buildings and energy management organizations, with experience in building equipment evaluation, energy analysis, engineering and construction management, technology application, and technician training.

Uwe Brandes | Finance and Appraisal Chair
Uwe Brandes is an urban design and development professional with over 15 years of experience in the planning, design and construction of new buildings, public infrastructure and the urban landscape. He currently serves as Managing Director of Initiatives at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and is founding principal of Brandes Partners LLP. Prior to ULI, Uwe served as Vice President at the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation. Prior to public service, Uwe practiced architecture and urban design in New York City, where he managed urban redevelopment projects in Buffalo, Philadelphia and New York City.

Rich Brown | Process, IT, Miscellaneous Equipment Chair
Rich Brown is a research scientist in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He leads a team at LBNL that is working to understand and develop solutions to address the growing energy use of electronics and miscellaneous equipment in buildings. His research interests include energy efficient digital networks, data centers, field monitoring of plug loads in buildings, and technical support to the EPA Energy Star product labeling program. He holds an M.A. degree from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S.E. in Engineering and Management Systems from Princeton University.

Ron Burton | Owners & Tenants Chair
Ron Burton is the Vice President of Advocacy and Research at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).

Amy Cortese | Owners & Tenants Chair
Amy Cortese is a Senior Project Manager at New Buildings Institute where she manages the Advanced Energy Office program. She is responsible for the development and implementation of this new multi-utility incentive program which leverages the tenant negotiation to encourage the energy efficiency at the time of the tenant improvement.  Amy is also a member of Mayor Sam Adams’ Planning and Sustainability Cabinet in the City of Portland, providing policy guidance to advance sustainability in urban planning and design.

Tom Dietsche | Workforce Development Chair
Tom Dietsche is a Research Program Specialist at the U.S. Green Building Council.

Drake Erbe | Mechanical Systems, Plumbing and Controls Chair
Drake Erbe is vice president of market development at AirXchange, Inc., and has more than 24 years of experience in the HVAC industry. He is a past chair of ARI’s Heat Transfer Product Section and currently serves as chair of the ASHRAE Mechanical Subcommittee of SSPC 90.1.

Gregg Hardy | Process, IT, and Miscellaneous Equipment Chair
As Vice President of Research and Policy at Ecos, Gregg Hardy manages research and program development staff with the goal of providing high quality support for a set of national and international clients. Gregg is dedicated to climate stabilization through the development of energy efficiency codes and standards, product labeling campaigns, and voluntary efficiency programs. He has 20 years experience in product development, operations and general management in leading organizations. He has worked closely with market actors across the global consumer electronics supply chain.

Cathy Higgins | Benchmarking and Performance Assurance Chair
As Program Director at the New Buildings Institute (NBI), Cathy Higgins directs large research projects, manages the project portfolio and supports business development. She currently leads a California Energy Commission PIER research effort on Evidence-based Design and Operations which involves field assessment of commercial building measured performance and development of key performance indicators and feedback tools. Cathy has over 25 years experience in energy efficiency strategic planning, policy and large-scale project management. Prior to joining NBI in 2000, she served as Director of the Oregon Municipal Energy and Conservation Agency and was a Commercial Conservation Manager with Bonneville Power Administration.

Robert Horner | Lighting/Daylighting and Controls Chair
Bob Horner is the Director of Public Policy for the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). He is responsible for planning, developing and coordinating the public policy interests of the IES to government, regulatory, trade, and professional associations and partner associations, as well as the public at large. He has over 30 years experience in the lighting industry in the areas of engineering, sales/marketing, and management. He recently completed 21 years with OSRAM SYLVANIA, having had positions as Commercial Engineering Manager, Fluorescent Product Marketing Manager, Business Development Manager for Specialty LED products, and Business Manager for Projection Systems. Bob has been a long standing member of the IES and the IEEE. He served the National Lighting Bureau (part of NEMA) for ten years as an officer and a member of the Board of Governors and has been a member or chair of several IES committees. He co-authored two major IES educational programs: Fundamentals of Lighting (2009) and Discover Lighting, an on-line introductory course.

David Karmol | Codes and Standards Chair
David Karmol is responsible for managing the International Code Council’s (ICC) relationships with Congress, federal agencies, and outside organizations. Prior to joining the ICC, Mr. Karmol was the standards advisor to Iraq, stationed at the U.S. Embassy Baghdad for a year, where he was detailed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Commerce.  He previously served as vice president for Public Policy and Government Affairs at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and held previous positions as general counsel at both the National Spa and Pool Institute (NSPI) and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI). He has held several positions in the federal government, including press secretary at the United States Mint and associate counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Before moving to the Washington area, he was an elected member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving two terms representing a district in Toledo, Ohio.

Jim Lewis | Lighting/Daylighting and Controls Chair
Jim Lewis is the High Performance Buildings Manager at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).

Richard Lord | Mechanical Systems, Plumbing and Controls Chair
Richard Lord, of Carrier Corporation, represents the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) as the chair of this group.

Cliff Majersik | Benchmarking and Performance Assurance Chair
Cliff Majersik, Executive Director, directs the Institute of Market Transformation’s (IMT) research into green building, energy efficiency, and property value. Mr. Majersik leads IMT education and outreach to the finance, appraisal, and real estate sectors. He provides expert assistance to federal, state, and local officials in developing energy and building policy and legislation.  Before joining IMT in 2002, Mr. Majersik served as Director of the eProcurement Project and eBusiness Director for Conservation International’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. Previously, he worked as a management consultant at the Corporate Executive Board specializing in E-commerce, sales-channel management, and strategic customer relationships. He currently serves on the board of directors of GreenHOME and on the Washington DC Green Building Advisory Council.

Nick McLellan | Combined, Heat and Power (CHP), Multi-building Systems and Grid Integration Chair
Nick McLellan is employed with Johnson Controls in the Global Energy and Sustainability group. He is currently involved with demand response and smart grid initiatives for California utilities and has a history in product management.

Kate Offringa | Building Envelope Chair
Kate Offringa is currently employed at the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) as President and CEO.   Prior NAIMA, Offingra worked at The Alliance to Save Energy where she was director of market transformation.  Prior to this, she was government affairs associate at Siemens Corporation where she tracked and reported on federal legislation, including trade policy and U.S. electricity market restructuring.   Ms. Offringa was also the deputy director of programs for The European Institute where she focused on transatlantic relations. Offringa is a member of several associations in the industry, including the International Association for Energy Economics, Association of Energy Services Professionals, and Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment. Ms. Offringa also served as a board member and treasurer of the National Fenestration Rating Council.

Douglas E. Read | Codes and Standards Chair
Douglas E. Read is Program Director of Government Affairs at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Prior to joining ASHRAE, Read served as the lead liaison to government agencies in the area of conformity assessment and compliance for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). He previously worked at The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) heading up its Washington, DC government affairs office. Read also served as Manager of Product and Personnel Certification, Standards, and Quality Management Programs at The American Petroleum Institute (API). During the last 12 years, Read also has served on several policy committees of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Prior to coming to Washington, he worked as a design engineer for Black and Decker where he also managed their corporate standards programs. He also taught computer aided design at the New England Institute of Technology for several years.

Kurt W. Roth, Ph.D | Building Envelope Chair
Dr. Kurt Roth leads the Building Energy Efficiency Group at the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE). His group builds upon the extensive expertise and capabilities of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) to develop, demonstrate, test, evaluate, and analyze advanced energy-saving building technologies. Prior to joining Fraunhofer CSE, he was a Principal in the Mechanical Systems group of TIAX LLC, formerly Arthur D. Little’s Technology & Innovation business. Dr. Roth has led several studies funded by the Department of Energy to assess the energy savings and commercialization potentials of HVAC, building controls and diagnostics, toplighting, and IT technologies. In addition, he led analyses of building energy consumption, including the energy consumed by commercial and residential IT, consumer electronics, and residential and commercial miscellaneous electricity consumption. Dr. Roth has presented the results of these studies at several conferences and meetings and authored a chapter on “Information Technology and Energy Use” for the Encyclopedia of Energy (Academic Press). Furthermore, he has authored more than 60 “Emerging Technology” articles for the ASHRAE Journal. Dr. Roth received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), all in mechanical engineering. He is a member of Sigma Xi, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the American Solar Energy Society.

William Sisson | Combined Heat and Power (CHP), Multibuilding Systems and Grid Integration and Integrated Design and Building Delivery Chair
William Sisson is presently the Director of Sustainability and since 2006 the co-chair for United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Energy Efficiency in Buildings Project. The Project is a multi-corporation, broad reaching, holistic look at the building life cycle with the intent to bring forward new directions for the collective industry to reach zero net energy buildings that are environmentally neutral and socially acceptable, while preserving business growth and profit objectives.  In 2001, he was appointed Director, Carrier Programs, at United Technologies Research Center (UTRC).  Sisson was previously Global Product Manager for Commercial Controls at Carrier Electronics, Carrier Corporation.