ASHRAE installed new officers and directors at its 2009 Annual Conference held June 20-24.

The new president is Gordon V. R. Holness, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, consulting engineer, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI. His presidential theme, Sustaining Our Future by Rebuilding Our Past, addresses energy efficiency in existing buildings.        

“The vast majority of buildings that will exist in the year 2030 exist today,” Holness said. “If we are to have a material impact on overall energy use, it is through renovation of existing building stock. While existing buildings present great challenges, they offer us a greater opportunity to significantly impact our overall national energy demand, reduce our dependence upon imported oil and gas and minimize our carbon footprint. If ASHRAE is looking to build a sustainable future, we can see the foundations of that right now.”

Other officers installed for a one-year term are:
    * President-Elect: Lynn Bellenger, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, partner, Pathfinder Engineers, Rochester, NY.
    * Treasurer: Ronald “Ron” Jarnagin, staff scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
    * Vice President: William “Bill” Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, professor, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
    * Vice President : Jim Fields, vice president, Superior Mechanical Services, Greensboro, NC.
    * Vice President : Sheila J. Hayter, P.E., ASHRAE Fellow, senior engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO.
    * Vice President : Thomas “Tom” Watson, P.E., ASHRAE Fellow, chief engineer, McQuay International, Staunton, VA.

ASHRAE installed the following directors to serve a three-year term from 2009-2012:

    * Region I Director and Regional Chair: Spencer Morasch, advanced engineer, Customer Support Department, Jersey Central Power and Light, Red Bank, NJ.
    * Region II Director and Regional Chair: Guy Perreault, P.E., president, Evap-Tech MTC, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
    * Region III Director and Regional Chair: Kevin Fallin, P.E., director of technical operations, E.K. Fox and Associates, Fairfax, VA.
    * Region XI Director and Regional Chair: Erich Binder, president, Erich Binder Consulting, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
    * Director-at-Large: Michael J. Brandemuehl, Ph.D., P.E., professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.
    * Director-at-Large: Thomas “Tom” Werkema, vice president of government activities, Arkema, Philadelphia, PA.
    * Director-at-Large: Samir Traboulsi, P.E., general manager, Thermotrade SAL, Beirut, Lebanon.