Chapter Leadership Academy

Chapter Leadership Academy

The 2023 Chapter Leadership Academy will be held at HQ March 10 - 11This event has been canceled. More information will be available soon.

Chapter Leadership Academy is a 1.5-day crash course designed to simplify the learning curve of all things ASHRAE. Attendees will gain a better understanding of how ASHRAE Society functions and obtain useful and practical knowledge essential for honing ASHRAE leadership skills. The program also will include sharing tips and best practices that attendees can confidently take back to their Chapters for implementation. Attendees help shape the discussion, too! A significant part of the program will be based on hot topics and ASHRAE-related challenges that attendees have identified they would like to see addressed.

Interested ASHRAE members must receive approval from their Director and Regional Chair (DRC) in order to register. Attendees will be charged a $250 registration fee, which will include the event, “course materials,” hotel for 2 nights, Friday night reception, Saturday lunch, and Saturday dinner for those who choose to stay. Registration, airfare, and other expenses will be the responsibility of the attendee, the Chapter, and/or the Region.

Meet the Presenters

Devin Abellon is a registered professional engineer with over 25 years of experience in the HVAC field, designing systems for commercial, institutional, industrial, health care, and municipal projects. He was Vice President and managing principal of LSW Engineers California, Incorporated in San Diego until 2009, when he accepted a position as Business Development Manager for Uponor North America. He now works closely with engineers throughout the country, supporting projects that integrate radiant heating and cooling strategies to maximize comfort and energy efficiency. Devin earned his B.S. degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1993. He is an active member of ASHRAE on the local chapter, regional, and Society level and currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Region X Director and Regional Chair.

Chris Mathis has spent the past 35 years focusing on how buildings and building products perform – from energy efficiency to long-term durability and sustainability. He has an undergraduate degree in Physics from UNC-Asheville and a Master of Science in Architecture Studies from MIT, where his work focused on the energy use of buildings. He is the author of numerous research papers on various topics of building performance – from proper evaluation of insulation performance to fenestration systems performance, sustainability metrics and green building challenges. He is the author of Insulating Guide, a summary of insulating best practices for home builders. He is the co-author of Understanding Source Energy in Commercial Buildings. He is a 30+ year member of ASHRAE and currently serves on SSPC 90.1, 90.2 and the Residential Building Committee. Chris is also an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, providing presentations and training seminars on a variety of building energy performance, sustainability and business topics.

Rachel Romero is an energy engineer and project leader in the Integrated Applications Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Rachel obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Hope College and received her master’s degree in Building Systems Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received her PE in 2014. Rachel is an active member of ASHRAE, chairing the 2020-2021 Young Engineers in ASHRAE Committee. She is active on TC 9.10 Laboratories. At NREL, Rachel is the competition manager for the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon Design Challenge, which has inspired over 4000 collegiate students to design net zero buildings. Also, she provides technical assistance to the to the DOE’s Smart Labs program, which provides technical assistance to university and national laboratory partners. She was a main author of the Smart Labs Toolkit, which describes a systematic process to achieve safe, efficient, and sustainable laboratories.