AUSTIN TX (June 29, 2026) – ASHRAE has installed its 2026–27 Society president, along with newly elected officers and directors, during its 2026 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.

Sarah E. Maston, P.E., BCxP, LEED AP will serve as the 2026-27 Society president. In her inaugural presidential address, Maston introduced the theme for the 2026-27 Society Year, “Changing the Game: Retrofitting for Resilience.” The theme focuses on how the building industry can work together develop a winning “game plan” to improve the efficiency, performance and resilience of existing buildings in the face of growing climate and infrastructure challenges.

“ASHRAE has been providing leadership and guidance in energy efficiency, indoor air quality and carbon emissions reduction,” said Maston.  “So, where do we go from here?

"This year, ASHRAE will focus on three key areas:

• Increase awareness of the importance of building codes, and their role in resilience;
• The importance of cross-functional teams & creating a game plan to improve building operations, and
• Gamification of education, so we can continue to attract the brightest minds to tackle the dilemmas we face.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution or game plan for retrofitting buildings. Every building has its own constraints. That’s why teamwork is absolutely essential.”

Maston is the Geographic Discipline Leader for Commissioning & Energy Services in New England for Colliers Project Leader.

Elected officers who will serve one-year terms are as follows:

• President-Elect: Ashish Rakheja, B.E., M.Tech, Fellow ASHRAE is Director/Chief Operating Officer at AEON, Uttar Pradesh, India.

• Treasurer: Wade H. Conlan, P.E., BCxP, Fellow ASHRAE, CxA, LEED AP BD+C is Assistant Vice President/Commissioning & Energy Discipline Manager at Hanson Professional Services, Maitland, FL;

ASHRAE introduced its newest Vice Presidents who will serve a term of two years (Society Years 2026–2027 and 2027–2028):

• Vice President: Mahroo Eftekhari, C.Eng. CDPhil, Fellow ASHRAE, FCIBSE, MInstR, SFHEA is a Professor, Building Services Engineering at Loughborough University, Loughborough, England;

• Vice President: Blake E. Ellis, P.E., CDP, Fellow ASHRAE, MCIBSE, LEED AP is Principal at Burns & McDonnell, Overland Park, KS.

ASHRAE introduced its newest Directors and Regional Chairs who will serve three-year terms from 2026–2029:

• Region VII Director and Regional Chair: Caroline Kelty, P.E., LEED AP is a Project Manager & Mechanical Engineer at CMTA, Lexington, KY;
• Region VIII Director and Regional Chair: Keith Reihl, P.E., HBDP, CEM is Principal Engineer at Southland, Houston, TX;
• Region IX Director and Regional Chair: Daniel C. Russell, P.E., HFDP is a Application Engineer, at Norbryhn Equipment Co., Nampa, ID;
• Region X Director and Regional Chair: Colin E. Laisure-Pool, P.E. is an Account Executive at MPSW, Inc., Phoenix, AZ;
• Region XIV Director and Regional Chair: Eduardo Maldonado, Life Member ASHRAE is a Professor, Faculty of Engineering of The University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

ASHRAE also introduced its newest Directors-at-Large (DALs):

• Martin Dieryckx is General Manager, Environment Research Center at Daikin Europe EV, Oostende, Belgium;
• Krishnan Gowri, Ph.D., BEMP, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, LEED AP a Senior Engineering Fellow at Energy Solutions, Bothell, WA;
• Filza H. Walters, Fellow ASHRAE, FESD is Senior Associate, Director of Mechanical Engineering at Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., Westland, MI.

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Society Recognizes Outstanding Member Achievements

On June 28th, ASHRAE also recognized outstanding member achievements during its 2026 Annual Conference, honoring individuals whose leadership, service and technical excellence have advanced the Society and the built environment. Through the ASHRAE Honors and Awards program, recipients were recognized for their contributions to innovation, sustainability, research, education and the continued advancement of HVAC&R and building sciences.

“ASHRAE’s strength is built on the expertise, dedication and leadership of its members,” said 2025–26 ASHRAE President Bill McQuade, P.E., CDP, Fellow ASHRAE, LEED AP. “This year’s Honors and Awards recipients have made meaningful contributions to our Society, our industry and the communities we serve. Their achievements exemplify ASHRAE’s commitment to advancing the built environment and creating a more sustainable future.”

This year's awards and recipients:

Dan Mills Chapter Programs Award

Alvin Lo received the Dan Mills Chapter Programs Award, which recognizes excellence in chapter program endeavors. Lo is a Director, Decarbonisation Business at CLPe, Hong Kong, China.

Donald Bahnfleth Environmental Health Award

Iain Walker received the Donald Bahnfleth Environmental Health Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service focused on environmental health issues. Walker is a Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA.

George B. Hightower Technical Achievement Award

Pratik Deokar received the George B. Hightower Technical Achievement Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service in the area of Technical Committee, Technical Group and Technical Research Group activities. Deokar is a Research Engineer at Rheem Manufacturing Company, Lewisville, TX.

Government Affairs Award

Eid Mohamed Abdelmoneim received the Government Affairs Award. The award recognizes individuals for outstanding effort and achievement in state, provincial and local government activities in connection with technical issues related to the Society. Abdelmoneim is Senior Mechanical Engineer – Design Department at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Dubai, UAE.

Lincoln Bouillon Award

Kwaku Asiedu Boateng received the Lincoln Bouillon Award, which recognizes a member who performs the most outstanding work in increasing membership. The award commemorates Presidential Member Bouillon’s efforts in recruiting new members. Boateng is the Sales and Marketing Manager at Atlantic Climate Control Limited, Accra, Ghana.

Ralph G. Nevins Physiology & Human Environment Award

Federico Tartarini and Meng Kong, Ph.D., both received the Ralph G. Nevins Physiology & Human Environment Award, which recognizes significant accomplishment in the study of human response to the environment. Tartarini is an Assistant Professor at The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Kong is a Principal Engineer at GTI Energy, Des Plaines, IL.

Residential Buildings Service Award

Philip Fairey received the Residential Buildings Service Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service focused on Residential Building issues. It serves to heighten general membership awareness of, and interest in, Residential Building activities. Fairey is a Principal at Building Consultants Group, LLC., Merritt Island, FL.

Standards Achievement Award
Steven Emmerich received the Standards Achievement Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service for developing ASHRAE standards and guidelines. Emmerich is a Group Leader at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD.

William J. Collins, Jr. RP Award

Kevin Clannon received the William J. Collins Jr., RP Award. The award, named in honor of Presidential Member Collins, recognizes a chapter RP chair who excels in raising funds for ASHRAE’s RP campaign. Clannon is a Senior Applied Sales Specialized Equipment professional at The Master Group Inc., Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada.

YEA Award of Individual Excellence

Tina Abbasi, Mohamed Faizal and Abraham N.O. OKOKO received the YEA Award of Individual Excellence, which recognizes YEA members for superior efforts during the preceding Society year in the promotion and success of YEA and its programs. Abbasi is Director of Operations at Zapas, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada. Faizal is an IAQ Consultant at Intercool, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. OKOKO is a Sales & Supports Engineer at AHI-Carrier, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

ASHRAE Journal Paper Award

David Traxler received the Journal Paper Award for the best article published in the previous volume year of the ASHRAE Journal. Traxler is an Associate Mechanical Engineer, Burns & McDonnell, Baltimore, Md.

Science and Technology for the Built Environment Best Paper Award

Shahzad Yousaf, Craig R. Bradshaw, Rushikesh Kamalapurkar and Omer San received the Science and Technology for the Built Environment Best Paper Award for “Development and performance evaluation of empirical models compatible with building energy modeling engines for unitary equipment.” The award is for the best paper published in the volume year of the Science and Technology for the Built Environment, the ASHRAE research journal.

Yousaf is a Research Assistant at The University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Ill. Bradshaw is an Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Center (ACRC) at The University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, Urbana, Ill. Kamalapurkar is an Associate Professor at The University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

Crosby Field Award

Lukasz Sztaberek, Christopher Koenigsmann, Ken Haesslein, Arham Jamshaid, Jack Loughney and David Chacon, Jr. received the Crosby Field Award for “Understanding PCO Air Purification Systems” which was judged to be the best paper presented before the Society. The Crosby Field Award is named for a former Presidential Member.

Sztaberek is an Associate Professor at NYC College of Technology, Brooklyn, N.Y. Koenigsmann is an Associate Professor at Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y. Haesslein is a Research Assistant, Fordham University, Bronx, NY. Jamshaid is at Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y. Loughney is a Research Assistant at Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y.

Willis H. Carrier Award

S. Kia. Mossalaei received the Willis H. Carrier Award given to a member 32 years of age or younger for presenting an outstanding paper at a Society conference. The award was presented for “Laboratory Evaluation of Control Verification Procedures for Certification of Variable-Speed Heat Pump Behavior.” Mossalaei is a Research Assistant at Herrick Laboratories, West Lafayette, Ind.

ASHRAE Best Paper Award
The following papers received a Best Paper Award, which recognizes the authors of the best papers presented at Society conferences during the previous year:

• Philip Boudreaux, Ph.D., Stephen Killough, Rui Zhang, Gurneesh Jatana and Diana Hun received an award for “Development of Novel Techniques for Non-Invasive Air Leakage and Moisture Detection in Building Envelopes.” Boudreaux is on the R&D Staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn. Zhang is an R&E Engineer at GTI Energy, Des Plaines, Ill. Hun is a Section Head at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
• Habib Arjmand Mazidi, Sajith Indika Wijesuriya, Ph.D., Ravi Anant Kishorem, Ph.D. and Chuck Booten, Ph.D. received an award for “Retrofit Solutions to Improve the Energy Performance of Existing Operational U.S Administrative Buildings.” Mazidi is an Assistant Professor at Milwaukee School of Engineering University, Milwaukee, Wis. Wijesuriya is at National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, Colo. Kishorem is a Senior Research Engineer at National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, Colo.
• Amy Allen, Ph.D., Jing Wang, Shadi M. Abdel Haleem, Matt Mitchell, Nicholas Long, Gregor P. Henze, Ph.D., P.E. and Jay Tulley received an award for “From Theory to Practice: Feasibility Study of a Thermal Microgrid at a US DoD Installation.” Allen and Wang are Research Engineers at The National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, Colo. Haleem is an Adjunct Professor at Washington State University, Pullman, Wash. Long is a Senior Researcher at National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, Colo. Henze is an Endowed Professor at The University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colo. Tulley is a Research Engineer at USACE Construction Engineering Research Lab, Champaign, Ill.
• Hye-Jin Cho, Seong-Yong Cheon and Jae-Weon Jeong, Ph.D. received an award for “Experimental Investigation of Vacuum-Based Membrane Dehumidification and Evaporative Cooling-Assisted Dedicated Outdoor Air System.” Cho is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea. Cheon is a Research Assistant Professor at Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea. Jeong is a Professor of Architectural Engineering at Hanyang University, South Korea.

Poster Presentation Award

The Poster Presentation Award recognizes the authors of the best poster session paper presented at a Society conference during the previous year.

• Marie-Pier Trépanier and Louis Gosselin received an award for “When Variability on Climate and Occupants Meet – How Climate Change Can Affect Different Occupants in Their House?” Trépanier is a Ph.D. Candidate at Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
• Farouq Issam Riziq, Mingzhe Liu, Wei-An Chen, Zheng O'Neill, Ph.D., P.E. and Mario A. Medina, Ph.D., P.E. received an award for “Design and Operation of PCM-Embedded Radiant Cooling Systems for Enhanced Energy Flexibility.” Riziq is a Student at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Liu and Chen are Instructional Assistant Professors at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. O'Neill is a Professor at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Medina is Director of Architectural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.

Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award salutes members of any grade who have served the Society faithfully and with distinction and who have given freely of their time and talent in chapter, regional and Society activities. The following members were recognized:

• Aleksandar Anđelković is a Professor of Faculty of Technical Sciences at The University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.
• Don Bailey, Dunnellon, Fla.
• Charles Bertuch, P.E., LEED AP is a Project Manager at Colliers Engineering and Design, Syracuse, N.Y.
• Marcus V A Bianchi is Owner of Marcus V A Bianchi, Littleton, Colo.
• Carrie Brown, Ph.D. is a Director at Resource Refocus LLC, Piedmont, Calif.
• Yan Chen, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Engineer & Team Lead at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash.
• Bob Coleman is a Lead Engineer at Trane Technologies, Lexington, Ky.
• Kimberly Cowman, HFDP is Director of Engineering at LEO A DALY, Omaha, Neb.
• Charles Cromer, Cocoa Beach, Fla.
• Mahroo Eftekhari, C.Eng., CDPhil, Fellow ASHRAE, SFHEA is a Professor and Course Director MSc in Net Zero Building Services Engineering at Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
• Charles Eley is a Retired Architect & Engineer, San Francisco, Calif.
• Niss Feiner, CHD is Principal Mechanical Designer at Delta-T Designs Inc., Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada.
• Stan Gatland is the Manager of Building Science and Comfort at Saint-Gobain North America, Malvern, Pa.
• Reid Hart, P.E. is Chief Engineer at BirchGrove Hearth, LLC, Eugene, Ore.
• Kyle Hasenkox is a Principal at Rocky Point Engineering Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
• Heric Holmes, P.Eng. is Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering at Bird Construction, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
• Joshua Hughes, P.E. is an R&D Engineer at The Chemours Company, Wilmington, Del.
• Elizabeth Jedrlinic is a Sales Manager at Trane, New York, N.Y.
• Manfred Kehrer is a Senior Associate at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., Northbrook, Ill.
• Elise Kiland, P.E. is Founding Building Engineer at Cambio, San Francisco, Calif.
• Bruce B. Lindsay, P.E., CDP is a Principal atLindsay & Associates, Melbourne, Fla.
• Carol Lomonaco is a Senior Product Manager at Vista Lake Consultants, LLC, Wauwatosa, Wis.
• Nicholas Long is a Senior Researcher at National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, Colo.
• Genevieve Lussier is President at Eequinox, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• Eduardo Maldonado, Life Member ASHRAE is a Professor at Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
• Andrew Manos is a Mechanical Engineer at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, N.Y.
• Meghan K. McNulty, P.E., is a Building Systems Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash.
• Kevin B. Mercer, P.E. is a Sr. Principal Engineer at Rheem Manufacturing Co, Fort Smith, Ark.
• Gwelen Paliaga is a Senior Director at TRC, Oakland, Calif.
• Scott Peach, P.E. is President at SP Engineering, Inc., Mobile, Ala.
• Les Pereira is Retired, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
• Tulia I. Rios is an Applications Engineer at Stan Weaver, Miami, Fla.
• Michelle Shadpour is an Executive Project Manager at SC Engineers, San Diego, Calif.
• Carey Simonson is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
• Bill Simpson is a Sales Engineer at Harrison Energy Partners, Little Rock, Ark.
• Jeff Stein, P.E. is a Principal at Taylor Engineers, Alameda, Calif.
• Elia Sterling is at Theodor Sterling Associates LTD, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
• Fitsum Tariku is a Professor at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
• Rick Vowels, P.E. is Retired, Louisville, Ky.
• Bruce A. Wilcox, P.E. is President at Bruce A. Wilcox, P.E. Inc., Berkeley, Calif.
• Jason Woods is a Sr. Research Engineer at National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, Colo.

Exceptional Service Award
The Exceptional Service Award recognizes Distinguished Service Award recipients who have continued to serve faithfully and with exemplary effort. The following members were recognized:

• Robert Bean, RET, PL(Eng) is a Retired Practitioner, Lake Chestermere, Alberta, Canada.
• Robin Bryant is a Senior Project Manager at B&I Contractors, Inc., Fort Myers, Fla.
• Susanna Hanson is a Principal Engineer at Solstice Advanced Materials, Morris Plains, N.J.
• Isabelle Lavoie is General Manager at Johnson Controls, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• Corey Metzger is a Principal at Resource Consulting Engineers, Omaha, Neb.
• Ahmed Alaa El Din Mohamed, Ph.D. is Chairman at Portec Link General Trading LLC, Green Vision Contracting, and Cool Pro, Alexandria, Egypt
• Carey Simonson is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
• Iain Walker is a Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif.
• David A. Yashar, Ph.D. is Deputy Director of the Standards Coordination Office, The National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md.
• Douglas Zentz is an Emeritus Professor at Ferris State University, Elkhart, Ind.
  

Distinguished 50 -Year Member Award

The Distinguished 50-Year Member Award is given to individuals who have been a member for a minimum of 50 years, and are either a past Society president, Fellow ASHRAE or Distinguished Service Award recipient or who have performed outstanding service to ASHRAE or its predecessor societies – the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE), the American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE), and the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE).

• Mark Allen is President at A.J. Allen Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa.
• Erv Bales, Summit, N.J.
• Albert Black, III, Creve Coeur, Mo.
• Robert Cappelletti, Lansing, Mich.
• Dale Carter, Comox, British Columbia, Canada.
• Julian de Bullet, Gainesville, Va.
• Michael N. Hart is Chairman of the Board at EEA Consulting Engineers, Austin, Texas.
• Donald C. (Don) Herrmann, BEAP is Owner at Building Resources LLC, Hudson, Fla.
• David E. Knebel, P.E. is a Consultant, Tulsa, Okla.
• Reza Mashayekhi is President at Mashatyekhi Consultants, Inc., St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Frank Mills is Owner of Frank Mills Consulting, England. Awarded posthumously to Garry Neil Myers, Retired, Allendale, N.J.
• Thomas Reinarts, Rio Verde, Ariz.
• Richard Rooley, FREng, with Rooley Consultants in Stoke Poges, England.
• Ronald Shelton, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
• Phil Trafton is Principal Advisor at Coffman Engineers, Woodland Hills, Calif.
• Saul V. Villanueva, P.E. is President at Mechanical Applications Consultants, Inc., San Jose, Calif.
• Timothy G. Wentz, HBDP is an Emeritus Professor at The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
  

Distinguished 75-Year Member Award

The Distinguished 75-Year Member Awards is given to individuals who have been ASHRAE members for a minimum of 75 years.

• Joseph S. Lea, P.E. is Retired, Jamaica, N.Y.

Andrew T. Boggs Service Award

Larry J. Fisher received the Andrew T. Boggs Service Award. The award, named after ASHRAE’s executive vice president emeritus, recognizes an Exceptional Service Award recipient for continuing unselfish, dedicated and distinguished service. Fisher is Founder of ECT Service, Louisville, Ky.

Eunice Foote Decarbonization Award

Luke Leung, P.E., P.Eng, BEMP received the Eunice Foote Decarbonization Award, which recognizes a member who works to reduce carbon emissions in the built environment. Leung is a Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Chicago, Ill.

Louise & Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award

Costas Balaras received the Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award. This annual award is given to an ASHRAE Fellow for continuous preeminence in engineering or research work. The honor was initiated in 1979 by Presidential Member Bill Holladay. Balaras is the Research Director for the Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development at The National Observatory of Athens, Greece.

About ASHRAE

ASHRAE is an international society of more than 50,000 heating, refrigerating and air-conditioning professionals from over 132 nations dedicated to serving humanity and promoting a sustainable world.

Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is an industry leader in research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education, ASHRAE its members are dedicated to promoting a healthy and sustainable built environment for all, through strategic partnerships with organizations in the HVAC&R community and across related industries.

The Society is showcasing integrated building solutions and sustainability in action through the opening of the ASHRAE Global Headquarters building in metro-Atlanta, Georgia.

For more information and to stay up-to-date on ASHRAE, visit ashrae.org, connect on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and YouTube or download the ASHRAE 365 app to stay connected on the go.

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