After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) with my BS degree in mechanical engineering, I did not enter the HVAC world right away. It was after I had been in the workforce for a few years and was not exactly thrilled with my first job that I stumbled upon an ad for an HVAC engineer. I met with the owner of the small company, and we hit it off. I was a little concerned that I didn’t know much about the field, but he said that he would teach me all I needed to know. My boss was patient and an excellent teacher. A few years later, I moved on to a larger mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEPFP) engineering firm, again working as a design engineer, where I started designing HVAC systems for different building types. After a few years at the larger firm, though, I felt stuck – like I wasn’t learning anything new.
One day, I was talking to the group leader for the firm’s commissioning group about what commissioning was. I was intrigued by the idea of working for the building owners and being on site to see the building being built. Soon I switched groups and fell in love! I was fascinated as I watched the HVAC equipment installations and start-ups. I met many people, from manufacturers’ representatives to mechanical contractors, and of course, owners. I enjoyed being a member of the team and helping to solve problems as they arose. Commissioning is a process that is dependent on good documentation and clear communication - skills I excelled at.
This manager also introduced me to ASHRAE. The company encouraged its employees to be active at the local level, but my manager belonged to a technical committee (TC) that was responsible for editing chapters in the ASHRAE Handbook. So my first ASHRAE job was Handbook chapter revision. After working on a chapter for over a year, I was invited to go to the winter meeting in NYC where the TC was going to vote on my revised chapter. I was giddy with anticipation and a tad nervous - what if they didn’t agree with my changes? But I need not have worried- the vote to accept the changes was unanimous. From there, though, I springboarded into involvement in the Building Commissioning TC, where I met many other commissioning practitioners from all over the world. Being involved in ASHRAE has been a vital part of my career, allowing me to collaborate and network with people of different technical backgrounds and from every corner of the globe.