President

Eric Oliver is the Founder of Earthwide, LLC, an Energy and Sustainability Master Planning Company in McLean, VA.  A passionate energy conservationist, Eric Oliver started his career with the federal government to help launch EPA’s Energy Star Buildings Program in 1994.    Eric had also founded EMO Energy Solutions in 1998 to address the growing need for energy efficiency services and ran the Company for 19 years until 2017. With EMO, Eric was among the earliest practitioners of the LEED program, providing energy modeling, commissioning, and LEED consulting services in addition to energy auditing capabilities.  Mr. Oliver has conducted several dozen energy-training seminars, created energy awareness and education campaigns, and presented and moderated several energy conferences.  Mr. Oliver holds a Master’s degree in Building Technology and a Bachelor’s of Architecture from MIT. A licensed professional engineer in Virginia and Maryland, he is a former President of the National Capitol Chapter and national Secretary of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), and has served on the Board of Directors of the National Capitol Region Chapter of the US Green Buildings Council (USGBC-NCR), and is a former Board Chairman of the Virginia Sustainable Building Network (VSBN).  In 2019 Mr. Oliver was inducted into the National Energy Managers Hall of Fame by the Association of Energy Engineers for a lifetime of achievement and leadership.

President Elect

Andrés Ortuño is an Industrial Engineer passionate about energy management, with more than 20 years of experience in energy engineering in different sectors such as Real Estate, Industrial, Consultancy, Engineering, and Solar Photovoltaic. He’s been working on several companies as Director and founded more than 10  companies all related to Energy and Real Estate Sectors. He served as Dean in the Professional Association of Industrial Engineers of Murcia and has served as a board member in multiple Associations all related to energy and engineering. He graduated as Engineer in the Polytechnic University of Valencia – Spain and got several certificates and degrees from different Universities and Entities from Spain and the US.

Secretary

Kaushik Bhattacharjee, CEM, CMVP, CEA, is the President of Reipower Inc. which provides Energy Management Services to Commercial and Industrial Clients. CEM (Certified Energy Manager), BEP (Business Energy Professional), CEA (Certified Energy Auditor), CMVP (Certified Measurement and Verification Professional). He holds a Masters in Energy Management from the New York Institute of Technology, US (NYIT). He has over 15 years of international experience in energy management. He has carried out energy audits, guided implementation including M&V for several types of projects in data centers and commercial buildings, and maximized savings. He has also worked with a few large Canadian Utilities in conservation and demand-side management programs.

Kaushik received honorable mention in a most recently completed term for “Most Savings by a Roving Energy Manager” and “Most In-service Savings by a Roving Energy Manager” at the Energy Managers of Ontario Excellence Awards held at the Energy Manager forum in Toronto (2015). He was also named the “Energy Engineer of the Year” for the Canada region (2015) by the Association of Energy Engineers Georgia, Atlanta USA. He has published an AEE Book – Industrial Energy Management Strategies – Creating a Culture of Continuous Energy Improvement. He has also co-authored two other books on Energy Management, contributed articles to a number of journals, and made presentations at several IEEE International Conferences and World Energy Engineering Congress on Energy Management.

Regional Vice President Northeast US

Over the 18 years of his career, Adam Jennings has had a range of experiences, from a Naval Officer refueling a nuclear aircraft carrier to a Sustainability Consultant influencing energy-efficient and sustainable designs. This variety of work has allowed Adam to realize that most problems have multiple solutions and has led him to become very flexible and collaborative when working with other disciplines. Inspired by the successful completion of impactful projects, Adam always listens to the needs of clients and enjoys working with them to find the ideal solution. For instance, he brought his expertise to the implementation of a photovoltaic-thermal hybrid solar system in Boston, which was the largest rooftop hybrid installation in the United States at the time. Now serving as Energy, Sustainability & Commissioning Department Manager, he makes sure to find time to learn new skills to better serve clients. He is a Professional Engineer, Certified Energy Manager, LEED AP, and is a Certified Building Commissioning Professional. Adam holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, an MS in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University, and an MBA from Boston college. Adam is the current President of the AEE New England Chapter.

Regional Vice President Mid-Atlantic & Southeast US

Elton “Dale” Cranford is an energy engineer with Piedmont Service Group. His role involves serving new and existing customers in the estimation, analysis, and development of energy savings projects. Dale is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of North Carolina, a Certified Energy Manager through the Association of Energy Engineers, and he was the 2019 Region II Young Energy Professional of the Year for outstanding contributions to the energy profession. Dale obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina State University in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and he also served as a research assistant with the Industrial Assessment Center during his tenure at NC State. When not working, Dale enjoys spending time with his wife, Ashley, daughters Laura and Cecily, fishing, supporting NC State athletics, and cooking outside with his smoker and grill. 

Regional Vice President Midwest US

Maryanne is a seasoned energy professional. She has formerly been an executive with Duke Energy, serving as CFO of one of the major generating stations, and more recently, was a manager of Strategy & Implementation focusing on institutional markets. She had stimulated policy and segmentation in energy efficiency, demand response, sustainability, and workforce development. She is a decisive and innovative leader. She has recently been named Vice President of Strategic Development at The Utilities Group.

Maryanne also serves on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Association of Energy Engineers; the Steering Committee for Electricity Use in Water Supply for EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) ; also serves on the Water & Wastewater Committee at the CEE(Consortium of Energy Efficiency); she is an office on the national Board of Directors for CWEEL ( Council of Women in Engineering and Environmental Leadership); serves on the Advisory Board for WEEC (World Energy Engineering Congress) and is on the Advisory Board for the WERF (Water Environmental Research Foundation). Maryanne was also a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Raise the Floor Foundation, promoting women in advanced manufacturing careers. She has been an advocate for STEM education. She has served on the Advisory Board for the Kenton County Academies of Innovation & Technology and Sullivan University. She is on the Board of Directors for Gateway Community and Technical College Foundation.

Maryanne is president-elect of the Cincinnati MacDowell Society and serves on the national Board of Directors of Phi Beta. She is an alumni of Leadership Kentucky, has served on the Corporate Campaign for Arts Wave, and was named 2017 Outstanding Woman of the Year by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

She has a BS and BA from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Xavier University. She holds certifications as a Public Accountant and Energy Manager.

Regional Vice President Central & South US

Adil H. Khan is an Electrical Engineer with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and several certifications in technology applications. In addition to being the CEO of Accentz, Inc., an engineering and technology solutions company, Adil is the founder, President, and CEO of TransPower Company an R&D and technology manufacturing company. For the past 30 years, Adil is involved in next-generation technologies and is focused on inventing, developing, manufacturing, launching, and commercializing game-changing high efficiency patented technologies and solutions for commercial and industrial customers.  Some of the technologies are Voice over IP, Solar Energy, ECMs, and Energy Efficiency technologies. Adil is a founder and member of the several Governing Board of Directors of non-profit organizations.  Adil is an Adjunct Professor of Strategic Management at Denver University and serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Management Development at Denver University. Active board member of local AEE Chapters, and a Senior Member of AEE National and IEEE. Adil has been nominated for many awards, including a recipient of the State of Colorado, Governor’s Award, and 2013 Martin Luther King Business Social Responsibility Award for “Content of Character.”  Adil moved to Colorado from Wisconsin over 30 years ago. He is married and has two children.

Regional Vice President Western US

Ricson Chude is a project manager working for Southern California Edison (SCE) in the Customer Program & Services division where he’s primarily responsible for the development of strategic initiatives that support the integration of distributed energy resources such as solar PV and energy storage. During his time at Cal State LA, Ricson was actively involved in a number of student organizations where he held leadership roles – Associated Student Inc., where he served as Representative for the College of Engineering, President of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Vice President of the Mech. Eng Honor Society – PiTauSigma as well as a member of the TauBetaPi Engineering Honor Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).  He is the current Vice President of Southern California’s Association of Energy Engineers and was a former president of the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers – Southern California Chapter. Ricson holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from CSU Pomona and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cal State LA. He is a licensed Mechanical Engineer in the State of California and is recognized as a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), and Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP) from the Association of Energy Engineers. In 2018, Ricson was awarded the Golden Eagle Award at the Cal State LA Alumni Awards Gala.

Regional Vice President Asia Pacific Rim

Dr. Leonard Chow, C.E.M., C.B.C.P., C.S.D.P., C.A.P., C.E.A, C.I.A.Q.P., has served as President of the AEE Hong Kong Chapter. He was AEE’s Energy Engineer of the Year in 2012. He is also elected as a Fellow of AEE in 2013. He has been the AA Chapter Course Manager since 2006 and the Assistant Director of Asian Pacific Rim Development. He has practiced as a Mechanical and Building Services Engineer for over 30 years.

Dr. Chow is currently a Chartered Engineer in the UK, a registered Professional Engineer in Hong Kong, and a Chartered Professional Engineer in Australia. He established his own company ISPL Consulting Ltd in 1995. His company consults in Environmental (Energy Audits & IAQ), Mechanical, Structure, Safety and aspects. Dr. Chow is actively involved in professional institution contributions. He has written technical papers, guidelines, and manuals and has conducted technical seminars in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Singapore, and Atlanta in recent years. He is registered at EMSD as a Registered Energy Assessor (no. 43) under the new Building Energy Efficiency Ordinance (Cap 610).

Regional Vice President Asia Subcontinent Region

Dr. Binoy Choudhury, CEM, from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur & Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India), is a Professor in the Energy Management stream of the Master of Public Systems Management (MPSM) program at the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), Kolkata. He served as Principal Investigator/ Coordinator in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects covering community development to industrial profitability/sustainability issues. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India), Certified Energy Manager (AEE), and Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) of the Government of India. He served United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as Economic Affairs Officer in the Energy Resources Section and contributed to the regional energy scenario assessment, improvement of energy efficiency, and CDM workshop.

He is a contributor to books, journals, international and national seminars, and workshops. He is the founding secretary of the AEE India Chapter and Energy Club and is a life member of Solar Energy Society of India, AEE, Indian Society for Technical Education, and Institution of Engineers (India).

Regional Vice President Canada Region

With more than 20 years of experience, Andrew Penner provides technical leadership to the National team of energy managers and technical oversight specialists with a direct focus on making the Government of Canada’s building portfolio carbon neutral. Andrew is currently focused on ensuring the quality delivery of Major Retrofit projects throughout Canada.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering with a Certificate in Green Energy. Andrew also maintains the designation of Certified Energy Manager through active involvement in technical project work, professional development, and conference participation. Andrew founded and continues to lead the AEE Canada East chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers operating out of Ottawa and supporting energy professionals throughout Eastern Canada.

Regional Vice President Latin America Region

Enio Akira Kato is a Professor of Building Automation and Energy Efficiency at Sao Paulo State University – USP, post-graduation and continuing education program – PECE-USP. He is co-author of a chapter on Energy Efficiency in the book “Renewable Energy, Distributed Generation and Energy Efficiency (in 2nd ed., organized by Simões Moreira. LTC, 2017)”. He joined AEE in 1999 and attended a CEM course in 1997 in Orlando as part of his Master Degree’s plan when he presented his dissertation in 1999 at Escola Politecnica of USP – EPUSP with the title: “Performance Contracting: North-American model at Building Automation in the 90’” when he took an MSc in Building Systems Engineering. He is a member of ABNT and a specialist at ABNT/CB-116 on Energy Management Systems since 2008. He was the first President of the AEE Brazil Chapter in 2017-18 and President of Consulting Board for ABESCO in 2018. Enio was born in Sao Paulo City, Brazil. He is a Systems Engineer with National and International experience in the Automation of Public Works and Infrastructure and Energy Auditor and Commissioning Authority of LEED Certified Buildings and Industrial plants.

Regional Vice President Middle East Region

Ziad started his career in 1997 as a consulting engineer, then in 2005 worked abroad on developing concession & BOT projects in the water & wastewater industry. Following his passion for green engineering, he co-founded OPUS consulting engineers in 2007, offering sustainable electro-mechanical consulting services to the building industry, and 2 years later, co-founded OPUS energy, which specialized in energy audits, and energy efficiency & renewables. In 2014, he joined the Lebanese American University where he is now serving as Senior Director of Physical Plant heading the Design & Commissioning, O&M, EHS, and Sustainability units on the Byblos campus.

Ziad served on the board of the Lebanon Green Building Council from 2010 to 2016, as a board member and then as VP. In 2017, he co-established the Lebanese Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers and is currently serving as its president, leading the chapter to perpetual achievements through the most challenging times. Ziad contributed to numerous sustainability and energy efficiency projects in the MENA region under the LEED, BREEAM, EDGE, LBC, and other schemes. He consulted for major institutions and Clients including the World Bank, Aramco, the Lebanese Order of Engineers and Architects, the Directorate General of Urban Planning, and others. He presented several papers on environmentally responsive building services designs, lectured on high-performance green buildings, PPPs, energy, and sustainability, and is the co-writer of the “Criteria for Green Buildings in Lebanon.”

Regional Vice President Eastern Europe Region

Professor Dušan Petráš from the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava-Slovakia is the former vice-rector of STU and dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering. Also, he is the president of Slovakian HVAC-Association SSTP (Slovak Society of Environmental Technology) and the past president of REHVA (Representative European Heating, Ventilation Association).

Currently, he is a professor at the Department of Building services and deals with the HVAC systems in buildings. His scientific work is focused on energy conservation by the performance of the buildings with respect to providing a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. He is the author and co-author of 15 books (Energy auditing of Buildings, Renewable Energy Sources for Low-temperature systems, Low-temperature heating, and High-temperature cooling…), 50 scientific papers in foreign journals/on international conferences as well as about 100 lectures in 25 countries in 3 world languages. Professor Petráš is also a member of AEE, ASHRAE, Academy of ISIAQ, and REHVA Fellow, he was also the Guest Professor in DTU Lyngby (Denmark) and Guest Lecturer in FH Pinkafeld (Austria).

Regional Vice President Western Europe Region

Dr. Hicham Lahmidi, C.E.M., C.B.C.P., CEA., is a French energy expert with significant practical experience in Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Research, and Sustainability. Currently working at the French National Metrology and Testing Laboratory LNE, as Head of Energy, Environment and Fire Business Unit, and Chair of AEE France Chapter, he managed different National and European projects related to energy efficiency.

Dr. Lahmidi participated in the transposition of the Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) in Europe and the development of French regulations for new and existing buildings. He also participated in the development of low energy construction label in France (Effinergie) and the implementation of commissioning, as a quality process, in Building and Industries in France and Europe. He also developed a multi-criteria decision-making software for building refurbishment based on genetic algorithms, a biomass gasification prototype producing biofuel, and two solar thermal storage prototypes based on a thermochemical transformer. His scientific publications are available in different scientific journals (Fuel processing technology, Applied Energy, Solar Energy).

Regional Vice President Former Soviet Union Region

Alexander Ovdiienko, C.E.M., has been the President of the Central AEE Chapter in Ukraine since 2012. He is an accredited consultant by Verkhovna Rada’s of Ukraine Committee on Energy, Nuclear and Nuclear Security, a member of Public Counsils of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission of Ukraine, State Agency on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian legislation Alexander is a Certified Energy Auditor. He is engaged in the development and implementation of energy sustainable and non-carbon economic development projects such as improving energy efficiency, using alternative energy sources, and developing of the energy market for more than 16 years.

Alexander’s qualifications and skills are the following: Business Development & Finance expert, Holder of Energy Saving and Energy Management Diplomas, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy auditor and expert, Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Adaptation of ESCO schemes to EE Projects in Industries, Utilities, and Buildings. Alexander is fluent in Russian, Ukrainian and English. General professional experience includes Experience of management, finances, commercial relationships, and project management in Ukrainian and International groups. He has excellent knowledge of the energy actors and practices in the energy-saving, renewables, and gas distribution sector in Ukraine. He is experienced in official international relations and in international cooperation projects on energy, energy efficiency, and renewable energy, in the responsibility of international relations, and in European integration actions of national energy, energy-saving, and renewable energy agencies.

Regional Vice President Subsaharan Africa Region

Dr. LJ Grobler is Dean of the Engineering Faculty at the North-West University (NWU) in South Africa since 2012. He heads the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing which was established by the Department of Trade and Industry at the NWU in 2009. He is the director of CFAM Technologies and founded ExtruAfrica in 2011. During 2007/8, he was the President of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) based in Atlanta, USA, and was the first non-American to become president. He founded the Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency (SAEE) in 2002 and was president of the SAEE from 2002 to 2012.

Dr. Grobler became certified as an Energy Manager (CEM) in 1998 and a Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP) in 2000 by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) based in the USA. He is registered as a professional engineer (Pr Eng) with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) since 1995 and received his Ph.D. at the University of Pretoria, South Africa also in 1995. He is an AEE trainer for the CEM programme in Southern Africa and introduced the CEM programme in 2002. Since then he presented the CEM more than 30 times.

Prof LJ Grobler received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the eta Awards 2010 in South Africa for his extensive involvement in energy efficiency through measurement and verification, his visualisation programme to show energy consumption in buildings, and for setting the benchmark for training and development of energy engineers. He is a fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering and has authored and co-authored more than 40 local and international articles. He has also presented and co-presented more than 50 papers at local and international conferences and seminars. In 2016 he was inducted into the AEE Hall of Fame.