By Christian Hamaker
IIBEC chapter leaders joined with the IIBEC Board of Directors during the 2026 Leadership Development Workshop, October 27–28, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
After brief opening remarks from IIBEC Executive Vice President and CEO Brian Pallasch, CAE, Lowell Aplebaum, CAE with Vista Cove kicked off the event with a strategic planning discussion, premised “not on what IIBEC has been, but what it can become.”
Resuming and extending discussion from the prior day about the IIBEC Strategic Plan, Aplebaum split attendees into groups to build upon feedback from the previous day’s discussion of the IIBEC Strategic Plan. Further refinements of the plan’s four main areas—advocacy, credentials, education, and community—will be incorporated into an updated Strategic Plan to be released in 2027.
Moderating much of meeting, Chapter Development Committee Chair Stephen Baxter, RRC, RRO, expressed his gratitude toward those in attendance for sharing their time and expertise with IIBEC.
Membership Strategies
IIBEC Vice President of Membership and Credentials Alec Jeffries presented “Growing Together: Membership Recruitment and Retention Strategies,” highlighting the organization’s strong growth in membership, as well as the strategies for recruitment and retention, all in the context of how to grow chapters.
Jeffries focused on four key areas:
Jeffries used the “SMART” acronym to lay out the key proponents of a membership growth plan, saying that any such plan must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. He also stressed that member retention is as important as member recruitment.
“If you can focus on value and member experience, you will have good retention,” Jeffries said. He also recommended personalizing communications through segmentation, and he provided numerous suggestions on how to turn recruitment strategy into action.
Event sponsors Lightning Protection Institute and United States Gypsum (USG) explained their products and services on Day One of the LDW, while Situra and Elevate were in the spotlight for Day Two.
Breakout Sessions
The day’s first breakout session focused on creating events that consultants want to attend. Chapter members and leaders shared what’s worked for them, what challenges they face, and lessons learned from chapter events that have underperformed.
IIBEC Secretary/Treasurer Jon Cannon then spoke about chapter board orientation and responsibilities of board service and about how to participate in IIBEC’s Outstanding Chapter Awards. Chapter Development Committee Chair Baxter then tackled chapter operations during a talk that highlighted administration and meetings.
Afternoon breakout sessions focused on volunteer recruitment and success stories about what’s working for chapters. Day One concluded with a town hall led by IIBEC President Jennifer Hogan, REWC, CBECxP, RRO, LEED AP, Certified Passive House Consultant; Vice President Burt Carver, RRC, RRO; and Executive Vice President CEO Brian Pallasch, CAE.
Day Two
Day Two of the 2026 IIBEC Leadership Development Workshop started with another vendor spotlight, this time featuring SITURA, followed by the day’s first presentation.
IIBEC Senior Manager of Chapter Relations Samantha Bundy went over the results of IIBEC’s Chapter Profile Survey Report, noting that every IIBEC chapter was represented in the survey, Bundy said that 89% of respondents reported that their membership is growing or stable. But growth and stability can still coexist with engagement challenges, the survey results showed. Bundy also showed attendees how they could access the IIBEC Chapter Resource Center and the many resources within it.
IIBEC Director of Education Kristen Kennedy, Senior Manager of Education Mandy Bell, and Director of Marketing and Sales Arissa Cooper then presented, “Best Practices for Delivering and Marketing IIBEC Education,” delving into the term “professional development” and its many definitions and connotations before identifying opportunities for chapters to provide opportunities for professional development.
Karen Stanley, CPA, and Bruce Sawyer, CPA, then provided a primer on accounting for chapters, followed by a panel session on chapter leadership succession, moderated by Region V Director André Coppin, RRC, RRO, RA. Fielding Coppin’s questions were Region VII Director Stephanie Robinson, PEng; Region III Director Charles Sietmann, RRC, RRO, REWO, CCCA, CIT; and Mallory Buckley, RRO, PE, BECxP + CxA+BE.
IIBEC Codes and Standards Advisor Emily Lorenz, PE, F-ACI, then presented on changes to the 2027 I-Codes. Day Two wrapped up with updates on the IIBEC Foundation and on IIBEC’s legislative and regulatory affairs updates.
The workshop wrapped with Pallasch encouraging attendees to complete a survey about their thoughts on the meeting and assurance that IIBEC would use their feedback to make the well-attended event even better in future years.
