Regions I, II, III, and VII will have region director elections this year. Voting will be online, and will begin on Tuesday, January 8 and be open for two weeks. When voting opens, a link will be posted and an email will be sent to members who are eligible to vote. Elected region directors will begin their two-year terms at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the Members on Monday, March 18, 2019. Find your candidate(s)’ profiles below.
I am the principal of Violette Engineering in Dillsburg, PA. Violette Engineering was established in 2014 and provides professional engineering consulting services in the Mid-Atlantic region. I am a registered professional engineer and routinely provide building enclosure consulting services on contemporary and historical structures, including condition assessments, moisture surveys, and field testing of roofing and waterproofing systems. In addition, I perform failure analysis and field water testing of exterior walls, windows, and curtainwall systems.
Prior to establishing the firm, I was a senior consultant with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. in Fairfax, VA, and Gardner James Engineering in Columbia, MD. While employed with these firms,I was a senior consultant responsible for coordinating and executing field investigations, reporting findings, and developing repairs for building enclosure systems.
Bachelor of science degree, civil engineering, Virginia Tech, 1984
Since becoming involved in RCI, I have recognized the value of its leading educational programs for building enclosure professionals, and the registration programs that provide professional growth and development opportunities to many in our industry. I also recognize the value one receives from becoming an active member in this organization. As the RCI Region I director, I will strive to accomplish the following:
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Region I director.
I am married to Peggy, my wife of 32 years. We have raised three children: Bryn (27), Randy (24), and Stephanie (19). I have supported my children’s sporting activities through the years and enjoy gardening when at home. I also enjoys hiking, golfing, and attending Virginia Tech football games in the fall.
Chris Dawkins presently serves as a senior building consultant and forensics engineer with Beech Consulting, Inc. and Engineered Solutions International, LLC, and has more than 35 years’ experience in building construction and civil engineering disciplines. His current professional practice includes building envelope (roofs, wall claddings, and components) assessment and forensics investigations of buildings or site systems construction. He has also practiced in facilities master planning, urban civil engineering design, construction phase services for new buildings and renovations to existing buildings, site grading and paving operations, and urban streetscape projects. He has practiced as a building consultant and consulting engineer since 1993, after 12 years with the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps.
My first exposure to RCI was attending its 1997 RCI Building Envelope Symposium, which was outstanding and most relevant to my consulting practice. Afterward, I sought out RCI’s classes because they were exceptional—both technically and with a bent toward application and real-world conditions. RCI’s stellar reputation in continuing education led me to get actively involved with our Georgia Chapter, which is a strong community of consultants, product manufacturer representatives, and installers who have worked very well together and made each other stronger in better serving our clients and the public.
Our present RCI community is blessed by our founders and early leadership for setting a rock-solid foundation of advocacy and advancement of services excellence within our industry. We stand on their shoulders, but there is still much to accomplish. If I am privileged to be elected and serve as Region II’s director, I will steadfastly work in support of our international team’s continued growth and development and the current strategic plan’s vision that “RCI will be universally recognized as the leading authority for roofing, waterproofing and exterior wall consulting,” with emphases on education and chapter development.
I grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, but now call Gainesville, Georgia, home with my wife, Lee. We have a daughter, two sons, and two grandsons. Outside of professional life, personal passions include guitar, golf, and exploring the nearby Appalachian Mountains.
While attaining my bachelor of science degree at Southwest Missouri State University, I began working as a design draftsman for a major window, storefront, and curtainwall manufacturer. I spent two years detailing shop drawings for the glazing industry and five and a half years in curtainwall R&D and applications. During this time, I designed a complete curtainwall system, including dies, tooling, fabrication, and testing. In 1997, I took a position as the manager of an AAMA-certified testing laboratory at which I was exposed to hundreds of products and projects. This experience helped to form my understanding in the complexities of the building enclosure systems and the requirements necessary to create a successful building enclosure. In 2000, I returned home to Monett, Missouri, and started KDENT, Inc. to provide shop-drawing services to the glazing and panel industry. In 2002, KDENT received the first consulting project and has completed hundreds of projects, which include design consulting, inspections, testing, forensic investigations, expert witnessing, and litigation support.
Over 30 years’ experience in all phases of curtainwall, storefront, window, and door design, fabrication, and engineering, including supervision of system prototype, development, erection, and testing. Fifteen years of exterior wall, waterproofing, and roofing consulting.
It has been a privilege and a pleasure being the Region III director and a member of the board. These months since March 2017 have flown by, and it has be rewarding to be involved with the many endeavors that RCI is striving toward. However, now is not the time to slow down. It is the time to step up, and with your support, that is what I wish to do. We need to continue our push for better communication, not only within our organization, but also within the entire industry. With our new branding and building enclosure commissioning project moving forward fast, I would be proud and honored to represent you for the 2019-2021 term. I am asking for your continued confidence as I strive to fulfill my duties as Region III director, and I ask for your vote.
I specialize in building energy performance with a focus on high-performance building envelopes (exterior walls, roofs, windows, etc.). I am trained in both 2-D and 3-D hygrothermal modelling, as well as on several whole-building energy modelling platforms. Projects I lead include building envelope commissioning, LEED durable building consulting, energy modelling/auditing, and passive house projects.
RCI is a dynamic organization that continues to evolve and grow from its roots in roofing to better serve its members and the entire building envelope industry. Over the last year it has been highlighted by RCI, and most recently in an address from President Michael Clark, that we are on the cusp of significant changes to our branding. These changes will better align our “outward image” with the experience and values that our membership embody. Change can be challenging; it pushes us and makes us feel uncomfortable. But there, just outside of our comfort zone, truly remarkable things can happen. It is my hope that this change will fill each of us like a wave, building and reinvigorating our passion for this industry and driving our institute to new heights.
For this to happen we will need to engage all our members and work to strengthen the connections between each branch, each chapter, and each region. If elected as director for Region VII, it will be my personal mission to support this overarching goal by:
My service to RCI over the last four years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career, and I am eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to continue in the role of Region VII Director. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my position and extend an invitation for anyone with questions, concerns, or ideas to reach out to me.
Bachelor of applied science, civil engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario (2008)
In the position of Region VII Director, I would aim to bring my professional experience and passion for advancing our profession to my role. My geographic and professional position provide me opportunities to travel across our region. In the position of region director, I would leverage this for more in-person interactions with our membership in Eastern Canada in order to fulfill the role of connecting Region VII with the international board. In particular, I would leverage my position on the board towards the following:
One of the most notable challenges facing our organization today is the lack of diversity in our membership. As a young professional woman in the industry, I can bring a perspective to the international board that would help to strengthen the diversity of our membership.
RCI is taking an exciting step toward addressing this challenge with their recent rebranding announcement to become the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC), and Region VII is in a unique position to benefit from this rebranding. Within our region alone there are more than half a dozen college and university programs that teach the principles of building enclosure design. With the new branding, we will be well positioned to send a clearer message and attract the young talent who are leaving school and identifying themselves as building enclosure consultants. The new branding also increases the potential for increased international growth, with a stronger message for collaboration outside of Canada. I am very excited to hear that RCI has partnered with ICBEST to deliver the next Canadian Symposium in Vancouver in 2020. This is an incredible opportunity to showcase our organization on an international stage, and we need to leverage this event to realize its full potential for membership growth.
The professional registration landscape in North America is changing, becoming more efficient and effective. Employers and clients are more often recognizing the benefit and value of hiring certified professionals, but are being confused by the variations on similar credentials being offered by different organizations. RCI, Inc. is addressing this confusion in the United States through their review of the Building Enclosure Commissioning Provider accreditation in partnership with NIBS and the University of Wisconsin. In Canada, RCI members are also competing with like-minded organizations to achieve a common goal; the result is an increased risk for diluting the value of these credentials. We need to increase discussions with internal and external stakeholders to better understand the options offered in Canada and how we can best leverage our registrations to elevate the standard of qualifications and practice in the industry.
RCI has re-energized some exciting initiatives to advocate for the interests of the building enclosure industry in the United States. These activities will increase the reach and reputation of our organization and bring the best interest of our members to the forefront. This type of advocacy also has room to grow in Canada. My residency in Ottawa puts me in the ideal geographical position to help lead this effort. First and foremost, we need to be increasing awareness and encouraging unbiased procurement procedures across our industry.
I am excited to be considered for the position of Region VII Director and would be honoured to represent Eastern Canada, including the Ontario Chapter, National Capital Branch, and Maritimes Branch, on the international board of RCI, Inc.
With 10 years of experience as a building enclosure consultant in the United States and Canada, I have spent my career specializing in assessment, design, and construction review of roofing, waterproofing, masonry, and lightweight cladding assemblies for building restoration and new construction. My project approach focuses on durable, long-term solutions to provide best-in-class value.
As a technical lead in roofing technologies and manager of the Roofing Centre of Excellence, I nationally connect our business across Canada and provide leadership to teams across all geographies to achieve service excellence, best-in-class knowledge, excellent reputation, and growth.
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