This is my sixth column for IIBEC Interface, and as I write it in early September, I’ve just reached the midpoint in my term as IIBEC president. This is a good opportunity to reflect on my term so far—what IIBEC has accomplished in the last several months, what I’ve learned, and our priorities for the rest of this year (and beyond).
First, I’d like to highlight some of IIBEC’s accomplishments. I’m immensely proud of what IIBEC volunteers and staff have achieved this year. We’re currently finalizing IIBEC’s new strategic plan to ensure our organization’s future success. We have launched the Excellence in Building Enclosure Consulting Award program (with applications open until the end of this month) and developed the IIBEC Project Excel mentorship program (with mentor applications open now and mentee applications opening in December). Another significant achievement is the addition the Certified Building Enclosure Commissioning Provider (CBECxP®) for the building enclosure commissioning process; CBECxP represents IIBEC’s first ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation through the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). In addition, our educational options for building enclosure professionals have expanded, with an ever-growing, robust array of online and in-person offerings to help current and future building enclosure consultants excel in their work.
In my first column, I wrote, “My objective is simple: I want to give back to IIBEC what IIBEC has given to me.” As current president, my commitment to IIBEC has grown profoundly, and I have learned that the more I give to this organization and those it serves, the more I continue to receive. Six months into my presidential term, I have gained a broader understanding of the complex inner workings of our association. Each IIBEC accomplishment represents hundreds of hours of hard work by teams of talented and dedicated individuals who volunteer or work for IIBEC. Therefore, I want to express my profound gratitude to everyone who is playing a role in strengthening our association and our profession.
As I look forward to the second half of my term, I am excited by many initiatives that are underway, including efforts to improve member benefits and communicate to owners the value of engaging building enclosure professionals. I also recognize the need to continually seek and incorporate new energy into our organization and provide the opportunity for others to serve and shape our organization. Therefore, my priority is to continually strive to recruit and welcome new members and volunteers. In doing so, IIBEC can further support our present membership, including our volunteers, and evolve to lead our profession. Continuing to increase our membership and volunteer pool will help us diversify our perspectives, innovate, and implement positive changes for the building enclosure consulting practice.
If you have not volunteered or you only occasionally volunteer with IIBEC, I personally ask you to consider joining today’s team of IIBEC volunteers. I have found that my involvement in IIBEC and the profession vastly improved when I transitioned from a member to a member-volunteer. It has been an extremely rewarding experience to discover that the more I give, the more I receive. If you already are a volunteer, I hope you will also invite your colleagues and mentees to get involved. Let them know why you volunteer and why you think their input matters.
Thank you again to our past, present, and future volunteers!
