ASHRAE Announces 2026-27 President, Officers and Directors

ASHRAE has installed its 2026-27 society president, along with newly elected officers and directors, during its 2026 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.

Sarah E. Maston, P.E., BCxP, LEED AP, will serve as the 2026-27 society president. Maston is the geographic discipline leader for commissioning & energy services in New England for Colliers Project Leader. In her inaugural presidential address, Maston introduced the theme for the 2026-27 society year, “Changing the Game: Retrofitting for Resilience.” The theme focuses on how the building industry can work together develop a winning “game plan” to improve the efficiency, performance and resilience of existing buildings in the face of growing climate and infrastructure challenges.

Elected officers who will serve one-year terms are as follows:

• President-elect: Ashish Rakheja, B.E., M.Tech, Fellow ASHRAE is director/chief operating officer at AEON, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• Treasurer: Wade H. Conlan, P.E., BCxP, Fellow ASHRAE, CxA, LEED AP BD+C is assistant vice president/commissioning & energy discipline manager at Hanson Professional Services, Maitland, Florida.

ASHRAE introduced its newest vice presidents who will serve a term of two years (society years 2026-27 and 2027-28):

• Vice president: Mahroo Eftekhari, C.Eng. CDPhil, Fellow ASHRAE, FCIBSE, MInstR, SFHEA is a professor, building services engineering at Loughborough University, Loughborough, England.
• Vice president: Blake E. Ellis, P.E., CDP, Fellow ASHRAE, MCIBSE, LEED AP is principal at Burns & McDonnell, Overland Park, Kansas.

ASHRAE introduced its newest directors and regional chairs who will serve three-year terms from 2026-2029:

• Region VII director and regional chair: Caroline Kelty, P.E., LEED AP is a project manager & mechanical engineer at CMTA, Lexington, Kentucky.
• Region VIII director and regional chair: Keith Reihl, P.E., HBDP, CEM is principal engineer at Southland, Houston, Texas.
• Region IX director and regional chair: Daniel C. Russell, P.E., HFDP is an application engineer, at Norbryhn Equipment Co., Nampa, Idaho.
• Region X director and regional chair: Colin E. Laisure-Pool, P.E. is an account executive at MPSW, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona.
• Region XIV director and regional chair: Eduardo Maldonado, Life Member ASHRAE is a professor, faculty of engineering of The University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

ASHRAE also introduced its newest directors-at-large:

• Martin Dieryckx is general manager, Environment Research Center at Daikin Europe EV, Oostende, Belgium.
• Krishnan Gowri, Ph.D., BEMP, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, LEED AP a senior engineering fellow at Energy Solutions, Bothell, Washington.
• Filza H. Walters, Fellow ASHRAE, FESD is senior associate, director of mechanical engineering at Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., Westland, Michigan.