High-Technology Operations and Maintenance Certification Working Group Meeting: Continuing the Discussion: Sustain Your High-Tech Facility with Properly Trained Professionals
Barbara Widhalm, Ph.D., Laney College
Phil Wirdzek, I2SL
During the Sustain Your High-Tech Facility with Properly Trained Professionals symposium, participants will discuss the operations and maintenance (O&M) challenges associated with labs and related high-technology facilities, the hand-off from construction to operation, and suggested knowledge and skills that differentiate operators and managers of high-tech facilities from those of other facility types. This dialogue will continue during this morning roundtable in an effort to explore validation mechanisms for high-tech building operator knowledge and skill areas, solicit input on the proposed I2SL certification program for high-tech O&M professionals, discuss preferable education and training strategies, and plan next steps of collaboration for I2SL's High-Technology Operations and Maintenance Certification Working Group.
O&M professionals and building owners and managers should plan to join this session. Together, we will explore how to ensure the energy- and environmentally-sustainable performance of high-tech facilities throughout their lifecycle.
Barbara Widhalm has been project manager for Laney College's National Science Foundation Project Educating Technicians for Building Automation and Sustainability since 2007. She brings 20 years of experience in energy efficiency and sustainability education program development. She has a Master's in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico with an emphasis in energy resources, and a doctorate in transformative learning from the California Institute of Integral Studies, with an emphasis on sustainability education.
A career employee of 27 years with the EPA, Philip Wirdzek began laying the foundation of the Labs21 program in the early 1990s, working as the national energy and pollution prevention coordinator for EPA's own laboratories. Later, as EPA's Labs21 program manager, Mr. Wirdzek directed the development of all program components, including marketing and public relations, partnerships, conferences and workshops, technical support and program tools, and the Labs21 Centers of Excellence.
Through his work with engineers, architects, facility managers, and technology and service providers, Mr. Wirdzek helped bring about EPA's own renaissance to "walk the talk" and push the Agency to become the major purchaser of green power among all federal agencies. Mr. Wirdzek was also crucial in the creation of EPA's Sustainable Facilities Practices Branch, which continues to sustain and increase the momentum imparted to the Agency through his work.
For his many accomplishments at EPA, Mr. Wirdzek has received numerous awards including the Agency's gold medal for developing the Labs21 program, the James W. Craig Pollution Prevention Leadership Award, two presidential awards for federal energy management, and the Environmental Professional of the Year award from the Association of Energy Engineers.