ASHB Board of Directors

Eric Harper joined Snap One in 2010 as co-head of Product Development and now leads Product Marketing & Market Management for the company. He has spent the last 20+ years serving the residential technology industry, including product and marketing executive leadership roles at ELAN/Sunfire (CORE Brands), Integra (ONKYO) and as a custom integrator in the 1990s. Eric holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University.

Daniel Niewirowicz leads Special Projects Group at CyberPower Systems (USA), Inc. Dan drives strategic product development; automation & IoT at CyberPower and is responsible for development of power management solutions across the critical data path from the data center to edge devices for building automation. Dan has 30 years of experience in the built environment sector. From building envelope to the latest smart facility integrations, he has extensive experience in electromechanical systems and has managed multi-million dollar MEP projects in educational, medical and commercial environments.

Julie Petrone is the Director of Global Marketing at ABB Building Solutions, Americas, Electrification, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Julie is a dynamic C-suite leader with more than two decades of experience in global marketing, sales, customer success, strategy, operations, and digital transformation in public and private companies, with proven success optimizing marketing’s role in the commercial achievements of businesses. With a unique mix of high-level B2B and B2C marketing, including IoT, Building Energy Management, Building Automation and Controls, and Smart Power, she is an agile innovator with a track record as an inspiring leader who champions teams, leading brands through incredible periods of marketplace volatility and change, including a global pandemic. Julie is a Board Director for the El Dorado Hills, CA Community District and acted as the Marketing Chair for the Building Intelligence Group (BIG), a national organization dedicated to delivering intelligent commercial building solutions and energy efficiency by helping design and implement advanced building systems with integrated controls. She graduated magna cum laude from Cal State University, Bakersfield, with a degree in Marketing Communications and an MFA in Journalism. She also graduated from The Fuqua School of Business Master of Business Administration program with a concentration on strategy.

Brian Oswald joined Cochrane Supply & Engineering in May 2024 as the General Manager. Founded in 1967, Cochrane Supply & Engineering has evolved into an award-winning, internationally recognized Smart Building Controls Distributor. Mr. Oswald oversees daily business operations, strategic planning, market expansion, and optimization.

Mr. Oswald brings over 20 years of experience in smart building technology and implementation to his new role, with a proven track record of successfully delivering multi-site, enterprise Smart Building applications. As the former Senior Managing Director at CBRE|ESI, he played a pivotal role in achieving ongoing effectiveness, profitability, and growth. His responsibilities included formulating comprehensive company policies, setting strategic objectives, and developing plans to achieve them. Additionally, Mr. Oswald effectively represented the company to clients, industry stakeholders, government entities, and civic groups.

Before assuming the position of Senior Managing Director at CBRE|ESI, Mr. Oswald served as the Executive Vice President at Environmental Systems Inc. (ESI). Throughout his tenure, he held various assignments, each with increasing levels of responsibility. His areas of expertise spanned system application design, application engineering, project management, program management, and account executive roles

Tom Daenzer is Manager of Digital Business Development for Belimo Americas since 2018. He leads a team responsible for supporting the growth of HVAC valves and actuators that harness smart and/or connected capabilities. One of Tom’s primary roles is to guide development of the services and APIs that compliment these connected products through relationships with industry peers and technology partners. He leads the Belimo Americas IoT Committee, and is a member of the global IoT Core and IoT steering committees. Prior to his Digital role, he was Business Development Manager for Belimo’s Shared Logic line of intelligent actuator solutions. Before working for Belimo, Tom spent 17 years on the construction side of the building automation industry, with roles ranging from software engineer and project manager to department manager. He is passionate about leveraging technology to improve occupant comfort while reducing a building’s energy footprint. Tom holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Darryl DeAngelis is Director of Business Development for EBTRON since 2018, a well-known pioneer in thermal dispersion airflow measurement and control technology. He is on the leadership team spearheading the company's business development and execution strategy.

Darryl graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a B.S. in Marine Engineering and has spent over 40 years in the HVAC industry as a contractor, system designer, consulting engineer, product development engineer, sales manager, product manager, and market intelligence manager. He has four HVAC related patents and obtained LEED AP in 2003.

As a member of ASHRAE for over 20 years, Darryl has actively participated in many technical and standard committees in the development of standards and guidelines, such as 62.1, 90.1, 11, 207, and 180, focused on indoor air quality (IAQ), energy and sustainability, controls, fault detection and diagnostics (FDD), and maintenance. He is currently chair of TC 7.7 Testing and Balancing and a voting member of 62.1 Ventilation subcommittee.

Darryl is a participating voting member in ASTM, and a member of BCxA, ISIAQ, and I2SL. He represents EBTRON as a member of the board of directors for ASHB, a partner of IFMA, AABC, NASECO.

Charlie Derk is the Vice President of Strategy for Legrand’s Building Controls Division. His responsibilities include mergers and acquisitions as well as focusing on the strategic direction for residential and commercial lighting control products including Wattstopper, Encelium and Vantage. Charlie has been working with lighting and shading control products for the past 25 years holding positions in engineering, product management, marketing and sales at Lutron and Crestron. Charlie holds a degree in Computer Science and is currently based in eastern Pennsylvania.

Mark Fernandes is the President of Functional Devices, Inc. which manufactures a broad range of products to serve multiple industries including building automation, HVAC, lighting, electrical, panel shops, fire & safety, wireless, and power monitoring. Functional Devices is best known for its RIB® (Relay in a Box®) brand product lines. Mark has 18 years of experience in the building automation industry, all with FDI where he started his career as an engineer designing and developing products and supporting manufacturing efforts. He has held multiple management positions, including Engineering Manager and VP of Manufacturing and Engineering before assuming the role of President in 2014. He earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering Technology with highest distinction from Purdue University.

Robert Harland is the BAS Product Management Leader at Johnson Controls. Along with his team, he leads the strategy and execution of new product development across the Johnson Controls’ portfolio of building automation offerings including Metasys, Facility Explorer, EasyIO, and Verasys. Robert has held various roles across contracting, distribution, sales, and product management over the last two decades. Robert resides in Hendersonville, TN along with his family.

Stephen Holicky is the Director of Product Management at Tridium and is responsible for overall strategy, product planning, marketing, and financials for all products built on the Niagara Framework. He works closely with customers, engineering teams, and business stakeholders to define, manage and deliver a product roadmap and vision which impacts over 1 million instances worldwide. Prior to joining Tridium, Stephen worked with the Niagara Framework as a System Integrator and Commissioning Agent, while specifying its use for smart building integrations.

Amy Hughes is the Director of Market & Customer Insights within Trane Technologies’ Trane Commercial division. Trane Technologies stands out as an innovative force dedicated to pushing the limits of sustainability. Joining the company back in 2010, Amy brought with her six years of prior experience from a leading Market Research Agency. At Trane, Amy leads a team that proactively decodes market trends and consumer behaviors, leveraging cutting-edge market research techniques and advanced data & analytics. Amy’s academic journey includes a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s in market research. Beyond her corporate responsibilities, she shares her expertise as a board member of the SIUE Master of Market Research program. Amy and her family call St. Louis their home, where she resides with her husband and two children.

Tommy Hulland is an Associate Director of Strategic Planning & Market Intelligence at Carrier. In this role, Tommy is responsible for developing and executing the strategy for the North America Residential and Light Commercial business. He also leads the market intelligence team, responsible for industry reporting, forecasting, and market research. Prior to joining Carrier, Tommy held various roles in corporate development, strategy, and finance at Owens Corning. Tommy holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Economic Consulting from Indiana University.

David Kaufman is a Director of Business Development for Resideo Technologies Inc. He has over 30 years of experience in automation holding various executive sales, marketing, and general management roles consistently achieving organic business growth totally over $500M. He is currently the primary Resideo representative for any Internet of Things (IoT)-related standard or alliance. He has held key positions in the Wireless Industrial Network Alliance, the HART Communications Foundation, and the Open Connectivity Foundation. David was a charter board member of the Wireless Compliance Institute, the Energy Information Standards Alliance, and the OpenADR Alliance. He has been recognized with numerous awards for his industry contributions including 2 awards from the US National Institute of Technology (NIST). He has a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University, an MBA from St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania, and a Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Honeywell. David also holds multiple US patents. He is a published author on wireless technologies and a recent 3 time All American Triathlete. David currently resides in the Phoenix, Arizona area with wife and children.

Shannon Kell joined Schneider Electric in January 2023 as EBO Offer Manager. She is responsible for collaborating with global product leaders to ensure that EcoStruxure product roadmap delivers features, technology and engineering efficiencies required by the North American market. Shannon began her career with Johnson Controls in 1997 and held a variety of marketing and operations management roles. She spent six years with Honeywell Building Solutions as Regional Marketing Leader and then US Marketing Leader for Energy Services. In 2016, she transitioned to the Honeywell’s Industrial Safety business to lead their global marketing operations team. She was promoted to the Director of Product Marketing in 2018 for a Honeywell business focused on providing Software as a Service (SAAS) solutions to the healthcare market. Most recently, Shannon led Johnson Controls, Digital Transformation effort, focused on the Connected Chiller platform. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Science, Journalism from University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. She and her husband currently reside in Hendersonville, TN.

Daniel Kufer leads the North America Strategy team at Siemens Smart Infrastructure Solutions & Services. Daniel is based in Chicago, IL. In his role, he is responsible for identifying and executing organic and inorganic growth opportunities to expand Siemens’s market position in the smart building space. His team leads projects to ensure Strategy is aligned with market and customer insights. Daniel has 10+ years of B2B experience including in Buildings & Infrastructure, Industrials and Healthcare Technology. Prior to joining Siemens, Daniel was Director of Strategy at ThyssenKrupp North America, Inc. Daniel holds a BSc. degree in Business Administration from the Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt and is an MBA Candidate at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Chris Megede serves as the CTO at Delta Controls where he leads the company’s strategic vision, oversees product management, and directs technology research. Chris joined Delta Controls in 2023, bringing 25 years of international building automation experience. Throughout his career, Chris has maintained a commitment to enhancing building efficiency and productivity, delivering innovative products and services to markets worldwide. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from Texas A&M University.

Charles Pelletier began his career with Distech Controls over 20 years ago, gaining unparalleled experience in the Building Management System market, while also establishing himself as a respected leader in the industry. Currently, as Vice-President of Product Management, Charles is widely known for leading the product vision & strategy of the business and focusing on innovation that drives people and businesses to become more successful.

Erika Shaughnessy is the Product Manager for Low Voltage and Innovative Technologies at Southwire. In this role, Erika investigates new and transformative developments in the areas of power and data transmission. Before joining Southwire, Erika worked at Legrand both within the Sales team and as a Product Manager for Furniture Power and Innovative Technologies. She has participated in multiple Women’s groups, charitable committees, and mentor programs within Legrand and Southwire. She holds a BA in Organizational Communications with a Minor in Marketing from Central Connecticut State University.

Fabian Weber is the Chief Innovation Officer at Dwyer Instruments, Inc. a trusted leader creating safe and sustainable solutions for the worldwide IEQ, Process Automation, and Critical Environment markets. Headquartered in Michigan City, Indiana with satellite locations around the globe, Dwyer holds over 650 technical patents and takes great pride in the intellect and integrity of their employees who are passionate about the work they do, the products they develop, and the customers they serve. Fabian comes to us with more than 20 years of Innovation, Business Development and R&D experience with telecom/datacom systems, decarbonization of vehicles, and specialty connectivity solutions. He acquired and managed key customers around the world, established and led international subsidiaries for developers/manufacturers of smart drive systems and connectivity solutions, and built numerous innovation and R&D partnerships on an international scale. Fabian holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a major in Microelectronics from the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, and got certified as a Professional Innovator from University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, as well as MIT Sloan School of Management for Artificial Intelligence and its implications for business strategy. Fabian grew up in Switzerland with French and German mother languages and spent the last 15 years in California and Michigan.

As head of the residential business unit for Crestron, John is responsible for driving sales and marketing strategies, dealer and end-user programs and product and software development strategies specific to the residential market. Using his over 20-years of experience in this channel, with experience not only in custom integration, but in the 12V, and retail markets. John joined Crestron in March 2009 as a Regional Sales Manager for southern California and has held various roles of increasing responsibility on both the commercial and Residential sides of the business.

Prior to Crestron, John held various sales and management roles at Vudu, Kaleidescape, and Polk Audio.

John studied Electrical Engineering at California State University Northridge. He has lived his entire life in southern California and in his spare time, he enjoys car racing, rock climbing, parkour, and other high-energy sports.

Kevin joined Daikin Applied Americas in February 2022 and has been serving as the Senior Director of Solutions Offerings since October 2022. Prior to joining Daikin Applied, Kevin held various positions, including founding a management consulting business, Executive Recruiter for Russell Reynolds, Senior Director of Global Commercial Building Offerings for Honeywell, and leader of Cummins Inc's Global Waste to Energy Solutions product line.

Kevin holds an MBA from Butler University and a B.S. in Industrial Systems Automation from the University of Wisconsin Platteville.

Outside of work, Kevin enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking, water sports, is a professional downhill ski instructor, and serves with the Excelsior MN Rotary Club.

Amir Sekhavat is the Senior Director of Product Management and Partnerships for Superior Essex Communications. He has more than 24 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, specializing in communications cabling products. Amir has published numerous articles and owns several patents related to data cable performance and connectivity, and he currently serves as the chairman of the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) New Technology & Trends and Sustainability subcommittee. He is also the Vice president of PoE Consortium and TIA FOTC committee. Before joining the Superior Essex team, he received his MBA from the Solvay Brussels School.