President's Corner

Dear ASHRAE Members and Friends, 

We’re excited to kick off another year of learning, networking, and professional growth! Expect 

valuable presentations, engaging speakers, and plenty of chances to connect with others in the 

HVAC industry. 

There’s no better time to get involved—whether it’s attending meetings, supporting research 

promotions, or joining a committee. Your participation makes a real impact on our chapter and the 

broader ASHRAE community. 

We’re starting strong on October 14th at MadTree with a lunch meeting featuring Dr. Khankari, 

who will speak on air changes. We’ve also invited AIA and TSHE to join us—don’t miss this great 

opportunity to kick off the year with insight and collaboration! 

Lastly, I want to thank Anna for her time as president last year. Also, we want to wish her the very 

best with upcoming birth of her twins.

Yearly Meeting Schedule

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend the meetings that we have planned for this year.  All 

meetings will be held at MadTree in Oakley.  Please note 4 of the meetings are during lunch and 2 

of the meetings are happy hour events. 

October 14th – 11:30 – Basics of Air Change Rate with Dr. Kishor Khankari (Joint meeting AIA and 

TSHE 

Registration is open for this event.  Including a discount for registering for all meetings.  

See link below. 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ashraetsheaia-cincinnati-october-2025-lunch-technical-session-tickets-1579087716869?aff=oddtdtcreator

November 18th – 11:30 – Overview of UL Listed Fire and Fire/Smoke and Smoke Dampers with 

James Carlin 

January 20th – 11:30 – ERV Applications 

February 17th – 3:00 to 5:00 – Indoor Air Quality Procedure  

March 10th – 11:30 – AI in Action: Daily Tools Transforming Engineering and Construction 

April 21st – 3:00 to 5:00 – Common Pitfalls in Mechanical Drawings Caught During Construction 

and Building Trust Between Engineers and Contractors: Communication that Works with Joel 

Shriner 

Meet Your 2025-2026 Board of Governors

We’re excited to welcome 4 new members to the board.  Below is a brief introduction for each 

member. 

Thom Anderson – Secretary  

I’m excited to be joining the ASHRAE board! I’ve been in the industry for nearly 15 years 

and have spent the last nine with CMTA. While I’ve been involved with ASHRAE off and on 

throughout my career, I’ve really felt a renewed energy in the chapter over the past few 

years—something I knew I wanted to be a part of. I’m looking forward to contributing, 

getting more involved, and helping continue the great momentum we’re seeing. Outside of 

work, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two daughters, and when I can find the time, I 

like to get out on the golf course. 

Myia Hold – YEA Chair  

I’m a University of Cincinnati alumna with a degree in Architectural Engineering and 

currently work as a Sales Engineer with ElitAire. I’m excited to step into the role of Young 

Engineers in ASHRAE Chair for the Cincinnati Chapter and look forward to building 

opportunities for young professionals to connect, learn, and grow within ASHRAE. 

Ben Merk – Student Activities Chair  

I graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, where I 

also gained valuable work experience through co-ops at Hixson Inc. in 

mechanical/plumbing design and at Lathrop Trotter in applications engineering. After 

graduating in May 2020, I transitioned into a full-time role as a sales engineer at Koch 

Applied (formerly Lathrop Trotter, which was acquired in 2021). I became an EIT later that 

year and have since focused on sales and support for hydronic heating systems, steam 

systems, process and ventilation fans, and cogeneration. 

Outside of work, I enjoy home improvement projects, reading, going to Cincinnati sports 

games, taking fitness classes, and exploring local craft breweries. I was born and raised in 

Cincinnati and currently live in Oakley with my wife, Ashley. 

Kayla Whisman – Sustainability Chair 

Hello! I'm excited to introduce myself as a new member of ASHRAE and Cincinnati's first 

sustainability chair. Originally from Indiana, I graduated from Purdue University and have 

since made Cincinnati my home. I now work as an Optimization Engineer at Heapy on our 

sustainability and resiliency team. I am passionate about sustainable design, and I look 

forward to driving local projects that support ASHRAE's mission and make a meaningful 

impact in our community. I am excited to collaborate with fellow members and bring new 

ideas to the chapter! 

YEA & Student Activities Updates 

YEA Top Golf Event 

Please mark your calendar for the upcoming YEA event at Top Golf October 2nd from 5-7.  This is 

a joint event with the Dayton Chapter YEA Members.  Please see included flyer below.  Hope to 

see you there.   

ASHRAE Region V Chapter Regional Conference (CRC) 

Every year during the first part of August, Region V holds its Chapter Regional Conference (CRC). 

The CRC is hosted each year by one of the region’s chapters. This year’s event was held July 23, 

24, and 25 in Columbus and was hosted by the Columbus Chapter. 

Bob Snow was the CRC general chairman and he and his committee members did a great job 

from start to finish. 

The conference started with a welcome reception on Wednesday evening. Thursday was a full 

day of business meetings, technical sessions, and a great evening at the social event that 

featured a tour at Nationwide Arena. Friday continued with committee workshops, business 

meetings and the President’s and Awards Lunch. 

The Cincinnati Chapter was represented by several of our members and the Chapter received the 

following honors and awards: 

• Research Promotion (RP) certificate of achievement for exceeding goal, high five, and the 

challenge goal was presented to Justin Hahn. 

• Membership Promotion Blue Ribbon Award was presented to Pat Murphy. 

• Presidential Award of Excellence and a Certificate of Appreciation was presented to our 

past chapter president Anna Moore. 

Along with Pat and Justin, we also had our Student Activities Chair Ben Merk, Young Engineers in 

ASHRAE Chair Myia Holden, Secretary Thom Anderson, and Treasurer Joe Tornes in attendance 

for the trainings. Anna Moore and Maggie Norbut were also there serving as the chapter delegate 

and alternate for the regional meetings.   

Plan now to attend next year’s CRC which will be hosted by the Cleveland Chapter. 

ASHRAE Society Scholarship

We would like to congratulate Audrey Hemrick and Matthew Maniglia, who both received a Society Scholarship. Audrey and Matthew are both mechanical engineering students at the University of Cincinnati. 

ASHRAE Society Job Board 

Reminder that members and member companies have this ASHRAE site as a resource to post 

open roles, etc.: jobs.ASHRAE.org