Hello and Welcome to Society Year 2023-24!
My name is Buzz Wright, and I am a Mechanical Engineer in Tucson, Arizona. My wife, Alina, and I have been married for 15 years and have twin boys: Teague and Finn, turning four in August. In addition to the boys, we have horses, dogs, and rabbits. In my spare time I enjoy woodworking, cycling, scuba diving, and taking the boys to car shows. I’m a Detroit Red Wings fan, listen to 90’s alternative rock, and with the help of my sons, plan to start a Ford Model A Roadster project soon.
And I am honored to be serving the members of Region X as Director and Regional Chair (DRC) for the next three years. I have been a Member of ASHRAE since 2003, and I have had an absolute blast working with so many wonderful volunteers across our fourteen Chapters for these past two decades. The friendships that I’ve made are of tremendous value to me, and I look forward to new friendships in the years to come. If we’ve never met, hopefully we can soon – my plan is to visit every single one of our Chapters this Society Year.
I’d like to take a moment here to thank my predecessor, mentor, and friend, Devin Abellon (Southern California). Devin did an amazing job leading our Region through very challenging times. Despite the difficulties due to the pandemic, we continue to be a strong, successful Region due to his hard work and dedication. Thank you, Devin, for your time and effort serving us. Your passion and care for this organization are truly inspiring.
I’m happy to report that Devin will continue to serve as our Regional Representative. We then have Colin Laisure-Pool (Central Arizona) beginning a three-year term serving as our Regional Members Council Representative (RMCR). Jake Brausch (Sacramento Valley) is joining us this year and will be serving as our Regional Treasurer. Greg Schnable (Sierra Delta) is serving another year with us as our Regional Historian. And Sierra Spitulski (Southern California) is joining us this year to serve as our Regional Communications Chair.
On our team we also have six Regional Vice Chairs (RVCs), who typically serve three-year terms. Tyler Bradshaw (Golden Gate) is continuing his service with us as our Chapter Technology Transfer Committee (CTTC) RVC. Tracey Jumper (Southern Nevada) is staying on another year to serve as our Government Affairs Committee (GAC) RVC. Nick Rosner (Southern California) is continuing his service as our Membership Promotion (MP) RVC. Kevin Baldwin (Sacramento Valley) is continuing to serve in his role as our Research Promotion (RP) RVC. Omar Rojas (Southern California) is continuing his service as our Student Activities (SA) RVC. And Elise Backstrom (Central Arizona) is starting this year serving as our Young Engineers in ASHRAE (YEA) RVC.
Our Nominating Team consists of Robert Kunkel (Tucson) serving as Nominating Member, Marites Calad (Hawaii) serving as Nominating Alternate, and Cindy Moreno (San Diego) serving as Nominating Alternate Reserve. Additionally, we have Andy Reilman (Golden Gate) serving as CTTC Committee Chair, Kellie Huff (Central Arizona) serving as SA Committee Chair, Elise Kiland (San Jose) serving as YEA Committee Junior Vice Chair, and Heather Schopplein-Anderson (San Diego) serving on the Board as a Director At Large (DAL).
To say that Region X has a powerhouse of leadership talent and passion would be a huge understatement. With the folks I have by my side, I’m certain that we will have a very successful and fun year. If you happen to see me at your Chapter Meeting, please come and introduce yourself. If you’re a new volunteer in your Chapter, I’ll buy you a beer (or your beverage of choice). If you’re not currently volunteering, I’d love to see you join us in our mission to serve humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of HVAC&R and their allied fields. Our vision is a healthy and sustainable built environment for all. Together, we will accomplish great things.
Let’s go!
