ICC's Membership Councils: Influencing the Future

ICC's Membership Councils were formed after Members asked to have a greater role influencing how the Code Council serves to enhance their work performances, careers and professions. Portland provided additional opportunities for Members of ICC's discipline-specific Councils—Building Official, Fire Service, PMG Official, Sustainability and Global—to come together and be a more powerful force shaping the future of the Code Council and the building safety and fire prevention industry. "The energy and level of interest that these Membership Councils are generating for our Members is amazing," ICC Board of Directors Immediate Past President William D. Dupler told Annual Conference delegates. "There are more than 1,000 Members interested and activated in the various councils and they're beginning to show passion in all sectors of the Code Council." Following are reports from the ICC Membership Council meetings in Portland:

Building Official Membership Council Discusses cdp ACCESS

Members of the Building Official Membership Council elected seven Members to the Membership Council's Governing Committee during their meeting in Portland.   Chair Steve Shapiro led the Building Official Membership Council meeting and conducted elections for the Governing Committee. All seven candidates nominated—William "Jeff" Beictel, Alan Boswell, Frank Hodge, Jerry Mallory, Scott McDonald, Tom Allen and Jimmie Deer—were elected, and must be ratified by the Board. Shapiro gave the cdp ACCESS Steering Committee Report and Jeff Shapiro made a presentation on behalf of the Fire Service Membership Council, about an alternative approach to the Steering Committee's recommendations.

Fire Service Membership Council Re-elects Two Seats

Attendees at the Fire Service Membership Council meeting heard a presentation of ICC's PMG services and programs.   Chairman Cochran was serving on the Nominating Comittee meeting. In his absence, Vice Chair Jackie Gibbs presided over the meeting of the Fire Service Membership Council which began with the re-election of two at-large members to the Governing Committee: Scott Adams of the Park City Fire Protection District in Utah and Jeff Shapiro of International Code Consultants of Texas. Gibbs provided a joint Chairman/Vice Chairman report, discussing items of interest to the Fire Service Membership Council. "The health of this organization revolves around our Members," Gibbs said. "And what the ICC can do for the Members, and what the Members get from the 'value-add' of belonging to this organization, belonging to this council and participating in the code process."

PMG Membership Council Nominates Four to Governing Committee

PMG Membership Council Members heard several presentations during their meeting in Portland. The PMG Official Membership Council nominated four individuals for seats to its Governing Committee on the Council during its meeting in Portland. Roger Rotundo, city of Phoenix; Carvin DiGiovanni, Association of Pool and Spa Professionals; Eileen Prado, Solar Rating and Certification Corporation; and William Funk, Cecil County, Md., were all nominated, but elections were not held due to lack of a quorum. A conference call will be scheduled for Council members to elect committee members. The PMG Membership Council opened by addressing important topics and issues of interest from attendees, as well as relevant industry updates. Kermit Robinson, ICC staff, presented "Accessibility in Plumbing: A117.1 Standard Update"; Jerry Flanik, Education Committee Liaison, spoke on PMG's education initiative; PMG Official Membership Council staff liaison Jay Peters provided the PMG Executive Director Update; and David Walls, Executive Director of ICC Sustainability Programs, gave a report on Sustainability Membership Council activities.

Sustainability Membership Council Updates Resolutions to Encourage Use of IgCC, IECC in Communities

Sustainbility Membership Council discuss sustainability issues and energy advocacy with Members.

The ICC Sustainability Membership Council held its second annual meeting during the Code Council's Annual Conference in Portland. The Sustainability Council was unable to meet a quorum to hold a vote to elect new governing Council members; however, it provided an update on the resolutions encouraging adoption of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and International Energy Conservation Code within state and local sustainability plans, as well as plans on advocating sustainability in the context of the built environment through establishing goals, creating a time frame, discussion of how to achieve them, and sustainability advocacy. Rob Brooks, Director of ICC-ES Environmental Programs, presented "Are You Ready for the Mandatory Measures in the New Green Building Codes?"; Raj Nathan, Vice President of Operations for the International Accreditation Service, spoke on sustainability accreditation; and PMG Official Membership Council Chair Jim Olk, co-Chair McKenzie James and staff liaison Jay Peters presented on the PMG Council and its accomplishments, what it plans to do in the future, and how the two Councils can coordinate their futures. Code Council Board of Directors Member Ravi Shah, thanked the Sustainability Council Members for volunteering their time and energy. "It's a yeoman's job that you're doing. This council is doing great work to further the goal of sustainability. We started out on a process with the IgCC, moved forward with creating the commissioning guidelines, and now are stepping forward to put that forth as a standard, but I still believe there's room to do more, to move forward in educating our code officials on the importance of sustainability. This isn't a local issue alone; it's a national or global issue. We need to start educating elected officials on the importance of tapping into the IgCC."

Global Membership Council Re-Elects Underwood and Reiss to Leadership Positions; Three Elected to Governing Committee

Geoff Mitchell of Australia gives a presentation during the Global Membership Council meeting in Portland.   Lynn Underwood of the city of Norfolk, Virginia, was re-elected Chair of the ICC Global Membership Council Governing Committee (GMCGC) during its meeting yesterday in Portland. Martin Reiss of Rolf Jensen Associates in Boston was re-elected Vice Chair. Three Members were added to the Governing Committee: Gregory Beste, Senior Forensics Architect for Halliwell Engineering Associates in Bluffton, South Carolina; Michael K. Maenner, Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the city of Philadelphia; and Geoff Mitchell, Managing Director of GMA Certifications and a Member of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors, an ICC Chapter. The GMCGC addressed several agenda items during its meeting, including the passage of a resolution supporting the cdp ACCESS initiative to increase participation in ICC's code development process. "We support a change that increases opportunities for Global Members who would not otherwise be able to participate," the resolution states. The committee also heard a report from GMCGC Member Shuji Mukunoki of Japan on behalf of the World Organization of Building Officials, as well as reports on current global initiatives, a global membership recruitment program, and an international inspector exchange program.   Kevin Skauge of Canada (left) and ICC Board member Jeff Whitney participate in the Global Membership Council meeting in Portland.