CALBO Training Institute is thankful for the continued support of community members who volunteer to teach each year. With so many seasoned and new instructors, it’s often challenging to show recognition and for students to get to know each one of them. CALBO is hosting a new question and answer series featuring both webinar and Education Week instructors. We hope you learn something new!

In our first installment, read below as we highlight our energy code instructors, our training partners at California Energy Commission (CEC). They have developed nearly a dozen webinars for CALBO since the pandemic allowing building-safety professionals to keep up with code changes. Thank you for your contributions to the CALBO community!

Amie Brousseau, Energy Commission Specialist II 

What is a fun fact about yourself? 
I have been a single mom of four kids for 12+ years. They are now 25, 23, 21, and 19. My oldest son, Ben, is an HVAC technician in Prescott, AZ, so we talk code all the time. My daughter, Chloe, is an esthetician licensed in both California and Oregon. My daughter, Lynzie, served in AmeriCorps for 10 months and is now attending college. My youngest son, Dexter, is in the US Air Force, stationed in Tucson, AZ.

What motivates you to teach?
I love working in the outreach and education field. Being a trainer runs in my family. My mom, sister, and niece all are trainers. I have been a trainer for 20+ years, with various topics including photo preservation, organization, leadership, fundraising, benchmarking, data tracking, and Energy Code.

How do your courses benefit building department staff and code officials?
Energy Code courses are designed to help explain the Energy Code and pull all the various requirements into one topic-specific presentation. I aim to keep it simple and straightforward while keeping the code references clear so participants can refer to the sections as needed.

Do you have any advice for other CALBO Community members interested in teaching or developing a course? 
When you know a subject well and are passionate about it, the information flows naturally. If you are considering teaching, focus on a familiar topic. Tailor the course to your audience. Avoid code jargon and include real-life examples. Have fun!

Chris Olvera, Energy Resources Specialist III (Supervisory)

What is a fun fact about yourself?
I was not traditionally educated in the building sciences, building construction, or energy efficiency before starting work at the California Energy Commission (CEC). I was a criminal justice major with a minor in psychology when I started working at the CEC as a college student on the Energy Standards Hotline. The California Building Code is law, not the criminal law that I studied for my degree, but I have been very fortunate to make a career working with it for almost 20 years now.

What motivates you to teach?
I am a gregarious person by nature and I truly like speaking with, working with, and helping others. Teaching is very rewarding, especially with enforcement agency staff who are always thankful and appreciative of our Energy Code training. What motivates me the most is the professionalism, expertise, and passion of enforcement agency staff. They truly care about what they do, and their drive consistently motivates me to do a better job and provide higher quality training to assist them.

How do your courses benefit building department staff and code officials?
The Energy Code is constantly evolving not only in response to advancements in energy efficiency and technologies but also to help the state of California achieve its goals to decarbonize buildings and establish a secure and resilient renewable energy grid. So, the benefits of our Energy Code trainings are twofold: 1) Increase enforcement agency staff knowledge of the Energy Code and improve compliance and enforcement of it; and 2) In doing so, they will ensure buildings are more energy-efficient, resilient, and comfortable.

Do you have any advice for other CALBO Community members interested in teaching or developing a course?
If someone is motivated, committed, and eager to learn, my advice would be, “Go for it, you will not regret it!”  Training is a “two-way street” of education, and I learn just as much from enforcement agency staff as they do from our trainings. We have built strong relationships with CALBO and their members, we can call them anytime with questions we have about Title 24 and vice versa, and that is all possible because of our training efforts with them. I would also advise them to listen to enforcement agency staff, hear their real-world problems and concerns, and respond accordingly.

Javier Perez, Energy Commission Specialist III

What is a fun fact about yourself as a code official?
I have two cats and they have very much enjoyed being able to bother me while I’ve been working from home. I recently presented on the proposed changes to the multifamily requirements of the 2022 Energy Code. During one of those presentations, one of my cats introduced himself to everyone watching the presentation by jumping on my desk. He is not camera shy. He also likes wet food around 2pm daily and doesn’t care if I’m working or not

What motivates you to teach?
I started my career with the Energy Commission as a student on our Energy Standards Hotline in 2008. I’ve fielded thousands of questions from every kind of stakeholder. Happy and unhappy stakeholders alike, I’ve tried to help everyone make sense of this complicated code. I enjoy helping people understand the “why” behind the Energy Code’s intent, and I find that detail to be helpful when determining how requirements do and don’t apply.

Do you have any advice for other CALBO Community members interested in teaching or developing a course?
Encourage participation, as we can and will all learn from each other. It’s ok to say, “I don’t know,” and to follow up afterward with a response. Every session provides new opportunities to learn and understand where challenges within your code’s requirements exist, and to identify material to highlight in the future. Today’s session exists to make the next session better.

Bookmark the CALBO Training Calendar for quick access to a complete list of all webinar topics and dates available. Additional courses and dates are added monthly.

 

Thank you to our Energy Code webinar sponsor, Energy Code Ace, for their sponsorship and support. Please visit their website for your energy code resources. 

For webinar questions, please contact the CALBO Office or by phone at 916-457-1103.