Building Operator Certification Program Faculty

Central Ohio

Jeff Bates is a Professor and Program Coordinator for the Environmental Science, Safety & Health program at Columbus State Community College. He teaches a variety of environmental science and OSHA courses. He formerly worked as an environmental consultant, primarily as a hydrogeologist. Jeff has provided training for both the private and public sectors in topics such as environmental site assessments, asbestos, mold, lead, underground storage tanks, and various OSHA classes. Jeff received his B.A. from the University at Buffalo (SUNY), his M.S. from Bowling Green State University, and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University, all in geology. He is a member of a variety of professional organizations, including the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education. Dr. Bates teaches BOC 105.

Dean Bortz is an Assistant Professor and Program Co-coordinator for the Construction Management program at Columbus State Community College. He teaches a variety of construction management courses, the OSHA 10- and 30-hour construction safety and health certifications, and engineering courses. He formerly worked as a plant manager for a multinational pharmaceutical company, an application engineer for a multinational power transmission component company, and a manufacturer’s representative for various construction products and services. Dean provides training for public and private sector facilities on topics such as construction contract administration, safety and health management, and sustainability issues such as auditing, commissioning, and facility integration. Dean received is AAS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbus State Community College, his B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Lake Forest College, and his MA from Ohio State University in Math, Science and Technology Education. He is a member of several professional organizations, and coordinates the Facilities Energy Conservation Management certificate program. Dean teaches BOC 105.

John Fetters is President of Effective Lighting Solutions, Inc., a company he founded in 1992 to provide lighting consultancy, design and training services. Prior to that he directed the energy management program for AT&T's Lucent Technologies facility in Columbus, Ohio. He has published more than 115 technical articles and books and presented dozens of lighting seminars across the U.S. Mr. Fetters holds a Bachelor's of Electrical Engineering (BEE) from Cleveland State University and an Energy Management Diploma from the University of Wisconsin. He is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. He has been a Certified Energy Manager since 1984 and was a ertified Lighting Efficiency Professional since 1992. Mr. Fetters teaches BOC 104.

Thomas J. Hand is a Certified Facility Manager,and a U.D. (71) graduate, B.A. Communications. He was the Dayton Fire Department civilian manager for fire facilities.In 1988, he was selected by the City and the U.D. as an Urban Fellow to study facility management in 24 U. S. cities. In 1991, he was selected for the City Managers Leadership program. In 1996, he was selected to manage Support Services for the D.F.D. In 1999, he was selected to chair the City Quality Service Team. In 2001, he joined C-J High School to create the Department of Facility and Fleet. In 2003, he left CJ to focus on consulting and research and lecture on Facility Management, Leadership, and Professional Development. He wrote “Managing Facilities” for the Dayton Business Journal from 2001 to 2003. In 2003, he won the International Facility Management Association Award of Excellence for his article, “Inside the Den of the Smoke Eaters”. He is a State of Ohio Licensed Plumbing Contractor and Licensed Hydronic Heating Contractor. He is an IFMA Academy Instructor and a BOC Instructor.

Frank A. Mauro PE, LEED AP BD & C, CCP is a Commissioning Project Manager for Heapy Engineering, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. Frank has served on Advisory Boards for Sinclair Community College, also teaching various courses at the College over approximately 30 years. Frank has made many presentations regarding Automatic Temperature Controls and the Commissioning of Building Systems, has organized and became the Master of Ceremonies for several Engineering discussions at Engineering meetings, and continues to be active in providing information through presentations to organizations associated with the Construction industry. Frank Has a Professional Engineering license for the State of Ohio. He is a LEED AP BC&D, and is a Certified Commissioning Professional (CCP) with the Building Commissioning Association. He also serves on local and National boards for various engineering organizations such as ASHRAE, BCA, and IFMA. Frank teaches BOC 103.

Jon Miller is an HVAC System Specialist.  He is President of Aleron Inc. a temperature controls and HVAC Services Company he founded 1989.   Jon started his career in 1967 in the pneumatic controls field. Jon learned his trade while working for the major controls companies. In 1980 Jon became the Operations Manager for a temperature controls company specializing in the emerging DDC and Energy Conservation fields. Throughout his career, Jon has worked for Engineering Firms and Building Owners solving HVAC related issues. Jon has consulted with Engineering Consulting firms on DDC controls design and problem solving.  Jon held warm air heating and boiler licenses for his corporation. Jon is a Member of the Builders Exchange and of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).  Jon is going to share his 40 years of experience with us and he encourages student participation as well as the use of “real world issues” for problem solving during class.  Jon teaches BOC 103.

Bill Sammons CMS. Bill began his teaching career in 1988 for the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES), after joining RSES in 1985. In 1995 Bill designed some mini-classes for a local wholesaler in Cincinnati. In 1998 Bill formed his own training company to help technicians in the field get the educational help they needed that was not available from manufacturers. Currently Secretary of the Buckeye Sate Association of RSES, Bill still does a lot of classes for RSES. Bill received the V.V. Soloman Educator/Teacher of the Year in 2001, the Walter B. Stopera CM Speaker of the Year in 2003. Bill has been a member of the Educating and Examining Board since 2004, and was elected to the Board of Directors of RSES for Region 6 covering Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia. A member of ACCA and NFPA. Bill teaches BOC 103.

Reed Tarkington, LEED AP, CFM is a Principal for Four Seasons Environmental, Inc. Four Seasons core business is facilities performance, with a niche focus on federal, state, and institutional projects. Four Seasons customers include Ohio Schools, Centers for Disease Control, EPA, Wright Patterson AFB, Army Corp of Engineers, and Naval Weapons Station to name a few. Four Seasons services include; energy savings performance contracting, commissioning, maintenance planning, LEED EB & NC certification programming, and facilities performance consulting. Reed Tarkington provides program management for the Four Seasons facilities performance services group. Reed Tarkington teaches BOC 101, 102 and 103.

Joseph Ventresca has served as Energy Coordinator for the City of Columbus since 1979 and is in charge of the City’s energy management program. In this capacity he is responsible for swift and cost effective resolution of indoor air quality complaints. Mr. Ventresca has directed several innovative Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) research projects on the energy impacts of increased ventilation, operations and maintenance impacts on IAQ, and reduction of diesel emission in fire stations. He has lectured widely on IAQ and authored articles on the topic for national publications. Mr. Ventresca holds a Master of Environmental Science with a major in Building Energy Engineering from Miami University of Ohio and is a Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional. He is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). He teaches BOC 101, 102 and 106.

Richard Wirtz has been an instructor in Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Technology at Columbus State Community College since 1985. He has extensive work experience in the HVAC industry and holds certification from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). Mr. Wirtz is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES). He teaches BOC 101, 102, 103, and 107.

Northeast Ohio

Robert Brenner is a teacher in the area of safety guidelines at Stark State Community College. Students have benefited from his 30 years of safety expertise, and the BOC program is proud to include his services as an instructor for BOC105, Environmental Health and Safety Regulations. Brenner is a past chairman of the American Welding Society and a member of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Todd Barnhart is the Educational Vertical Market Leader for the Gardiner Trane Company Located in Solon, Ohio. Todd is a 1996 graduate from the Trane Graduate level training program focused on HVAC systems and building automation. Todd has also taught courses offered in the Trane Air Conditioning Clinic for the last 10 years. He teaches BOC 101 and 102.

Peter Johnson is a Senior Account Executive with SIEMENS Building Technologies in Cleveland OH area and is involved in owner related Building Automation Systems, IAQ, Energy and Mechanical systems. He was past President of the Akron ASHRAE Chapter from 2002-2004. In the 2006 ASHRAE International competition for HVAC projects, Pete received an "ASHRAE Technology Award" for Outstanding Design for IAQ , Energy & Efficiency for an HVAC project in OHIO. He has presented IAQ subjects at numerous Society and Business meetings. Pete teaches BOC 106 IAQ Basics and BOC 210 Advanced IAQ.

Ted Howell is President of Energy Instruction Group (EIG) that provides specialized energy reduction training that provides facility managers the knowledge to reduce energy consumption, the tools to calculate the impact, and the utility monitoring tools needed to quantify the results. Ted holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering & Supervisory Management from Purdue University. He is a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Building Commissioning Professional, Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional and a Leadership In Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional. He teaches BOC 101, 102, 103 and 105.