Meeting/Event Information

Across the U.S., sustainable microgrids are emerging as a vital tool in the fight against climate change and increasingly common natural disasters. In the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires, the traditional energy grid in many parts of the country is struggling to keep the power flowing, causing outages that slow local economies and ultimately put lives at risk.  This session will help you learn how to measure the resilience and reliability of your microgrid, as well as the critical system requirements.

Honorable Katherine Hammack serves as Director of Special Projects at the Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI). She reengages with the USGBC family after having worked as one of the founding members over 30 years ago.  She has many years of experience in energy, sustainability, utility and infrastructure operations, and is delighted to come back to help advance tools to improve the built environment.  Her focus is on increasing resilience and reliability in power grids and the built environment with the PEER and RELi programs.

A graduate from Oregon State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering as well as a Masters in Business from University of Hartford, Hon Hammack couples a strong background in energy and engineering with her goal of building a better working world for future generations.

Katherine serves on numerous boards and advisory committees, including ASHRAE Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Slipstream, a non-profit organization that creates, tests, delivers and scales the next generation of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs that move us farther, faster toward a clean energy economy.

Hon. Hammack was appointed by President Obama as the Assistant Secretary of the US Army for Installations, Energy and Environment in 2010. She served in that capacity, through 2017, with responsibility for policy development, program oversight, outreach, and coordination of a wide variety of Army activities overseeing all of the Army’s installations. Under her leadership, the Army instituted a net zero program for energy, water and waste. This program focused on efficient and effective resource management, on Army bases, to increase resiliency and reduce operating costs. She initiated the Army’s renewable energy program to increase resiliency and readiness of Army installations through on-base power production, microgrids and energy storage initiatives. She also implemented programs to double the number of energy savings performance contracts in the Army.

Hon. Hammack’s career includes work in sustainability consulting, for several electric utilities, manufacturing and product management.

She has also received recognition as an ASHRAE Fellow and Distinguished Service recipient; the Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service in 2015 and 2017 for ​exceptional  leadership in the US Army;  the Association of Defense Communities President's Award 2016 for leadership in ​advancing innovation; and the USGBC Leadership Award 2015 for outstanding leadership in the public sector.