August 26th, 2019
by Ryan Colker

The International Code Council’s Government Relations department is bringing a prestigious group of speakers to the Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nev., to discuss the important role of codes and standards in resilience and hazard mitigation. The Government Relations Forum will provide members and participants with the latest information on how building codes and standards help communities achieve resilience goals and reduce the costs and impacts of disasters. Representatives from government, academia, insurance support and non-profit organizations will provide presentations on a campaign to raise public awareness on the importance of up-to-date codes, research to support policy making, and updates on federal- and city-level initiatives to update building codes.

Participants will receive continuing education units for this session. Speakers and presentations include:

  • A representative for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will share updates on FEMA’s multiple programs supporting efforts to build community resilience through the adoption and enforcement of building codes including through implementation of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act.
  • Dr. Keith Porter from the Multihazard Mitigation Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences, Dr, Jeff Czajkowski of the national Association of Insurance Commisioners, and Dr. Kevin Simmons from Austin College will present their research on the economic benefits of building codes.
  • Leslie Chapman-Henderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, will share information on the multi-organizational effort to raising consumer awareness of codes through the “No Code. No Confidence.” initiative.
  • Dale Thomure from ISO/Verisk will present the results of the latest Building Code Effectiveness Grading Scale.
  • Grant Ullrich, Deputy Commissioner for the city of Chicago Buildings Department, will discuss the city’s initiative to update its building codes using the International Codes.
  • The Code Council’s Ryan Colker and Dave Walls will provide updates on the Alliance for National & Community Resilience and how the International Energy Conservation Code and International Green Construction Code are supporting community energy efficiency and sustainability goals.

The Forum is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Pacific on Oct. 22, 2019. Register for the Annual Conference to participate in this and other educational sessions.

About the Author
Ryan Colker
Ryan Colker is the vice president of innovation at the International Code Council where he identifies emerging issues in the building industry, including how new technologies can be leveraged by codes and standards, methods to modernize the application of building regulations, and the development of new business strategies that support members and building safety professionals. He also serves as executive director of the Alliance for National and Community Resilience. Most recently, Colker was the vice president of the National Institute of Building Sciences, where he led the institute’s efforts to improve the built environment through collaboration of public and private sectors. Previously, he was the manager of government affairs at ASHRAE.