ICC welcomes new leadership

Members of the International Code Council welcomed a new slate of officers and directors to its 2018–2019 board of directors during the Annual Business Meeting on Oct. 22, 2018, at the ICC Annual Conference in Richmond, Va. Four senior officers were elected to the executive committee and seven directors were elected or re-elected by eligible Governmental Member Voting Representatives and Honorary Members to serve on the board.

The board is comprised of four officers, eight at-large directors and six sectional directors who all serve the interests of code professionals in the building safety industry through advocacy, education and research; set the strategic direction for the association; and act as the voice of the association’s 64,000 members across the country and around the world.

President William R. Bryant

Taking the helm as president of the ICC board this year is William R. Bryant, MCP, CBO, the assistant director of Inspections and Permits for Anne Arundel County, Md. With more than 30 years of experience in the building safety industry, he is a former president of the Maryland Building Officials Association and was one of the first ICC-certified master code professionals.

Beginning as a plan reviewer for Anne Arundel County in 1989, Bryant’s lifelong mission has been to create an atmosphere of cooperation and common sense with the goal of keeping people safe. He ran for election to the ICC board in 2012 for the same reason he got into the business in the first place: He saw a need to find a way to make the codes even better so people can be safer.

“These are really challenging times,” said Bryant. “There is a great need for some clear thinking. We need to revitalize the membership. We have to find out what they want; what they need. We may not be able to give them everything, but we can at least give them an answer.”

Bryant unveiled his presidential theme for the upcoming year — Working Today to Prepare for Tomorrow — and spoke on the importance of building safety and preparing for the future by adopting and enforcing building codes to prevent structural collapse, natural disasters and fires; building resilient communities to withstand future disasters; and adapting along with advancements in digital transformative technology.

Vice President Greg Wheeler

Greg Wheeler, CBO, a Colorado building official with a career spanning more than 35 years in the building safety industry, was elected vice president. Wheeler is the chief building official for Thornton, Colo. He serves as the chair of the ICC Disaster Assessment Ad-hoc Committee and as a member of the ICC-NCSEA Disaster Response Oversight Committee; serves on the Colorado State Board of Appeals for School Construction; and is a charter member and former president of the Colorado Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials.

Before being elected as a director on the Code Council board in 2012, Wheeler had already served on and/or led a multitude of ICC committees, including the Codes and Standards Council, Chair of the Board of International Professional Standards, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the International Existing Building Code and Chair of the International Building Code Council. He was elected secretary/treasurer of the ICC board in 2017.

As part of code process that would ultimately help create a safe built environment not only in the United States, but throughout the world, Wheeler hopes to help people realize the codes are there not only to help, but to challenge them to improve the codes through strong involvement. “It has been an honor to serve the Code Council in many capacities,” said Wheeler. “It is my intention to continue the success of the company as the premiere resource for all involved in the built environment.”

Secretary/Treasurer Cindy Davis

Cindy Davis, CBO, deputy director of the Division of Building and Fire Regulations for the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, was elected secretary/treasurer of the ICC board. With more than 25 years of experience in the building safety industry, she serves on the board of the National Institute of Building Sciences and has managed to have a major effect on the Virginia code world — she spearheaded the move to reconfigure ICC’s cloud-based code process, cdpACCESS, to cut through cumbersome paper documents for Virginia stakeholders.

An ICC Honorary Member, Davis is the only woman to have served on the board of the Building Officials and Code Administrators International before it consolidated with the other legacy organizations to form the International Code Council in 2003. She also is a member of the Women in Code Enforcement and Development of Virginia (WICED of VA) chapter — a professional organization promoting the value, recognition and professional development of women in code enforcement and development within the Commonwealth of Virginia — which became the first state chapter of the national WICED organization as well as the first woman-focused International Code Council state chapter in the nation in December 2015.

A proponent of mentoring, education, networking and collaboration, Davis hopes to spread the word about what code officials and building officials do every day. “Building officials and code officials don’t get as much awareness as police or firefighters who are recognized for ‘responding,’” said Davis. “Code officials are proactive, reducing the need for response, keeping people safe and providing a resilient built environment for the community.”

Immediate Past President Jay Elbettar

Remaining on the association’s leadership as immediate past president of the ICC board is Jay Elbettar, P.E., CBO, LEED AP, CASp, building safety manager for the city of Lake Forest, Calif. A registered professional engineer in California, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, Tennessee, Nevada and Texas, he began his code career in 1990 with the city of Glendale, Calif. Almost 30 years later, Elbettar is still focused on using his considerable expertise to help members learn about the comprehensive opportunities that the Code Council offers to enrich members personally and professionally.

“I still have a lot to learn,” said Elbettar. “There are always more certifications and such you can achieve. … I want to help the members know that those opportunities are available to them … to help make them better code officials for their municipalities.”

An experienced building and public safety professional, Elbettar has been recognized multiple times within the industry. He is the recipient of the 2010 International Code Council Gerald E. Jones Code Official of the Year award for his contributions to advance the code enforcement profession. He served on the board of the California Building Officials for seven years, as president from 2008–2008, and was inducted into the CALBO hall of fame last year in recognition of his exemplary contributions, service and support to the building official profession.

Directors At Large and Sectional Directors

Voting members also elected representatives to two sectional director positions and five at-large director positions on the Code Council board during the Annual Business Meeting in Richmond, Va.

Jim H. Brown, CBO, CFPS, deputy building official of Gillette, Wyo., was re-elected to the board as a Section B director for a three-year term. Section B includes the states of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In addition to serving on the ICC Board, he serves on the Wyoming Conference of Building Officials Board of Directors and several ICC Membership Councils. He holds a dozen ICC, NFPA and Emergency Management Institute certifications.

Ron Hampton, MCP, CBO, field inspector II for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, was elected as a Section D director for a three-year term. Section D includes the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and the Province of Ontario. A past president of the Code Administrators Association of Kentucky, Hampton serves on the ICC IBC General Code Change Committee, the Building Membership Council Governing Committee and the Raise the Profile Task Group as Chair. He holds 29 ICC certifications and is an ICC master code professional.

Mike Boso, chief building and zoning official for Grove City, Ohio, was re-elected as an at-large director for a one-year term. He began his career in his hometown of Grove City, Ohio, as a building inspector at the age of 25. As a true advocate of ICC’s High School Technical Training Program, Boso frequently visits the vocational school he attended and speaks to students. He shares stories of his past with hopes of inspiring them to join the industry. Boso was elected to the International Code Council’s Board of Directors during the Annual Conference in September 2017.

Steve McDaniel, code enforcement officer for the city of Corning, N.Y., was elected as an at-large director for a one-year term. With 25 years of experience in the construction industry, he serves as vice chairman of the ICC International Building Code Committee, and a member on both the ICC International Building Code Interpretation Committee and International Existing Building Code Committee. A past president of the New York State Building Officials Conference, he was honored as the Code Official of the Year by the chapter in 2015. Over the years, McDaniel has demonstrated his commitment to code development, education, and the dedication to promote the health, safety and welfare of the public and the responders who serve them.

Shirley Ellis, energy code specialist for the Energy System Laboratory at the Texas A&M University Experiment Station, was re-elected as an at-large director for a three-year term. Ellis has an extensive background in building codes and standards and counts among her mentors Bill Tangye, Bobby Fowler and George Walker. Her innovative spirit led her to co-found three ICC chapters in Texas and earned her the International Code Council Affiliate of the Year Award in 2006. She is especially dedicated to mentoring women in the profession and plans to keep expanding ICC’s High School Technical Training Program for young people.

Jim Sayers, commercial plans examiner for Clackamas County, Ore., was elected as an at-large director for a two-year term. Sayers has more than 30 years of construction experience, 22 of those in the public sector. Prior to employment with Clackamas County, he was the building official for Tualatin and Baker City, Ore. Sayers is a member of the ICC Commercial Exam Development Committee, chair of the Oregon Building Officials Association’s Education Committee, and is the current president of the ICC Region II Board of Directors. Last year, the region was awarded the Spotlight Region of the Year Award and Sayers was recognized for his hard work, dedication and service, particularly in the areas of mentorship and outreach. He carries six ICC certifications along with 11 certifications issued by the state of Oregon.

Angie Wiese, P.E., CBO, fire safety manager for Saint Paul, Minn., was re-elected as an at-large director for a three-year term. In January 2018, Wiese was selected to fill the vacant director-at-large position on the Code Council’s board. As a woman in what is a typically male-dominated field, she is a role model for young women joining the industry. She is especially involved in helping the younger generation of building safety professionals to join the process and become involved in code development. She is the president of the Fire Marshals Association of Minnesota and a board member of the Fire and Life Safety section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. She also serves as the ICC board liaison on the Major Jurisdiction Committee.

ICC board members who did not stand for election this year are:

• Donny Phipps, CBO, CFM, Director of Building Codes and Inspections, Richland County, South Carolina
• David Spencer, CBO, Regional Operations Manager, Woodinville, Washington
• Michael Wich, CBO, Director of Building Code Administration and Chief Building Official, South Central Planning and Development Commission, Houma, Louisiana
• Alan Boswell, MCP, CBO, Chief Building Official, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Kris Bridges, Building Official, Martinsville, Virginia
• Thomas W. Peterson, Assistant State Building Official, Division of Facilities Construction and Management, Utah
• Stuart D. Tom, P.E., CBO, FIAE, Plan Check Coordinator, Burbank, California

Rounding out the association’s leadership is International Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO, who heads up a professional staff of 350 and works out of the Code Council’s Eastern Regional Office located in Birmingham, Ala. Appointed to the position in 2012, Sims is responsible for the overall activities and financial performance of the association, including its five subsidiaries.

“We are very grateful to have a board of directors with such extensive expertise in the building safety industry,” said Sims. “These directors volunteer their time to make our buildings safer and our communities more resilient. We thank them for their leadership.”

Click here for the full 2018–2019 board roster.