ASHE Advocacy Team welcomes two senior associate directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2022

CHICAGO – The American Society for Health Care Engineering of the American Hospital Association is excited to welcome two senior associate directors to its Advocacy Team. One of the senior associate directors is a new hire, and the other is the result of an internal promotion.

Leah Hummel is joining ASHE as senior associate director – advocacy. Leah is a graduate of North Dakota State University where she received a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in environmental design. She also attained a Health Administration Certificate from the University of North Dakota.

Her 21-year career includes roles as a hospital facility architect at Altru Health System and a construction projects and plans reviewer/construction inspector with the North Dakota Department of Health Division of Life Safety and Construction. Most recently, Leah worked for The Joint Commission, starting out as a Life Safety Code surveyor and then as an engineer with the Standards Interpretation Group.

Leah is a licensed architect in North Dakota and Minnesota. She has been an ASHE member since 2008 and maintains certification as a Certified Healthcare Facility Manager and Certified Healthcare Constructor.

Kara Brooks, now in her fifth year with the ASHE team, has been promoted to senior associate director of sustainability. Prior to her promotion, Kara served as ASHE’s sustainability program manager.

In Kara’s new role, she directs strategic leadership, advocacy and program development for the association’s sustainability initiatives. Kara has more than 20 years of environmental sustainability and energy engineering experience. She serves on numerous national panels and committees, developing codes and standards for the health care built environment. Kara has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Science degree in business management, both from Colorado State University.

She is an active member of ASHRAE and the Association of Energy Engineers, and serves on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance Healthcare Steering Committee.

Deputy Executive Director Chad Beebe, AIA, CHFM states, “Kara’s promotion and the addition of Leah to the team will help ASHE represent our members’ interests on a variety of fronts. Both Kara and Leah bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the ASHE team.”

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About ASHE
ASHE is a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association. More than 12,500 members rely on ASHE as a critical source of professional development, information and advocacy, including representation on key issues that affect their work in the health care physical environment. For more information about ASHE, contact 312-422-3800 or visit www.ashe.org.