News & Insights

The International District Energy Association’s (IDEA) CampusEnergy2026 Conference & Trade Show brings together campus leaders, policymakers, engineers, and innovators from around the world to tackle one of today’s most urgent challenges: how to modernize campus energy systems while improving reliability, resilience, and long-term performance. The event takes place February 17–20 in Washington, D.C., and focuses on practical solutions for advancing sustainable thermal networks at scale.

Salas O’Brien plays an active role throughout the conference, with five experts co-presenting sessions that span geothermal systems, electrification, digital modeling, and campus decarbonization. The firm’s approach to campus energy is shaped by real projects and centers on integrated planning, lifecycle thinking, and data-driven decision-making. This helps owners align infrastructure investments with long-term carbon, cost, and resilience goals. That experience positions the team to lead conversations at CampusEnergy2026, where collaboration across disciplines is essential.

The following Salas O’Brien leaders will share their perspectives across multiple sessions:

• Rick Humphries, Senior Vice President of Business Development
• Rob McKenna, Principal
• Lindsey Olsen, Vice President of Engineering
• Jeff Thornton, Senior Vice President of Engineering
• Jim Velleman, Senior Vice President of Engineering

Session details

Wednesday, February 18 | 3:00 p.m. EST
Horizontal Directional Drilling for Remote Geofield Location
Jim Velleman, Salas O’Brien
Tim Peer and Colin Harris, BOND
Eric Beattie, Smith College

Thursday, February 19 | 8:30 a.m. EST
Greenfield District Energy: A Multi-Asset Approach
Rick Humphries, Salas O’Brien
Carolyn Arida, Harrison Street
Dave Karlsgodt, Brailsford & Dunlavey

Thursday, February 19 | 8:30 a.m. EST
Halfway to Zero: Amherst College’s Campus Decarbonization in Progress
Lindsey Olsen, Salas O’Brien
Tom Davies, Amherst College
Kevin Burns, DOC

Thursday, February 19 | 9:00 a.m. EST
Using Existing Assets to Electrify Campus Heating
Jeff Thornton, Salas O’Brien
Jeff Zumwalt, University of New Mexico
Eric Conklin, Bridgers and Paxton Consulting Engineers

Thursday, February 19 | 10:45 a.m. EST
Dynamic Component System Modeling: Performance Verification and Digital Twinning
Jeff Thornton and Rob McKenna, Salas O’Brien

Thursday, February 19 | 4:30 p.m. EST
Smith College, Challenges & Successes: A Campus Decarbonization Journey in a Volatile Environment
Rob McKenna, Salas O’Brien
Keith Sampson, Competitive Energy Services, LLC
Charles Dougherty, Smith College

About CampusEnergy2026

Hosted by the International District Energy Association (IDEA), CampusEnergy2026 is designed to inspire, educate, and connect you with the brightest minds in campus energy management. The program is bursting with insightful sessions, pre-conference workshops, panels, and poster presentations, covering the most pressing issues in campus and district energy. Learn more here.

About Salas O’Brien

Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and technical services firm focused on advancing the human experience through the built environment. Our team is engineered for impact®, helping clients solve complex engineering challenges with a focus on efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability, while advancing our team members through growth and opportunity. We are a top firm as ranked by Engineering News-Record and Consulting-Specifying Engineer, and we have appeared for over a decade on the Inc. 5000 list of North America’s fastest-growing private companies.

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