The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute elected its new officers during the group’s first-ever Leadership Forum Nov. 11-13 in Tucson, Arizona.

Bryan, Ohio-based Bard Manufacturing President and CEO William Steel is the new chairman of AHRI.

"Without these dedicated industry leaders, AHRI would not be the recognized voice of the industry and reliable source for information," said AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek. "We are very grateful for their service to AHRI and the HVACR and water heating industry."

The AHRI Board of Directors is:

Officers ― Vice Chairman: Danfoss President John Galyen; Vice Chairman: Daikin Applied CEO Mike Schwartz; Treasurer: Magic Aire President Ron Duncan; Immediate Past Chairman: Rheem President and CEO Chris Peel.

Directors ― Dennis Appel, executive vice president of Heat Transfer Solutions, Modine; Gary Bedard, executive vice president, president, and COO of Worldwide Refrigeration, Lennox; R. Bruce Carnevale, president and COO of Bradford White; Megan Fellinger, president and CEO of Morrison Products; Elizabeth Haggerty, vice president and general manager Global Ducted Systems at Johnson Controls; Chris Nelson, president of Carrier residential and commercial systems; Brent Schroeder, president of air conditioning at Emerson; Donny Simmons, president of commercial HVACR at Ingersoll Rand; John Swann, president of Weil-McLain; and Kevin Wheeler, president and CEO of A. O. Smith.

The Richard C. Schulze Award is given for distinguished service and commitment to AHRI and the industry's goals and objectives. AHRI congratulates: Darryl Denton of Trane; Ken Fonstad of ABB; Steve Lind of Trane; Mark Menzer of Danfoss; and Mike Straub of Rheem.

The AHRI Public Service Award recognizes deserving individuals or organizations outside of AHRI and its member companies that have made a significant contribution to the HVACR industry. AHRI presented the award to Warren Heeley of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada.

The Distinguished Service Award is AHRI's highest honor; it recognizes individuals who are leaders in the industry and who have made significant contributions throughout their careers. AHRI honored Frank Stanonik, who retired from AHRI in 2018 after more than 40 years in the industry.