Mark Wilhelm
Mark is an Affiliate Global Futures Scholar with ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and an Adjunct Professor at Mohawk College’s School of Climate Action. As Director of Climate and Clean Energy at Tierra Resource Consultants, he leverages decades of experience in the electric utility and construction industries, focusing on ESG leadership, decarbonization, education, sustainable building design, and operations.
Mark develops decarbonization strategies for clients that span ESG, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. He was Ameresco’s first chief sustainability executive. His work includes sustainable building consulting, 40 MW of renewable energy systems, over 100 sustainable developments, and LEED certification for 80 projects. He managed $20 million of energy technology R&D at EPRI, trained 6,000 professionals, and co-founded a building science and education company that trained 30,000 more.
He was named a Top 50 Energy Manager in North America by Energy Manager Today Magazine and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the USGBC Arizona Chapter and AZRE Magazine.
Mark led the development of ASU’s Climate Neutrality Roadmap, helping the university achieve its carbon neutrality goals six years ahead of schedule and at a lower cost than the business-as-usual scenario.
- Professional Master's Degree, Environmental Planning (MEP), Arizona State University
- BA (cum laude), Economics, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
- Certified Carbon Auditing Professional (CAP), Association of Energy Engineers, License 268
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Association of Energy Engineers, License 19465
- LEED Accredited Professional, Operations + Maintenance (LEED AP O+M), Green Building Certification, Inc., License GBCI 33930
- LEED Accredited Professional, U.S. Green Building Council
- Top 50 Energy Manager in North America by Energy Manager Today Magazine (2017)
- Lifetime Achievement Award from AZ Big Media and USGBC Arizona Chapter (2010)
Books
Pijawka, K.D. and K. Shetter. 1994. The Environment Comes Home: Arizona Public Service’s Environmental Showcase Home. M. D. Wilhelm was a contributing author.
Television
KAET-TV PBS Station. This New House. 1994. Eight-segment public television series about the APS Environmental Showcase Home. M. D. Wilhelm contributed to strategy and content.
Technical Reports
Wilhelm, M. D., B. Toole-O’Neill, and G. Lichtenstein. 2022. Waste GHG Emissions for Carbon Reduction: Cyclohexanone Waste Stream Assessment. Confidential Global Semiconductor Manufacturer.
Wilhelm, M. D. and M. Joyce. 2021. The Keys to Successful Passive House Implementation. California Public Utilities Commission. (Microsoft Word - Group B D33 Case Study 5 Passive House Success Stories FINAL 2022.03.21 (calmac.org))
Wilhelm, M. D. 2021. E-Wing Net Zero Energy Redevelopment Project: Interviews and Visioning Session. Mohawk College, Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D., B. Toole-O’Neill, and M. Yim. 2021. Verification Report: 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. Various: Tucson Electric Power; EDP Renewables/Sun Streams LLC; Greenleaf Power/Honey Lake Biomass Power Plant.
Wilhelm, M. D. and B. Toole-O’Neill. 2020. Verification Report: 2019 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. EDP Renewables/Sun Streams LLC.
Wilhelm, M. D. and M. Yim. 2019. Verification Report: 2018 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. Greenleaf Power/Honey Lake Biomass Power Plant.
Wilhelm, M. D. and T. Haviland. 2018. Climate Action Plan: Guideline. Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE), Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D., T. Haviland, and M. Robitaille. 2018. Preliminary Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Roadmap. CECCE, Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D., T. Haviland, and M. Robitaille. 2018. 2017 GHG Emissions Inventory. CECCE, Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D., and H. van Lambalgen. 2018. Novus Innovation Corridor: Sustainable Development Cost and Benefit Analysis. Arizona State University.
Wilhelm, M. D. and H. van Lambalgen. 2017. Preliminary Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Roadmap. Georgian College, Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D. and T. Haviland. 2017. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Roadmap. Mohawk College, Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D. and T. Haviland. 2017. Climate Change Legislation Impact Study. Mohawk College, Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D. and H. van Lambalgen. 2016. Net Zero Energy Feasibility Study: Coldstream Fire Hall. Municipality of Middlesex Centre, Ontario, Canada.
Wilhelm, M. D., R. Torbert, C. McClurg, P. Keuhn, H. Zirnhelt, D. Hunter, M. Myers, and G. Koontz. 2015. Climate Neutrality Roadmap for Arizona State University. Ameresco and Arizona State University.
Young, A. and M. D. Wilhelm. 2014. ASU Offsite Renewable Technologies Due Diligence Report. Ameresco and Arizona State University.
Gallagher Adams, E., B. Oakleaf, and M. D. Wilhelm. 2013. ASU Climate Neutrality: Baseline Report. Ameresco and Arizona State University.
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)
Association of Energy Service Professionals (AESP)
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
- Adjunct Professor, School of Climate Action, Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (2024-Present)
- Affiliate Global Futures Scholar, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University (2022-Present)
- Director, Climate & Clean Energy, Tierra Resource Consultants, LLC (2021-Present)
- Managing Consultant, Tierra Resource Consultants, LLC (2019-2021)
- Consultant, Energy, Sustainability & Climate Change, Quest Energy Group, LLC (2017-2019)
- Corporate Director, Sustainability & Climate Neutrality Initiatives, Ameresco, Inc. (2015-2017)
- Director, Carbon Neutrality Initiatives, Ameresco, Inc. (2013-2015)
- Principal & Co-Founder, Green Ideas Building Science Consultants, Inc. (2004-2013)
- Principal & Founder, GreenBuilt Consulting, LLC (2000-2004)
- Product Line Leader, Electric Power Research Institute (1998-2004)
- Various Management Positions, Arizona Public Service Company (1985-1998)
- Project Manager and Lead Author, Technical Report, "Waste GHG Emissions for Carbon Reduction: Cyclohexanone Waste Stream Assessment", Confidential Client (2021): The project team analyzed three waste solvent management scenarios for a semiconductor manufacturer’s cyclohexanone (CHN) stream: the Current Process, a Future Scenario using an Organic Solvent System (OSS), and two Dream Scenarios (A & B) involving third-party CHN recycling. The study focused on scope 3, category 5 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from CHN recovery and reuse at a large semiconductor manufacturing campus. In the Future Scenario, segregating CHN using OSS could reduce GHG emissions by 870 tCO2e annually by delivering 95% pure CHN to a third-party recycling facility, reducing distillation time from 35 to 15 hours. The Dream Scenario envisioned recycling CHN for reuse, reducing the need for virgin CHN by 75%, with a potential 69% GHG reduction in the manufacturer’s CHN lifecycle, amounting to 1.7 million tCO2e. The team recommended standardizing the process globally to maximize GHG and cost savings.
- Project Manager and Lead Author, Climate Neutrality Roadmap, Arizona State University (2013-2017): This initiative was completed with a team from Ameresco, ASU, RMI, and NREL. It encompassed all campuses and anticipated the University's growth to 100,000 students and $650 million worth of research by 2025. The scope included 438 buildings/23 million square feet of built space, a combined heat and power plant and three central plants, 25 MW of on-site PV, 25 MW of off-site PV, a 5.5 million gallon thermal energy storage system, and the infrastructure to connect them. Integrated solutions were developed to transition ASU's buildings, infrastructure, supply, and transportation assets to low-carbon operations. The Roadmap defined a lower-cost pathway to climate neutrality than the business-as-usual scenario. ASU reached climate neutrality in buildings six years ahead of schedule.
- LEED Project Manager and SME, LEED EB Silver Certification, Intel Ocotillo Semiconductor Manufacturing Campus (2008-2011): Intel's Ocotillo Campus in Chandler, Arizona, is among the first semiconductor manufacturing sites to earn LEED-EB: O+M certification, notable for its size and complexity. Spanning 682 acres with nearly four million square feet, the campus includes three wafer fabrication plants, utility plants, office buildings, and more. During the three-year LEED performance period, Intel saved $1.58 million in costs.
- LEED Project Manager and SME, Applied Research and Development Facility, LEED NC Platinum Certification, Northern Arizona University (2004-2007): NAU's ARD Facility was designed to be one of the greenest laboratory buildings in the world. The 59,000-square-foot building features a 165 kW PV system, solar thermal, automatic shade controls, UFADS, venting windows, adaptive comfort design, a heat pipe, and an enthalpy wheel. 90% of construction waste was diverted, 30% of materials were recycled, and 57% were locally sourced. The building also has a green roof, pervious concrete parking, and reclaimed water use, reducing water consumption by 60% and energy consumption by 91% compared to a baseline ASHRAE 90.1-1999 building.
- Visiting Professor, Sustainable Design and Construction, Escuela Colombiana de Ingenieria Julio Garavito, Bogota, Colombia (2010)
- Lecturer, Global Issues Forum, “Business Imperative for Sustainable Development”, Thunderbird School of Global Management (2010)
- Lecturer, Sustainable Design and Construction, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan (2009)
- Instructor, AEE CEM Exam Preparation, Association of Energy Engineers, Phoenix Chapter (2006 to Present)
- Instructor, Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (CSBA) Program, Phoenix (2004-2006)
- Lecturer, over 40 undergraduate- and graduate-level courses (2002 to Present)
- APS Environmental Showcase Home (ESH), Arizona Public Service Company (1992-1995): The ESH in Phoenix, Arizona was designed in response to the extreme climate of the Sonoran desert to introduce a full range of environmentally responsible design ideas, systems, and products to mass-market, production housing builders. Key focus areas included climate-specific design, energy and water conservation, sensitive material selection, public health concerns, and waste reduction. The design team used passive strategies and active systems to reduce residential energy use and overall environmental impact in residential production homebuilding. This project showcased 150 sustainable technologies and consumed 85% less energy and 60% less water than a conventional home. It attracted 40,000 visitors and reached 10 million Americans through free media. The project spawned the creation of a book ("The Environment Comes Home"), a 6-part PBS TV series ("This New House"), and the Green GoodCents Program. The ESH was one of the first projects in the U.S. to use Life Cycle Assessment to evaluate and compare roof, wall, and flooring systems. The project won 26 environmental awards and was internationally recognized in 1997 as the Top Environmental project in North America. The ESH was honored by the AIA Committee on the Environment in 1988 as one of the Earth Day Top Ten Best Examples of Environmentally Responsible Design.
- Advisory Board Member, Industrial Assessment Center (IAC), Arizona State University (2020-2023)
- Advisory Board Member, Performance Contracting & Funding Professional (PCF) Accreditation, Association of Energy Engineers (2020-2022)
- Advisory Board Member, ASU Master of Science Degree (MS), Modern Energy Production and Sustainable Use (MEPSU) (2020)
- Advisory Board Member, ASU Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Program in Solar Energy Engineering and Commercialization (SEEC) (2013-2021)
- Certified Carbon Accounting Professional (CAP), Association of Energy Engineers, License 268 (2014-present)
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Association of Energy Engineers, License 19465 (2011-present)
- LEED AP O+M, U.S. Green Building Council (GBCI 33930) (2010-present)
- Top 50 Energy Manager in North America by Energy Manager Today Magazine (2017)
- Lifetime Achievement Award from AZ Big Media and USGBC Arizona Chapter (2010)
- President, Association of Energy Engineers, Phoenix Chapter (2010-2011)
- Chairman, USGBC Greenbuild 2009 Host Committee (2007-2009)
- Member, ASU Industry Committee to Develop ASU Sustainability Certificate Program (2007)
- Chairman, State of Arizona, Solar Energy Advisory Council (SEAC) (2005-2007)
- Chairman, State of Arizona, SEAC Climate Change Subcommittee (2005-2007)
- Chairman, USGBC Arizona Chapter (2005-2006)
- Founding Co-Chairman and Director, USGBC West Region Council (2006-2008)
- Member, U.S. EPA Technical Advisory Group for Building Healthy Hospitals (2006-2008)