ASHRAE Journal - October 2019 - HR13

Q&A
"Get 'er done!"
M

ichael "Mike"
Hart has been
a member of
ASHRAE for more
than four decades.
His generosity, dedication, and record of
achievement within ASHRAE are an
inspiration. We asked Mike to tell us about
his ASHRAE involvement and what
motivates him.

Q: How did you become involved with
ASHRAE?
A: I became an ASHRAE student member
while in Graduate School at the University of
Texas in 1975.
Q: How have you been involved with
ASHRAE since then?
A: I served as Energy Management
Committee Chair, on the local Board of
Governors and organized several training
programs for half day and one day seminars.
I was recruited to become President-Elect
and my first CRC opened my eyes to how
successful Chapters operate and the need
to build continuity. The year I served as
President, I started a tradition of having the
Chapter Past President serve on the Board
of Governors and be the RP (Research
Promotion) Chair. This was based on
learning that some other very successful
Chapters kept Past Presidents involved by
serving on the RP Committee. We more than
doubled our RP donations multiple years in a
row and I was nominated to be the Region
VIII Vice Chair (RVC) for RP.
Q: Why is the RP Campaign important
to you?
A: The RP story is motivating to our
members. ASHRAE is unique among
professional engineering groups in that we
fund our own research program. Our
members define the needs and the results
are shared in the updates to our Handbooks
and special publications. Most of the
research is done at universities that train
engineers for our industry and helps to
refresh the supply of industry talent.
Q: You have contributed over $125,000
to ASHRAE over the years. Why have you
chosen to give so generously?
A: I really believe that investing in research
is the gift that keeps on giving. What we
learn and share today informs the future and
provides a foundation for future research
and technology advancement.
I have been donating to Research since
1977 which was my first year in business

October 2019

Q & A with Michael N. Hart, PE,

ASHRAE Life Member * Austin Chapter

and as a member of the local Chapter. When
I became RP Chair, I raised my personal
donation to $500 and challenged four
friends to do the same with a challenge for
other Chapter members to match our
$2,500 challenge gift. I also challenged my
employees by offering to match their
donations. In 1985, I became Region VIII
RP-RVC and reached out to two large
companies inviting them to offer a matching
gift for their employees. Both corporations
were supportive. Since 1984, I have been
donating as an individual as well as having
my engineering practice donate matching
amounts for our employees. I believe this
demonstrates to my employees that I am
committed to advancing the arts and
sciences of HVAC&R, both personally and
through my company.

Q: Can you share some of your accomplishments from serving in your various
fundraising positions within ASHRAE?
A: When I became Society RP Chair in
1989, I proposed to increase RP fundraising
by 40% and put together a Chair's goal for
every Chapter based on a model of increasing contributors and raising the gift levels of
existing donors. The campaign only achieved
a 20% increase, but that was more than
double the increase we had experienced in
the past!
I stayed on the Society RP Committee a few
years as Vice Chair and Consultant to help
with Chapter training and special projects.
Later, I served on Tech Council as the RP
Past Chair, chaired the Special Projects
sub-committee, served on ASHRAE
Foundation Fundraising Committee,
Scholarship Committee and the Professional
Development Committee. In 2006, I was
invited to serve on the ASHRAE Foundation
and help lead the efforts for RP endowments.
I was honored to be nominated to the
position of Foundation Chair (from 20112014). I am very pleased with the success of
my promotion of the idea of Chapter
Scholarships. Today, the ASHRAE Foundation has 28 Chapter Scholarship funds and
$1,251,689.00 invested. Another excellent
outcome is the creation of the Lynn
Bellenger scholarships. Sadly, Lynn became
ill during her year as ASHRAE President
(2010-2011) and died shortly thereafter.
The Scholarship Committee asked the
Foundation to endow a scholarship in Lynn's
honor. I advocated that the Foundation raise
new money to honor Lynn as ASHRAE's first

2018-19 ASHRAE Investor Honor Roll

female president and cooperate with the RP
Campaign to make this a fundraising priority.
Our goal to raise $100,000 was quickly
exceeded and ultimately, we raised over
$200,000 and the principal endowment
continues to grow. Fourteen scholarships
totaling more than $70,000 have been
awarded in Lynn Bellenger's name since
Society Year 2014.

Q: In recent years the Austin Chapter
has established endowed Research
funds in the names of past Chapter
presidents and has memorialized
Chapter member Jerold Jones with a
named scholarship. Why was it important
to you and the Austin Chapter to honor
individuals this way?
A: I really believe that many of our members
will find the prospect of leaving a legacy very
appealing. I made a pledge of a $100,000
to the Foundation as Chair. I committed to
donating $10,000 a year for 10 years and I
asked my Chapter to raise $10,000 a year
to endow past Chapter Presidents as way of
recognizing past leadership.
Jerry was an amazing man in many ways
and an excellent ASHRAE volunteer.
Although he retired in 2003, many of his
students remain in Austin and many of the
research staff continue to work with the
University of Texas. I offered to make a
$15,000 donation to the ASHRAE Foundation and challenge the Chapter to come up
with an additional $15,000 to meet the
minimum of $30,000.

Q: How has ASHRAE assisted you in
your life journey?
A: ASHRAE has been a key part of both my
education and professional life, giving me
ready access to great technical information
and opening doors to meeting amazing
people in our industry. I have benefitted from
these connections and from the opportunity
to be in leadership positions early in my
career. Volunteering with ASHRAE gave me
an excellent education in how to get stuff
done. [Editor's note: Mike is well-known for
the catch phrase, "Get 'er done", which
perfectly encapsulates his philosophy toward
his work in ASHRAE.] I believe that at the
end of life, most of us will care more about
the legacy of doing good for others than
how much we accumulated. Extending
ourselves to benefit others is contagious and
makes the world a better and safer place.

HR 13
ASHRAE Journal - October 2019

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