ASHRAE ended its June 25-29 annual conference in St. Louis by installing a new president.

Timothy G. Wentz, P.E., an associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will head the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ board of directors for the next year.

His theme for 2016-2017 is “Adapt today to shape tomorrow,” which incorporates the society’s long-term plans.

“When it comes to change, we tend to ‘hang on’ to what feels safe as long as possible,” Wentz said. “When we can’t see the future we don’t know how far we will fall. That can be frightening. We must work to shape tomorrow so we feel empowered to ‘let go.’”

The meeting’s technical program included 100 sessions hosted by 400 speakers. ASHRAE announced that its most recent research fundraising campaign had netted $2.57 million in donations from members, chapters and HVAC market related companies.