- News
- News 2025-2026
- Wenatchee Valley College serves as host site for BEACON fellowship
Wenatchee Valley College serves as host site for BEACON fellowship
September 17, 2025
Media Contacts:
Erin Williams, Program Manager, Facilities and Operations, 509-682-6452, ewilliams@wvc.edu
Marcine Miller, Executive Director, Public Information Office, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu
Wenatchee Valley College is serving as a host site for the Department of Commerce’s
Building Efficiency and Clean Operations Network (BEACON) Fellowship Project. The
project will help WVC and communities in Chelan County achieve energy savings and
comply with the Clean Buildings and Performance Standard (CBPS).
Recent WVC graduate Ava Burk was selected as the fellow for Chelan County and will
assist in the college’s and community’s efforts to meet the CBPS compliance requirements.
CBPS, or HB1543, was signed into law in 2019 and is designed to lower costs and pollution
from fossil fuel consumption in covered and multifamily buildings, as well as campus
district systems. Compliance deadlines for buildings with differing square footage
have been set, with incentives provided to encourage building owners to make improvements
prior to the deadlines.
Tier 1 buildings range in size from 50,000 to 220,000 square feet. WVC has two of
these, Mish ee twie and Wenatchi Hall, and must meet a compliance deadline of July
2028. Tier 2 buildings are those between 20,000 to 50,001 square feet, of which WVC
has six. The compliance deadline for Tier 2 buildings is July 1, 2027.
The BEACON Fellowship Project is a partnership between the Washington State Department
of Commerce, Strategic Energy Innovations, San Timoteo Energy Associates, and Smart
Buildings Center. The project is training fellows and connecting technical support
with building owners who need assistance in meeting the CBPS. Fellows are placed with
partners such as Wenatchee Valley College who can provide mentorship and guidance
over a 10-month period.
Ava Burk, who graduated from WVC this spring with an associate of arts and sciences
transfer degree, was selected as a fellow for the first BEACON cohort in June. She
learned of the fellowship through her instructor and Sustainability Committee coordinator,
Dr. Joan Qazi, who knew that Burk is interested in a career in urban planning. Burk
is the only fellow selected for the Chelan County service area. Fellows have also
been placed in King, Snohomish, Spokane, Pierce, Lewis, and Whatcom counties.
In her role as a BEACON fellow, Burk is drafting an energy management plan and working
on an operations and maintenance program, which includes education for building occupants.
She has a strong support network to help her accomplish this work, from professors
such as Joan Qazi and Greg Jourdan to WVC’s Facilities and Operations staff, including
Erin Williams, Modesto Rodriguez, and Juan Soto.
Since starting the fellowship project, Burk has completed a Qualified Energy Management
certification and is working on a Building Operations certification. Through the CBPS
work and her collaboration with WVC faculty and staff, she has learned how to interpret
policies and energy calculations, and she has learned more about HVAC and controls.
Burk is also starting to transition into offering services to Chelan County, which
will involve a lot of outreach. “The best sort of outreach is through connections
with other people, especially ones doing similar work,” she said.
The outreach portion of the project also helps the college strengthen relationships
with community partners. Erin Williams, program manager for WVC Facilities and Operations,
said that Burk and the Facilities and Operations staff have partnered with sustainability
staff members at Chelan County PUD. “They’re a great partner in regards to our sustainability
goals,” she said.
“I think it’s great to include young professionals in any sort of work. This fellowship
has great training; it’s a great opportunity for someone like me,” Burk said.
Building owners in Chelan County who need assistance with meeting the CBPS can submit
an interest form on the Washington State Department of Commerce CBPS website.
###
Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington and delivers relevant,
innovative, and experiential educational opportunities for thriving and healthy communities.
Visit our website, wvc.edu.
Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment
and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against
any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability,
or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status
or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably
discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030,
040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint
process. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding
the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and
Omak campuses:
To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M,
(509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.
To request disability accommodations: Director of Student Access, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD:
dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.