Amanda Bogner is passionate about architecture, sustainability, and the role buildings play in addressing
climate change. A licensed mechanical engineer and ASHRAE-certified Building Energy Modeling
Professional, she has over two decades of experience helping building owners and design teams use
energy modeling to create more energy-efficient, decarbonized buildings. Her career has been dedicated
to making simulation-based decision-making accessible, accurate, and impactful across all phases of
design, construction, and operations.
Amanda is currently Vice President at Catalyst Partners, a sustainability consulting firm based in Grand
Rapids, Michigan. There, she provides technical leadership and strategic insight to integrate energy
simulation into holistic decarbonization strategies for new and existing buildings. She is deeply committed
to supporting architects, engineers, developers, and institutions in making data-informed decisions that
result in high-performance buildings and reduced environmental impact.
Prior to the 2025 merger with Catalyst Partners, Amanda was the founder and President of Energy Studio,
a firm she led for 15 years. Under her leadership, Energy Studio completed more than 500 projects in 38
states, including over 100 LEED projects. Their work spanned more than 100 million gross square feet and
helped deliver healthier, more efficient, and cost-effective spaces for building owners and occupants.
Amanda began her career as a mechanical designer at Leo A Daly in Omaha, Nebraska, where she worked
on HVAC design and led the LEED certification process for Nebraska’s first LEED-certified building—the
National Park Service Regional Headquarters. In 2006, she joined BVM Engineering (now IES) in Atlanta,
Georgia, where she led the energy modeling department and contributed to skyline-defining projects such
as 300 North LaSalle in Chicago, Atlantic Station in Atlanta, and Eighth Avenue Place in Calgary.
Amanda earned her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from the University of Kansas. In
addition to her professional practice, she has been an active contributor to the advancement of green
building standards. From 2011 to 2016, she served on the U.S. Green Building Council’s Energy &
Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group, where she helped shape the development of LEED v4. Today, she
continues to influence sustainability policy as an elected member of the Omaha Public Power District
Board of Directors, where she works to advance policies in support of a net-zero carbon future for eastern
Nebraska.
Amanda’s work has consistently bridged the gap between technical analysis and real-world application,
making her a trusted advisor in the field of energy modeling and a passionate advocate for sustainable,
high-performance design.
Selected Speaking and Publishing
• 2025 ASHRAE Conference for Integrated Design, Construction & Operations, “Navigating the U.S.
Electric Grid: An Essential Guide,” August 2025.
• 2025 ASHRAE Conference for Integrated Design, Construction & Operations, “Energy Modeling
in Action: CoStar Richmond Corporate Campus,” August 2025.
• A’24, The AIA Conference on Architecture, “Fully Leveraging Your Energy Model: A Field Guide,”
June 2024.
• A’22, The AIA Conference on Architecture, “Getting to Net-Zero Energy Before the RFP,” June
2022.
• SCUP 2019 North Central Regional Conference, “Go Fast, Go Slow: Planning Early for Zero Net
Energy,” October 2019.
• National Net Zero Energy Forum, “Getting to ZNE Before the RFP.” Plenary speaker, April 2018.
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Architectural Engineering Department
o “AE 8150 Building Energy Simulation and Performance Contracting" Course Instructor,
Spring 2009
o “AE 8050 Sustainable Building Design” Course Instructor, Fall 2009, Fall 2010
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Engineering Professional Development,
"Energy Modeling for High Performance Buildings" Course Instructor, Fall 2009
• International Facilities Management Association Journal, "Sustainable Indoor Air Quality
Strategies," September/October 2004
Notable Career Achievements:
• Engineering News Record Midwest’s Top Young Professional (2019)
• Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Impact Award – Entrepreneurial Spirit Award (2018)
• Leadership Omaha (2016-17)
• President’s Volunteer Service Award – Points of Light (2015-Silver and 2016-Gold)
• 40 Under 40 – Midlands Business Journal (2015)
Getting to Net-Zero Energy Before the RFP
Session Description:
The profession needs to advance high-performance in challenging markets and climate regions. The speaker describes the top five considerations that should be evaluated for every zero-net energy project during the pre-RFP process. Then, the speaker explains how to set a meaningful energy target on a proposed project - which is critical to achieving zero-net energy. Finally, the speaker identifies the crucial design decisions that make (or break) the potential for zero-net energy. The truth is that every energy model is WRONG to some degree - and yet they are essential to an integrative design process for high-performance project outcomes. In the spirit of the integrative process, at key points during the session, the audience will be prompted to participate in real-time performance modeling decision-making using cloud-based building energy modeling tools. In one specific example, a seemingly \"good\" decision when considered in isolation will be shown to be detrimental to overall energy performance when considered in the context of the whole building using dynamic real-time tools. The audience will also be introduced to \"next generation\" energy modeling using genetic algorithms to achieve design optimization solutions and total carbon modeling, which incorporates emerging processes and databases for assessing and optimizing embodied carbon intensity as part of a project lifecycle carbon assessment.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Explain the top five design considerations of ZNE that need to be considered before responding to a request for proposal (RFP).
2. Identify specific design questions that a project team needs the building energy modeling effort to answer as early as pre-design.
3. Determine the appropriate tools to ensure that energy performance and lifecycle carbon goals will be achieved on any project.
4. Prepare a framework to effectively integrate early-stage building energy modeling within any firm’s culture and design practice.
Designing for Carbon, Health, and Equity: A LEED v5 Primer
This high-level LEED v5 overview presentation provides a closer look at the latest version of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system, focusing on its enhanced sustainability frameworks, and updated performance metrics. Attendees will gain insights into how LEED v5 aligns with global climate goals, supports equitable design practices, integrates material transparency in a circular economy, and promotes resilience in the built environment. The presentation is designed to equip design professionals with a better understanding of LEED v5’s requirements to speak confidently to their clients and colleagues to drive impactful, sustainable project outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand Key Updates - Gain insight into the significant enhancements in LEED v5, including new strategies, updated performance metrics, and revised credit requirements designed to drive sustainable development.
2. Explore Climate and Carbon Strategies - Examine how LEED v5 advances climate ac on with integrated strategies for reducing operational, embodied, and transportation carbon emissions across various credit categories.
3. Discover Resiliency and Health Strategies – Integrating equitable development, resilience to climate risks, and health-focused solutions through community engagement, sustainable design practices, and improved ventilation and infrastructure.
4. Interpret Project Impacts - Delve into the updated LEED v5 certification requirements, including the pathways to achieve Platinum-level status through advanced sustainability and performance strategies.
Fully Leveraging Your Energy Model: A Field Guide
Session Description:
An energy model is neither a Revit button nor a “one-and-done” design activity. Rather, energy models allow designers to go beyond aesthetics and see options through the lens of energy performance. The speaker identifies four phases where models improve energy performance and provide compelling evidence that energy models quantify performance of ideas that designers are interested in exploring. The speaker presents a scalable energy model workflow, and even share insights where models pay for themselves, including changes to the 179D energy efficiency tax deduction enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act. Leveraging valuable energy models throughout design helps architects achieve both aesthetic design goals AND ambitious energy performance targets.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Appraise their firm’s approach and process to include an energy model as part of the design process.
2. Assess proven data that demonstrates that an early-phase energy model improves outcomes throughout the design process, leading to enhanced energy performance.
3. Apply concepts and analytical insights so their firm leverages energy models throughout design to improve both aesthetics and energy performance.
4. Use the Early Phase Energy Model Checklist as part of their early-phase project discussions, charrettes, and design studies.
5. Produce designs that are eligible for the generous 179D energy efficiency tax deduction.
Navigating the U.S. Electric Grid: An Essential Guide
how their building interact with the U.S. electric grid. This session introduces the structure of
the national grid, the roles of key stakeholders, and the critical difference between generation,
transmission, and distribution. Attendees will explore concepts of reliability and resilience,
examine emerging trends like all-electric buildings and demand response, and learn how
thoughtful design can support grid stability. The session highlights how design choices can
modify, disrupt, or align with grid load profiles – empowering designers to create buildings that
are energy-efficient, resilient, and compatible with a low-carbon, grid-integrated future.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the structure of the U.S. electric grid and various stakeholders responsible
for its operation, including the role of regional transmission organizations (RTOs).
2. Explain the concepts of reliability and resilience in the electric grid and how they are
relevant to building design.
3. Analyze the current state of the grid and emerging trends, including all-electric buildings,
demand response programs, and their role in carbon reduction and grid stability.
4. Develop strategies for designing energy-efficient, resilient buildings that align with grid
needs, reduce peak demand, and support sustainability goals in the AEC industry.