The International Facility Management Association is pleased to announce the 2012 class of IFMA Fellows. The fellowship recognition and awards presentation were held at IFMA's annual Awards of Excellence banquet on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, at San Antonio's Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in a celebration that capped off IFMA's World Workplace 2012 Conference & Expo.

Established to recognize members dedicated to IFMA and the facility management profession, the fellowship program creates an elite core of respected leaders who act as advisers to and ambassadors of the association. Being named an IFMA Fellow is the highest honor the association can bestow on a member. To date, 90 professionals have received the distinction.

Pat Turnbull, MA, LEED AP, IFMA Fellow, has focused on elevating the role of facility management in the business community for the past 20 years. As a volunteer leader, speaker, researcher, author, educator, and successful businesswoman, she passionately advocates for the FM's role in saving the planet, one building at a time. As a past chairman of the IFMA Foundation Board of Trustees, she helped increase student scholarship awards, and extended the foundation's global reach as a true international ambassador for the FM profession.

Professor Dean Kashiwagi, Ph.D., PE, IFMA Fellow is an inspiring, engaging and tireless FM educator and researcher, as well as a past recipient of IFMA's Distinguished Educator award. A thought leader in the facility management and construction industries for more than two decades, he's a respected adviser and mentor within the association, the public sector and academic circles. He is credited with establishing FM programs at six universities around the world. A powerful force in the Greater Phoenix Chapter of IFMA, as well as Arizona State University, he has championed programs to advance FM professionals, and prepare the next generation of FMs.

Helena Ohlsson, CFM, MScArch, IFMA Fellow, has been described as the embodiment of what FM is all about — having a passion for what you do, a willingness to share knowledge and a commitment to making a difference. She has a strategic understanding of facility management and its organizational and community role. She joined IFMA as a young professional, getting involved in association activities across the board. Her commitment led to leadership positions within IFMA and Euro FM. An accomplished speaker, she has presented in three languages in more than 20 countries. Drawing on her professional experiences and successes, she speaks about FM concepts and strategies, good FM practices and techniques to support professional growth.

Thomas Madritsch, IFMA Fellow, a past recipient of IFMA's Distinguished Educator award, has helped launch and enrich FM education programs around the world. Over the course of 15 years as an FM professional and 10 years as a director of academic programs, he has served on international advisory boards, authored papers, articles and educational materials, and lectured at universities and conferences worldwide. A founding member of the Austrian FM Education Prize, he also helped establish Austria's University of Applied Sciences as the first IFMA Foundation Accredited Degree Program in Europe.

"IFMA Fellowship is the highest honor IFMA can bestow upon these distinguished stewards of the built environment," said Marc S. Liceradello CFM, MBA, CM, chair of the International Facility Management Association. "We are pleased to recognize these incredibly talented individuals for their service to IFMA and for the work they do to elevate FM the world over. As buildings become more complex and expectations of return on investment are heightened, so too must the FMs running them continue to evolve. IFMA Fellows are dedicated to meeting and exceeding this challenge and we must continue to recognize this important work."

IFMA's Awards of Excellence recognize groups and individuals who have made significant contributions to the facility management profession and the association. Winners were announced in 14 categories, with judging panels comprised of industry experts evaluating nominees and scoring them in a number of specific areas. IFMA recognizes companies and individuals for achievements that advance the facility management profession, as well as chapters and councils for outstanding performance in key areas of their operations.