Our Board of Governors
2026-2027
Lynndy Hedgcoth
Chapter President
Lynndy Hedgcoth is a Mechanical Design Engineer with P2S and serves as the 2026-2027 President of the Puget Sound ASHRAE Chapter. Lynndy graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and minors in Materials Science Engineering and Spanish. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Washington State.
Since joining ASHRAE in 2021, Lynndy has been an active volunteer at both the Society and chapter levels. She currently serves as Webmaster and Programs Chair of ASHRAE Technical Committee 6.1 (Hydronic and Steam Equipment and Systems) and Vice Chair of ASHRAE Technical Committee 1.7 (Business, Management, Legal, Education, and Professional Development).
Professionally, Lynndy has experience designing HVAC and mechanical systems for a wide variety of project types, including healthcare facilities, outpatient clinics, cleanrooms, and biosafety laboratories. She is passionate about sustainable building design, technical excellence, mentorship, and creating opportunities for the next generation of industry professionals.
Through her involvement with ASHRAE, Women in ASHRAE, and chapter leadership, Lynndy is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive community that encourages members to grow professionally, give back through volunteerism, and make a positive impact in the built environment.
Dita Bybee
Chapter President-Elect
Dita Bybee is a Mechanical Studio Leader at P2S, with a focus on energy modeling, building HVAC and plumbing design, and utility infrastructure. Since starting her career in 2018, she has specialized in the federal market, applying her technical expertise to optimize building performance and system efficiency.
Dita holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from BYU-Idaho and is a licensed Professional Engineer in California. She is also certified as a GBI Green Professional Credentialed Provider (GPCP) and a LEED Green Associate (LEED GA).
On top of being the Communications Committee Chair for ASHRAE Puget Sound Chapter, Dita is also the chapter newsletter editor, webmaster, and social media coordinator.
Outside of her professional life, Dita is motivated by her love of people and family. She enjoys spending time with her husband, toddler son, baby girl, and their German Shepherd-Dutch Shepherd mix dog. A creative spirit, Dita dabbles in various crafts, including sewing, painting, and crocheting.
Kartik Tiwari
Chapter Treasurer
Kartik graduated from the University of Washington (Go Dawgs!) with a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. After college, he began his career as a Thermal Engineer at Cummins Inc., designing diesel engines and components. A growing passion for environmental impact led him to the HVAC industry, where he saw an opportunity to help push the sector toward a smaller climate footprint.
At Atoms, Kartik helped build the modern infrastructure powering the company’s rapid growth, leading the global deployment of CloudKitchens sites, autonomous vehicle depots, and data centers. He is currently a Mechanical Engineer at Fluidstack, where he’s helping build the next generation of AI hyperscale data centers.
Kartik’s involvement with ASHRAE dates back to his undergraduate years. He joined the Puget Sound Chapter in 2023, drawn back to the professional networking he’d missed since the pandemic. He currently serves as the Treasurer for the Puget Sound Chapter and is a voting member of Emerging Computing Applications (TC 1.5).
Michelle Fouard
Chapter Secretary
Michelle Fouard is a Mechanical Engineer at Affiliated Engineers, Inc., specializing in HVAC design for cleanrooms, laboratories, and healthcare facilities. A member of ASHRAE since 2022, she currently serves as the Student Activities Co-Chair. Michelle is passionate about volunteering with ASHRAE to support the next generation of engineers. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University.
Kharma Garcia
Governor
Kharma is a Mechanical Designer at Hargis Engineers, Inc. with a focus on HVAC and plumbing design for K-12 schools and retail facilities. She has been a member of ASHRAE since 2022, originally as a member of the San Joaquin chapter, has previously served as President of the CSU Fresno ASHRAE Student Chapter and is now in her second year as the ASHRAE Puget Sound DEI Chair. Outside of ASHRAE, Kharma also volunteers as an ACE mentor and participates in the DEI committee of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). She is excited to contribute to ASHRAE on both the chapter and society levels.
Joseph McDonald
Governor
Joseph is a Sales Engineer at Johnson Barrow. After completing his Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) at Guelph University in Ontario Canada, he worked in manufacturing before switching to a rep firm in Toronto. He joined the ASHRAE Toronto chapter for a year before moving to Seattle in 2024. He joined the Puget Sound chapter upon arrival and hopes to be able to contribute and help the chapter continue to grow.
Krishnan Gowri
Chapter Past-President
Krishnan Gowri, Ph.D., BEMP, LEED AP, Fellow ASHRAE is a Senior Engineering Fellow at Energy Solutions, where he leads the energy modeling team. With over 30 years of expertise in building science, performance analysis, and enclosure consulting, he was a key contributor to the development of COMcheck and REScheck during his tenure at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He also contributed to a 50-fold runtime improvement of EnergyPlus and its integration with Revit. A committed researcher, educator, and mentor, he has served on numerous ASHRAE technical committees and currently chairs the 2027 Applications Handbook Subcommittee, while leading the Multidisciplinary Group on Generative AI. Beyond his professional work, Krishnan is a tennis enthusiast and an active volunteer with educational nonprofit organizations.