The New Normal of Lighting in Interior Spaces

Whether it’s implementing UV germicidal lighting or disinfecting air flow, lighting will play a significant role as commercial buildings reopen during and after the pandemic.

Learn more from industry experts Tanya Hernandez and Cheryl English from Acuity Brands about how to capitalize on these innovative solutions as well as take advantage of strategic tax credits to help fund these upgrades.

Listen now.

*This podcast was created in partnership with Acuity Brands.

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Meet our guests:

Tanya Hernandez, Director of Government & Industry Relations

Tanya Hernandez is Director of Government & Industry Relations at Acuity Brands, and works on energy regulations, energy codes, and as a liaison to standards development organizations. She holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University, is a registered professional engineer (PE) and is lighting certified (LC) with more than 20 years of experience in the lighting industry.

Tanya has worked in diverse areas of lighting, including serving as ICF International’s technical lead on specification development for the EPA ENERGY STAR Lighting Program. She has also designed architectural and public art lighting design projects utilizing energy-efficient sources and lighting control technologies in her role as an electrical engineer and lighting designer at Colorlume and HART Design Group. In addition, she has certified countless lighting products and authored construction and performance specifications for LED luminaires in her role as a certification engineer at Underwriters Laboratories.

Tanya’s passion for lighting is demonstrated in her presentations at various venues including the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Annual Conference, Lightfair International, and the World Energy Engineering Congress. Tanya is an active member of the IES, has served three terms as President of the Raleigh Section, and several years as a member of the Testing Procedures Committee.

Cheryl English, VP of Government and Industry Relations, Acuity Brands

Cheryl English is the Vice President of Government and Industry Relations for Acuity Brands. She is responsible for legislative and regulatory activities, government relations and industry activities. Throughout her career at Acuity, she has held various positions including engineering, product development, testing labs, marketing and public policy.

Cheryl currently serves as Past President for the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and has been active in the Society for over 37 years. She is a Fellow in the IES as well as a recipient of their Distinguished Service Award. Cheryl serves on the Board of Managers for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and received the NEMA Kite and Key Award recognizing her contributions to advancing interests of the electrical industry. She is a past board member of the National Institute for Building Sciences.

Cheryl completed her Masters of Business Administration degree in the Georgia State University Executive MBA program. She earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Architectural Engineering with an option in Illumination and Electrical Systems at the University of Colorado.