Marc LaFrance, technology development manager at the U.S. Department of Energy, and Dr. Art Rosenfeld, distinguished scientist emeritus at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will address attendees as keynote speakers at the International Roof Coatings Conference hosted by the Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Both speakers will address topics on cool roofs and research that are of interest to the industry during the four-day conference which takes place July 16-19, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore Hotel (formerly the InterContinental Harbor Court Hotel).

Art Rosenfeld will deliver a speech on Tuesday, July 17th entitled, “White Roofs, Cool Buildings, Cities, and Delaying Global Warming.” Dr. Rosenfeld has received much recognition for his work over the years. He served as Sr. Advisor for Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Department of Energy during the Clinton Administration and subsequently served ten years as a Commissioner at the California Energy Commission. During his term at the California Energy Commission, Rosenfeld conceived of and led the 2005 California Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standard that low slope roofs be white. In 2006 he received the Enrico Fermi Award from President G.W. Bush and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu for his contributions to energy efficiency. He was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2010 and in June of 2011 Russian President Medvedev presented Rosenfeld the prestigious Global Energy Prize in St. Petersburg.

Marc LaFrance will deliver the keynote on Wednesday morning, “U.S. DOE Building Envelope and Roof Research for Today and Tomorrow.” In his speech, he will touch on current roof research that DOE is undertaking. LaFrance began his career with the Department of Energy in 1993 where he worked on the Codes and Standards program and the Energy Star program. In his current position within DOE’s Office of Building Technology, he oversees the development of the next generation of technologies for use in low-energy buildings. Prior to his current assignment, he worked from 2000 through July 2002 at the Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre in Tokyo working on macro energy and economic analyses for the APEC region. Key activities included the formulation of alternative scenarios for electricity development, rural electrification with renewable energy systems, cataloging of Energy Efficiency Policies for APEC economies, and an APEC Workshop for the security of crude oil transport to Northeastern Asia from the Middle East.

For more information on the International Roof Coatings Conference, including a complete schedule of events, registration, and hotel accommodations, please visit www.roofcoatings.org.