James Ortega is the Certification Program Director for Phius.

Ortega has been with Phius since 2014. He is the leader of the building certification review team, an instructor for Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC®) training, holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is a licensed architect in the state of Illinois.

Ortega’s role at Phius has evolved over the years, starting as an intern, then member of the certification review team, becoming the Manager and now Director. His current role involves overseeing the Design and Certification reviews of passive buildings seeking Phius Certification, oversight on feasibility studies, WUFI Passive energy modeling, THERM analyses and hygrothermal consultations. Ortega is also tasked with maintaining and updating Phius’ Passive Building Standard and program which involves working with the Phius Technical Committee and Phius’ Senior Scientist, Graham S. Wright PhD. As a technical lead at Phius, Ortega also works with Phius’ Certified Products Department, gives technical webinars and presentations and assists in reviewing training material. Lastly, Ortega is involved in the high-level decision making of the organization as part of the Phius Executive Committee.