The U.S. National Committee (USNC) to the IEC is pleased to announce the three individuals selected to attend the 2026 IEC Young Professionals (YP) Workshop in Hamburg, Germany: Courtney Beringer, ORISE Marine Energy Fellow; Jillian Mammino of UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE); and Zachary Thilges of UL Solutions.
The three recipients, chosen by the USNC YP selection panel, will be sponsored to participate in the workshop, held on November 16-20, 2026, in conjunction with the 90th IEC General Meeting. They will represent the U.S. at a dedicated workshop alongside participants from other nations, where they will learn more about the IEC, standardization strategies, and conformity assessment. They can also attend technical meetings where standards are developed, observe a meeting of the IEC Standardization Management Board and Conformity Assessment Board, benefit from the guidance of a mentor, and visit a local industrial facility, among other opportunities.
Courtney Beringer defended her Ph.D. in ocean engineering at Oregon State University in August 2025. She is now an ORISE Marine Energy Fellow, hosted by the National Laboratory of the Rockies and funded by the Department of Energy Hydropower and Hydrokinetics Office (H2O). Her thesis centered on advancing methods for marine renewable energy experimental testing and uncertainty analysis to improve international standards. She was selected for several awards during her graduate program, including the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship, the Oregon Sea Grant Malouf Marine Fellowship, and the Renewable Energy Scholarship Foundation award. Her current work includes supporting an Alaska Native nonprofit as a subject-matter expert in the evaluation of the technical feasibility and social impacts of a proposed wave energy project. Through this work, Beringer regularlyreferences the IEC technical specification (TS) 62600 series of international standards and the IECRE’s conformity assessment protocols to guide the nonprofit in wave energy resource assessment and wave energy technology selection. As a participating member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of IEC Technical Committee (TC) 114, Marine Energy, Beringer has actively participated in quarterly meetings over the past year and attended the committee’s 2026 international plenary.
Jillian Mammino is an international standards project manager at ULSE who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing international standardization and global collaboration. Through her work supporting U.S. and international participation in IEC and ISO activities, she has shown strong leadership, technical acumen, and the ability to effectively engage diverse stakeholders across industries and regions. Internationally, Jillian participates in IEC TC 21, Joint Working Group (JWG) 84, Secondary Lithium Batteries for Light Electric Vehicle Applications, and IEC TC 61, JWG 51, Safety of Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, contributing to the development of standards that address emerging technical challenges across these joint working groups. Nationally, Mammino is a member of several USNC TAGs, including the TAGs to the IEC Systems Committee for Sustainable Electrified Transportation (SyC SET), IEC TC 125, E-transporters, ISO/IEC Joint Subcommittee (JSC) 3A, Quantum Computing, and ISO/IEC JTC 3, Quantum Technologies. She has also demonstrated a strong commitment to professional development and emerging leadership opportunities, including active engagement with international standards programs and communities.
Zachary Thilges is an accomplished engineer at UL Solutions with approximately six years of experience in energy and industrial automation, specializing in hazardous locations and conformity assessment. He has demonstrated strong technical expertise and leadership, currently serving as deputy manager of UL Solutions’ IECEx Ex Testing Laboratory, where he supports global proficiency testing programs and ensures compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 and IECEx requirements across multiple international testing facilities. Thilges is actively engaged in international standardization efforts, including participating in IECEx workshops and contributing to IECEx decision sheet reviews, which promote consistent interpretation of IEC standards. His leadership extends to training global teams and resolving technical issues during IECEx surveillance audits, reinforcing alignment and best practices worldwide within UL Solutions. In addition to his technical contributions, Thilges excels as an audit team leader and industry collaborator in robotics and process controls, bringing practical, standards-based insight into discussions.
Congratulations to the three recipients!
Beringer, Mammino, and Thilges:
