Kandice Cohen

Director, Lighting Strategy – Trane Commercial HVAC Americas

Trane Technologies

Kandice Cohen has spent her career focused on the science of illumination and controls to enhance the quality of the lit environment for the benefit of occupants, as well as to maximize
energy savings that achieve the goals of building owners and efficiency programs.

Leigh holds a Master of Science degree in integrated marketing communications from West Prior to the advent of LED in mainstream lighting, Kandice developed expertise in lighting controls systems and has worked closely with utility energy efficiency programs and Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) to demonstrate the value of controlling light so that it is used only where and when it is needed. She passionately believes that efficient, well-designed, controlled systems can meet a building’s fundamental needs, maximize energy savings, and bring additional value to help building occupants meet their goals. Through her own brand of enthusiastic, personalized networking and innovative exposure events such as her “Lights Out” tours, she brought attention to the potential for savings from uncontrolled lighting in unoccupied buildings at night that inspired new offers for controls in utility efficiency programs.

As LED gained traction in the market, Kandice built on these relationships working for several top-tier lighting manufacturers where she continued her energy efficiency evangelism, educating contacts and promoting the value of high-performance LED products supported by industry standards, touting the additional savings potential that was more easily achieved by utilizing inherently controllable LED light sources. Her work has specialized in development of commercial lighting products that align with energy efficiency program design for LED luminaires and integrated controls and has helped position these technologies in the growing integrated lighting controls market.

Kandice has also established herself as a knowledgeable, entertaining and sought-after speaker on smart building technology through multiple engaging presentations as a speaker and panelist at LED industry events, including Strategies In Light, IES Annual Conference, Lightfair, DOE Solid-State Market Development conferences, and conducting over 30 Advanced Lighting Controls trainings for the DesignLights Consortium. She has provided career coaching for peers and invested her time into the promotion of efforts to engage girls into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs and careers to guide the next generations into these fields. Kandice has provided presentations to over 7000 K-12 students at the DOE Solar Decathlon conferences encouraging them to explore STEM careers.

As connected systems are now becoming a reality in commercial buildings, integrating building systems and granular control not only allows buildings to be more flexible and comfortable, but also maximizes the characteristics and benefits of LED lighting. Using this technology, the stagnant building of today can be transformed into the intelligent building of tomorrow. As the director of lighting strategy for Trane Commercial HVAC, part of global climate innovator Trane Technologies, Kandice focuses on bridging the gap so that these systems no longer live in silos. The industry is now poised to begin the smart building revolution – a vision that has been and continues to be Kandice’s life work.

Kandice was recently awarded the distinct honor of being one of three women selected by LEDs Magazine as a part of the 40 Under 40 Inaugural Class of 2020. She has her bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Lehigh University, and has spent 15 years in the lighting and HVAC industries.