Session Speakers

Travis A. Allen is a Senior Investment Strategist and National Managing Director in Bernstein’s Wealth and Investment Strategies Group. He is also a member of Bernstein’s Private Client Investment Policy Group, which provides asset allocation, investment, and risk-management advice for high-net-worth clients, endowments and foundations. He has also been a member of Bernstein’s Responsible Investing Committee since 2013. Travis joined the firm’s Washington, DC, office in 1998. Since 2003, he has been a member of the Wealth Strategies Group, serving as an analyst and senior analyst before becoming a Director in 2011. He was named Senior Portfolio Manager in February 2012. Travis earned an AB from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Maryland. He is a trustee of the Maret School, YouthBuild USA and the Kingman Boys and Girls Club.

Kiri Anderer is a Senior Environmental Engineer on the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Team at EPA Headquarters. The DWSRF provides water infrastructure financing for public health protection, with an emphasis on small and disadvantaged public water systems. She works on technical and policy issues and has spent much of her 11 years with the agency working on the American Iron and Steel and Buy American requirements, as well as resiliency and sustainability aspects of the program. Prior to EPA, Kiri spent 11 years working as a consulting engineer in the Baltimore and then Phoenix metropolitan areas, assisting communities with integrated water resource planning. Kiri is a registered Professional Engineer in Maryland. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and a Master of Public Policy from The George Washington University.

Eric Anderton has more than two decades of sales and entrepreneurial business experience, alongside 25 years of public speaking, small group facilitation and one-on-one mentoring. Since 2004 he has helped his construction clients increase profitability by clarifying their business purpose, building strategic plans, developing their best people, systematically innovating through obstacles, and executing their most important priorities.

Ryan Aukerman joined the Griffith Company Team in 2004 as a project engineer. He quickly moved his way up the ranks into the role of Estimator/ Project Manager while completing his degree in Technology and Operations Management at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

In 2010, Ryan was appointed to be the Regional Manager and became responsible for oversight of the Southern Region. While in this role, he provided leadership over notable projects including the $81 Million Dollar Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, $81 Million Dollar Omnitrans SBX E Street Corridor, $30 Million Dollar Port of Long Beach Pier G Terminal Redevelopment and $105 Million Dollar Port of Los Angeles Berth142 – 143 Terminal Automation Improvement project.

In 2015, Ryan was promoted to his current position as Executive Vice President. In this role, he has oversight of operations throughout the company including estimating, project management and field operations.

During his career, Ryan has worked with a multitude of public and private owners and has participated in alternative project delivery methods such as Design-Build and CMAR. He takes great pride in representing Griffith Company and works to show owners and industry partners the Griffith Way. He has been serving as a State Director for the AGC of California and a Los Angeles District Board since 2010. With an understanding that there needs to be a solid investment in the future workforce within the industry, Ryan works to support the education foundation and interacts with multiple AGC Student Chapters in addition to his participation in Griffith’s own Internship program.

Priscilla Benavides has been with the NMDOT for 20 plus years where she has split her time in both design and construction. She is a career Department employee who started in the Engineer in Training Program in 1997 and has worked in various positions in the Districts and Infrastructure. She was also granted a fellowship with AASHTO in 2008 where she worked in Washington, DC assisting with various regional committees and gained experience with transportations issues on a national level.

She is currently the Central Regional Design Manager, where she is responsible for providing the Central part of the state with safe transportation services while implementing innovative, efficient and cost-effective designs.

Cheryl Berman has over 30 years of risk, claims and loss control experience in the building industry. She is currently the Risk Manager for The Brady Companies, with oversight in risk management, claims and loss control. The Brady Companies supports a family of Specialty Contractors in California. Ms. Berman has been active in RIMS for over 20 years with involvement at the chapter level, RIMS California Legislative Delegation as well as at the Society level working on the Conference Programming Committee. She is the recipient of the local chapter awards Risk Manager of the Year, Heart of the Chapter and Presidential Recognition of Excellence Award.

Timothy D. Boldt, Partner, is an experienced commercial counselor and litigator, with a focus on the unique needs of construction contractors, surety companies, and project owners entities that work with complex contract documents or are faced with complex commercial disputes. Tim attributes much of his legal success to his relationship-based approach to legal practice and the emphasis he places on helping clients establish goals and objectives that are consistent with their long-term financial health and strategic plans.

Tim’s construction practice involves contract drafting and negotiations, development of project-specific risk-mitigation plans; evaluation of discrete legal issues on an as-needed basis, and representation of clients through all aspects of dispute resolution, including compliance with complex contractual and statutory claims procedures, informal and formal mediation, arbitration and litigation in New York’s state and federal courts. Common counseling topics include advice about general risk management, pre-award contract analysis, statutory and regulatory compliance including disputes with New York State agencies, change order disputes and claims handling, and contract interpretation.

Ernest C. Brown, Esq. P.E. has successfully resolved more than 3,000 complex disputes through Mediations, Jury Trials, Court Trials, Dispute Resolution Boards, and Arbitrations.

For more than 30 years, Ernest Brown has developed a nationally recognized practice focused on the construction, government contracts and public infrastructure, aviation, insurance coverage, engineering and manufacturing, and real estate industries and the variety of legal issues facing those in that industry.

Michelle Chia is the Head of Professional Liability and Cyber for Zurich North America, where she manages Profit and Loss for the Miscellaneous and Technology Professional Liability and Cyber portfolios. Prior to this appointment, she oversaw the national accounts and middle-market underwriting teams for the East and South regions or the same group. Prior to joining Zurich, Chia specialized in technology errors and omissions, miscellaneous professional liability, and security and privacy liability as an underwriter at ACE USA.

Gregg Christensen is the Vice President of National Accounts for United Rentals and has been in the equipment rental business for nearly 36 years. He has served in a variety of operational and sales management positions throughout his career and joined United Rentals in 2008.

Ron’s practice is focused on all aspects of the construction industry. He has substantial experience representing general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, and owners/developers in construction-related matters, including all aspects of construction law, contractual disputes, lien work, bond claims, construction and design defect claims, bid disputes, litigation, and dispute resolution. Ron has litigated cases/issues before all levels of courts throughout the Northeast, arbitrated disputes nationally, and advocated on behalf of clients using various forms of dispute resolution. He also has broad experience in construction transactional work, drafting and negotiating contract documents for all types of project delivery including, integrated project delivery and other highly collaborative delivery methods, design-bid-build, design-build, CM-at-Risk, and other more traditional methods for both public and private projects. Ron routinely counsels his clients on all business aspects of planning, initiating, and completing construction-related projects.

Kevin is currently Vice President of Risk Management at Amerisure Insurance. His area of responsibility provides risk analysis which is utilized in the underwriting process, and for providing risk management services to existing policyholders in the construction, manufacturing and healthcare industries; as well as supporting company profitability, emerging technology and growth initiatives. Kevin is a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals. He holds the designations of Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Certified Safety and Health Manager (CSHM).

Tim Connor, Senior Chemical Engineer in the Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) in EPA’s Office of Water. For the past ten years, Tim has supported the Buy American / American and Iron and Steel programs for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Prior to joining OWM, Tim worked for more than a decade leading engineering and economic analysis development for EPA’s water quality standards and industrial effluent guidelines programs. Before joining EPA, Tim worked as a Defense contractor and as an oil and gas drilling engineer. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico and an M.S. in Environmental Science Engineering from Clemson University.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Triax Technologies, Robert is focused on strategic initiatives and leading business growth and innovation. Robert brings over 30 years of broad executive experience in public and private high growth technology and industrial companies, spending the last decade helping to drive exponential growth as the Chief Financial Officer at ORBCOMM, Inc., a global technology innovator in the industrial Internet of Things. Robert holds a BS degree from Manhattan College and a JD from Pace University School of Law.

Benjamin Crosby, CM-BIM, CM-Lean, CCM, LEED AP BD+C, is passionate about building and education. As a builder educator, he motivates people to understand Virtual Design and Construction and how it will improve their projects and careers. He has a CM Degree with Math and Physics Minor. He’s a member of the BIMForum BxP Committee and LOD Core Group, AGC IT Forum Steering Committee, CMAA Professional Development Committee, and teaches in the AGC BIM and Lean Programs.

Danielle Curtiss is the General Counsel for GH Phipps Construction Companies, one of the largest, most successful construction companies in the Colorado region. GH Phipps is known for its work in the healthcare, education, civic, science and technology, worship and commercial arenas. In her 12 years with the company, Ms. Curtiss has reviewed and negotiated thousands of construction contracts. Prior to joining GH Phipps, she worked in the litigation and construction departments in prominent law firms in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., assisting construction clients with contract disputes, lien and bankruptcy claims, and construction-defect litigation.

Mr. Addison D. “Tad” Davis, IV was appointed Director of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations and sworn in on September 17, 2018. He provides executive leadership for the acquisition, design, construction, restoration, and maintenance of the Department’s global footprint of U.S. diplomatic facilities. In this role, Director Davis has responsibility for a portfolio of over 25,200 assets valued at over $90 billion at 285 U.S. missions abroad.

He most recently served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment (2017-2018) where he advised the Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary on matters regarding the budgetary, policy, and management oversight of the Department of Defense’s real property portfolio of over 500 installations, 28 million acres of land, and over 500,000 buildings valued at a trillion dollars, while enhancing the quality of life for military service members and their families at home and abroad.

Director Davis served on active duty as an Army Ranger and infantryman for 26 years (1978-2004) followed by a decade with the federal government in a number of senior executive positions, to include: Chief Executive Officer/Director of Services and Infrastructure for the U.S. Army Reserve (2010-2013), Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health (2005-2010), and Assistant Deputy Director and later Acting Deputy Director (Demand Reduction) at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) (2004-2005).

He served in the private sector as the Managing Director for Corvias Solutions (2013-2015) where he led innovative public private partnerships to address stormwater management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and in local government as the City Manager for the Town of Spring Lake, NC (2015-2017).

Director Davis earned a BS in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an MPA from Harvard University. He was a National Security Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and served as an Assistant Professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Strategic Studies.

In his role as National Sales Director at Triax Technologies, Bob Dolan is dedicated to providing innovative solutions that help streamline the process, create efficiencies and mitigate risk with the Spot-r connected jobsite platform. Bob takes pride in listening to clients to understand their concerns and works with them to solve their business needs. Bob has been with Triax since 2013 and continues to expand and build strong relationships in the construction industry with numerous national and international firms. In his current role, Bob manages the Triax direct sales team. Bob holds a B.S. in Business and Marketing from Bentley University.

David B. Dolnick, CRIS has more than forty years of comprehensive experience in commercial insurance, construction risk management, safety, and loss prevention with leading construction contractors and with workers’ compensation insurance.  Specializing in construction risk management, with broad experience across all sectors of construction, he has worked with developers/owners, general contractors, construction management firms, and trade contractors across numerous sectors of the industry.  He has depth knowledge of workers’ compensation and casualty insurance management, claims management of managing occupational safety and health programs, and brings hands on experience and knowledge of policy structure and underwriting, claims evaluation, claim settlement and negotiation, mediation and litigation from the insured client perspective.

Mr. Dolnick holds the CRIS (Construction Risk & Insurance Specialist) designation from the International Risk Management Institute and is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Professionals; of the San Diego Chapter of the AGC of America; and of the Construction Financial Managers Association.  He was selected as the San Diego Chapter of RIMS Risk Manager of The Year, was a Risk and Insurance Management Society Ron Judd Heart of RIMS honoree.  He received the International Risk Management Institute “Words of Wisdom” award in 2011.

Joe is recognized as an industry leader with respect to field work processes and creating high performing teams. His speaking experience includes presentations at the previous three LCI Congresses in addition to multiple national and state-level AGC, LCI, and other events covering industry and Lean-related topics. The majority of his time is spent at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Ft. Worth, where he has led and been part of a team that has delivered an array of capital and master plan projects for the past 30 years, including two IFOA/IPD delivery methods. Joe currently serves as the 2019 LCI Congress Planning Team Chair. He has previously served as the local DFW CoP Chair and as an initial member of the LCI Lean Leaders program.

Dennis Engelbrecht is a family business consultant who has devoted his life and career to creating, improving, building, and coaching entrepreneurial pursuits and business success and now to family business consulting. He has seven successful business ventures of his own to his credit. Among these ventures was his own consulting company, Southern Management Services, where he successfully developed programs and staff to assist over 500 closely held businesses in a wide variety of industries. His broad and varied career has exposed Dennis to virtually every area of family business planning and management. He is skilled in performance benchmarking, management consulting, operations planning, strategic planning, financial modeling, valuation, and a host of other disciplines. Dennis has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University and has 30 years of experience in helping closely held business owners find the bottom line results and quality of lives they want.

Danielle Feroleto is the owner and founder of Small Giants, a full-service marketing, business development, and strategic business services group. Established in 2006, Small Giants was created specifically to serve general contractors, subcontractors, and related commercial real estate companies in achieving strong, strategic, marketing and business development goals. Danielle works directly with general contractors across the nation on marketing and BD strategies, innovative ideas to differentiate their firms and develop specific marketing activities to give companies a distinct competitive advantage. Through these efforts, Danielle has been recognized as a nominee for Marketer of the Year through the Phoenix Business Journal, list as Arizona’s 40 Under 40, named one of Arizona’s 20 Most Influential Women in Commercial Real Estate in 2013 and most recently awarded one of Phoenix’s Most Outstanding Women in Business by the Phoenix Business Journal.

Tom Francavilla is a Risk Manager with Turner Construction. Tom joined Turner in 2005 and moved into Risk Management in 2006. He currently leads all data analytics within Turner’s Risk Management Department, and along with his colleagues, negotiates and places Turner’s insurance programs worldwide. Tom holds an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University and a BS in Mathematics from Montclair State University.

Joshua Franklin, MBA, CSP, SMS, CET, STS, CPCU, ARM is a safety and professional development expert and serves as the Senior Director, Strategic Advancement at the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Josh is a military veteran who culminated a 21-year career as the Air Force’s Safety career field manager, where he oversaw the training and development of 781 military safety professionals across the globe. Josh had the honor of deploying to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Rwanda, and many other less-than-safe locations to further advance the safety and health of both military and civilian workers.

Josh is a Certified Safety Professional, Safety Management Specialist, Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, and someone who fervently believes in the power of safety and health professionals to change the world. Josh previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University where he taught courses on business strategy and safety and health. Josh holds a Bachelor of Science from Embry-Riddle and a Master of Business Administration from Walden University

Born and raised on a family row crop and livestock farm near the small town of Martell, Nebraska, Craig Gana graduated from Southeast Community College with a livestock production major and began work as an aggregate contractor and hauler. In 1995, Craig and his wife, Lori, founded Gana Trucking and Excavating, Inc. in Martell, Nebraska. After starting off with small and midsize hourly and contract work, the company added increasingly bigger commercial jobs, and over time grew to become the area’s largest aggregate supplier and dirt contractor. Currently, the company hauls for projects ranging in size from relatively small jobs like backyard pools to large-scale work on arenas, sports complexes, airports, industrial development areas, levees, and roadways. Today, Gana Trucking & Excavating, Inc., runs over 100 trucks and 200 pieces of equipment and has around 225 employees.

For the past 15 years, LV has worked with some of the most influential leaders around the world on the complex art of personal and team development. Currently, LV serves as the Director of Culture Strategy at Procore. Prior to Procore, LV worked with Catalyst, a leadership development organization collaborating with some of the world’s most influential leadership authors and speakers. After Catalyst, LV moved to Southern California and served as a pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA and then Director of Culture for Sevenly before joining the HARBRO Construction Executive Team as Director of Culture & Leadership Development, designing and implementing culture-shaping initiatives across multiple offices along the West Coast.

LV is a 2002 graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a BA in Communication and Business, where he was also a 1st Team All-American and captain of the Men’s Volleyball team. He currently holds an MBTI Practitioner Certification, Gallup Strengths Coaching Certification, Crucial Conversations Trainer Certification, ICF Coaching Certification, The Leadership Challenge Facilitator Certification, TotalSDI Facilitator Certification, and a LifePlan Facilitator Certification.

LV’s experience ranges from Leadership Consultant to Culture Strategist in an array of industries, designing and implementing scalable culture-shaping initiatives. His long-term love and high level involvement in sports has inspired a team-centric approach to his leadership style and coaching methodology

Mr. Hughes is a Senior Project Controls Manager for Worley Parsons (formerly Jacobs Engineering Group), based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has been involved with Engineering and/or Construction Projects for over 40 years. He is currently responsible for Program Project Controls aspects – including Budgeting, Scope and Change Control, Planning, Scheduling, Progress Measurement / Analysis, Cost / Forecast Management – of a Portfolio of major Capital Projects executed for various global clients. Projects recently completed or in progress range from $65M to $1.2B in total cost, and vary from E&P to EPC/CM. Hughes mentors and trains Project Controls personnel in technical and analytical skills, as well as presentation and communication skills designed to ensure guidance for successful project delivery. Development and oversight of Project Controls teams is a strong suit.

Vince Hundley, MS, CSP, STS is the President and CEO of SMART Safety Group, a full-service safety company providing safety products, safety services and OSHA training to thousands of employees in the construction industry. Vince also serves as the Safety Director of the AGC of San Diego, where he oversees all safety training staff, curriculum development and regulatory affairs.

Vince has 20 years of comprehensive safety experience and management experience working for a diverse group of employers. He has developed his own brand of Behavioral Safety Management that permeates organizations helping create safety cultures. His belief is that it is important that workers adopt safety not because it is required, but because they are doing it for their co-workers, family and community. Vince also creates curriculum and provides training on a wide range of safety topics.

Vince holds a BS in Occupational Safety from Illinois State University and a Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene from SDSU as well as being a Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

Nikki Ingram is a Cyber Risk Engineering Consultant with over ten years of risk management and security experience. Her responsibilities involve teaming with Security and Privacy underwriters to better evaluate cyber risk conditions of Zurich’s cybersecurity customers and prospects, and supporting other lines of business as needed both locally and globally. Ingram specializes in the healthcare, manufacturing, and construction industries. She also provides risk mitigation services and support to help customers improve their information risk management practices and leads Incident Response Service offerings.

Mara Johnston is the Vice President of Business Development at Star America Capital Advisors. Mara is focused on developing new relationships with construction and engineering firms while expanding and strengthening existing partnerships. Mara advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, project financing, subcontractor vetting, alternative project delivery, joint venture teaming arrangements, and strategic consulting needs. Mara possesses many years of experience working solely in the construction industry

Tricia is the Executive Vice President of Risk Management for Jordan Foster Construction a large construction organization that performs civil, multifamily and general contracting across Texas. Tricia leads the risk management and safety efforts. Previously Tricia served as a Risk Management Executive for American Contractors Insurance Group where she provided risk management and safety consulting services for contractors across the United States. She is an expert on contractual risk transfer, risk financing, wrap-ups, subcontractor default insurance, claims management, conflict resolution, and safety. She holds a master’s degree in dispute resolution from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and her bachelor of science in business administration and bachelor of arts in communication—public relations from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.  Her professional credentials include Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU); Certified Safety Professional (CSP); Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS); Associate in Risk Management (ARM); Associate in Claims Management (AIC); licensed Texas claims representative and commercial agent; and served as a construction panel arbitrator with the AAA.

Pat Kelly has been working for Granite for more than 36 years. In his current role as the California Group Strategy Manager, he has the lead role in the development and implementation of the Strategic Operating Plan for Granite’s California Operations. Our Plan leverages Granite’s Strategic Themes of Develop, Execute & Grow into Smart Objectives and Capability Improvements that drive revenue growth and margin expansion while strengthening our teams and core business operations.

Gaurav is the Vice President of Strategy, Operations & Finance at Built Robotics, a company building automated guidance systems for heavy equipment. He oversees growth, operations, and business development for the company. Previously, Gaurav launched startup companies at Shumway Capital, an investment firm, and was a consultant at Bain & Company, where he advised companies in the mining and technology sectors. Gaurav graduated with honors in finance and economics at Northwestern University. A native Texan, his interest in heavy equipment originates from growing up surrounded by the oil and gas industry.

Ryan serves as general counsel for The Weitz Company and is the organization’s chief legal officer responsible for guiding all legal matters, including contract development and review, claims management and insurance. He is licensed to practice law in Iowa and Florida. In addition to his work experience in construction, administrative and labor law, Ryan worked as a civil engineer before joining Weitz. He is a licensed professional engineer in Iowa (civil engineering).

Outside of his role at Weitz, Ryan is an officer in the Iowa Army National Guard in which he serves as a JAG.

Kristopher M. Lengieza, is the Director of Business Development, Marketplace at Procore Technologies. The marketplace team oversees the development of partnerships and integrations built upon the Procore platform. Kris has been a long-time construction technology evangelist and continues to push the construction industry forward. Prior to working at Procore, Kris was the Vice President of Operational Excellence at Stiles Corporation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kris oversaw a team that leads many initiatives including Quality, Safety, Innovation, Training, VDC, and Financials. Kris has also been instrumental in the implementation of VDC, LEAN and LEED principles at several other companies over the course of his career.

Kris has earned a multitude of awards for his work and has been nationally recognized as one of the top 40 construction professionals under 40 by ENR and BD&C. He is constantly seeking to further the use of technology and foster innovation in the construction industry. As such, Kris has been a sought-after speaker for national conferences including Autodesk University, BIMForum, Ecobuild, SPAR and many other regional events. More importantly, Kris is always willing to volunteer and share his knowledge and has taught for numerous organizations over the past 5 years, including AGC and AIA to name a few. Kris earned his Civil engineering degree in 2004, from Lehigh University.

Robert (Bob) P. Majerus, is a graduate of Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and has a Law Degree from the University of Notre Dame. He joined Hensel Phelps in 2006 and serves as Vice President and General Counsel, Bob has overall responsibility for contractual and legal matters for the Greeley, Colorado-based organization. Prior to joining Hensel Phelps, Bob was a trial attorney for a private law firm. He began his career with Hensel Phelps as Associate General Counsel before being appointed Vice President and General Counsel.

Bob is admitted to the Arizona, Washington and Alaska bar Associations. He is Vice-Chair of the Documents Committee of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and is a member of the AGC Building Division Leadership Board.

Steve completed his architecture studies at the University of Idaho and also earned a degree in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon state University in 1990 before joining P&C Construction. Since becoming part owner in 2005, Steve has done his share to maintain and enhance P&C’s inclusive nature in how we work together to manage and complete large-scale construction projects throughout the state.

Fran McCann is President / CEO of Polk Mechanical and has been a part of the organization since its inception in 2003. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Fran is a forward-thinking leader, constantly challenging his team of over 500 employees to accomplish more than they think possible. Using his creative approach, Fran has led his organization to seven consecutive years of record growth and was recognized by the SMU Cox Business School Dallas 100 as the 16th fastest-growing private company in Dallas/Fort Worth in 2018.

Fran is a graduate of Texas A&M University, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Science, is the past Chairman of the Board for TEXO (the North Texas Chapter of AGC) and is the Chair-elect for the Construction Education Foundation (the craft training arm for the North Texas construction industry). Polk Mechanical is a leading mechanical and industrial contractor with revenues over $130 million, serving customers all over Texas from their offices in Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, Texas.

Mike McCarroll is President and CEO of PROSAFE Solutions, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm specializing in the development of high-performance safety cultures.

Mike provides high-end services to assist clients in a variety of industries across the U.S. and Canada in improving safety performance and organizational behavior. Most of his time is spent conducting safety culture assessments, high-performance safety seminars, implementing behavior-based safety systems, leadership development, human performance training and providing management consulting on culture change for safety excellence.

Mike is a Certified Safety Professional, a Certified Professional Consultant, and is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the National Safety Management Society. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars throughout the U.S.

He has also served as adjunct faculty for the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Georgia Tech since 1999, serving as course director for a variety of courses including the OSHA 500 Trainer Course, Cranes, Rigging & Signaling, Human Performance and Advanced Safety Management.

Kate L. McDonald is a Shareholder at McConaughy & Sarkissian, P.C. and is admitted to practice law in the state and federal courts in Colorado and Wyoming, as well as the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. McDonald’s practice involves civil litigation matters with a primary focus in the construction industry. She has successfully represented developers, contractors, and subcontractors in cases involving construction defects, trust fund, breach of contract, mold/remediation, mechanic’s liens/foreclosure, ADA compliance, and delay/acceleration/lost labor claims. In addition, Ms. McDonald has provided coverage opinions and contract review.

Carl McFarland believes in challenging the status quo, especially as it relates to building. He often invokes the highest-regarded names in tech when talking about the future of the building industry and the possibilities that lie ahead by leveraging smart technology across multiple platforms. He is driven by his desire to create truly integrated services that are in perfect alignment: prefabricated components, robotics, vertically integrated supply chains, creative energy-saving principles, and automated design solutions.

With more than 25 years in the building industry, Carl has commercial project experience in excess of $2.5 billion that includes a wide range of building types, from public-sector projects to major-league baseball facilities. This varied experience gives Carl a high-level perspective on how new technologies can be applied to traditional building principles and practices. For the past two years, he has collaborated with Kitchell’s technology team to evaluate and execute cloud-based construction management throughout the company’s expansive portfolio. He is also integrally involved in the evolution of Kitchell’s Research & Development division, which seeded the Southwest’s first dedicated prefabrication facility to serve commercial contractors throughout Arizona.

Carl graduated with a degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder

Mr. McLaughlin is a principal in McLaughlin and McLaughlin, an international project planning and management consulting firm. He provides Program and Project Management as well as Dispute Resolution (Claim Preparation, Litigation Support and Testimony) and other similar services. He provides domestic and international clients with project planning and management services and advice. He provides training and workshops on a worldwide basis on topics that include planning and management of large and complex projects.

Over recent years, Mr. McLaughlin has been Program or Project Manager on Hydrogen Plant, Sulphur Recovery Plant, Data Center Program, Refinery Retrofit and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. During this same period, he has project managed and technical managed seven major disputes with total value of approximately $400 million. He has provided services in the following project types: Oil Sands Downstream/Upgrading, Carbon Monoxide Plant, Ethanol Production, LNG Terminal, LNG Production, Desulphurization Facilities, Power Generation (gas-fired, geothermal), Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Hot Briquetting Iron, Piping Manufacturing and others.

Murphy is heavily focused on the needs of the business in a growth market, bringing diversity in market sector experience, and developing teams for the future. As a company they have had the privilege of working with national development companies on office and industrial projects, public projects acquired through James’ leadership and vision in strategically pursuing emerging and trending markets.

By growing a team based on client needs and a high-performance driven mindset, Murphy has been directly involved in building a company of over 180 employees that has been named #1 Mid-Sized Best Place to Work in Arizona by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2019 and for several years running, as well as Best Workplace by INC. magazine and among the 25 Most Admired Companies in Arizona. It is through intentional focus on their company mission of “building a genuine place of purpose” that Murphy strives to build an experienced team that conveys the solid culture while executing shell and tenant improvement projects for new and existing clients.

Willmeng has sustained client relationships and growth even in the toughest of economic times, reflecting growth from $45 million to $350 million in sales from client development and retention.

Elli Murray joined Sandhills Global in 2011 as a sales representative for Machinery Trader, a Sandhills platform that connects buyers and sellers within the construction industry worldwide. Murray has worked with construction equipment dealers around the world, focusing on a data-driven approach to the equipment lifecycle. Murray served as manager of the Machinery Trader department and now oversees a new department dedicated to asset management and liquidation strategies for contractors, as well as exposure, membership benefits, and profit optimization strategies for contractor associations. Murray is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Nicole R. Nason’s tenure as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration began on April 22, 2019. In this role, she leads a Modal Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is responsible for the Nation’s $49 billion Federal-aid Highway program.

Previously, Ms. Nason was Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Administration, from December 2017 to March 2019.

Ms. Nason has served in numerous roles in Washington, D.C., notably as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (2006–2008),

where she was a two-time gold medal winner, the department’s highest honor. She also served as DOT’s Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs (2003–2006).

Previously, Ms. Nason served in the legislative branch as counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.

A black belt in karate, Ms. Nason founded Project Koe (KOH-ee) in Connecticut in 2014, empowering women and improving health and fitness using traditional Japanese martial arts techniques.

Ms. Nason earned a B.A. in political science and government at American University and a J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) was founded in 1903 by a small
group of construction workers, including many immigrants and minorities, who joined together
to build better lives for themselves and their families. Today, the union’s membership stands at
500,000, and includes workers from many different sectors of the economy. Terry O’Sullivan
became LIUNA’s tenth General President on January 1, 2000, and was unanimously re-elected to
his fourth full term at the union’s 25th International Convention in 2016. An inspirational orator,
Terry O’Sullivan is equally at home on a construction site as he is in a boardroom.

O’Sullivan and LIUNA are fierce proponents of desperately needed infrastructure investments,
and of an all-of-the-above energy policy, both of which create family-sustaining jobs. Under his
leadership, LIUNA members have increasingly made their voices heard on these and a wide
range of other issues, including health care, immigration, retirement security, and worker safety.
The union’s leadership on economic and jobs-related issues of importance to all Americans has
enabled it to forge partnerships with contractor associations, public utilities, pipeline owners and
operators, community groups, and faith-based organizations.

Deven is the co-founder of a metal fabrication business in McMinnville Oregon. His recent TEDx Talk explored the concept of how to bridge the gap to right fit careers. He is an active member of the AGC Oregon workforce development committee as well as a leader in many other internship and workforce development steering committees. A number of the internship and workforce initiatives he’s participated in have received state and national recognition. He’s partnered with local schools, colleges, and universities to help bridge the gap to skilled trades.

Kevin Peartree is a Partner with Ernstrom & Dreste, LLC, counseling and representing contractors, design-builders, construction managers, specialty contractors, owners, and designers, in the many areas relating to the construction industry and contract law. He is recognized as a New York Super Lawyer in the area of Construction Litigation.

He has been very active in the AGC of NYS and the Associated General Contractors of America and served as outside counsel for the Contract Documents Committee.  He was a principal participant in the drafting of the ConsensusDocs standard form contract documents published in 2007 and previously was involved in the drafting of the 1999 edition of the AGC design-build standard form contract documents as well as the revision and drafting of the AGC’s standard form owner-contractor agreements, joint venture agreement, owner’s representative agreement, and various other administrative forms.

Jason L. Pelkey is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Gilbane. He oversees Gilbane Technology Group (GTG), the organization that provides innovative capabilities for Gilbane’s workforce, drives information technology globally for the enterprise and supports Gilbane’s transformation agenda. His passion is teaching Gilbane’s teams how to fully utilize technology for greater work efficiency.

Prior to joining Gilbane, Mr. Pelkey spent 14 years with General Electric after graduating from their Information Management Leadership Program. He is a Six Sigma Quality Black Belt. Throughout his career, he has been leading teams in every aspect of information technology and acquisition integration.

Mr. Pelkey holds a Master of Science in Management Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, both from Clarkson University.

Mr. Pelkey joined Gilbane in 2010 and was named Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer in 2016.

Brian Perlberg serves as the Executive Director & Senior Counsel for ConsensusDocs, a coalition of 40 leading construction organizations. Mr. Perlberg is on the ABA Forum on the Construction Law Steering Committee for the Contract Documents, the Executive Committee for the National Construction Dispute Resolution Committee (NCDRC) of the Arbitration Association of America (AAA), and the Advisory Board for Construction SuperConference Board. He has been recognized as a top legal voice by Engineering News Record (ENR), and featured in Who’s Who Legal, Construction. Mr. Perlberg also serves as AGC of America’s lead counsel on construction law matters. Previously, he served as General Counsel for the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).

Karen Reutter is the Head of Construction for Zurich North America Commercial Insurance. In her role, she is responsible for delivering underwriting results, sales execution and talent management strategies for the Construction strategic business unit. Prior to joining Zurich, Reutter was the Head of Construction Broking for North America at Willis Towers Watson. She has also held executive roles with Marsh, Aon and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company.

Wayne Rivers is the co-founder and President of The Family Business Institute, Inc.  He has authored four books on the subject of business families the latest of which is Our Family Business Crisis and How It Made Us Stronger. Wayne has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “BusinessWeek: WEEKEND” and on the Retirement Living Network.

Wayne is a Wall Street Journal Expert Panelist.  He has also been quoted on the subject of family and closely-held businesses by Forbes, Fortune, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, CFO, Family Business, The New York Times, Washington Post, and by many other trade, local, regional, and national publications.  He has written hundreds of articles for various magazines and trade publications and has produced an acclaimed blog for over 15 years.  He has done workshops and lectures for North American Home Furnishings Association, Harley-Davidson, CCA Global, YPO, ACA International, Associated General Contractors of America, National Association of Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Contractors, American Council of Engineering Companies, American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, Window and Door Manufacturers Association, National Funeral Directors Association, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, University of Wisconsin, University of Pittsburgh, Wake Forest University, Virginia Tech, University of Hawaii, Babson College, UNC Asheville, and many others.

Mark is a professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the Civil & Architectural Engineering and Construction Management department. He teaches classes in Project Management, Lean Construction, and Leadership. Prior to his work at MSOE, he worked as a general contractor for 40 years. His experience in the construction industry ranged from laborer, superintendent, project engineer, estimator, senior project manager, and vice president. Mark teaches AGC courses for AGC Wisconsin and is part of the team revising the AGC Project Management Development Program. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Madison in Civil and Environmental Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin. He received the Daily Reporter’s Educator of the Year award in 2018 for his work teaching in the construction industry.

Ivan A. Sarkissian, Shareholder and Co-founder of McConaughy & Sarkissian, P.C., is admitted to practice in all Colorado state courts, United States District Court for the District of Colorado and the United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Sarkissian is a trial attorney whose practice is focused on the construction industry. He has represented developers, general contractors, and subcontractors in a wide array of cases including defect, mold, delay/lost profits, mechanic’s liens/foreclosures, trust fund, and breach contract. Mr. Sarkissian is the author of several articles and has given seminars on construction defect and mold litigation.

Laura is the Lead Consultant and Trainer for the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining Autodesk, she spent four years as an engineer in the heavy civil construction sector, working on large-scale projects like the Bay Area Rapid Transit extension in the South Bay and Transbay Terminal in Downtown San Francisco. She holds a BS in Civil Engineering from UCLA.

Ken Simonson has been AGC’s chief economist since 2001. He provides insight into the economy and what it implies for construction and related industries through frequent media interviews, presentations and the Data DIGest, his weekly one-page e-newsletter that goes to 43,000 subscribers.

Ken has more than 40 years of experience analyzing, advocating and communicating about economic and tax issues. He currently serves on the Census Bureau’s Scientific Advisory Committee. He is a Fellow and past president of the National Association for Business Economics, and he is co-director of the Tax Economists Forum, a professional meeting group he co-founded in 1982.

Ken has a BA in economics from the University of Chicago, and an MA in economics from Northwestern University.

Dr. Snyder’s career spans 28 years of diverse global professional experience facilitating research, partnering with stakeholders, and creating sustainable solutions for effective occupational safety and health (OSH) management systems. He served in the Army as a long-range surveillance military intelligence operative and liaison for implementing field expedited safety training as part of the National Incident Management System. As the former owner and CEO of SPAN International Training, he developed the world-renown certification exam study workbooks and workshops. Dr. Snyder is a board-certified safety professional and a subject matter expert on professional competencies, including influencing occupational safety and health management systems. He holds a B.A. in Science from the University of Northern Iowa with master’s and Doctorate degrees in Human Resource Development and Adult Lifelong Learning from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Snyder’s research-based consultancy advises OSH professionals on how to demonstrate influential safety leadership through experience, education, and examination.

Daniel is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Professionals and serves as committee Vice-Chair for the ANSI/ASSP Z490.1 Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training Standard. He is a member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the ISO Technical Committee (TC)-283 and is responsible for the ongoing development and enhancement of ISO 45001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) international standard.

Mr. Somers has over 25 years of experience in construction. He is currently the Contracting Manager of the Western US for Ferrovial Agroman managing a procurement pipeline of Design-Build and P3 projects in excess of $4 Billion dollars of construction. His areas of responsibility include Business Development, including building joint ventures, client engagement and interaction, and procuring work. He has previously worked as a Foreman, Project Engineer, Project Manager, Estimator, Estimating Manager, and Director of Special Projects and Business Development for top small and large contractors. Mr. Somers has estimated and built many types of projects including water and wastewater treatment plants, hazardous waste remediation projects, landfills, mining infrastructure, roads and streets, highways, bridges, railroad infrastructure, commercial site work, subdivisions, throughout the Western US for private owners and public agencies. Mr. Somers has also held a California Contractors “B” Classification license and has worked in various positions including chief estimator and construction manager for commercial, residential and multi-family building construction. He has served on the State Board of the AGC of California. He has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration with a Major in Insurance, Real Estate and Risk Management and an additional Major in Marketing

Matt Sterup joined Sandhills Global in 2018 as a sales representative for Machinery Trader, a Sandhills platform that connects buyers and sellers within the construction industry worldwide. Sterup has worked with contractors around the world, focusing on a data-driven approach to the equipment lifecycle. Sterup now oversees a department dedicated to asset management and liquidation strategies for contractors. Before working at Sandhills, Sterup was a Sales Engineer with a hydraulics company. He worked with large Mobile Equipment Manufacturers on the design and implementation of hydraulic systems and functions. Sterup is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and currently resides back in Nebraska.

Frank Wampol serves as Corporate Vice President, Safety & Health; for B.L.Harbert International a Birmingham, Alabama-based general contractor with a worldwide scope of work. B.L. Harbert International is currently conducting construction operations in more than 17 nations, employing 9,000 people who will this year account for over 14 million direct-hire man hours.B.L.Harbert International has been named as one of America’s Safest Companies. Harbert has also received the nation’s top safety awards from multiple industry associations. In addition, Frank serves on national and international industry safety committees including AGC’s National Safety & Health Committee.

As Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Assistant Secretary, Tom is responsible for managing the Legal Department and all legal matters of JE Dunn Construction Company. Additionally, Tom oversees JE Dunn’s labor relations, government affairs and diversity/inclusion & compliance.

Michael D. Widdekind is an AVP, Technical Director – Property North America with more than 25 years of experience in the loss control profession. Widdekind has a strong background in protecting facilities from internal flood and natural disasters. He has been involved in extreme weather event projects at the National Academies of Sciences – Institutes of Medicine, and the American Meteorological Society. In addition to his work at Zurich, Widdekind is a member of the Community Resilience Panel for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems at NIST.

Jim Wills has over 35 years of restoration and disaster planning experience. He is a Certified Continuity
Manager (CCM), a licensed All-lines Insurance Adjuster and has been the Managing Director of
Commercial Solutions for two of North America’s largest restoration and recovery organizations. Jim
joined the team of GRS providing a new and refreshing approach to disaster recovery focusing on
total event management with rapid reconstruction capabilities.

Jim is committed to the importance of disaster planning, he has established pre-loss agreements
with many industry groups, including but not limited to hospitality, retail, healthcare, manufacturing,
and educational institutions. He has worked on disaster sites such as the Chicago financial district
floods in 1992, the Midwest floods in 1993 and managed the restoration efforts at the Pentagon
after the tragic events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Jim was responsible for coordinating and triaging
losses for clients during the hurricanes in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2017 as Hurricanes
Harvey and Irma made landfall. With projects like the Houston First Project, Jim was able to help
ServiceMaster serve one of the largest property managers in Houston with a dedicated team from
Gilbane Reconstruction Services.

Keyan Zandy is a longtime Lean practitioner, enthusiast, and advocate. As Skiles Group’s COO, he has a dual focus on client service and on nurturing a progressive company culture. He is ultimately responsible for the oversight of the firm’s daily operations and ensuring that their Lean processes are continuously improved and consistently practiced. He is the co-author of The Lean Builder: A Builder’s Guide to Applying Lean Tools in the Field, which simplifies and clearly articulates the benefits of seven primary Lean concepts, and delivers them in a highly-relatable, immediately-applicable, and field-friendly manner. Keyan also serves as CEO for Smart Safety, an award-winning crisis management communication, and an emergency response tool.