2023 Speakers
SPEAKERS
We’re proud to welcome a talented and diverse range of speakers from across the country. We are currently adding speakers and moderators to our 2023 schedule- check back for updates!
Senior Manager, Energy + Carbon
Living Future Institute
Jessica Bristow, LFA, LEED AP BD+C
Jessica is the Senior Manager of the Energy & Carbon team, nested within the Programs + Innovation group. In her role, she is responsible for developing and evolving ILFI’s standards as they relate to interconnected energy and carbon topics such as operational and embodied carbon, EUI targets, LCAs, renewables, and more. She also works to ensure that our various programs are aligned, aspirational, and achievable.
Originally from San Antonio, Jessica attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she received a Bachelor of Architecture and a M.S. in Architectural Science with a focus in Built Ecologies. Prior to joining ILFI, Jessica worked for over a decade in the private and public sectors of New York City in architecture, construction, sustainability, and high performance design. She deeply believes in the importance of healthy and ecologically restorative buildings and is excited to see and help the industry grow towards a more equitable and living future.
In her personal time she can be found exploring the spaces and places that make NYC wonderful, escaping to new adventures, or happily being a homebody (probably gardening, hammocking, or hosting friends and family).
Designer
MASS Design Group
Celina Brownotter
Celina Brownotter is a Hunkpapa Lakota and Diné designer who is passionate about collaborating and engaging with Native communities through innovative design. Having grown up on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, she is a steadfast advocate for place-based design, firmly believing in the transformative power of a built environment that seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings, cultivating healing, unity, and cultural resonance.
At MASS Design Group, Celina contributes to the overall design of various projects through the Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab in O’ga P’ogeh, also known as Santa Fe, New Mexico. These includes the Willamette Falls Inter-Tribal Public Access Project in West Linn, Oregon, the Caddo Nation Child Care Center in Hinton, Oklahoma, the Anahola Sports Complex and Ranch & Rodeo in Anahola, Hawaii, and the Native BioData Campus Plan located on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Each project reflects her commitment to fostering deep collaboration and engagement within Native communities.
Beyond her work at MASS, Celina is a member of Montana State’s School of Architecture Advisory Council. Her personal research focuses on how the integration of culture, beliefs, and traditions can have a positive impact on Lakota tribal housing, advancing the discourse on culturally conscious design and its role in social change.
Design Director
MASS Design Group
Nathaniel Corum, NCARB
Nathaniel Corum is an architect and planner focused on bringing expertise and care to help community partners envision and realize their goals. He believes that communities are the experts in their place and that culturally and environmentally responsive projects arise through trust and collaboration.
As a Design Director at MASS Design Group, Nathaniel serves by managing projects, community engagement, design production and construction administration across a portfolio of projects including community and entrepreneurship centers, housing initiatives, and collaborations around public memory and memorialization. In the past five years, he has helped deliver projects such as the Change Labs Entrepreneurship Hub (Navajo Nation), the Bago Ga Napo, Tule House Elder Village (Big Valley Rancheria), the Willamette Falls Inter-Tribal Public Access Project (West Linn, Oregon), and the Northern Cheyenne Healing Trail (Sioux & Dawes Counties, Nebraska).
Prior to joining MASS, Nathaniel held leadership roles at Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative, Architecture for Humanity, and Indigenous Community Enterprises. A Fulbright Scholarship, a Senior Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas Fellowship, an Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellowship and a Creative Capital Award have supported Nathaniel’s work, which has been featured in Dwell, Domus and The New York Times and exhibited at venues including SFMOMA, the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
Chief Sustainability Officer
3-P Consulting
Maui Planning Commission
Dr. Mark Deakos, PhD
Dr. Mark Deakos, a University of Hawaii graduate living on Maui, wears three hats in his professional career. He is the Chief Sustainability Officer with 3-P Consulting, one of only seven B-Corp businesses in Hawaii. 3-P Consulting is focused on incentivizing regenerative design frameworks for both housing (Living Buildings) and farming (permaculture). As Chief Scientist and President of the Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research (HAMER), a non-profit founded in 2004 to protect Hawaii’s marine resources, with recent scientific publications on the resiliency of Hawaii’s Humpback Whale population and genetically distinct island-associating Manta Ray populations in Hawaii. As Deputy Program Manager with HDR overseeing the Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program for the Hawaii and the Marianas regions, work has ranged from understanding marine mammal responses to sonar exposure during naval training exercises, to relocating corals from impact areas to newly designed artificial reef sites. In his spare time Mark volunteers with various community groups focused on improving the environment and the social well-being of our residents, and currently serves on the Maui Planning Commission.
Environmental Engineer
Biohabitats
Harold Leverenz, PE
Harold Leverenz, PE, is a California-based environmental engineer with Biohabitats and specializing in integrated and decentralized water systems. With degrees in biosystem engineering from Michigan State University and environmental engineering from University of California Davis, he has worked for more than 20 years in testing and developing technologies for sustainable water management, including anoxic treatment wetlands, nutrient recovery systems from urine and digestate, and rainwater filtration systems.
Senior Associate
Stantec
Stephen Parker, AIA NCARB LEED AP ULI
Stephen Parker, AIA NCARB LEED AP NOMA, co-leads Stantec’s Behavioral Health Practice and is based in Washington, D.C. A former YAF National Advocacy Director and AIA Strategic Councilor, Stephen served as Co-Convener of the AIA’s Mental Health + Architecture Incubator, is an AIA Young Architect Award recipient, and was named to Healthcare Design’s Best Under 40 List by the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health. He serves as an Associate Director for the Design in Mental Health Network in the U.K., Design Chair for the DC Building Industry Association, a member of the global ULI Health Leaders Network and a U.S. representative to the International Union of Architects’ Public Health Group.
Founding Principal
Roth Ecological Design Int. LLC
Lauren Roth Venu
Lauren Roth Venu is the Founding Principal of Roth Ecological Design Int. LLC, dedicated to developing strategic solutions for water resiliency. With a background in ecological design, water sciences, and policy, Lauren maximizes water conservation, reuse, and stormwater recharge in site design. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Science, an M.S. in Oceanography, and has completed leadership programs with the United Nations University and Water Environment Federation. Lauren is an accomplished lecturer, published author, and has served in advisory roles for water-related committees and organizations in Hawaii. Her accolades include awards from the Environmental Protection Agency and recognition as a top business leader.
Executive Director
AIA Springfield Chapter
Shahad Sadeq, AIA
Shahad Niyazi Sadeq is the Executive Director at AIA Springfield chapter and architectural designer. She is passionate about amplifying diverse voices in the profession and developing sustainable workplace culture. Shahad continues to exist at the intersection of architecture and advocacy. Her experience, as previous JEDI board member at Smithgroup , Co-founder of both EDI task force at AIA Dallas and Equity in Architecture Committee at AIA Kansas City and current cofounder/co-leader of Immigrant Architect Coalition, has equipped her with the skills and insight to communicate, educate and engage strategically with advancing holistic policy that deliver efficient growth of potential in the workplace.
Executive Director
AIA Springfield Chapter
Garron Yepa, Assoc. AIA, AICAE
Garron Yepa is a Jemez Pueblo and Diné designer who supports reciprocal partnerships to realize essential, innovative, and lasting design solutions. Garron was born and raised in New Mexico and brings his cultural and regional knowledge to every architectural project. As the son of a Navajo (Dine) mother, and a Jemez Pueblo (Towa) father Garron has a unique perspective on architecture and design. Being a fluent Towa speaker has given him insight into another way of describing the world around him.
As a Senior Designer at MASS Design Group, Garron manages and leads various projects in the Santa Fe office working in arenas that highlight preservation, higher education, and tribal communities.These projects reinforce significance, promote sense of place, and reflect the cultures of each collaboration. Each project reflects his commitment to fostering teamwork and engagement with the partner communities.
Garron has a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Engineering and Native American Studies from Dartmouth College and a Master of Architecture from the University of New Mexico. Garron currently sits on the board of directors of Cornerstones Community Partnerships and is a member of the Cultural Properties Review Committee of the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office.
MODERATORS
Global Head of Workplace Strategy & Innovation
Slack Technologies
Evelyn Lee, FAIA
Evelyn Lee, FAIA, is the first-ever Global Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation at Slack Technologies, Founder of the Practice of Architecture, and Co-Host of the Podcast, Practice Disrupted. Lee integrates her business and architecture background with a qualitative and quantitative focus to build better experiences for the organization’s employees, clients, and guests.
She is widely published, wrote a monthly column for Contract magazine for over three years, frequently contributed to Architect Magazine, and is working with Architizer to develop recurring content on the business of architecture. Evelyn has received numerous industry awards, including the 2016 40 Under 40 award for Building Design + Construction and the 2014 AIA National Young Architects Award. She recently served as the first-ever female Treasurer to the AIA National Board in 2020-2021 and was recently elected to serve as the 101st President of AIA National in 2025.
Chief Housing Officer
Governor Josh Green
Nani Medeiros
Ms. Medeiros most recently served as the Executive Director of HomeAid Hawaii, a non-profit formed by Hawaii’s building industry to provide housing and community outreach for neighbors experiencing homelessness. She led the organizations partnership with the state to develop and build the first master planned kauhale for civilians and veterans experiencing chronic homelessness. Born and raised in Mililani and Kaimuki on the island of Oahu, Ms. Medeiros attended Iolani School and the University of Hawaii at Manoa where she studied Political Science. She has over twenty years of experience in housing, homelessness, health care, education, and social service policy in the legislative and executive branches of government. She has helped start-up two affordable housing policy and advocacy nonprofits and previously served for six years as Director of Policy and Public Affairs with the Hawaii Primary Care Association. Ms. Medeiros serves on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation.
A deep commitment to her community and to end homelessness in Hawaii drive Ms. Medeiros to be active, engaged, and compassionate around the crisis of homelessness.
Director of Sustainability
Lord Aeck Sargent
Jim Nicolow, FAIA, LEED Fellow
As Lord Aeck Sargent’s Director of Sustainability, Jim Nicolow, FAIA, LEED Fellow, has committed his career to transforming the built environment through leadership and collaboration on significant deep green projects, sustainability education and advocacy, and leadership and mentorship. Jim directly led several of Lord Aeck Sargent’s most innovative green projects, guided the successful LEED Certification for more than 80 projects and has published more than 40 green building articles and delivered green building presentations at national and international conferences. Jim was inducted into the AIA College of Fellows in 2018, and served as President of the AIA Honolulu Board of Directors in 2022.
Principal Architect
Hawaii Off Grid Architecture & Engineering
David Sellers, AIA
David Sellers, AIA is the principal architect at Hawaii Off Grid Architecture & Engineering, with over 20 years of experience with energy systems and off-grid technologies. Raised as a mechanic’s son, David worked his way through undergraduate architecture school at Texas A&M University on commercial fishing boats in Alaska. This is where he learned about battery systems, potable and wastewater systems as well as generators as a ship’s engineer. Through that experience, he honed his skills as an electrician, fabricator, and welder. Later David received a Master’s degree in Architecture, Urbanism, and Building Science from Technical University Delft in the Netherlands. After living abroad for a decade David moved to Hawaii to work with The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii as the operations manager and Interim Director of the Palmyra Atoll program. During his time at the Nature Conservancy, he ran the research station, managed the existing infrastructure, and spearheaded new projects such as the Palmyra Renewable Energy Project in which the research station was transitioned off of diesel generators via a renewable micro-grid saving over one million annually that could be directed into conservation and research. In 2015, David started Hawaii Off-Grid with now-retired architect Rick McGovern and civil engineer Jacob Freeman. HIOG took over McGovern’s 18-year sole practitioner practice with a client base and project stream as a foundation to transform into Hawaii Off-Grid. McGovern remains an asset confidant and mentor. In 2020, Hawaii Off-Grid took a step to be the first architecture firm to require all new buildings the firm works on to be a minimum of Net-Zero and preferably off-grid or carbon positive.
