Paola Capo is Manager of Disaster and Community Assistance at the AIA. She strives to provide architects and communities with the resources they need to create healthier, more sustainable and equitable built environments. In her current role, she divides her time between managing the Disaster Assistance Program (assisting architects and AIA chapters before and after disaster events occur) and supports the Communities by Design program (which matches communities with interdisciplinary expertise to achieve community aspirations). In her time at AIA, Paola has supported several other portfolios related to sustainability and climate action, including the 2030 Commitment program, the Materials Pledge, and the Committee on the Environment, with a focus on building robust programs and resources.

In 2020 she completed IAP2’s Foundations in Public Participation Program, and in 2019 she participated in UC Berkeley’s [IN]City program to expand on her knowledge in urban planning and design. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2017 with a degree in Science, Technology, and International Affairs, concentrating on Energy and the Environment—a degree inspired by the many places she lived growing up as an Army brat.

Ken is Principal and Founder of FILARSKI/ARCHITECTURE+PLANNING+RESEARCH, an integrated architecture and planning, ecology design studio and research workshop. The firm’s practice is dedicated to excellence in design and planning creating our working landscape of ecology directed toward social responsibility and stewardship, lifelong learning, sustainable and renewable environments, and appropriate technology and economics in our urban, rural, coastal, and corporate communities.

Ken is one of few professionals be both a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a LEED Fellow of the U.S. Green Building Council. He is also one of the first SITES Accredited Professionals, an AICP Certified Planner, a Certified Flood Plain Manager, and nationally certified by the State of California Office of Emergency Services (Cal-OES) as a Disaster Assistance Trainer, Disaster Responder, and a Disaster Train the Trainer.

As co-chair of the AIA’s Disaster Assistance Committee, Ken helps develop local and national AIA response to disaster events and the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a co-author of the AIA “Re-occupancy Assessment Tool v1.0, v2.0, v3.0”, which has been adopted by the USGBC as one of the initial Safety First Pilot LEED Credits.

He is an active leader in Rhode Island, servicing on the Advisory Board for the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council for the State of Rhode Island; Executive Committee of the Providence/Cranston Workforce Development Board; RI Ratepayers Advisory Board; RI Floodplain Managers Association; and RI Green Infrastructure Coalition, among others.

William Robarge, AIA, is a licensed architect and project manager at TreanorHL Architects, a national architecture and design firm headquartered in Lawrence, Kansas.  

Will is a graduate of the University of Kansas where he earned both his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with a minor in Latin American Studies, and his Master’s in Architecture.  Will has spent more than 20 years creating a diverse body of work, ranging from small retail center projects to large student housing developments that have garnered acclaim for both their elevated design and safety. Will was a member of the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) for over 14 years, serving on the Chapter Board in various capacities including President and Regional Representative.  From his time with CSI, Will developed a strong background in evaluating building systems, materials, and specifications.  

Growing up in a military family, Will lived much of his early life in various Latin American countries, including areas affected by extreme-weather events. Through this experience, he gained a deep respect for the first responders and volunteers who came to assist communities in crisis by providing disaster response and recovery services.  

With a passion for helping in recovery efforts close to home, Will joined the Kansas Disaster Assessment Program in 2008, deploying to assist with various damage assessments of facilities and structures affected by tornados, flooding and severe storm events in Kansas.  

Will has served on the AIA National Disaster Assessment Committee for almost two years.  He has also volunteered to serve on the AIA Kansas Disaster Assistance Committee, where he will be trained as a certified disaster Safety Assessment Program (SAP) trainer and registered with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). Later this year, he will begin training architects to plan for and respond to disasters using SAP and Cal OES protocols.