Illya Azaroff, FAIA is the founding principal of +LAB architect whose mission is to build resilient capacity and advance goals for a sustainable, regenerative future while giving underserved communities greater voice and visibility. He is an internationally recognized leader in disaster mitigation, resilient planning, and design strategies. An Associate professor at New York City of Technology (CUNY). He serves as a technical expert for the New York Climate Impact Assessment appointed by Governor Hochul.  As AIA New York state disaster coordinator, he founded the AIA Unified Task Force City and State addressing impacts of COVID19.  Illya is advising HUD, the federal government, as part of the Resilient Housing Task force. While with ICC/ANCR- the Alliance for National Community Resilience helped create community resilience benchmarking system. He is a founding director of KIGRR - Kalinago Institute for Global Resilience and Regeneration on the island of Dominica. His office is advancing culturally significant community resilience hubs and regenerative cluster housing in several communities across the world. He served as the 2021 AIA New York State president and founding co-chair DfRR Design for Risk and Reconstruction at AIA New York (2011-21). Prior to coming to New York, he worked in Germany, Italy and Holland. He has worked in the field for over 25 years.

Richard Branch is the Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), where he leads economic research and analysis to inform the architecture profession and broader building industry on market trends, economic drivers, and future growth opportunities.

Most recently, Branch served as Chief Economist for Dodge Construction Network, where he led the Dodge Economics Group. In this role, he forecasted construction activity while engaging closely with national, regional, and trade media to disseminate these insights. His leadership included overseeing the execution of Dodge's  monthly economic data, construction starts research, and annual construction outlook.

With nearly 30 years of experience as an economist, Branch is widely recognized for his ability to translate complex economic data into actionable insights that help organizations uncover new opportunities and drive strategic decision-making. His expertise spans macroeconomic analysis, construction and real estate markets, and demographic trends, and he is frequently called upon to speak at industry conferences, association events, and corporate strategic meetings.

Branch’s industry leadership is further underscored by his past participation in AIA’s Consensus Construction Forecast panel who contribute forward-looking economic perspectives to the architectural and construction communities.

He holds a master’s degree in economics from Boston College and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Ottawa in Canada. 

Katie Swenson is a design leader, writer, and educator renowned for her work at the intersection of architecture, equity, and public life. She is a Senior Principal at MASS (Model of Architecture Serving Society), where she leads the Advocacy team. Her work explores how critical design practice can promote economic and social equity, environmental sustainability, and healthier communities. With over 20 years of experience in both the theoretical and practical applications of design thinking, Katie is also a sought-after speaker on the role of architecture in building just and vibrant communities.