Z Smith is Principal and Director of Sustainability and Building Performance at Eskew+Dumez+Ripple His built work includes academic, laboratory, and residential buildings, including winners of the RAIC Green Building Award and the AIA COTE Top Ten Award. He brings training and experience in physics (MIT) and engineering (Princeton) to the field of architecture (UC Berkeley) and is named as inventor on 10 patents and author on over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He serves as North American representative to the International Union of Architects (UIA) Sustainable Development Commission.

Dr. Janice Barnes, founding partner of Climate Adaptation Partners, a NYC WBE emphasizing adaptation planning, advocacy, and partnership-building, prioritizes the relationship between climate change, design, and public health. She’s a member of the New York City Panel on Climate Change where she co-chairs the Health Working Group, a lead author for UCCRN ARC 3.3 COVID-19, Climate Change and Cities, a curriculum developer for UPENN on climate and health, and co-chair of the AIA National Resilience Advisory Group. Prior to starting CAP, Janice led the global resilience lab for Perkins+Will, working with 24 offices across multiple countries to advance resilience in concert with in-country initiatives. Janice has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, a M.S.in Architecture from the University of Michigan, a M. Arch from Tulane University, a B. Arch. from the University of Tennessee and a Certificate in Municipal Finance from the University of Chicago and Lincoln Land.

Julie Hiromoto, Director of HKS New York, is an architect who does not shy away from a challenge. Her focus on design through the lens of sustainability, health and wellness, and next-generation building systems reflects her ambition to design responsibly as well as responsively. “I’m always questioning the “why and how” in my quest for high-performance, equitable design, to meet the needs of our clients and the diverse communities we serve in creative and inclusive ways,” says Julie.

In her 15+ years of experience managing complex projects such as large-scale commercial, residential and mixed-use towers, including New York’s One World Trade Center, she has worked with notable clients including Hines, Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Julie also has experience with hospitality, corporate interiors, and urban design projects. An HKS Vice President, Julie is an instructor at New York University’s Shack Institute of Real Estate, and she chairs the AIA Large Firm Roundtable sustainability group. Previously, she helped launch CASE, the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology. Julie volunteers with the International Living Future Institute and the Urban Green Council.

Braitmayer is the founder and managing principal of Studio Pacifica. With a professional focus on accessibility and her advocacy, she advises state agencies, local governments, school districts, developers and architects on accessibility for housing, commercial, retail, institutional and educational projects. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and served on the Advisory Board of the Northwest ADA Center and on the Board of the Northwest Center (for people with Developmental Disabilities).

Braitmayer received a BA from Rice University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Houston. Braitmayer served as a member of the Washington State Building Code Council from 1994 to 2001 and remains involved in the development and update of Washington State’s accessibility code. In September of 2010, President Obama appointed Ms. Braitmayer to the U.S. Access Board, an independent Federal agency that provides leadership in accessible design under the ADA and other laws.

Brad has 25+ years of experience in architecture. He is a principal at The McIntosh Group, a nationwide design firm specializing in accessibility and program management. Brad serves on the Oklahoma Board of Architects and is an active member of the ANSI A117.1 Consensus Committee on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Brad also runs AskBrad.info, a website regarding accessibility issues. As a certified AIA CES Provider, he is a regular speaker on accessibility.

Thomas Hirsch, FAIA, graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1968 (B. Arch). He is a Wisconsin-registered architect and land use planner.

In January 2011 he was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects for “original thinking, ethical responsibility and comprehensive approach to a wide range of human habitability issues [that] has resulted in precedent-setting standards for floodplain management, accommodations for persons with disabilities, and affordable housing that is highly energy efficient and incorporates renewable energy.”

He received the 2014 "Golden Award” from AIA Wisconsin, the state society of the American Institute of Architects, as “the consummate champion for community involvement and public service. “

Currently, Mr. Hirsch is self-employed, designing residential structures and performing site and building evaluations for accessibility and capital needs & cost segregation. Some recent projects include eight municipal and one tribal housing authorities’ revitalization & re-use utilizing Section 42 tax credit financing. He currently serves on the AIA Civic Leadership Committee, the City of Madison Downtown Coordinating Committee (2013-19), and the North Allen Street Condominium Association board of directors (2004-18).

Constance works for Grunley Construction, a general contractor that specializes in historic structures. Ms. Lai lends her expertise to both the Pre-Construction and Operations Departments, advising on preservation, conservation, and sustainability issues. She has extensive expertise in evaluating the significance of historic architectural features; coordinating and integrating traditional trades with new construction technologies and infrastructure; and managing the execution of restoration treatments. She is currently the Quality Control Manager for Phase 1 of the US Capitol Exterior Stone and Metals Preservation Project. She also worked on the Washington Monument Earthquake Repairs project and the modernization of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Theresa is a registered architect at IBI group focused on construction management in the greater New York City area.

Kristopher is the Assistant Director of Building Permitting and Sustainability for the City of Winter Park where he helps to direct the adoption of the City of Winter Park Sustainability Action Plan, as well as the selection of the City of Winter Park as finalist in the Georgetown Energy Prize.

Prior to employment with Winter Park Kris served as the Architect for the Orange County Department of Building Safety where he aided the Central Florida Energy Efficiency Alliance (CFEEA) in training college students who have served as Energy Specialist interns on how to utilize the Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark building energy usage. His efforts for CFEEA helped earn the Metro Plan Orlando Clean Air Award.  Kris also played an instrumental role in performing the registered architect verifications for the Energy Star labels for 12 different Orange County Public Schools. 

In 2012 he was honored as the US Green Building Council Central Florida Chapter Community LEEDer of the Year.

Kris currently serves on the American Institute of Architects Codes and Standards Committee, ICC Sustainability, Energy and High Performance Code Action Committee, and is currently the Secretary of the Central Florida Chapter of the Building Officials Association of Florida, and is as an adjunct faculty member for Valencia College and University of Central Florida.

Kristopher was raised in Central Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1999. After receiving his Masters of Architecture from Arizona State University in 2001, he and his wife Holly Stenger, AIA, moved to Orlando where they designed and constructed their own residence. The net-zero Energy Star home earned LEED Gold status, a Society of Registered Architects Bronze Medal, and is part of the first OUC Community Solar Farm. Kris and Holly have two children, Karmann and Maxwell.

Steven Winkel, FAIA, PE, CASp manages the San Francisco Bay Area office of The Preview Group, Inc., an architectural consulting firm that specializes in building code consulting and regulatory issues affecting designers. Steve has over 45 years’ experience as a licensed architect, civil engineer, landscape architect and certified access specialist. Steve is the author, along with noted illustrator Frank Ching, of the well‐received book Building Codes Illustrated for John Wiley & Sons, now in its fifth edition. Steve was recently reappointed by California Governor Jerry Brown to his fifth 4‐year term as the Architect Commissioner on the California Building Standards Commission. This commission reviews and approves the California amendments to model codes and publishes the state building construction codes, including California accessibility regulations.

Steve is also a member of the International Code Council (ICC) “General” Code Development Committee which hears testimony and votes on code changes for the International Building Code. His participation in the national code development process and on the Building Standards Commission gives Steve a unique understanding of building code and accessibility requirements and interpretation. He was for eight years a member of the City of Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission, and was chair of the commission during part of his term. He was also on the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) from 2009 through 2015.

A founding member of the The Preview Group, Inc., Dave has had a hand in virtually every project, particularly the large university and major building development projects. His extensive experience in numerous code-related organizations and activities, as well as his work on a wide spectrum of projects, is not only an invaluable asset to the firm and its clients, it has also garnered him a national reputation as an expert in codes and regulations. As consultant to the Codes Advocacy Program for The American Institute of Architects, he has participated in committee work for the International Code Council, National Fire Protection Association, Green Building Institute, Underwriters Laboratories, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, among others. Dave’s active involvement at all levels of the code development process allows him the opportunity to influence decisions that affect the regulatory environment throughout the United States, both now and in the future.

Maureen is a licensed architect with over twenty-five years of experience in energy efficient and green building design. She is the President of the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP), a nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes the adoption, implementation and advancement of building energy codes on the state, local, and international levels. BCAP is a proud project of the Trust for Conservation Innovation (TCI). 

Maureen oversees a nationwide campaign to support the development and adoption of current model energy codes. In addition, she directs several technical, outreach, and advocacy projects to help various stakeholder groups realize the benefits of energy codes and efficient buildings. Maureen has served on several energy and green construction code development boards, including the development committee for the International Green Construction Code, and this year will serve on the Public Hearing Committee for the Commercial Energy Code. In 2010 Maureen was awarded the President’s Award by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of a career dedicated to advancing building code adoption and enforcement, and incorporation of sustainability into regulated building practices. 

Maureen is a former member of the AIA Board of Directors and a former member of the AIA Codes and Standards Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Carnegie Mellon University.

Missy comes to AIAU as an ethics subject matter expert from the mental health discipline.  As a licensed professional counselor in Virginia, she has been training clinicians in ethical and evidence-based practices for over 25 years. Missy is a Clinical Quality Educator for NRI Inc., a behavioral health analytics firm. Prior to that, Missy was Director of Training for Region Ten Community Services Board, providing web-based and hybrid learning for a staff of 600 across 4 counties and the city of Charlottesville. Before joining Region Ten, she worked on a grant housed with Virginia Commonwealth University as a trainer to embed evidence based practices/ translational research applications in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Addiction Technology Transfer Center, a SAMHSA-CSAT funded center. A history of adjunct faculty positions include Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, North Carolina Governor’s School, and Virginia Summer Institute for Addiction Studies.

The interests Missy has as a collaborative trainer have extended in recent years to AIA Virginia in the Emerging Leaders in Architecture program and AIA's EMERGE by AIAU.

Susan Schaefer Kliman, PhD, AIA is an associate professor and Chair of Department of Architecture and Urban Sustainability at the University of the District of Columbia. Dr. Kliman has over 25 years of comprehensive industry and academic experience. In her current position, she provides oversight and leadership for the undergraduate and graduate programs in Urban Architecture and Community Planning, as well as the professional science master’s degrees in water resources management and urban sustainability. She also collaborates closely with the UDC Architectural Research Institute to ensure the successful implementation of the University’s strategic objectives in experiential and active learning.

Dr. Kliman currently teaches graduate design studios, and research methodologies. She has also taught courses in ethics and practice, construction systems and undergraduate design studios. Her research interests include the mitigation of the urban heat island effect through appropriate building design, and energy-efficiency through the integration of landscape and the structure. In addition to teaching and research, she has run a small practice for over 20 years. Her firm, Klimatic Architecture, specializes in high performance buildings and alternative building materials. She is involved in several professional organizations, including the AIA, NCARB and ACSA. Her volunteer efforts focus on the training of emerging professionals and the regulation of practice.  

Dr. Kliman received her Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University, and her Master of Architecture and PhD in Arid Lands Resource Sciences from the University of Arizona. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, holds professional licenses in Virginia, Maryland, Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora, Mexico, and an NCARB certificate.

Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA is a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, and is the Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program. This research effort, which began in 1995, is the first comprehensive analysis of U.S. remodeling activity ever undertaken by the Joint Center. Its goal is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamics of the U.S. repair and renovation industry so that businesses can better take advantage of the opportunities that this market offers. Baker is also the Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C. In this capacity he analyzes business and construction trends for the U.S. economy, and examines their impact on AIA members and the architectural profession.

Prior to joining the Joint Center, Baker was vice-president and director of the economics department at Reed Business Information where he was responsible for industry forecasting. During his ten years at Reed he developed the Top U.S. Construction Market Report, and served as editor of the Reed Business Information's Construction Market Forecast newsletter.

Baker received his master's degree in urban planning from Harvard University, and holds a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the same field.

Andrea Love is a Principal and the Director of Building Science at Payette, the 2019 AIA Firm Award recipient for their work fusing design and building performance and has worked on four recent COTE Top Ten Award winning projects.  At Payette, she integrates building performance into all of their work and leads their internal research efforts. She was the Principal Investigator on the AIA Upjohn Grant research grant focused on thermal bridging and lead the development of Payette’s Glazing and Winter Comfort tool. She is a Lecturer at MIT and Harvard on building performance, and has her BArch from Carnegie Mellon and a Masters in Building Technology from MIT where she was the recipient of the Tucker-Voss Award. She was recently on AIA COTE Advisory Group, is a past chair of the AIA 2030 Working Group, and currently serves as on the board of the Boston Society of Architects. She was a 2017 recipient of the AIA Young Architect Award and is a LEED Fellow.

Jason Vollen is High Performance Buildings Practice Leader for the Americas and the State + Local + Cities Market Sector Leader for the New York Metro Region at AECOM.  Prior to joining AECOM Jason was a tenured professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he served as the associate director for the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology, an industrial/academic alliance between Rensselaer and SOM. Jason’s work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the American Institute of Architects. He has won numerous awards for next generation building systems design and has multiple building system patents under review. Jason received his B.Arch from The Cooper Union, His M.Arch II from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and is currently a doctoral candidate his at T.U.Delft.