Kristi Avalos, President/CEO of Accessology Too, LLC, is a nationally renowned leader in providing accessibility consulting services and is a sought-after speaker with a knack for using an upbeat approach to help others understand the complexities of ADA compliance. With over 40 years of experience, she provides expert witnessing on ADA, 504, Federal Housing Administration, and Air Carrier Access Act legal cases. Kristi has been involved with the United States Access Board, Department of Justice, and other agencies and organizations that have shaped accessibility legislation and trends since the early 1980’s. In 1990 Kristi founded Accessology Too, LLC which is a national leader in providing accessibility consulting services and is one of the largest U.S. firms dedicated solely to access issues. With Accessology, Kristi has worked on accessibility compliance with numerous multi‐million-dollar projects, including education institutions of every type and size, during all stages from schematics to construction. Since 2005 Accessology has specialized in the development, execution, and monitoring of the required ADA Transition Plans for Title II entities to help them avoid access-related litigation since so much litigation is tied to not having a Transition Plan on file. Kristi Avalos and her team at Accessology are committed to removing structural and attitudinal barriers that adversely impact people with disabilities

Mr. Dipner holds degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Computer Science from Ohio State University. He is a founder of Meeting the Challenge, Inc. and has conducted ADA Self-Evaluations and Transition Plans and over 200 facility accessibility surveys. Mr. Dipner is a member of the U.S. Access Board ADAAG Review Committee for a review and rewrite of the ADAAG, the U.S. Access Board Federal Advisory Committee on Accessible Electronic and Information Technology, and the ANSI A117.1 Working Group on dwelling unit accessibility.

As a Principal and a Design Realization Leader for Gensler’s Southwest Region, Warwick thrives on the technical aspects of architecture. Warwick is part of the leadership team for the Los Angeles Hospitality studio, where his passion for delivering large-scale projects with complex teams is evidenced in the success of recent work. As a member of the Gensler’s BIM Oversight Committee, he contributes to elevating the firm’s technology standards and approach to integrated project delivery.

Mr. Schmidt, Principal at Semple Brown P.C., is responsible for the success of a wide range of project types, from conception through completion. Project experience highlights include the King Performing Arts Center, Designscapes Colorado's offices, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Kent Denver School Student Center for the Arts , RedLine Center for Contemporary Art, Kent Denver School Dining Hall, Pueblo Memorial Hall Renovation and Addition.

Mike Janas has more than 16 years of experience as a project architect on multiple building types. With his strong technical background and comprehensive experience with interiors, renovations and large-scale hospitality projects, Mike bridges the gap between technical and design roles. A strong communicator, Mike points to large scale resort projects such as Grand Hyatt Incheon in Korea and Westin Denver Airport as the jobs that helped him recognize and hone his skill for managing relationships among clients, consultants, and contractors. Recognized as specialist in hotel planning and programming, Mike consults with project teams in other offices to bring his knowledge of brand and hotel operations to all of Gensler’s hospitality projects. As a Design Realization leader for Gensler’s Los Angeles office, and a Technical Director for the office, Mike ensures quality of project delivery, integration between technical, design, and management disciplines. Mike travels internationally as much as he can, sampling cultures and broadening his horizons. He loves the architecture of London, the urban life of Shanghai, and the resorts of Thailand.

Marcela Abadi Rhoads, FAIA RAS is the owner of Abadi Accessibility, an accessibility consulting firm that is dedicated to educating the building industry about the laws of accessibility. She is the author of “The ADA Companion Guide” and “Applying the ADA” published by John Wiley and Sons. She is a registered architect and accessibility specialist in Texas. 

Peter Huitzacua has been the Manager of Accessibility and Operations at Carnegie Hall since 2008. He oversees all aspects of concert production (back-of- and front-of-house) and the management of the facility to ensure successful events in three auditoriums and several event spaces. He has been a regular participant since 2012 at The Kennedy Center’s annual conference on Arts and Disability.

Matt Lescher joined CCI in 2007. He has provided accessibility consultation on numerous projects that include retail, mixed-use, covered malls, lifestyle centers, corporate campus, education, high-rise office and residential, cultural, large assembly and sports venue occupancies. Accessibility Consultation services include: review plans for compliance with local and federal accessibility requirements; performs evaluations of design alternatives as an equivalent facilitation to the standards; and provides on-site investigation of existing conditions for compliance with accessibility safety requirements

Ms. Murdock joined CCI in 1998 and is a Principal of the code consultation division. Primary responsibilities for fire protection, life safety, and accessibility consultation services include: Evaluations of performance-based design alternatives; Documenting building code requirements and fire protections concepts for presentation to building and fire officials, and for use by the project design team; Performing plan reviews; Participating in testing and commissioning of fire protection and life safety systems.

James L.E. Terry, AIA, CASp is CEO of Evan Terry Associates and has specialized in ADA compliance and accessible design for the last 23 years. Mr. Terry has worked with public entities, private corporations (including 9 of the Fortune 20), the U.S. Congress, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and federal agencies (including the Department of Justice, the Access Board, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Transportation, and others). He has led Evan Terry Associates in writing 15 books and software programs on the ADA and state access standards facilities compliance and universal design. Mr. Terry has testified about Construction Tolerances and Acceptable Measurements in several state and national ADA lawsuits and has worked on projects involving the US Department of Justice where Construction Tolerances had to be applied. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of ADA Coordinators.

Bill is a graduate of LSU and an architect (Colorado, Alabama, Louisiana & Georgia Licenses) specializing in facility access compliance. He began working in this area of expertise while at Evan Terry Associates, Inc. just after the ADA was passed in 1990. He has extensive experience in ADA and Fair Housing Act litigation and since 1994 has been one of a handful of architect expert witnesses retained on behalf of the US Department of Justice in ADA and FHA investigations and law suits. He was a defense expert for the California Department of Transportation and the City and County of Honolulu in major ADA curb ramp litigation and testified for the defense at the 2011 ADA trial against the City and County of San Francisco. He was a member of the US Access Board's Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Advisory Committee and consults extensively on facility compliance issues around the nation.

For many years he as been an Instructor in the Office of Executive Education at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design conducting workshops alongside Jim Terry, AIA on ADA and Fair Housing Act issues during summer sessions.

More than 30 years ago, Mr. Mazz started his accessibility career with the University of Maryland's Section 504 Transition Plan. Since then, he has been responsible for the accessibility projects in his private practice and in the offices of Edwin F. Ball, AIA and Celentano Esposito & Associates. Also, Mr. Mazz has collaborated with other nationally known "accessibility firms" including Ron Mace and Barrier Free Environments. His major clients have included the Architect of the Capitol, other Federal agencies, and Howard County Public School System, housing developers and architects. In his eight years with the Federal Government, Mr. Mazz was an architect in DOJ’s Housing and Civil Enforcement and Disability Rights Sections and the senior advisor on accessibility issues in HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. More than 70% of his career has focused on accessibility.

For the past 13 years, Mr. Mazz has focused exclusively on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), and accessible design issues. Prior to federal employment, he belonged to several disability organizations and donated services through the Spinal Cord Injury Network of Metropolitan Washington and Independence Now, Inc. He continues to donate services through the Maryland Disability Law Center. Additionally, Mr. Mazz is a board member of CALMRA, a community based residential service provider for adults with cognitive disabilities.

David Ballast, FAIA, CSI, NCARB, NCIDQ is the author of Handbook of Construction Tolerances, 2nd ed. and has consulted with the Access Board to attempt the development of industry standard construction tolerances to which ADAAG can refer. Mr. Ballast completed a research project for the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences to study and recommend suggested tolerances for right-of-way construction. Mr. Ballast has also provided expert witness consulting in the area of construction tolerances.

He is the author of numerous magazine articles and 16 books including four volumes of study guides for the Architect Registration Examination. Other books include Interior Design Reference Manual, A Guide to the NCIDQ Exam, Interior Construction and Detailing for Designers and Architects, The Encyclopedia of Associations and Information Sources for Architects, Designers, and Engineers, and the Architect’s Handbook of Construction Detailing, 2nd ed.

Mr. Ballast holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree with special honors (1971) from the University of Colorado and has over 35 years of experience in the architectural and interior design professions. He is owner of Architectural Research Consulting, a consulting firm offering applied research, technical advice, specifications, and information management services to architects, interior designers, and others in the construction industry.