Thursday, April 30 | 8-9:30 a.m.
Say What?: Effective Multigenerational Communication
Opening Plenary Speaker: Kristy Shinn, MS, CIT, Training & Development Manager, RETTEW
Kristy Shinn, MS, CIT, is an accomplished entrepreneur, trainer, and presenter in the Human Capital space. As the Training & Development Manager at RETTEW, Kristy is developing and expanding training to impact all areas of our lives - from Leadership to Culture and Communication. Kristy is a captivating speaker, blending a mix of laughter, vulnerability, and challenging reflection. Her thought-provoking presentations leave attendees with action items and supportive tools to move forward.
Thursday, April 30 | 4:30–5:30 p.m.
Afternoon Plenary Panel - The Future of Engineering: How AI is Reshaping the Industry
Moderator: Marc Hoit, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for IT and CIO, NC State University
Dr. Marc Hoit is the Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and CIO at NC State University. Hoit held numerous administrative positions at the University of Florida including Interim CIO, Director of Student PeopleSoft Implementation, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Administration and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering. He is a Professor of Structural Engineering in the Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department at NC State. Hoit received his B.S. from Purdue University, M.S. and Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley. He was the PI for DIGGS, an international standard XML schema for transferring transportation information and data, funded by the Federal Highway Association. His structural engineering research developed the computer program, FB-MultiPier, which performs non-linear analysis of bridge piers, superstructure and pile foundations subjected to dynamic loading.
Dr. Hoit has been dedicating effort towards facilitation in supporting strategic plan development as well as training others to facilitate. His initial training was in 1995. Since then, he has lead the development of strategic plans for many engineering groups including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Infrastructure Advancement Institute (IAI), American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI), American Association of Environmental and Environmental Science Professors (AEESP). He and his training partner created the Facilitri.org organization to help in leadership development and train others to facilitate including IAI, Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) and others.
Afternoon Plenary Panel - The Future of Engineering: How AI is Reshaping the Industry
Speaker: Rob Otani, P.E., CTO and Managing Principal, Thorton Tomassetti
Rob Otani, P.E., is Chief Technology Officer at Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., a 1700+ person multidisciplinary engineering and applied science firm, and founded the CORE studio, a digital design, application development, AI, and R&D group at his firm. He has 30 years of structural design experience involving commercial, infrastructure, institutional, cultural and residential structures on projects totaling over $3 billion USD of construction and has led numerous software applications including Konstru, Design Explorer, Beacon, and the first ML-powered structural engineering application Asterisk in the industry.
Speaker: Markus Weidner
Markus Weidner serves as Chief Innovation Officer for Pennoni, a 1500 person consulting engineering firm headquartered in Philadelphia, with offices and projects throughout the United States. Markus holds a strong belief that innovation and creativity supply the necessary differentiators for modern businesses. With that principle in mind, he works with teams on a wide variety of projects that serve to both improve the experience of Pennoni colleagues and deliver cutting edge technologies and creative design solutions to clients.
Before joining Pennoni as Chief Innovation Officer in 2017, he held several technology management positions at both Pennoni as well as related industry companies during his career. His work included client directed custom software development, transformational ERP implementations, HRIS system rollouts, and Project Collaboration Systems modernization.
He currently serves on several boards, including the Industry Leaders Council of ASCE as well as the role of vice-Chair on the ACEC Technology Committee.
Weidner attended Temple University for both his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering as well as a Masters in Management Information Systems.
Speaker: M.Z. Naser, Ph.D., P.E., Assistant Professor, Clemson University
Dr. M.Z. Naser is a professional engineer and an assistant professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at Clemson University, and a faculty member of the AI Research Institute for Science and Engineering (AIRISE). Dr. Naser's research creates causal and explainable machine learning methodologies to modernize our infrastructure. He has co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, including a textbook on machine learning for civil and environmental engineers. He has been listed as one of the world's 2% most impactful researchers since 2022.
Speaker: Abhinav Gupta, Ph.D., Director, Center for Nuclear Energy Facilities Structures, NC State University
Professor Abhinav Gupta is the Director of industry sponsored Center for Nuclear Energy Facilities and Structures at NC State University. For the past three years, he has been serving as the CEO of PowerN that develops Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality enabled digital engineering solutions for design-construction integration and management of high-precision construction projects. Prof. Gupta serves on the Board of International Association of Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology and on the Advisory Board of European Commission consortium METIS for developing technology driven risk management solutions. He has won best paper awards at ASME and ANS conferences. In ASCE, he has served on the Editorial Board of Journal of Structural Engineering and Chaired technical committee on Emerging Computing Technologies.
Friday, May 1 | 8-8:45 a.m.
Fireside Chat
The Human Equation: Human Nature and Cultural Dynamics in Infrastructure Delivery
Speaker: Andrea Galli, Group CEO, ARX Group
Andrea Galli began his career as a civil engineer in southern Switzerland in the early 2000s, inspired by the belief that infrastructure can quietly transform the lives of entire communities. After helping grow his first firm to 400 people and supporting its sale, he joined a Swedish engineering group and led expansion across Africa and Asia, discovering the strength of decentralized leadership and diverse cultures.
In 2019, he founded his own company, later expanding into real estate and general contracting. Since 2021, he has been co-owner and CEO of ARX, guiding its evolution into a global network of more than 2,000 professionals in over 30 countries. He serves as president of Suisse.ing and was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year Switzerland 2024.
Driven by curiosity, Andrea explores quantum theories, learns languages to connect with people, makes wine, plays the trumpet and paints, blending creativity and science to better understand the world.
Friday, May 1 | 4:15–5:30 p.m.
Closing Plenary & SEI Awards Program
Changing the World for the Better Through Engineering Leadership
Speaker: Tanya De Hoog, Chief of Engineering, Eminence & Innovation Officer, Aurecon
Tanya De Hoog, 2024 President of the Institution of Structural Engineers and Chief Engineer, Eminence and Innovation Officer at Aurecon, is a structural engineer with nearly 30 years of experience working on a diverse range of award winning and landmark projects globally. Based in Sydney, Australia, De Hoog leads efforts to empower engineers and designers at international design, engineering and advisory company Aurecon to consistently deliver technical excellence in a changing industry and attain eminence as leaders in their respective fields. In 2006 she founded Thornton Tomasetti's London office and until recently was a senior leader in their New York HQ. She also holds positions at Imperial College, London Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Industry Advisory Board, and University of Cambridge, Department of Architecture, MDes Advisory Board. De Hoog is committed to raising awareness of the vital role structural engineers play in driving climate action, ensuring public safety, and making a positive impact on people's lives through their work.