Speaker Bio: Christopher Meyer is a principal at Atelier Mey, a design practice interested in confronting the realities of the built environment, the work of Atelier Mey strives to be conscious and generative. Architectural explorations are informed by cultural and environmental narratives and driven by a collaborative design process. A tireless search for the embedded logics of material and place connects our building to the people and the environments they emerge from. In conjunction with leading Atelier Mey, Chris Meyer is an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture and the director of the Littoral Urbanism Lab [LU_Lab].

Speaker Bio: David Roueche is an Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Auburn University. His research focuses on characterizing and modeling the performance of low-rise buildings under extreme winds, with particular emphasis on timber structures.

Speaker Bio: Devon Dartnell has worked for the Georgia Forestry Commission for 19 years in various positions including wild land firefighter, Director of Field Operations and currently as Director of Research & Market Analysis. Prior to his employment with the Forestry Commission, he worked for 16 years in the oil exploration and drilling business. He worked on offshore drilling rigs as an engineer in South America, Gulf of Mexico, Africa, Asia, and as a manager in Alaska, Canada, and Texas. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Brian Via is Regions Bank Professor and Director of the Forest Products Development Center (FPDC) since 2012. This Center is the hub for scholarly research and economic development in the forest products industry for areas like cross laminated timber (CLT). Dr. Via has over $32MM in research grants and contracts and he holds two patents on using soy flour for substitution into wood adhesives used for many products including CLT. He has also recently published a paper predicting the “live” price of lumber based on internet search behavior, which can be useful for CLT business managers. He is currently working with the College of Engineering to understand the life cycle of hybrid steel and CLT buildings and has a post doc working on testing adhesives for CLT from southern pine and using acoustics to find downed timber that is suitable for products like CLT.

Speaker Bio: Chris Isaacson has served as the President and CEO of the Alabama Forestry Association for 16 years and is responsible for all operations of the Association as well as a number of affiliated organizations and foundations. Over his career, Chris has worked in the forest products industry in land management, wood procurement, corporate planning and corrugated container plant management. He has also served on the faculty of Auburn University and, most recently, was a partner in a wood supply company with harvesting, woodyard, and sawmill operations in Alabama and Georgia. Chris currently serves as President of the Forest Workforce Training Institute. He also serves on numerous Boards including the Alabama Forestry Foundation, Alabama Forest Products Industry Workmen’s Compensation Fund, AFA Health and Welfare Plan Trust, Alabama Forests Forever Foundation, Alabama Log-a-Load for Kids Foundation and the Alabama Forest Resources Center. He received a BS in wildlife management and MS in forest ecology from
Auburn University. Chris currently holds designations as a Registered Forester and Certified Wildlife Biologist. Chris and his wife Kathy live in Opelika, Alabama and have 7 children and 4 grandchildren.

Speaker Bio: Kadir Sener, Ph.D., P.E., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Auburn University. His primary research interests are investigating the behavior and design of concrete, steel, and timber structures subjected to demands arising from seismic, fire, impactive-impulsive, and fatigue loading. In the past, he has led multiple research projects pertaining to various types of structures; including nuclear power plant, high-rise building, and bridge structures. Dr. Sener is currently leading several research projects by conducting large-scale experimental and computational evaluations on innovative composite structural systems that utilize innovative materials/combinations for implementation in civil-structural engineering applications.

Speaker Bio: Colin is a Professional Engineer in the United States and Canada and a Principal at RDH Building Science. Colin has a broad knowledge of building construction and applies building science principles to analyze and design durable, energy-efficient building enclosures. Colin has consulted on numerous mass timber projects, and shares his experience by regularly speaking about topics related to mass timber and building enclosures at events across the United States.

Speaker Bio: As a Principal with Cooper Carry, Brian Campa provides design leadership across a diverse range of building types. He leads by focusing on the principles of innovation and the desire to craft a genuine experience through inspirational architecture. He masterfully integrates visionary designs with functional approaches for higher education and science + technology projects. He has expertise in mass timber projects, a green and sustainable method for creating buildings that truly reflect the context and environment of a place. Above all, he creates spaces that enrich communities and foster interaction among users.

Speaker Bio: Annie works to inspire and advance positive change by accelerating sustainable development through the use of certified wood products. Experience in product transparency, climate change, and the circular economy, coupled with a passion to improve communities, supports that mission. As an accredited LEED Green Associate, Chair U.S. Green Building Council MN, and Councilmember, Annie casts a wide net in efforts to improve the world. A love for all living things fuels her work and play - where you’ll find her skiing or biking in the mountains or chillaxing along the banks of the National Wild & Scenic St. Croix River.

Speaker Bio: Aaron Gould has 20+ years of international experience in building design and construction. He is now engaged in his 10th year leading sustainability efforts at VaproShield. Examples from his project CV, include: hospitals, hotels, high rises, mixed-use, net-zero/passive builds, government facilities, art museums, historic restorations, higher ed., and the occasional treehouse. He lives outside of Chattanooga, TN, with his wife and children. Aaron’s professional focus with mass timber is fostering a spirit of collaboration with amazing people to achieve resilient, regenerative buildings. "If a building leaks, it is not sustainable." Aaron is a member of: midfulMaterials, WMF, IIBEC, ILFI, NIBS/BEC, ABAA, TVOS, RAiNA, and Green|Spaces.

Speaker Bio: Shawna Meyer is a founding principal of Atelier Mey architecture practice based in Miami, FL and a faculty member at the University of Miami School of Architecture. The work of Atelier Mey acknowledges an obligation to confront the blase attitude towards architectural decision making, responsible for shaping the natural and built environments. Her work in practice, teaching and research exists at the confluence of social, cultural, economic and environmental forces. The overarching trajectory of Shawna’s career has been in pursuit of architectural attunement through the lens of energetics, matter, and the craft in their assembly. As principals of Atelier Mey, Shawna and Christopher received a 2021 AIA Honor Award for Sustainable Architects of the Year from Miami AIA chapter.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Elaine Oneil serves as the Director of Science and Sustainability for CORRIM (Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials), a university research consortium that has spent 26 years conducting life cycle inventory and life cycle assessments on wood products from cradle to grave. Dr. Oneil has spent nearly 40 years in the forest sector including operational forestry and management, conducting research on climate change, timber supply modeling and analysis, forest carbon dynamics, life cycle assessment of forest operations and wood products, and integrating these elements within a policy and economic framework.

Speaker Bio: Tom S. Chung FAIA, is a Principal at Leers Weinzapfel Associates, recipient of AIA Firm Award and Professor of Practice in Architecture at Auburn University. Tom is a national leader in mass timber architecture and education. His mass timber projects include the Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst, recipient of the AIA COTE Award and Adohi Hall at the University of Arkansas, recipient of the AIA National Housing Award. Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in the US, he received his degrees in Architecture at the University of Virginia and Harvard University and currently serves on the board of WoodWorks.

Speaker Bio: Jeff Morrow is a mass timber industry advocate and 25+ year veteran in the construction industry who pioneered the 1st CLT Hotel in the US and the 1st Zero Energy Duplex in the US. He has worked in public-private partnerships with the Department of Defense and worked across military, university, commercial, hospitality, single-family and multi-family residential construction sectors. A nationally recognized leader in mass timber, Jeff was an integral collaborator in the testing of fire and blast performance of Cross Laminated Timber and worked toward the expansion of 2021 International Building Code to allow for taller timber buildings. He was recognized by Professional Builder Magazine’s “40 Under 40” awards and has been featured in multiple webinars, conferences and green building events showcasing mass timber. He also received the Patriotic Public Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Army. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in Building Construction Management from Purdue University.

Melinda has worked with the Archery Trade Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, National Sporting Library & Museum, Outdoor Channel, The Land Report, Southern Group of State Foresters, and Association of Consulting Foresters.