Vision & strategy sessions
The Future of Mobility: Connecting People and Commerce in Greater Philadelphia
Moderator: Kevin Brown
Transportation powers Philadelphia’s future. As the region plans for growth through 2035, connecting communities to the goods and services they rely on is more critical than ever. This panel convenes visionary leaders from across the city’s transportation ecosystem—highways, transit, rail, port, and airport—for a rare, candid conversation on the bold collaborations reshaping Philadelphia’s infrastructure. Panelists will share insights on investment priorities, interagency innovation, and the transformative work underway to build a more resilient, equitable, and connected city.
Global Lessons, Local Impact: Rethinking U.S. Infrastructure Investment
Moderator: Norma Jean Mattei
Global infrastructure is evolving—and the U.S. has a chance to lead. Around the world, cities are investing in high-speed rail, green ports, and climate-ready design to boost resilience and quality of life. This session brings together global executives, investors, and policy experts to explore international funding trends and breakthrough innovations. Panelists will share bold models of collaboration and design that are reshaping infrastructure—and offer actionable insights for how the U.S. can adapt global best practices to build smarter, more connected systems.
Financing Resilience: How Investors are Shaping the Nation’s Infrastructure
Moderator: David Odeh
Resilience is redefining risk. As climate change and emerging technologies reshape infrastructure, financial institutions are evolving how they assess value. This session brings together leaders in banking, investment, and insurance to explore how resilience is being integrated into decision-making—from ESG frameworks to scenario planning and adaptive design. Panelists will share real-world examples of projects that secured funding by prioritizing long-term sustainability, offering insights into how the industry is balancing risk, return, and societal impact to build a future-ready built environment
Resilience Reimagined: Community Recovery after Disaster Strikes
Moderator: Craig Ruyle
Rebuilding stronger starts now. As disasters grow more frequent and severe, civil engineering leaders face a critical challenge: how to rebuild smarter, faster, and more sustainably. This session brings together experts from government, industry, and community organizations to share bold strategies for recovery—highlighting innovative financing, inclusive engagement, and climate-informed design. Attendees will gain insights into how resilient rebuilding can protect communities and accelerate recovery after crisis.
Engineering the Future: Harnessing Digital Transformation in Civil Engineering
Moderator: Norma Jean Mattei
Civil engineering is going digital. From AI and digital twins to drones and predictive analytics, emerging technologies are transforming how infrastructure is designed, built, and maintained. This session brings together industry leaders to explore how tech-driven innovation is optimizing performance, boosting sustainability, and reshaping the asset lifecycle. Panelists will share real-world examples, strategies for overcoming adoption barriers, and insights on aligning infrastructure investments with digital transformation.
Engineering the Future of the A/E/C Workforce
Moderator: Kevin Brown
Engineering the future starts with talent. As infrastructure demands grow and technology evolves, engineering leaders must rethink workforce strategies. This session brings together voices from academia, industry, and government to explore how to attract diverse talent, modernize training, and foster inclusive pathways. Panelists will share bold ideas for mentorship, digital fluency, and policy innovation—ensuring the next generation is ready to lead in a rapidly changing world.
Engineering Pathways to Sustainability
Moderator: Stacey Kulesza
Sustainability demands bold engineering. To meet ambitious goals, engineers must go beyond traditional practices—balancing materials, energy, equity, and climate resilience. This session explores the barriers to sustainable design and showcases real-world projects that prove what’s possible. Panelists will share strategies for navigating trade-offs, driving innovation, and leading the shift toward a more sustainable built environment.
Innovation and Risk in Mega Projects
Moderator: David Odeh
Communities across the United States and around the world are reimagining their urban identity through transformative infrastructure. Explore how visionary design, advanced construction methods, and financial modeling are converging to shape ambitious developments. Megaprojects throughout the Philadelphia region exemplify these trends – hear successes and lessons learned from executives on projects as varied as the Navy Yard expansion, the proposed retractable-roof stadium, and Penn’s Landing I-95 CAP.
Revitalizing the Nation’s Cities
Moderator: Judith Mitrani-Reiser
Despite changes in population, transportation, technology, and almost every other facet of American life, our cities remain economic engines and powerful sources of identity. So what’s next, and who’ll be there when it happens? Civil engineers will be at the heart of the transformation – we bring you experts who have been at the center of urban revitalization and can guide us on where to go from here!
Cyber Resilience in the Age of Smart Cities
Moderator: Judith Mitrani-Reiser
Future Proofing Your Community
Moderator: Judith Mitrani-Reiser
It’s time to rethink how we build-and rebuild. Civil engineering leaders must confront tough questions and bold challenges to create future-proof infrastructure. This session brings together public works executives, strategists, and resilience experts to explore transformative approaches, featuring case studies from U.S. cities and global conflict zones. Attendees will gain actionable insights to safeguard communities and drive innovation in the built environment.
Energy Outlook
Moderator: Craig Ruyle
No matter how energy is generated, our society faces questions surrounding transmission and storage – and that’s where the civil engineering community comes in. Join us for a look ahead at energy infrastructure with leading experts from the engineering and utility sectors. Be sure to generate some of your own ideas in advance to stimulate discussion!
Building a Resilient Infrastructure Team
Moderator: Stacey Kulesza
How can you more effectively attract and retain top talent in the field? Be inspired to lead your firm forward by fostering a culture of resilience, adaptability, and engagement. Hear from industry leaders on how their organizations are addressing burnout, strengthening their pipelines for early-career engineers, and reimagining leadership for a multigenerational workforce spectrum.
Small Business Owner Roundtable
Moderator: David Odeh
Not every firm is a giant, and not every firm faces the same day-to-day and strategic issues. This panel session focuses on the realities facing startups that aim to mature into small engineering companies. Finance? Mergers and acquisitions? Technology development? Funding? All these topics and more will be discussed in this forum.
Wins Contracts, and Protects Your ROI: Insurance Drives Trust
Moderator: Craig Ruyle
In today’s high-stakes civil engineering environment, insurance isn’t just a safeguard; it’s a strategic differentiator. From multimillion-dollar infrastructure projects to municipal partnerships, clients scrutinize coverage as a proxy for credibility, reliability, and risk management maturity. Whether you’re navigating liability, negotiating terms, or positioning your firm for growth, this session will help you turn insurance from a cost center into a competitive advantage.