Real-World AI for Construction

Anirban Basu is the Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, an economic and policy consulting firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland with an office in Orlando, Florida.

In 2014, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan appointed him Chair of the Maryland Economic Development Commission (2014-2021). He serves as Chairman of the Baltimore County Economic Advisory Committee. He also serves the chief economist function for Associated Builders and Contractors, the Construction Financial Management Association, the Modular Building Institute, the Maryland Bankers Association, the International Food Distributors Association, and several others.

In 2007, 2016, and 2022, the Daily Record newspaper selected Dr. Basu as one of Maryland’s 50 most influential people. The Baltimore Business Journal named him one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders in 2010.

Dr. Basu is currently on the boards of the University of Maryland School of Law, St. Mary’s College, the University of Maryland Medical Center, the University System of Maryland Foundation, the Lyric Opera House, the B&O Railroad Museum, and the Center Club. He is also on Truist Bank’s advisory board.

Dr. Basu earned his B.S. in Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He earned his Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his Master’s in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He acquired his Juris Doctor at the University of Maryland School of Law. He completed his doctoral work at UMBC with a concentration in health economics.

He has lectured at several universities, including Johns Hopkins University and Goucher College.

Steve Jones leads the Industry Insights Research team at Dodge that conducts focused studies on how emerging economic, practice and technology trends are transforming the global design and construction industry. In addition to hundreds of speaking engagements around the world and numerous articles in industry publications, Steve is the Executive Editor of Dodge’s SmartMarket Report series on key industry trends, which are distributed worldwide and frequently cited as authoritative references.  

Steve holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Johns Hopkins University. He has a track record of active leadership in many industry initiatives and serves as a judge for numerous industry awards.    

Before joining Dodge in 2003, Steve was Vice President of Primavera Systems (now part of Oracle), a global leader in project management software. Before that, Steve spent 19 years in creative and management roles with top architectural/engineering firms, most recently as a Principal and Board of Directors member with Burt Hill, one of the largest A/E firms in the US (now merged with Stantec).  

For over 16 years, Stephanie Lemek has helped
organizations build stronger cultures, align talent with business
goals, and create workplaces where people can thrive.
Stephanie's background spans Fortune 500 companies, mission-driven
startups, and a strong focus on industrial and blue-collar
environments, including construction, engineering, and
manufacturing. She understand the realities of shift work, physical
labor, and high-performance expectations — and knows that the
way we support our people must be as practical as it is strategic.
Time and time again, Stephanie has seen that traditional workplace models
don’t always reflect the needs of the people doing the work —
especially on the shop floor, out in the field, or behind the wheel.
That’s where she come in.
As a consultant, coach, and speaker, Stephanie helps organizations in highpressure industries build resilient teams, reduce burnout, and
embed mental health into the way work gets done. Her approach is
grounded, people-centered, and aligned to the real world — not just
a playbook. 

Bhragan Paramanantham is a Civil Engineer with AECOM and was seconded as an Innovation Advisor on the $13B Level Crossing Removal Project, where he helped lead AI capability uplift initiatives for engineers on-site. Currently on sabbatical, he is the Founder of Last Week in ConTech, a media venture spotlighting construction technology and innovation trends across the US, EMEA, and APAC. He is also Head of Content at Formwork Labs, a ConTech accelerator backed by Brick & Mortar Ventures, where he leads content and co-hosts The Startup Scaffold podcast.

Alyson Pisarcik is a Cybersecurity Manager at Echelon, specializing in Governance, Risk, and Compliance. Alyson has deep experience supporting cybersecurity transformation efforts for both large enterprises and small teams. She has led vCISO engagements, cybersecurity gap assessments, tabletop exercises, and the development of custom training programs. Prior to joining Echelon, Alyson held consulting roles at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 and Accenture, where she supported clients across a wide range of cybersecurity initiatives. 

Peter has 32 years of experience leading the design and construction program at the University of Arizona with over $3B in capital development. He also participates in multiple industry associations and organizations and provides job pursuit consulting and "owner perspective" training.

As Program Manager, Ellie leads with a strategic, client-centered approach. She is focused on aligning business goals with design and construction outcomes through early collaboration, clear processes, and disciplined execution. Recognized as a 40 Under 40 honoree, Ellie is passionate about building stronger communities and empowering the next generation of industry leaders. She actively advocates for diversity in construction and has served on numerous boards, including the AGC Workforce Development Committee, Girls Inc., and the Food Bank for the Heartland.

A recognized AI thought leader, Hugh spent 20 years in technology marketing, and 4 years at the Construction Specifications Institute as GM of technology and licensing. Hugh has been building AI products since 2017, and organized a number of meetups, webinars and hosts a Youtube channel, “AI in Construction,” as well as a podcast, “Constructed Futures.”

Andy Jackson specializes in AI and sustainability applications, such as Maximo, TRIRIGA, CE, and IoT, for natural resources, federal government, and Caribbean markets.

His mission is to help clients achieve their operational, environmental, and financial goals by providing them with innovative and effective solutions that leverage IBM's cutting-edge technology and expertise. 

Rob combine two decades of construction safety leadership with deep expertise in technology and mental fitness to help the industry build stronger, safer, and more resilient teams. His mission is simple: reduce human risk and improve safety performance by equipping construction professionals with the mental, emotional, and technological tools to thrive in demanding environments. Signature achievements include delivering cognitive fitness training that has helped field teams improve safety awareness, decision-making under stress, and overall resilience — resulting in measurable reductions in incidents and improved project performance. 

Tom has designed and implemented Project and Risk Management Systems in construction, transportation, and defense. His mission is to steer Project Controls toward true analysis, rather than distracting intricacies of data management.

Tom comments “I see excessive manual, repetitive work being performed for the sake of project planning and forecasting. A focus on automation combined with an understanding of risk will yield results which reduce routine leg-work and aid in developing quality, achievable project plans. I see many ‘analyst’ job titles, but how often do folks perform analysis? Typically they’re moving data or ‘crunching numbers.’ It’s time for change.”

Brian Moore is a transformational entrepreneur with a passion for innovation and customer value. He is the co-founder and President of Kahua, the creator of the world’s only collaborative network for real estate and construction project management. He helps the world’s leading owners, contractors, architects and engineers to profitably deliver and manage the highest performance capital projects at the lowest possible lifecycle cost. Prior to Kahua, Brian was co-founder of Constructware, the first cloud-based SaaS solution for construction project management. Constructware was acquired by Autodesk in 2006, and Brian served on the Autodesk executive team following the acquisition. He was also co-founder and President of Compliance 360, where he helped major corporations to streamline and manage their risk and compliance programs. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.