Hear from the
Voices of Construction
Free Online Conference / December 4, 2025
Presented by

Learn what’s working and what's next in capital project delivery.
What to Expect
From big-picture industry insights to technology sessions, the Build Forward schedule is designed to give you flexibility and choice.
Check out some example topics below.
Industry Track: Shaping the Future of Construction
- Becoming a Data-Centric Owner
- Safety in Construction
- From IC to Industry Leader
- Recruitment & Retention Best-Practices
- Collaboration, Team and Communication
- Mental Health in Construction
- Risky Business: Navigating Project Risk
Technology Track: Building Smarter with Technology
- Leading through Change: Digital Transformation in Action
- Sunsetting Technology & Technical Debt
- AI - Practical Applications for Construction Project Managers
- How We Built AI into Our Product
- Quality Data to Support AI
- Connected Network: Power of Collaboration
- The Power of Data Analytics for Construction PM
Featured Speakers
Anirban Basu
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
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).
Stephanie Lemek
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
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
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 Dourlein
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.
Ellie Barko
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.
Hugh Seaton
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.”
Rob McKinney
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.
Thomas Polen
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
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.
Moderated By
Nicholas Johnson
Nicholas Johnson comes to Kahua with over 40 years’ experience in the design and construction industry. Starting his career as an electrical designer and drafter, he was among the first to create a career around CAD/CAM technology. That path led to a role in IT with Heery International, an Atlanta based design and construction company. In that role he learned about construction project management software, and a little start up company called Constructware.
He was with the Constructware guys for 6 years before they were acquired by Autodesk. Since that time Nicholas has held sales leadership positions at Autodesk, Trimble Connected Water, Beck Technology, and Trimble e-Builder. He twice took two year working sabbaticals to serve a greater cause. The first with Amigos for Christ, a non-profit serving the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua, and more recently, with the Society of St Vincent DePaul, serving the poor here in North Georgia.
He is father of three and grandfather to one. He is an ordained minister, an accomplished speaker and mentor, and a big UGA sports fan. He enjoys hiking and hunting and fishing, and that is why he plays golf.
AJ Waters
AJ Waters is the Chief Evangelist at Kahua, leveraging his extensive experience as Vice President of Industry Solutions at InEight and as a program manager at Google to champion innovative solutions in the construction industry. With a background as a structural engineer at Kiewit, AJ combines technical expertise with a passion for advancing customer profitability and agility.

