2025 FutureTech Agenda

Scott Seltz
Publisher
Engineering News-Record

Scott J. Seltz is the Publisher of Engineering News-Record (ENR) since 2015. Under Scott’s leadership, ENR has undertaken a strategy to grow the brand’s audience and their engagement with the ENR’s content in print, digitally and thru in person events. He takes pride in being an innovative audience and client-focused media executive and results-oriented business leader with a successful career of building, growing and leading established and start-up media brands and businesses.

Sadia Janjua
Chief of Digital Transformation
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Sadia Janjua is the Chief of Digital Transformation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where she spearheads efforts to modernize the construction landscape through digital strategies. With over 20 years in transportation and infrastructure, Sadia is an expert in Program/Project Controls, Planning & Scheduling, VDC, and Digital Transformation. Her experience spans collaborations with leading firms like Bechtel and AECOM across ownership, contracting, and construction management roles.

An adjunct professor at both Columbia University and Pratt Institute, Sadia holds a Master’s degree in Construction Administration from Columbia and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from UC Berkeley. As a respected figure in industry circles, she has presented at numerous conferences and earned prestigious recognitions, including ENR’s Top 20 under 40 award in 2024. Additionally, she has expanded her expertise by completing Wharton’s Senior Executive Education Program for Digital Transformation.

Dimitra Karachaliou
Associate Vice President/Digital Transformation Advisory
AECOM

Dimitra Karachaliou is an Associate Vice President at AECOM, where she provides advisory services to clients, specializing in Project Controls and Digital Transformation Program Management. Dimitra spearheads the design and execution of department-wide digital strategies, leverages innovative technologies to streamline project workflows, and promotes data-driven insights to optimize operational performance and deliver client value.
Dimitra has more than 12 years of experience in the AEC industry and holds a Structural Engineering diploma (master’s equivalent) from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), a master’s in Construction Management from Columbia University, and a senior executive certificate in Digital Transformation from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a certified Agile Practitioner (PMI-ACP). In addition, she has extensive teaching and mentorship experience, including Columbia University’s Industry Field Studies Course and Center of Buildings Infrastructure and Public Spaces, Professional Women in Construction, and ACE Mentorship New York.

Valerie Roberts
Chief Operating Officer
Longview Fusion Energy Systems

Valerie Roberts is the Chief Business Officer/Chief Operating Officer of Longview Fusion Energy Systems, which is focused on making cost-effective laser fusion energy a reality for the grid within the next decade. Longview is differentiated by its proven fusion physics, designs developed in collaboration with major utilities, and robust intellectual property portfolio.
With more than three decades of experience in engineering, project management, business leadership, and corporate management, Roberts has been a key figure in several multi-billion dollar, first-of-its-kind projects delivered successfully around the globe.
Roberts was one of the Project Managers for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, delivering over $800m of scope. With her leadership contribution, NIF is the world's largest and most energetic laser, achieving fusion burn with gain, groundbreaking scientific advancement, and the path to commercial fusion energy. She also contributed to the Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) Program, driving the development of a preliminary design for a commercially viable fusion power plant in collaboration with leading electric power utilities.
Roberts has a diverse background in high technology project delivery, having served as the Delivery Director at the UK's Atomic Weapons Establishment, which is responsible for delivering a $6B portfolio of first-of-kind, civil Nuclear Regulated facilities. She also has significant business leadership experience as a Senior Vice President at Jacobs Solutions. Her business experience runs the gamut from running an Oil & Gas Field Services business with a $1.2B annual turnover, and the M&A of more than $5B in deals, to Business Transformation of the Government Services arm of Jacobs, which demonstrated double-digit top-line growth over three years and expansion of the bottom line by more than 150 basis points.
Throughout her career, Roberts has been known for her highly collaborative, mission-driven, inclusive, and value-driven style. Her work spans various end markets, including oil and gas, national/ international security, space, environmental remediation, and, most recently, fusion energy.
Roberts is a member of the National Academy of Construction and the Fusion Industry Association. She serves as a Board Member for the Project Leadership Institute. She has won several prestigious awards, including the NAWIC Outstanding Woman in Construction, Del E. Webb School of Construction Distinguished Graduate, and the Project Management Institute's Project of the Year.

Rueben Smith
Chief Growth Officer and CM Education Lead
Harris & Associates

Rueben Smith is chief growth officer and construction management education lead at Harris & Associates, joining the firm last year after serving as chief facilities officer for the Los Angleles Community College District, where he oversaw a $14.9-billion capital program and spearheaded many initiatives to modernize and improve the district's facilities.

AJ Waters
Chief Evangelist
Kahua

AJ Waters is chief evangelist at Kahua, and formerly was vice president of industry solutions at InEight and a program manager at Google. Waters seeks to leverage his background as a structural engineer at Kiewit to champion innovative solutions for the constrution industry.

Hamzah Shanbari
Director of Innovation
Haskell

Hamzah Shanbari, Director of Innovation, Haskell, is a published author, a TEDx speaker, and an accomplished professional in the construction industry. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida and has extensive experience in construction. He is responsible for driving innovation at Haskell, and leading the development and implementation of new technology and processes. His innovative mindset and technical expertise have made him a thought leader in the industry and he regularly speaks at conferences and events on the topic of technology in construction.

Kohichi Matsui
COO
Ken Robotech Corp.

Kohichi Matsui, COO of Ken Robotech Corp., is a professional with a wide international network. His hands-on engineering knowledge is backed by vast experience in business development in the electronics and industrial equipment industries. Prior to joining Ken Robotech, in his role as a general manager for Schneider Electric, he established a new sales office in India. He is on the faculty of Science and Industrial Engineering at Kindai University, Japan, and is known for his flexible decision-making and logical thinking skills.

Steve Dell'Orto
Founder
ConCntric

Steve Dell’Orto is a construction industry veteran with more than 26 years of experience. He is the Founder and CEO of ConCntric, which bills itself as the industry's first holistic preconstruction management platform. His mission is to address the future for preconstruction by unifying data, streamlining processes, and empowering teams to make informed decisions. Previously, Dell’Orto was an Executive Officer at Clark Construction, where he identified the need for a centralized platform to address inefficiencies in preconstruction. Beyond ConCntric, Dell’Orto is a Venture Partner at Builders VC and Argonautic Ventures, as well as an advisor to several contech startups. In 2024, he was named to the Maverick 50 list by Builtworlds, showcasing his commitment to innovation, dedication to advancing the field, and relentless pursuit of excellence.

Ryan Shilling
Group Manager, VDC Services
Rudolph & Sletten

Ryan Shilling, Group Manager, VDC Services, Rudolph & Sletten, is a seasoned BIM expert whose experience spans residential design, structural design, mechanical contracting, and general contracting. With almost two decades in the industry, Shilling has evolved from running his own firm to leading significant VDC initiatives at Rudolph & Sletten, where he directs projects from conceptual virtual models to tangible reality. He says he has a passion for integrating technology with traditional building practices to enhance efficiency, precision and quality.

Brian Beck
Associate, Project Coordinator – VDC/BIM, US West Technology Team
Stantec Architecture

Brian Beck has been in the design industry for 36 years, going back to AutoCAD 2.5 for DOS. He was an early adopter of Revit in 2004 and has been on multiple Alpha/Beta teams for Autodesk, Newforma, Plangrid, Ideate, Lumion, Enscape, and Ghafari. Beck says one of his current projects is providing feedback to GlobalDWS (Digital Workplace Services) on a joint-effort project with Stantec Innovation, for autonomous robotic data capture and monitoring to inform digital twin technology.

Cassidy M. Blowers, P.E.
Construction Resource Engineer
Delaware Dept. of Transportation

Cassidy Blowers is a registered Professional Engineer in Delaware where she currently serves as the Delaware Dept. of Transportation’s Construction Resource Engineer. Starting her career in the field, and later moving on to a project manager, she has seen and experienced the pain of using older systems and paper-based documentation. This pain has helped her develop a passion for digitizing construction processes and integrating data from disparate sources, all with the goal of improving end results for the owner and generating additional efficiencies for staff.

Dr. Ray Levitt
Operating Partner, Blackhorn Ventures
Kumagai Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Stanford University

Dr. Ray Levitt joined Blackhorn Ventures in 2017 as a Co-founder and Operating Partner. He primarily focuses on bringing new investment opportunities to the team from his extensive network focused around the Built Environment. He is a long-time member and the current President of the Farmers Investment Club, an angel investment group of Stanford University faculty, staff and affiliates.
Ray moved to Stanford University in 1980 after serving five years on the faculty of MIT’s Civil Engineering Department. At Stanford, he held the Kumagai Professorship of Engineering in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and served as Chair of Stanford’s Faculty Senate from 2012-13. Ray founded and directed Stanford’s Global Projects Center (GPC). While there, he launched a new GPC initiative to explore and create disruptive business opportunities arising from the collection, integration, and analysis of big data from multiple, public and private sources in emerging Digital Cities.
Outside of academia, Ray served from 2008-2014 as a Commissioner of California’s Public Infrastructure Advisory Commission to channel private investment and expertise into California’s aging transportation infrastructure through public-private partnerships. Ray co-founded and served as a Director of Rackwise, Inc., until shortly before it became a public company in 2011. He co-founded and served as Chairman of Design Power, Inc., acquired by Bentley Systems in 2007. He founded and launched Vité Corporation and served as its initial CEO and Chairman; Vité’s SimVision Software was acquired by ePM, LLC in 2002. Ray was elected a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2008 and was inducted into the National Academy of Construction in 2013.

Steve Jones
Senior Director, Industry Insights Research
Dodge Construction Network

At Dodge, Steve Jones focuses on how emerging economic, practice and technology trends are transforming the global design and construction industry. In addition to hundreds of global speaking engagements and numerous articles in industry publications, Steve produces Dodge Data & Analytics’ SmartMarket Reports on key industry trends, which are frequently cited as authoritative references. He has a track record of active leadership in many industry initiatives and serves as a judge for numerous industry awards. Steve received his MBA from Wharton and his BA from Johns Hopkins. Before joining Dodge, Steve was Vice President of Primavera Systems — now part of Oracle. Prior to 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 U.S. — now merged with Stantec.

Steve Jones
Senior Director, Industry Insights Research
Dodge Construction Network

At Dodge, Steve Jones focuses on how emerging economic, practice and technology trends are transforming the global design and construction industry. In addition to hundreds of global speaking engagements and numerous articles in industry publications, Steve produces Dodge Data & Analytics’ SmartMarket Reports on key industry trends, which are frequently cited as authoritative references. He has a track record of active leadership in many industry initiatives and serves as a judge for numerous industry awards. Steve received his MBA from Wharton and his BA from Johns Hopkins. Before joining Dodge, Steve was Vice President of Primavera Systems — now part of Oracle. Prior to 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 U.S. — now merged with Stantec.

Amy Marks
Senior Vice President of Innovation
Compass Datacenters

Amy Marks, SVP of Innovation Compass Datacenters, Amy is transforming the built environment by pioneering industrialized methods, digital innovation, and sustainable practices. She leads Compass’ innovation strategies, aligning them with the company’s Strategic Anchors to drive change in construction and design while fostering collaboration across industries. Amy is a strong advocate for advancing the industry through diverse talent and cutting-edge solutions, positioning Compass at the forefront of innovation.

Marc Paolicelli
Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President
RK Industries, LLC

Marc Paolicelli is the Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President at RK Industries, LLC, Denver, Colo. RK is the parent company of seven subsidiaries focused on construction, manufacturing and building service. Paolicelli has decades of experience in business development, strategic growth, and customer success. He started in construction when he was 18, and he has played a key role in driving RK’s expansion across the Mountain West. He has helped the company grow into a regional leader known for expertise in data centers, industrialized construction, modularized manufacturing and construction. He provides strategic oversight for RK’s Enterprise Partner Program, corporate Business Development, and the Marketing and Communications team. He is a trusted industry voice and often is invited to speak on panels and at conferences to share insights on market trends, innovation, and industry leadership. Paolicelli lives by a simple philosophy: Love what you do, and pursue it with relentless determination.

Rabih Zahnan
President
Wesgroup Construction

Rabih Zahnan is President of Wesgroup Construction, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Zahnan has more than 20 years experience in commercial real estate development, construction, and operations throughout North America and overseas. His leadership at Wesgroup spans preconstruction, construction, interior design and customer care, and is underpinned by a steadfast commitment to strategic innovation in construction technology. He focuses on identifying core operational challenges and applying practical, results-oriented solutions that genuinely move projects forward.
Throughout his career Zahnan has championed disciplined approaches to operational excellence and long-term business strategy. He also is Vice Chairman of the YPO Construction Industry Network -- an international leadership group for chief executives -- where he pursues his personal mission of educating members on advancements in construction technology and management processes. His involvement with YPO reflects a deep dedication to fostering industry-wide learning, helping peers and colleagues understand the value of meaningful, purpose-driven innovation. By blending visionary thinking with a focus on tangible outcomes, he pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in construction and design—ensuring that each initiative is not just inventive, but truly transformational.