Come See Us at the International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI)

At this year’s conference in Los Angeles, experienced industry professionals will highlight key aspects of sustainable and resilient infrastructure for a rapidly changing world. Featured speakers from Burns & McDonnell will discuss sustainable and resilience infrastructure for large-scale events, best practices for communicating on sustainable infrastructure and how sustainable infrastructure can enhance the safety, welfare and quality of life for all of society.

We're proud to be a platinum sponsor of the International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure.



Port of LA Harbor Cruise

 Wednesday, Nov. 6, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Port of Los Angeles is the nation’s busiest seaport and the #1 container port in North America. The port is connected to the LA waterfront, which has restaurants, museums, historical landmarks, marinas, beaches, art scenes, shopping and a marine aquarium. The port has had a positive impact on international trade by providing responsible and sustainable growth. The cruise will tour world-class sustainable infrastructure projects. Registration is required for all technical tours. This tour will depart from and return to the hotel.
Event Leader: Joel Farrier
Regional Global Practice Manager
Joel Farrier is the regional environmental practice manager in California for Burns & McDonnell. He has deep experience building teams across engineering, scientific and technical disciplines to address complex infrastructure issues related to sustainability and post-disaster resiliency. Joel has a Bachelor of Science in zoology/genetics and a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.


Panel | International Event Planning: Sustainability of Big Events

 Thursday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m., Salon D&E

This panel will discuss the various sustainability aspects of large sporting venues and citywide events. Discussion topics will include the greening of notable sporting venues, the social and environmental benefits, guest mobility and the design and policy aspects of infrastructure before, during and after an event.
Moderator: Joel Farrier
Regional Global Practice Manager
Joel Farrier is the regional environmental practice manager in California for Burns & McDonnell. He has deep experience building teams across engineering, scientific and technical disciplines to address complex infrastructure issues related to sustainability and post-disaster resiliency. Joel has a Bachelor of Science in zoology/genetics and a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Panelist: Leslie Duke
President and Regional Office Manager
Leslie Duke is the regional office president the Houston office of Burns & McDonnell. She leads a regional workforce of more than 500 employees in Texas and Oklahoma.


Design Standards for Resiliency: Acting in Times of Uncertainty

 Thursday, Nov. 7, 3:30 p.m., Room 1

Current design criteria are based on historic data. Some of today's design standards may have a systemic flaw related to climate uncertainty. This session will address the role of uncertainty and cognitive bias in the design process and how that results in avoidance of making appropriate design standard changes.
Joel Farrier
Regional Global Practice Manager
Joel Farrier is the regional environmental practice manager in California for Burns & McDonnell. He has deep experience building teams across engineering, scientific and technical disciplines to address complex infrastructure issues related to sustainability and post-disaster resiliency. Joel has a Bachelor of Science in zoology/genetics and a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.


Community Outreach | Girls Into Green Careers

 Friday, Nov. 8, 8 a.m., Gas Tower

This workshop is designed to inspire high school aged youth to consider a career in green infrastructure. Participants will be introduced to exciting careers in green infrastructure by meeting successful sustainability professionals, collaborating in a team environment to complete a green project and developing a new network of innovative thinkers that will lead society into a green economy.

Outreach Leader: Jennifer Trotter
California Business Diversity Manager
Jennifer Trotter is the California business diversity manager for Burns & McDonnell. Jennifer is an experienced community engagement professional with a demonstrated history of supporting large infrastructure, economic development and community development initiatives throughout California by working with a variety of stakeholder groups.


Panel | Design Standards for Resiliency

 Friday, Nov. 8, 1:15 p.m., Room 3

This panel will discuss the importance of resilient design in response to disasters. Panelists will represent a variety of sectors, ranging from water and power to transit, environmental and remediation.
Moderator: Brianna Pilkinton
Department Manager
Brianna Pilkinton is an environmental scientist and a department manager in the San Diego office of Burns & McDonnell, where she is responsible for the direction and leadership of the firm’s environmental studies team in California. With more than 15 years of experience, she has worked on hundreds of projects and led multidisciplinary teams for a wide variety of public and private infrastructure projects in the energy, utility, development, military and transportation sectors in California and nationwide.
Panelist: Michael DeBacker
General Manager
Michael DeBacker is a general manager at Burns & McDonnell. He works on client development, strategic direction and project execution, and he has been worked on projects with the Federal Highway Administration, multiple state departments of transportation, city and county governments, turnpike and tollway authorities, and private industry.


Society and Urbanization | The Olympics Infrastructure: The Importance of Stakeholder Engagement and Sustainable, Intentional Urban Planning

 Friday, Nov. 8, 1:15 p.m., Room 2

Hosting the Olympic Games puts a city under a world spotlight. Investing in infrastructure projects can enable transportation, facilitate the exchange of ideas and provide more public services, energy and water to people. This session will review case studies of host cities to understand how to create sustainable infrastructure that has a lasting positive impact on the host community and the world.
Melissa Elder
Staff Environmental Engineer
Melissa Elder is a staff environmental professional for Burns & McDonnell. In this role, Melissa helps project manage nine teams throughout the Southern California region.
Moderator: Doug Dietrich
Sustainability Manager
Doug Dietrich is a sustainability manager for Burns & McDonnell where he helps lead initiatives in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.


Organizational Resilience Lightning Talk: How to Sustain Your Organization During a Natural Disaster

 Friday, Nov. 8, 1:15 p.m., Room 1

Organizational resiliency is the ability of an organization to anticipate, prepare for, and respond and adapt to incremental change and sudden disruptions in order to survive and prosper. This session will look at lessons learned and best practices from communities that have faced extreme weather events.
Tara Dunseith
Staff Environmental Engineer
Tara Dunseith is a staff environmental engineer for Burns & McDonnell. In this capacity, Tara focuses on regulatory compliance, reporting, environmental management at airports and the operation and maintenance of remediation systems at sites with petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents.


A Look Into the Big Canyon Restoration and Water Quality Improvement Project

 Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m., Room 2

Join us for a deep dive into the Big Canyon Restoration and Water Quality Improvement Project as a case study of an integrated approach to using sustainable infrastructure for multiple-benefit projects.
David Pohl
Project Manager
David Pohl is a project manager for Burns & McDonnell. In this role, he leads design-build and environmental projects to deliver multibenefit water resources, water quality compliance and habitat restoration solutions for municipal and industrial clients.


Lightning Talk: A Civil Engineer's Perspective on AB2800

 Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m., Room 1

Join this presentation to get a better understanding of climate safe infrastructure legislation and how the professional will need to adapt.
Sameer Shah
Project Manager
Sameer Shah is a project manager for Burns & McDonnell. In this role, Sameer specializes in environmental permitting, supply chain management, and systems integration programs.

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