Tuesday, October 26  |  1:00-1:45 PM ET

Energy Resilience

Panel session led by Mr. Jedediah Alvey
USACE, Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

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Jedediah (Jed) B. Alvey
Chief, Energy Branch
Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
Engineer Research and Development Center
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Jedediah.B.Alvey@usace.army.mil

Mr. Jed Alvey has been chief of the Energy Branch at the Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) since March of 2021. Prior to his current position, Mr. Alvey was a research mechanical engineer in the Energy branch for 5 years, with terms as acting branch chief in both the Energy Branch and the Land and Heritage Conservation Branch. His research areas included large scale additive construction, thermal analysis and design, atmospheric water generation, and demonstrations of various energy and water related technologies. 

Mr. Alvey holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University, and an M.S. degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois. Mr. Alvey was raised in Salt Lake City, UT, and currently lives in Champaign, IL with his wife, Aubrey, and their four children.

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Paul L. McCarty
Mechanical Engineer for Energy Programs 
U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center Huntsville (HNC)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Paul.L.McCarty@usace.army.mil
 
Mr. Paul McCarty is a Senior Mechanical Engineer at USACE Huntsville Support Center, actively engaged in support of multiple energy programs to include large scale campus wide energy modeling initiatives and multiple in-house designs focused on cutting edge energy technologies, with a special emphasis on heat pumps.  Prior to his career at USACE-HNC, Mr. McCarty was a Chief Wing Facilities Engineer 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base and was in charge of all facility design/construction/operations/maintenance for the entire campus with over 1 million square feet of buildings and multiple aircraft parking areas.  

Mr. McCarty received a B.S. Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama (1989). Follow on master level engineering courses through the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) along with Squadron Officer’s School in residence at Maxwell AFB. 

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Matthew M. Swanson
Research Materials Engineer
Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
Engineer Research and Development Center
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Matthew.M.Swanson@usace.army.mil
 
Dr. Swanson is the Installation Planning lead for the Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) and has worked on 90+ energy planning efforts for federal organizations. He was a part of the NZP/SMPL Tool development team and has been the energy team lead for more than 30 Installation Energy and Water Planning efforts in the last three years. He was a DoD SMART Scholar from 2007 until 2010 and holds a doctoral degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan Technological.

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Paul M. Volkman
Energy Program Manager
Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army 
Installations, Energy & Environment
Paul.m.volkman.civ@mail.mi
 
Mr. Volkman is a senior Energy Program Manager in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment) in Washington DC. He develops policy and oversees execution of the Army’s energy and utilities programs for installations around the world. Mr. Volkman has 39 years’ experience working in the Facilities Engineering and Energy career fields at the installation, Command and Secretariat levels. He has worked in the Public Works arena for both the Navy and Army at military bases in Germany, Japan and the United States. Mr. Volkman earned a BS degree in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University and a MS in Management from the University of Maryland. He is a Certified Energy Manger, Demand Side Energy Manager, Energy Auditor, Sustainable Design Professional, Lighting Efficiency Professional, Business Energy Professional, and Water Efficiency Professional.  Mr. Volkman is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME).

Wednesday, October 27  |  1:00-1:45 PM ET

Environment and Infrastructure Sustainability

Panel session led by Dr. Todd Bridges
USACE, Engineer Research and Development Center, Environmental Laboratory

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Todd S. Bridges, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science
Engineer Research and Development Center
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Todd.S.Bridges@usace.army.mil

Dr. Bridges is the U.S. Army’s Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science.  He became a Senior Professional (ST) within the U.S. Army in 2006, where his responsibilities include leading research, development and environmental initiatives for the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  Dr. Bridges’ research activities support goals related to resilience, sustainability and environmental management.  His primary areas of research activity concern: 1) the science and engineering of sustainable infrastructure development; 2) risk and decision analysis methods applied to water resources infrastructure and environmental systems; 3) management of sediment and environmental contaminants; and 4) natural systems engineering.
    
Dr. Bridges is the National Lead for the USACE Engineering with Nature® (EWN®) initiative, which includes a network of research projects, field demonstrations, and communication activities to promote sustainable, resilient infrastructure systems. The EWN® Initiative was awarded the 2013 USACE Environmental Award in Natural Resource Conservation, the 2014 USACE Sustainability Award for Green Innovation, and the 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Renewal Natural Resources Foundation.  Dr. Bridges is also the Program Manager for the Dredging Operations Environmental Research (DOER) program, one of the Corps’ largest civil works R&D programs, where he directs the execution of more than $6 million in research annually. He has chaired international working groups and guidance development for the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization and the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC), where he currently serves as Chairman of PIANC’s Environmental Commission.
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Over the last 25 years, Dr. Bridges has published more than 60 journal articles, book chapters, books and numerous technical reports.  He received his B.A. (1985) and M.A. (1988) in Biology/Zoology from California State University, Fresno and his Ph.D. (1992) in Biological Oceanography at North Carolina State University. Dr. Bridges also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia.

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Eunice Heath
Corporate Director of Sustainability at Dow
ehheath@dow.com
 
Ms. Eunice Heath serves as Corporate Director of Sustainability at Dow. Eunice joined Dow in 1991 as part of the Commercial Development Program and has worked in a myriad of Marketing, Sales, and Supply Chain roles. Eunice assumed a role in corporate sustainability in 2013 which included responsibilities for Dow 2025 circular economy implementation and liaison to external organizations such as The Sustainability Consortium, Green Chemistry Commerce Council, and American Chemistry Council Value Chain and Retail Committees. She was named to her current role in July 2019.

​Among Eunice's many talents and accomplishments, she has a strong passion for the development and advancement of people and support of STEM which is represented by her leadership on Dow's Corporate Marketing Council, African American Network Leadership Council, and mentorship of employees. Eunice is the executive liaison for Dow to the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) program where Dow has increased the exposure of the principles of engineering to approximately 1,000 elementary students and parents in Philadelphia and Detroit. Eunice serves on the boards of the Wharton Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership and Project Lead The Way, a national STEM organization. She is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt, a recipient of the 2007 Black Engineer of the Year Award, 2011 Women of Distinction winner by the Philadelphia Business Journal, 2013 Champion of Champions award by NSBE, and 2017 Honoree of Forty Women to Watch Over 40 by Forbes.

Eunice earned her MBA at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Florida. Eunice is based in Bryn Mawr, PA.

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Steven Thur, Ph.D.
Director, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)
steven.thur@noaa.gov
 
Dr. Steven Thur’s career with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has focused on applying science to the management, restoration, and conservation of marine resources. He has a particular emphasis on how both the biophysical and social sciences are used to sustain coastal ecosystems and the vibrant human communities that depend upon them for livelihoods, recreation, and as a place for connecting with nature. Dr. Thur is the Director of NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and was the NCCOS Deputy Director from 2013 to 2017. NCCOS’s mission is to deliver ecosystem science solutions for stewardship of the nation’s ocean and coastal resources to sustain thriving coastal communities and economies. Dr. Thur oversees the work of approximately 260 staff in nine states and the operations of five marine laboratories with an annual budget of $55 to $60 million. NCCOS’s four priority research areas include marine spatial ecology, environmental stressors and their impacts, change along our coasts, and social science. In 2017, Dr. Thur led the development of Advancing Coastal Science, which is a five-year strategic science plan for NCCOS, and completed the reorganization of the office to more efficiently conduct its research.
 
From 2007 to 2013, Dr. Thur was the Coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The CRCP is the nation’s premier coral reef science program, dedicating its $26 to $30 million annual budget to studying and providing management support for the nation’s imperiled but vitally important coral ecosystems. Dr. Thur oversaw the development of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, the first nationwide effort that combined physical, biological, and human community monitoring in an integrated manner. He also served as the Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for the interagency, intergovernmental U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. 
 
From 2003 to 2007, Dr. Thur was an Economist for the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration. He worked on natural resource damage assessments following oil spills, chemical releases, and vessel groundings with the goal of recovering funds from those responsible to restore the injured natural resources. 
 
Dr. Thur is a graduate of NOAA’s Leadership Competencies Development Program. As part of that program, he had short-term assignments as the Deputy Director of the NOAA Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Deputy Director of the NOAA Beaufort Lab in coastal North Carolina, and with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in Key West. 
 
Steve received his Ph.D. in marine policy from the University of Delaware’s Graduate College of Marine Studies in 2003. His dissertation research was on sustainable financing mechanisms for coral reef marine protected areas. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in biology and economics from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

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Robert W. Nairn, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Restoration of Ecosystems and Watersheds (CREW) 
University of Oklahoma
nairn@ou.edu

Dr. Nairn holds both the David L. Boren Professorship and Sam K. Viersen Family Presidential Professorship in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma (OU), Norman, Oklahoma, USA. He is the director of the Center for Restoration of Ecosystems and Watersheds (CREW), Associate Director of the Water Technologies for Emerging Regions (WaTER) Center and Adjunct Professor of Biology.

Bob grew up in the steel town of Aliquippa, along the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania.  He earned his BS in Environmental Science at Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA) in 1989..  As an undergraduate, he completed a Science and Engineering Research Semester at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory (Long Island, New York) and a summer at the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station (Polson, MT).  After graduation, he worked as a Research Biologist with the U.S. Bureau of Mines Pittsburgh Research Center.  In 1992, he returned to graduate school at The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), where he completed his PhD in Environmental Science in 1996.  His dissertation was one of the first to be performed at the Olentangy River Wetlands Research Park. Since January 1997, he has been on the faculty at OU.  To learn more about his teaching, research and other interests, please visit his personal homepage.

Friday, October 29  |  1:00-1:45 PM ET

Climate Change

Panel session led by Dr. Ariane Pinson
USACE, Albuquerque District

View recording

Ariane O. Pinson, PhD
Climate Science Specialist, Albuquerque District
Acting Lead for Military Programs, USACE Climate Preparedness and Resilience CoP
US Army Corps of Engineers
Ariane.O.Pinson@usace.army.mil

Dr. Ariane Pinson is a climate change planner for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, and a subject matter expert with the Climate Preparedness and Resilience Community of Practice (CPR CoP). She develops guidance and decision support tools that enable USACE to assess the long-term resilience of its dams, reservoirs, and other facilities to changing future conditions. She also conducts advanced technical and policy reviews of Civil Works projects on behalf of the CPR CoP and provides climate change impact assessments for Albuquerque District projects. Since February 2021, she has been the Acting Lead for Military Programs for the USACE Climate Preparedness and Resilience Community of Practice and served on the steering committee of the U.S. Army Climate Change Working Group.

Dr. Pinson holds a BA in Geography with specialization in Cartography from the University of Massachusetts. She holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in Archaeology from the University of New Mexico, with a specialization in landscape evolution in response to climate change. Prior to joining USACE, she taught climate change, geography and paleography at the University of New Mexico, University of Nevada, Reno, and Central New Mexico Community College.

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​Pete G. Perez, P.E.
Chief, Engineering and Construction Division 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Mr. Pete G. Perez was selected to the Senior Executive Service in November 2013 and currently serves as the Chief of Engineering and Construction for Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). He provides executive leadership for all technical engineering activities during planning, design, and construction for the military, civil works, environmental, support to others, and international programs within USACE with a budget influence of over $40 billion and a worldwide workforce of over 35,000.

Previously, Perez was the Director of Programs for the Southwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dallas, Texas, a position he had held since October 2019. In this position, he was responsible for the development and execution of Civil Works, Military Missions, and Interagency Support within the Division. He provided leadership and supervision for the SWD Programs Directorate and has staff oversight for programs, planning, and project management activities in the division’s four district offices.

​Prior to his SWD assignment Perez managed the operations of the Regional Business Center and oversaw three divisions: the Business Technical Division, Business Management Division, and Business Resources Division. He was the lead liaison on efforts between regional boards and functional boards, synchronizing activities with a particular focus on regional issues.

Previously he served as the Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, a position he had held since 2011.

Perez previously served as the chief of the Galveston District’s Engineering and Construction Division. While chief, Perez served an eight-month tour in Afghanistan Engineer District-South. Prior to this position, Perez was the former chief of Construction Operations at the Alaska District, held the position of an area engineer in the Southern Area Office, was a resident engineer in the Central Resident Office, and was a project engineer and resident engineer in the USACE Far East District in Korea. He began his career with the Corps as a project engineer in the Fort Worth District’s San Antonio Area Office.

In 2002, Perez was recognized with the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award and earned a Professional Achievement Award from the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference. Hereceived a Department of the Army Superior Civilian Award in 2008 and 2010, and earned the prestigious Bronze de Fleury Medal in 2008.

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Joseph L. Corriveau
Director
Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory 
Engineer Research and Development Center
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Joseph.L.Corriveau@usace.army.mil
 
Dr. Joseph L. Corriveau is the Director of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, one of seven laboratories that comprise the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).  The mission of CRREL is to advance and apply science and research engineering approaches to solve interdisciplinary and strategically-important challenges related to the Earth’s cold regions. CRREL conducts research across a range of fundamental and applied sciences and engineering in polar regions and in temperate and mountain regions. The CRREL Hanover campus includes the Remote Sensing / Geospatial Information Systems Center of Expertise of the Corps of Engineers.
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Dr. Corriveau began his career with the Army in 1990 as a senior analyst for chemical and biological matters at the U.S. Army National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) located in Charlottesville, Virginia.  After a decade with NGIC, he accepted a position as the Senior Advisor for Science & Technology in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs).  Dr. Corriveau served in the Pentagon for three years and then returned to the Army in 2003 as the Deputy Director for Research & Technology at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) located in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.  He entered the Senior Executive Service in 2007 and served as the ECBC Director from 2014 to 2017. As member of the Senior Executive Service, he has been called upon by the National Security Council, Pentagon leadership, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention).  He received the Presidential Rank Award in 2017.

Dr. Corriveau graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Saint Anselm College, located in his hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1981.  He also received a Master’s degree in Plant Science from the University of Delaware in 1983 as well as a Ph.D. in Biology from the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University in 1989.

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William C. Veatch, PH
Hydrologist 
Regional Technical Specialist for Climate Adaptation, Mississippi Valley Division
Acting Lead, USACE Climate Preparedness and Resilience CoP
New Orleans District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
William.C.Veatch@usaace.army.mil

Mr. Will Veatch is a Hydrologist with twelve years’ experience, all with the New Orleans District.  He currently serves in the Water Management Section of the Hydrology and Hydraulics Branch of the New Orleans District, and is also a Regional Technical Specialist for Climate Change Adaptation for the Mississippi Valley Division.  Since February 2021, he has been the acting lead for the USACE Climate Preparedness and Resilience Community of Practice.

Mr. Veatch's responsibilities include river forecasting, regulation of water control structures, data management, and supporting engineering studies and designs with statistical analyses of river flow, precipitation, and coastal water levels.  As a technical specialist he supports teams throughout USACE with integration of climate adaptation and resilience into designs and other studies, and through ATR and policy compliance reviews.  He is a national Subject Matter Expert in the areas of sea level change and inland hydrology nonstationarity with the Climate Preparedness and Resilience Community of Practice, is a member of several interagency teams, and has served on international partnership missions in the Netherlands, Brazil, and South Korea.
Mr. Veatch holds a BA degree in Environmental Studies (Hydrology focus) from the University of Colorado and an MS degree in Hydrology from the University of Arizona.  He is a registered Professional Hydrologist with the American Institute of Hydrology.

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Mari Tye
Project Scientist, Climate and Global Dynamics Lab
National Center for Atmospheric Research
maritye@ucar.edu
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Dr. Mari Tye is a Project Scientist in the Climate Change Research group of the Climate and Global Dynamics Lab. Her research centers on extreme weather and climate phenomena and their anticipated evolution with climate change. Mari's two main foci are understanding the likely societal consequences of climate intervention (e.g. through changes in drought and flood regimes), and translating global circulation model output into useful information for water resource managers. 

Through her background as a Professional Civil Engineer, Mari facilitates collaborations between ground breaking atmospheric science research and decision-makers. In this capacity she is the current Chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers Committee on Adaptation to a Changing Climate. She is a co-PI on the NSF funded Global Infrastructure and Climate Network (ICNet), focused on supporting educators as they prepare Civil Engineering under- and post-graduates to incorporate the impacts of climate change in their future designs. She is also a co-PI on the UCAR President's FY21 Strategic Initiative award "Towards actionable science: assessment of water availability under climate change and climate intervention scenarios".
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Mari joined NCAR in 2012 after completing her PhD in statistical climatology at Newcastle University, UK, in 2012. Prior to this, Mari worked as a Civil Engineer in flood prevention and mitigation focusing on resilient drainage solutions for surface water flooding.  During 2010 she spent a three month internship with the Scottish Government's Climate Change Adaptation team as part of a policy knowledge exchange program, responding to the likely impacts of Climate Change in Scotland. In summer 2008, she also spent some time in Uganda reviewing water and sanitation in and around Kabbubu Village and helping to develop "low regret" solutions to improve the facilities and water supplies.