Conference Schedule at a Glance
2026 RMA Annual Conference 2026 RMA Annual Conference: Thriving in the Heat
Sunday, September 6
Time Location Session or activity Speaker Employer All day Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU Arrival and early registration — —
Monday, September 7
Time Location Session or activity Speaker Employer All day Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU Board meetings, registration and attendee arrivals — —
Tuesday, September 8
Time Location Session or activity Speaker Employer Daytime Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU Attendee travel, activities and business partner booth setup — — Evening Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU First-Timer Meeting — — 6:00 – 9:00 Mullett Arena – ASU Campus Welcome Reception — —
Wednesday, September 9
Time Location Session or activity Speaker Employer 7:00 – 8:00 Second-floor ballroom Breakfast — — 8:00 – 9:30 Second-floor ballroom Opening Keynote – Molly Miller / ASU’s Women’s Basketball Coach — — 9:30 – 9:45 Second-floor ballroom Break — — 9:45 – 10:30 Second-floor ballroom Beyond the built environment: A panel discussion on leadership in Higher Education Tim Smith Arizona State University 10:30 – 11:00 Second-floor ballroom Tradeshow — — 11:05 – 11:55 Breakout 1 Future of Buildings Using AI and Analytics Justin Lawson Bosch Alex Kohnen Vanderbilt University 11:05 – 11:55 Breakout 2 Strive to Thrive in the Heat – Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges with Client Direct Procurement Caryn Becker, PE, Assoc. DBIA SourceBlue, LLC 12:00 – 1:00 Second-floor ballroom Lunch / Tradeshow — — 1:05 – 1:55 Breakout 1 AI Applications in Construction Seth Beer CORE Construction 1:05 – 1:55 Breakout 2 From Campus Assets to CMMS Insight: Better Data for Smarter Facilities Brian Carlin, PE, CBCP, CEM Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. 2:05 – 2:55 Breakout 1 The Cost of Doing Nothing Joshua Spear Northern Arizona University Samuel Robertson Arizona State University Jesse Pruitt Pruitt Building Group, LLC 2:05 – 2:55 Breakout 2 Laboratory Decommissioning: Managing Risk, Ensuring Safety, and Enabling Seamless Transitions Kathryn Peacock Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. 2:05 – 2:55 Tour Student Life Building: Mill Avenue — — 2:55 – 3:30 Second-floor ballroom Tradeshow — — 3:30 – 4:20 Breakout 1 Achieving Building Electrification without Increasing Electrical Demand Ely William LaBerge, PE, CDP, LEED AP BD+C Dewberry 3:30 – 4:20 Breakout 2 Fast Builds Fast Failures – In a world of collaborative project delivery, why do many buildings fail shortly after completion? Gerard Lee, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP BD+C Marx|Okubo Associates, Inc. Courtney Wladyka, AIA, NCARB, Fitwel Amb. Marx|Okubo Associates, Inc. Rena Russ, AIA, LEED AP Marx|Okubo Associates, Inc. 3:30 – 4:20 Tour Academic Building: University Gateway — —
Thursday, September 10
Time Location Session or activity Speaker Employer 7:00 – 8:00 Second-floor ballroom Breakfast — — 8:00 – 8:55 Breakout 1 Practical, Actionable Strategies for Managing Facilities in Extreme Heat and Arid Environments Chuck Hink Pueblo Mechanical & Controls 8:00 – 8:55 Breakout 2 Decarb through the Decades: The University of Denver’s Journey to 2030—Era by Era Chad King Johnson Controls James Rosner Johnson Controls Lynn Bailey University of Denver 9:00 – 9:45 Second-floor ballroom Tradeshow — — 9:45 – 10:35 Breakout 1 FCAs Are Just the Beginning: Turning Assessment Data into Action Mike Harvey Roth IAMS Shaun Brown Roth IAMS 9:45 – 10:35 Breakout 2 Recalibrating, Not Replacing: Turning Aging Buildings into High-Performance Assets Rachel Green Rasmussen AIA, NCARB, NOMA Architekton Todd Reust PE, LEED AP Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI) 9:45 – 10:35 Breakout 3 Risk Management and Safety in Occupied Campuses Matt Gilliland CHASSE Building Team 10:40 – 11:35 Breakout 1 Building Connections for a Sustainable Future: Pathways to Securing Tomorrow’s Workforce for Facilities Management Alexandria Tannehill University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Vimol Mitchell University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 10:40 – 11:35 Breakout 2 Designing an AI-Enabled Interdisciplinary Engineering Hub Benjamin Strain DLR Group Steve Johnson Colorado State University 10:40 – 11:35 Tour Utilities Building: Tempe District Utility Plant (TDUP) and Cold Storage — — 11:40 – 1:00 Second-floor ballroom Lunch / Tradeshow — — 1:05 – 1:55 Breakout 1 ASU’s Roofing Program – Best Practices and Lessons Learned Billy Jackson ASU Tim Smith Arizona State University Chris Walker Progressive Roofing Kirk Autio PRIMO Data 1:05 – 1:55 Breakout 2 “From Building Performance Standards to Business Case: RCx That Delivers ROI on Higher Ed Campuses” Ryan Shepherd Colorado Mountain College Michael Brubaker, P.E., C.E.M. Colorado College Matt Wakulchik, CEM, NABCEP McKinstry 2:05 – 2:55 Breakout 1 Retro-Commissioning a Medical Campus Chiller Plant: Restoring Efficiency Through Automation and Control Strategies Erik Jeannette, PE Iconergy 2:05 – 2:55 Breakout 2 Zero Energy Case Study – U.S. Air Force Academy Katie Willemarck U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation Amanda Occhi, PE, LEED AP BD+C Farnsworth Group Corey Chinn, PE, CEM, CxA, CCP, LEED AP Farnsworth Group Kevin Gould, AIA RTA Architects Christine Costa, RA RTA Architects 2:55 – 3:15 Second-floor ballroom Tradeshow / Break — — 3:30 – 4:30 Second-floor ballroom Closing Keynote – Dr. Chris Howard / Chief Operating Officer at ASU — — 6:00 – 8:00 Second-floor ballroom Awards Banquet — —
Friday, September 11
Time Location Session or activity Speaker Employer All day Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU Departure — —
