Join us on Thursday, November 13th, at the DoubleTree in Center City to network with industry leaders experienced and interested in the myriad challenges that people and projects face to achieve resiliency, as well as the solutions that are succeeding.
Don’t miss this opportunity to have thoughtful and rigorous discussions about an array of resilience topics, including coastal resilience, energy security, and resilient leadership. These essential conversations will help communities throughout the greater Philadelphia area address the historic challenges of today and adapt to thrive in the complex operating environment of tomorrow.
Hotel Booking LinkICE BREAKER FOR THE SAME PHILADELPHIA POST RESILIENCE SYMPOSIUM
Join us for networking on Wednesday 11/12 at 7pm, the evening before the symposium at the Standing O Bar and Bistro inside the conference hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City. Appetizers will be provided.
DRAFT PROGRAM BELOW
11/12
7pm Icebreaker
11/13 (Schedule subject to change)
- 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Exhibitor Setup
- 8:30 AM – 9:30AM Registration, Exhibit and Networking
- 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM Welcome/Announcements
- 9:45 AM – 10:15 AM The Future of Flood Forecasting and Tracking – Curtis Smith, Stantec
- 10:15 AM – 10:45 AM West Philadelphia Resilience Planning – Nate Hommel, Philadelphia University City District
- 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM Networking Break
- 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Resilience by Design and by Dollars: Financing Climate Adaptation – Breanna Horne, STV
- 11:30 AM – 11:55 AM Keynote Address: The Honorable Reggie McNeil, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services
- 11:55 AM – 1:00 PM Networking Lunch On-Site
- 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM STEM Scholarship Award Ceremony. SAME Philadelphia Post Education/Mentoring Committee
- 1:15 PM – 1:45 PM Blue Marsh Lake – A Resilient Response in Natural Resource Management – Jonah Eckert, USACE Philadelphia District (presentation pending)
- 1:45 PM – 2:15 PM DNREC’s Sustainable Resilient Remediation Strategy – Morgan Simms, EA Engineering, Science and Technology
- 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM Networking Break
- 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Tinicum Island Road Relocation – Shiny Mathew, JMT
- 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM What can the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Learn from the Commonwealth of Virginia?– Matt Dalon, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Office of Resilience Planning
- 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM Summary/Closing Comments
- 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM Open Networking Forum
NOTE: We are providing 3.5 self-reporting PDH hours for this conference. Please note that that theses PDHs are NOT ACEC NY PDHs.
Exhibitors
Sponsors
Agency Presenters
Matt Dalon | Flood Resilience Planning Program Manager, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Matt Dalon is the Office of Resilience Planning Program Manager for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and has been in this position for more than four years. He manages an office that is charged with developing and implementing the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan and the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan to increase flood resilience in Virginia. This effort is supported by multiple contractors, a collaborative stakeholder network, and an advisory public body. Prior to joining DCR, Matt was a project manager in the private sector providing waterfront solutions with adaptative and sustainable frameworks. He is a Professional Engineer, Certified Floodplain Manager, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and a Master’s Degree in Ocean & Coastal Engineering from Oregon State University. While Matt spent the summers his formative years at the Jersey shore, he now gravitates to the mountains of Virginia and beyond.
Nate Hommel | Director of Planning and Design, University City District, Philadelphia
Nate is the Director of Planning and Design at University City District (UCD) in Philadelphia, where he has led major public space initiatives for over 13 years. His portfolio includes the transformation of The Porch at 30th Street Station, Trolley Portal Gardens, and a network of pedestrian plazas that have redefined neighborhood life across West Philadelphia. He pioneered one of Philadelphia’s first and most expansive parklet programs, creating vibrant gathering spaces in former curbside parking spots. He helped launch a landscape-based social enterprise that provides job training and green space maintenance for underserved communities. His work at UCD blends placemaking, tactical urbanism, workforce development, and long-term stewardship, earning recognition as a model for equitable, implementable public space design.
Nate is also a founder of Open Streets PHL, a civic initiative that successfully advocated for large-scale car-free street events in Philadelphia. These events showcased the transformative potential of streets when reimagined for people.
As a frequent public speaker, Nate has shared his work and insights across the United States and internationally, including in Toronto, Canada, Monterrey, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Kazan and Moscow, Russia. He has presented at events hosted by the Project for Public Spaces, the Global Institute on Innovation Districts, and numerous universities and municipal forums. In addition, Nate serves as a strategic advisor to the Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID), supporting place-based economic development efforts worldwide.
Jonah Eckert | Park Ranger/Natural Resource Specialist, USACE Philadelphia District
Jonah Eckert is the Chief Park Ranger at the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Blue Marsh Lake. Blue Marsh Lake is a 1150-acre impoundment in western Berks County PA constructed by USACE-Philadelphia District in 1979 for the purposes of flood risk management, water supply, and water quality. Ranger Eckert has been working as a Natural Resource Specialist/Park Ranger at Blue Marsh Lake since 2016 and holds a degree in Conservation and Wildlife Management from Delaware Valley University.