2025 AIA Louisiana Conference Schedule

BIO:

Chris Dempsey’s career has spanned the public, private, and non-profit sectors. As a Co-Founder of Speck Dempsey with Jeff Speck, author of the best-selling book Walkable City, Chris works with municipalities and private developers to design and build walkable places.

Chris previously served as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, where he co-founded the nation-leading MassDOT open-data program. Chris has worked as a consultant with Bain & Co., and led North American business development for Masabi, a mobile-ticketing company whose customers include the MBTA, New York MTA, Los Angeles Metrolink, and other large transit agencies. From 2017 to 2021 he led Massachusetts’ largest transportation advocacy coalition, Transportation for Massachusetts, working to advance civic conversations on sustainable transportation policy and investments. Chris has represented his hometown, Brookline, as an elected Town Meeting Member since 2012. He lives with his wife, Anna, and daughter, Sarina, and has never owned a car.

DESCRIPTION:

What makes a place walkable? What do architects, developers, and public officials need to know if they are to make streets, landscapes, and communities more attractive to pedestrians? Join Chris Dempsey, Co-Founder of city planning firm Speck Dempsey, to learn how Louisiana can be made more walkable one step at a time, and why walkability is essential to vibrant and successful downtowns and neighborhoods.

BIO:  A native of Caracas, Venezuela, José Alvarez. has worked with EskewDumezRipple for more than 27 years. A talented Principal and leader, José maintains the design and delivery responsibility for the studio’s mixed-use design group. In recent projects, including the Center of Developing Entrepreneurs in Charlottesville, VA, and The Shop at the CAC in New Orleans, José has reinforced the role of architecture as a catalyzing force for elevating urban life and strengthening communities. In addition to his architectural design expertise, Jose maintains ongoing leadership roles in the training and mentoring of EDR’s youngest designers, leads the EDR MLK Day of Service Program, winner of the 2019 AIA Emerging Professional Exhibit, and advocates for diversity and inclusion within the design profession.

José has served as AIA State Delegate and as the President of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Louisiana Chapter; as well as Program Coordinator tor for AIA New Orleans Young Architect Forum (YAF), winner of the 2016 AIA Emerging Professionals Exhibit and the AIA LA Emerging Professionals Award. José was the recipient of the 2015 AIA Young Architect Award for showing exceptional leadership and making significant contributions to the profession and was recently featured in the AIA Center for Civic Leadership publication “Living Your Life as a Leader”. Jose is currently serving as Commissioner for the City of New Orleans Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) and serves in an Advisory Board position to Colloqate Design Studio, a multidisciplinary nonprofit Design Justice practice focused on the design of spaces of racial, social and cultural equity.

DESCRIPTION: The FAIA designation recognizes and elevates architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. Through the lens of his FAIA nomination, Jose will share a practice forge from design excellence, and the promotion of an architecture that supports a broad and inclusive definition of community, culture, place, community engagement, cultural sensitivity, inclusive design and sustainable practices.

BIO: 
Albert Dale Clary is a partner at Long Law Firm, L.L.P. based in Baton Rouge and has been practicing since 1979.  He is one of the few attorneys in the state of Louisiana who specializes in professional liability, primarily representing architects, engineers, and surveyors.  He also handles construction and commercial litigation.  He received a bachelor of science degree from Louisiana State University and his juris doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU.  He is an affiliate member of the American Institute of Architects. 

BIO: 
Chelsea Payne is a partner at Keogh Cox. She has ten years of experience in construction litigation and the defense of architects, engineers, contractors and others in the industry. She has experience with design and construction defect claims, delay claims, professional liability claims and complex litigation.

BIO: 
Barbara Sable is a 39-year insurance industry veteran who provides face-to-face seminars, webinars, contract reviews, policy analysis, and insurance program guidance to the clients of FRP Professional Risk.  Prior to joining the agency in 2020, Barb served as an executive in two US-domiciled insurance companies and as an equity partner in a national insurance brokerage serving construction industry clients of all sizes.

DESCRIPTION: 
Join legal and insurance representatives for a one hour course covering project case studies involving legal issues as a way of better understanding potential project issues. This course will use various case studies and examples from actual legal cases to discuss mistakes in design and construction, how those may have happened, related design issues, construction mishaps, and how to avoid these situations.

BIO: 
Paul Herbert provides planning, programming, architectural design, and exhibit design leadership for a diverse collection of projects at CambridgeSeven. Focusing on issues that impact the visitor experience, his passion is found in the educational aspects of our museum, aquarium, and nature center projects. His educational focus has also made him an integral player on several academic projects for Northeastern University, UMass Lowell, and Westfield State University. Paul has been a member of the Faculty at the Boston Architectural College for the last 15 years.

BIO: 
Chris Dempsey’s career has spanned the public, private, and non-profit sectors. As a Co-Founder of Speck Dempsey with Jeff Speck, author of the best-selling book Walkable City, Chris works with municipalities and private developers to design and build walkable places.

Chris previously served as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, where he co-founded the nation-leading MassDOT open-data program. Chris has worked as a consultant with Bain & Co., and led North American business development for Masabi, a mobile-ticketing company whose customers include the MBTA, New York MTA, Los Angeles Metrolink, and other large transit agencies. From 2017 to 2021 he led Massachusetts’ largest transportation advocacy coalition, Transportation for Massachusetts, working to advance civic conversations on sustainable transportation policy and investments. Chris has represented his hometown, Brookline, as an elected Town Meeting Member since 2012. He lives with his wife, Anna, and daughter, Sarina, and has never owned a car.

BIO: 
Jackie Dadakis is the Chief Executive Officer of Green Coast Enterprises, a real estate development and green building services company based in New Orleans, LA. Jackie joined the company in 2013 to launch GCE Services, a consulting firm that provides energy efficiency services to property owners, municipalities, and utilities. Jackie serves as the Technical Chair of the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council and stewarded the state’s transition from the 2009 IECC to the 2021 IECC. Jackie holds a Masters in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College.

DESCRIPTION:
This panel will discuss shaping growth at different scales, with a particular focus on walkable, infill development that supports communities whose population is increasing and who want to avoid inefficient sprawl. Panelist Chris Dempsey will share examples of communities that are shaping growth at the regional and downtown-wide levels, supporting walkable, mixed use development in greenfields and infill development in existing street networks. Jackie will highlight the work Green Coast Enterprises did to create a national historic district in downtown Lake Charles to complement the main street reinvestment the city made along Ryan Street. And Paul will concentrate on the next smallest scale—the individual building level—exploring how single projects, when aligned with a broader vision, can create powerful ripple effects on a larger scale.

BIO:
Stacy Bourne, FAIA, is the principal architect of The Bourne Group, LLC, a firm she founded in 2000 focused on hurricane-resilient, community-engaged design. With over 30 years of experience and leadership in hurricane recovery across the U.S. Virgin Islands and Gulf states, she has overseen more than $25 million in FEMA-funded reconstruction projects following Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Originally from St. Louis, Stacy’s work spans custom residential, commercial, and historic renovation, with a focus on resilient systems and sustainable practices. A passionate mentor and advocate, she has served on the AIA National Board, leads mentorship programs, and currently co-chairs the AIA Disaster Assistance Committee.

Stacy was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2012 and holds master’s degrees from Tulane University and Washington University in St. Louis.

DESCRIPTION:
In regions repeatedly impacted by natural disasters, architects are essential to safeguarding public health, safety, and welfare—not only through design but through leadership and advocacy. This course explores the architect’s role before, during, and after disaster events through the lens of inclusive recovery, resilient design, and community advocacy. Architect Stacy A. Bourne shares award-winning post-hurricane project examples and strategies from the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as her initiative Hurricane Havoc, which provides multilingual disaster preparedness resources. Attendees will gain actionable methods to integrate resilience and equity into their daily practice—protecting people, structures, and communities.

 

DESCRIPTION:
Port Wonder is a state-of-the-art lakefront facility that brings together the Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Nature & Science Center. Spanning over 25,000 square feet, the facility offers an immersive blend of interactive exhibits in science, health, technology, and local culture, designed to spark curiosity, creativity and wonder in all ages. Designed to echo the waterway of Southwest Louisiana, Port Wonder offers a unique mix of education, recreation, and hands-on discovery.

BIO:
Dean Hyer's background is almost stranger than fiction, working as a film director, coaching court-room presence, developing closing arguments for trials, and teaching acting to government covert-agents. 

Since 2001, Dean has coached short-list interviews, helping his clients win their way onto $18 Billion worth of projects, including US Bank Stadium, UCSF Hospital on Zuckerberg Campus, Visa Headquarters, the Penn Station Renovation, and the California High Speed Rail — leveraging stage presence, screen presence, and the power of story to his clients’ advantage.

Co-author of Winning AEC Interviews and Winning Virtual AEC Interviews, Dean formed SagePresence to help firms win more business by maximizing the confident presence of their people.

DESCRIPTION:
For every team member that talks to prospects or clients about upcoming projects, this sessions provides:
  -  A mindset for maximizing productivity
  -  A tool for approaching each conversation with warm confidence
  -  A structure for organizing the conversation
Optional Follow-up Coaching can be schedule for participants to prepare for an upcoming business development conversation, and to make the most of that opportunity.

BIO: 
Charla J. Blake, Assoc. AIA is a self described Cameron Girl, having been born in raised in Cameron Parish. She currrently serves as Executive Director of Project Build A Future, leading affordable homeownership efforts in North Lake Charles. She holds degrees in Architecture from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and UT Arlington, as well as certifications in Creative Placemaking and Environmental Design.

With 20 years of teaching experience at the Art Institute of Dallas and international instruction in Saudi Arabia, Charla returned to Southwest Louisiana to support community development and the arts.

She serves on numerous boards, including the Lake Charles Historic Preservation Commission, the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society, and the Federal Home Loan Bank-Dallas Affordable Housing Advisory Council.

BIO: 
Arthur "Art" J. Schuldt, AIA is a 1976 graduate of LSU’s School of Architecture. Having formed a successful architectural practice in 1982, SGB Architects has grown with a diversified practice over its 43-year history.

As managing partner in SGB, Art developed a special personal passion as advocate and designer of affordable housing while developing national clients in Volunteers of America, National Church Residences and Salvation Army to name just a few. He was a founding board member of Providence House, a local homeless shelter and currently serves on the board of the Salvation Army in Shreveport. In 2001 he was appointed to serve on the Board of the Bossier Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission and continues to serve to this day.

To expand his passion for affordable housing, Art helped start Housing Solutions Alliance, LLC in 1998 to provide a wide array of services to public housing authorities including redevelopment. Under his leadership, HSA has grown with offices in Dallas, Lake Charles and Shreveport. It has served over 600 housing authorities in various capacities since its formation. 

BIO:
Steven Rome, AIA
Leading with tremendous energy, a comprehensive outlook, and a vast 40 years of experience, Steve Rome, AIA draws on the diverse opportunities of his past to influence his architecture and design.  As Principal of VergesRome Architects, Steve works to showcase quality design in tandem with the best product for the budget.

Complementing his design experience, he has also been in the owner’s shoes, having managed some of the largest projects in New Orleans’ history. Extensive planning and program management experience taught Steve how to marry vision and mechanics. He has respect for budgets, understands the reality of executing projects, and can effectively communicate from a business standpoint to resolve problems.

An architect and designer respected for his leadership skills, Steve makes projects happen with the ability to neutralize and focus large groups, endure and overcome obstacles, and always arrive at a solution. Throughout his career, Steve has learned valuable lessons that he brings to his work, combining energy, quality design, and business savvy to achieve success.

DESCRIPTION:
Resilient design of residential communities encompasses not just the ability to withstand the many natural disasters that proliferate our state through sustainable construction, but also how best to meet economic challenges through green standards and energy efficiency. Preserving housing is a vital component to successful recovery of our communities. This session will look at how a few organizations are meeting these challenges through actual projects and the measures utilized.

Lake Charles Historic Downtown Crawl

Discover the charm and history of Lake Charles with our Historic Downtown Crawl! This event invites you to explore the vibrant heart of the city, where history meets modernity. Stroll through picturesque streets lined with beautifully preserved buildings, each telling a story of the past. Visit iconic sites, savor delicious cuisine from local restaurants, sharing a taste of Lake Charles' culinary heritage.

** Only those registered with a ticket will receive continuing education credit.

Sponsored in part by:

More info to come!

BIO:
Chris Reed is Founding Director of STOSS, where he leads the design and content of each project. A designer, researcher, strategist, teacher, and advisor, Chris is recognized internationally as a leading voice in the transformation of landscapes and cities and was a recipient of the 2012 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Landscape Architecture. His work focuses on resiliency, landscape infrastructure, open space, and urbanism and includes a myriad of projects throughout Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner expansion, Science Center Plaza at Harvard, Triangle Park Urban Forest in Cambridge, Moakley Park Resilience Plan, and Long Wharf Resilience Plan. While running STOSS and its projects, Chris is also a Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. His commitment to teaching is not only a way to develop the next generation of landscape architects, but also keeps STOSS on a constant quest for new ways of seeing, thinking, and doing, which has helped put the firm at the forefront of the profession.

DESCRIPTION:  
This presentation will focus on approaches to climate adaptation and resilience that starts with an understanding of environmental dynamics, and then explores ways to make design and planning better respond to these changes over time. Case studies will focus on the greening of infrastructure, the hybridization of flood control in the public realm, and the multiplicity of ways in which city-making can integrate techniques for reducing urban heat, increasing biodiversity, and designing with water--all with the goal of creating beautiful public places for people.

BIO:
Bryan Lee, FAIA is an architect and leading design justice advocate. As the founder and director of Colloqate Design, a nonprofit design practice, Bryan is committed to using design as a tool for social change. Bryan is also a founding organizer of the Design As Protest Collective and Dark Matter University, which work to uplift the voices and perspectives of marginalized communities in the built environment.

Bryan has led two award-winning architecture and design programs for high school students, one through the Arts Council of New Orleans and the other through the National Organization of Minority Architects. Bryan is the 2025-26 National NOMA President. Bryan has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the 2018 Fast Company Most Creative People in Business, the Architectural League’s Emerging Voices award in 2019, the 2021 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, the 2023 United States Artist Fellow, and the recipient of the 2025 AIA Whitney M Young Jr Award, elevating him to the AIA College of Fellows.

DESCRIPTION: 
This lecture explores the groundbreaking Design Justice Movement pioneered by Bryan C. Lee Jr., NOMA President-Elect and founder of Colloqate Design. Participants will learn how to dismantle privilege and power structures in the built environment while creating spaces of racial, social, and cultural reparation. Drawing from Lee's extensive work including the Paper Monuments project, Claiborne Cultural Futures, and the Design As Protest Collective, this session demonstrates practical strategies for community-centered design processes. Attendees will understand how to integrate justice-centered frameworks into their practice, engage marginalized communities as co-creators, and challenge the profession's complicity in systemic oppression. This lecture will also cover Lee's transformative approach to education through NOMA's Project Pipeline and his teaching at Harvard GSD, showing how architects can become agents of social change and liberation.

Members join gather to vote on potential changes to AIA LA policies and structure, elect new officers, and set our agenda for the year ahead thus shaping the future of architectural regulation and practice as our built environment evolves. 

Annual Meeting is open to all AIA Louisiana Members!

BIO

Roger Husser is a native of Husser, Louisiana.  Roger graduated from Loranger High School in 1988 and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering in 1993 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and was married in the same year.  In 1994, he became employed at LSU in the Biological Engineering Department as a Research Associate in the areas of ergonomic workspace design and alternative energy research and also began work towards a master’s degree.  After four years as a Research Associate in the Biological Engineering Department, Roger accepted a position in the LSU Agricultural Center Facilities Planning Department as a Project Manager in 1998.  In December of 2000, Roger obtained a Master of Science in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from LSU.  In 2001, he became licensed in both Civil Engineering and in Agricultural Engineering and became Director of LSU AgCenter Facilities Planning where he was responsible for the LSU AgCenter facilities statewide.  After serving in this capacity for eleven years, he accepted the position of Director of LSU Planning, Design and Construction in 2012.  In 2016, Roger was promoted to Assistant Vice President for LSU Planning, Design and Construction and had the responsibility for a $1 billion capital development portfolio including all long term physical planning, development and construction efforts on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.  In 2023, Roger accepted the Director of Facility Planning and Control, administering the multi-billion dollar Capital Outlay Act for the State of Louisiana.

BIO:
Robert McKinney holds an Ed.D. in educational leadership and an M.Arch, offering an interdisciplinary perspective. With a 36-year tenure at UL Lafayette, he currently is a Professor of Architecture. McKinney's extensive teaching portfolio spans undergraduate and graduate courses across disciplines, including educational leadership, first-year seminar, honors, humanities, architecture, design, and kinesiology. His leadership roles at departmental and university levels underscore a commitment to student learning and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. Nationally, McKinney has served on the Board of Directors of NCARB. He participates in accreditation teams for the NAAB and the Southern Association Schools and College Commission on Colleges.

DESCRIPTION:
This session will explore innovative approaches to enhancing architectural education with a focus on health, safety, and welfare (HSW) through system integration, building performance, and licensure preparation. Using case studies from the UL Lafayette Architectural Education Enhancement Project, the presentation will highlight how professional practice engagement, NCARB record facilitation, and critical reflection exercises strengthen students' understanding of building envelopes, structural systems, and their responsibility to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Guest speakers Emily McGlohn (Auburn Rural Studio) and Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, provide further insight into real-world applications of building performance, affordable housing, and environmentally responsive design. Attendees will gain strategies for bridging the gap between education and practice while reinforcing core HSW principles vital to architectural licensure and practice. Replace this text with the accordion content.

Sponsored by: 

All Conference Attendees, Guest, Exhibitors and Sponsors are invited to this event.

Sponsored by:

DESCRIPTION:
Why do buildings look the way they do? Buildings look the way they do because of technology, engineering, materials, and the architect's design vision. This program explores an in-depth look into all aspects of an architectural project of 10 award-winning projects, solving global challenges, and working within the sustainable development goals. Dinner is included!

Sponsored by:

Join us to celebrate with all the 2025 Award Winners!

Sponsored by: