General Session: Delivering Infrastructure - Challenges and Opportunities

Laura Stagner is the former Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Project Delivery for the Public Buildings Service (PBS) of the US General Services Administration.  In this role, Laura led the successful consolidation of project management functions within the into the Office of Project Delivery, evolving an organization that was responsible for capital projects into an organization that is now responsible for all projects delivered by PBS, including capital, small, and reimbursable projects.  Under her leadership, the Office of Project Delivery developed processes designed to better manage project risk: a national project resource board to ensure that the best available talent is matched to the risk profile of the project, and a project delivery method selection tool.  Laura has been an advocate for the adoption of alternative delivery methods within PBS, particularly design/build and Construction Manager at Risk.  She has served on the national board of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), and is currently on the national board of the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA).  Additionally, she has been an appointed member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Project Delivery Knowledge Committee since 2016.

Laura is currently the principal at Stagner Consulting, LLC, a practice devoted to providing federal project delivery advisory services.

Mr. Simmons was selected as the USACE Chief of Construction in early 2021 and is responsible for leading the Construction Management Community of Practice, the Cost Engineering Team, and the technical components of the Department of Veterans Affairs Program Management Office at HQUSACE. Kenny has worked at HQUSACE in the Engineering & Construction Division, Construction Branch in Washington, DC since October of 2014. His primary focus areas have been Mega Projects, Design and Construction Evaluations, and Design-Build delivery. Mr. Simmons joined USACE in 2009 as an architect in the Kansas City District where his time was split between design and construction offices with final assignments in support of the Fort Riley Hospital, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency N2W Mega Projects. Prior to beginning federal service, he was an architectural designer at JHP Architecture & Urban Design in Dallas, Texas.

Mr. Simmons received his Master of Architecture Degree from the University of Kansas (KU) in May of 2007 and was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017. Rock Chalk!

Dr. Brennan is Executive Director for the Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). CFM plans, designs, constructs, and leases facilities for the Veterans Health Administration, our nation’s largest integrated health care system, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. He is responsible for planning, design, and construction of major construction projects greater than $20 million, and acquires real property for VA elements through the purchase of land and buildings, as well as long-term lease acquisitions. CFM executes construction and real property programs to provide Veterans with high quality buildings, additions, large scale renovations, and structural enhancements. Dr. Brennan also manages the crucial areas of facility sustainability, seismic corrections, physical security, and historic preservation of VA’s facilities. Replacement plant value of VA facilities exceeds $87 billion, with new construction and major improvements approaching $2 billion per year.

Dr. Brennan is a retired Colonel, U.S. Army Medical Service Corps serving in multiple senior health facility planning, design and construction positions over his 27-year active-duty career. Between 2013 and 2019 he consolidated leadership of all Army health facility capital investment and operations and maintenance programs by serving simultaneously as Commander, U.S. Army Health Facility Planning Agency; Director of Facilities – G9, U.S. Army Medical Command; and as the Army Surgeon General’s Health Facility Planning Consultant. He is a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom with awards and decorations including the Legion of Merit (3 awards), Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, Expert Field Medical Badge, Army Staff Badge, and Order of Military Medical Merit among numerous others. Dr. Brennan is a native of Kirkland, Illinois. He holds Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA; and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Brennan is a licensed architect in the State of Illinois and is certified by the National Council on Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB). He is affiliated with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and the American Legion.

Dave is Chief Contracting Officer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the Facilities Acquisition Unit in the Procurement Section.  The Section supports the FBI mission by responsibly and efficiently procuring all necessary supplies, services, architect and engineering, construction, and other operational programs across the enterprise.  Mr. Triplett has served as the Chief Contracting Officer of FFD’s Facilities Acquisition Unit since 2017.  Prior to that time Mr. Triplett served as a Contracting Officer supporting a number of large construction projects for the FBI.  Mr. Triplett entered on duty with the FBI in 2010.

Robert “Skip” Vaughn joined NIST in November 2016 as the Chief Facilities Management Officer and the Director of the Office of Facilities and Property Management. In these roles, Skip provides advice to the NIST Director and senior NIST leadership on matters affecting the operation and administration of the NIST sites. Skip led the team that earned the first LEED Platinum rated federal building project. 

Cory serves as the Director of OPD’s new Center for Construction Excellence, which is focused on innovation, Construction Excellence Peer Reviews, project delivery tools and technology, project risk management, leading industry partnerships, streamlining and improving policy and processes. 

 Prior to his time at GSA, Cory worked as a general contractor in the commercial / industrial construction industry where he held a variety of positions from Project Coordinator to Vice President of Construction. He successfully led and delivered projects across the midwest and southeast. During his 11 years with GSA, he has worked multiple roles in Regions 4, 7, and Central Office including Project Manager, Construction Analyst, and Cost Management Program Manager. 

Emily Beardall develops creative analytical tools that deliver powerful solutions for FMI’s clients as a senior consultant. She is committed to utilizing these strategic tools to improve company performance and profitability. Emily is responsible for FMI’s quarterly construction activity forecast for Canada and other thought leadership pieces. She’s an expert in the design/build space and a sought after speaker on this and other topics.