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Recent Speakers

WE'RE BUILDING OUR NEXT EXPERT FACULTY

Take a look at some of the industry leaders who shared their expertise at our most recent AEC TalentMAX while we finalize the lineup for our upcoming event.

From Process to Powerhouse: Advancing a Talent Acquisition Strategy that Performs

Jo Martin, Talent Acquisition Lead, Tighe & Bond

Jo shares how Talent Acquisition at engineering firm Tighe & Bond has evolved into a strategic function that has helped grow it by over 50% in the last four years, meet revenue goals, and support the firm’s long-term success. Drawing from real-world case studies, this session will focus on what TA professionals can realistically influence and implement within their own firms.

* Align Talent Acquisition with the Business: Translate growth plans and workforce needs into achievable hiring strategies by serving as internal consultants and partnering closely with leadership and business line leaders.

* Foster a Recruiting Culture: How to encourage employee participation in recruiting through ownership mindset, referrals, and shared accountability, without turning everyone into a recruiter overnight.

* Build Credibility That Gets Candidates to Respond: Use an authentic Talent Acquisition presence, including personal LinkedIn engagement, to stand out in a crowded market, build trust with passive candidates, and improve response rates.

* Create a Candidate Experience That Helps Close: Shape interview and engagement experiences that connect candidates to the firm’s culture, people, and opportunities well before the offer stage.





Breaking Down Silos in AEC: Building a Culture of Learning and Psychological Safety

Angela Watson, President & CEO, Shepley Bulfinch

Angela shares actionable strategies her firm uses to dismantle the internal silos that inhibit knowledge sharing and innovation.

Learn how the firm encourages a culture where team members feel empowered to admit knowledge gaps, learn from mistakes, and seek expertise across disciplines.

Attendees will also gain insights into designing mentorship programs and transparent career pathways that support professional growth and retention.

Finally, Angela shares how a people-first approach—centered on continuous learning and knowledge transfer—can elevate firm performance and employee engagement.

* Break down silos to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing.

* Foster a culture of continuous learning and cross-functional support.

* Build mentorship programs and clear career growth pathways.

* Drive engagement and firm performance through a people-first approach.






Cracking the Modern Talent Code: Strategic AEC Recruiting for Complex Markets

Kenn Sanders, Senior Recruiter, Bunnell Lammons Engineering

Kenn decodes the structural shifts reshaping how AEC firms attract and retain top talent, from generational expectations to untapped candidate pools. Learn practical strategies to reduce hiring friction, shift to skill-based evaluation, and transform reactive recruiting into proactive pipeline building.

* Segment Your Strategy: Learn why treating the talent market as one system fails, and how to tailor approaches by geography, specialty, and candidate demographics to win in competitive AEC markets

* Unlock Hidden Talent Pools: Discover overlooked candidate segments—career switchers, early-career high-potential hires, and remote workers—who often outperform traditional applicants when properly evaluated

* Fix the Funnel, Not Just the Flow: Reduce candidate drop-offs by 40%+ through friction elimination, behavioral evaluation frameworks, and process optimization that attracts top performers

* Become a Strategic Consultant: Transform from resume screener to trusted advisor by leveraging market data, challenging hiring manager assumptions, and leading talent strategy at the business level





Upskilling Your Next Generation of AEC Talent: Inside BWBR’s Approach to Developing Emerging Professionals

Kari Shonblom, Knowledge Manager, BWBR

Many AEC firms wrestle with the same challenge: rapid growth, limited senior-staff bandwidth, and a new generation of emerging professionals eager to contribute. BWBR confronted that challenge head-on by building a targeted upskilling system designed to help early-career staff learn faster, feel more confident, and participate more fully in project work. Go behind the scenes of BWBR’s approach—beginning with Landmark Learning, the firm’s long-standing training program for emerging professionals, and extending into the broader ecosystem that now supports early-career development. See how the program actually works today, the pivotal moments that sparked its evolution, and the partnerships that allow it to scale without overburdening mentors. Finally, see the formats, stewardship practices, and opportunities BWBR is using to shape the next version of its upskilling system.

* How the challenge BWBR faced in supporting emerging professionals shaped their upskilling strategy.

* Core components of BWBR’s Landmark Learning program and how it integrates with broader training efforts.

* Effective practices for capturing, prioritizing, and refreshing knowledge, including the role of unlearning.

* How AI can support both knowledge creation and discovery in the context of early-career development.

* Long-term stewardship models that help learning programs remain sustainable as firms grow and evolve.