professor of architecture at the Yale School of Architecture, is educated as both an architect and engineer. Her teaching and research explore energy systems, advanced materials and new technologies. Building on her dissertation research on the discrete control of boundary layer heat transfer using micro-machines, she has extended her work to defining the strategic relationships between the differing scales of energy phenomena and the possible actions from the domain of building construction. Her articles and chapters on energy, system design, HVAC, lighting and advanced materials have appeared in several journals, books, and reference volumes. She recently co-authored a book on “Smart Materials and Technologies for Architecture.” Michelle has taught at Harvard University for ten years. Before studying architecture, she was an engineer and manager at DuPont for ten years. She began her career as an engineer with NASA. She received her Dudes and MDesS from Harvard University, BArch from Temple University and BSME from Tulane University. In 2009 Architect magazine selected her as one of the country’s top ten faculty architecture faculty members.

is chief creative officer of COLLINS:, a design company dedicated to inventing brand experiences and communications that shape companies and people for the better. Prior to COLLINS:, Brian was chairman and chief creative officer of the Brand Integration Group (BIG) at Ogilvy & Mather. His clients have included Coca-Cola, CNN, Levi Strauss & Co., American Express, Motorola, Mattel, IBM, Amazon.com, Microsoft, Hershey’s and The Alliance for Climate Protection. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week, ABC News, and Fast Company, which named him one of five American Masters of Design. He is the founder of Designism, an annual symposium in New York City focusing on the role of social activism in design and advertising. Brian is a distinguished alumna of the Massachusetts College of Art. He is vice president of The Art Directors Club of New York and is on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts. He received an honorary doctorate from the Art Center College of Design in 2008. He speaks globally on design and innovation including at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and is a member of the Forum’s Global Agenda Council.

IA, is principal of Pugh + Scarpa Architects in Los Angeles. The work of Lawrence Scarpa has redefined the role of the architect to produce some of the most remarkable and exploratory work today. He does this, not by escaping the restrictions of practice, but by looking, questioning, and reworking the very process of design and building. Over the last ten years Larry has received more than fifty major design awards, including sixteen National AIA Awards. In 2004 The Architectural League of New York selected him as an “Emerging Voice” in architecture. His work was recently exhibited at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. He has been featured in Newsweek and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2009 Interior Design Magazine honored him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010, his firm Pugh + Scarpa was awarded the National and State of California Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects. He has taught and lectured at the university level at numerous schools including UCLA, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Florida, Mississippi State University and SCIArc.

AIA, chief architect, Office of the Chief Architect/Capital Construction Programs of the US General Services Administration. He was appointed to this post in November 2006 after serving as acting chief architect for 22 months. Prior to this position, he served as the director of Federal Buildings and Modernization with the Office of the Chief Architect. As chief architect, Les is the senior advisor to the Administrator of GSA and commissioner of the Public Buildings Service (PBS) regarding federal architecture and design policy and innovation. Current design and construction work in progress has a value of more than $12 billion executed by 11 GSA regional offices. His career with GSA has spanned almost 22 years. During this time, he has served as the director of the Field Support Division and the director for the Center for Architecture, Engineering, and Urban Development.