DFC Leadership Summit
on the
FUTURE of Environmental Responsibility

Dr. Philip Bedient is Chair and Professor of the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX. He is author or co-author of over 100 articles and five textbooks related to surface and groundwater hydrology and containment transport. Bedient has directed over 40 research projects, including the BIOPLUME II program for modeling aerobic biodegradation of organic components in groundwater. He also helped direct the extensive remediation studies at HIUAFD.

Jim Blackburn is an environmental lawyer and Professor in the Practice in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Rice University where Blackburn is a Faculty Scholar at the Baker Institute and co-director of the Severe Storm (SSPEED) Center. Texas A&M Press published Blackburn’s Book of Texas Bays in 2004 and A Texan Plan for the Texas Coast in 2017. Among other awards, he was designated a Rice University distinguished alumni laureate in 2018.

David is an architect, publisher, journalist, and educator. His approach to life is part entrepreneur and part journalist. He maintains an ongoing commitment to design theory and regularly publishes essays and interviews. Recent topics include Anticipatory Design, World Population and Human Values, Spaces of Hyper-Creativity, and Leadership and Creativity. He is a past Emerging Leader of the Design Futures Council and has been certified as an EVOKE Agent by the World Bank Institute.

Christoph is a cinematographer and producer who previously worked under producer Gary Kurtz (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Crystal) as associate producer on two sci-fi / fantasy projects. Christoph has a background in photography, specializing in storytelling and portraiture.

Mitchell Joachim, PhD, Assoc. AIA, [jo-ak-um] - Co-Founder of Terreform ONE and an Associate Professor at NYU. He was formerly an architect at Gehry Partners LLP, and Pei Cobb Freed. He has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and fellowships with TED, Moshe Safdie, and Martin Society for Sustainability, MIT. He was chosen by Wired magazine for "The Smart List: 15 People the Next President Should Listen To". Rolling Stone magazine honored Mitchell in "The 100 People Who Are Changing America". Mitchell won many awards including; AIA New York Urban Design Merit Award, Victor Papanek Social Design Award, Zumtobel Award for Sustainability, Architizer A+ Award, History Channel Infiniti Award for City of the Future, and Time Magazine Best Invention with MIT Smart Cities Car. Dwell magazine featured him as "The NOW 99" in 2012. He co-authored three books, "XXL-XS: New Directions in Ecological Design," "Super Cells: Building with Biology," and "Global Design: Elsewhere Envisioned". His work has been exhibited at MoMA and the Venice Biennale. He earned a PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MAUD Harvard University, MArch Columbia University.

Vivian Kuan is Executive Director of Terreform ONE, a non-profit architectural research and consulting group for smart city design, as well as adjunct faculty in the Strategic Design Management program at the New School. Previously at KPF, Vivian became interested in the design and impact of urban development and later managed large-scale projects in Asia for real estate developer SHK Properties. There, she realized the critical need for innovative solutions to environmental challenges. Vivian joined Terreform ONE to build upon the group’s design research work in smart cities and long-standing commitment to environmental education. She has lead projects with cities, corporations, museums, and other NGO’s in advancing sustainability issues in mobility, air quality, ecological planning, biodiversity, and resilience. Vivian is also on the Board of the Cue Art Foundation, a visual arts non-profit. She earned an MBA/MA at the Wharton School/Lauder program, University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Arch. from Cornell University.

Sandy Mendler, a principal with Mithun, is a nationally recognized design leader, author and advocate focused on creating inspiring, healthy places for sustainable living. As one of the early green pioneers, Sandy’s commitment to the sustainable building movement integrates a wide range of practical design solutions to create beautiful, innovative value-added results. A pioneering member of the United States Green Building Council and AIA Committee on the Environment, Sandy was national Board Chair of AIA COTE in 2000 and 2001, and served twice on the USGBC national board contributing to the early development of the LEED green building rating system, and is currently involved with EcoDistricts contributing to the development of their standard. Lead author of two editions of the seminal book, “The HOK Guide to Sustainable Design,” Sandy teaches, lectures and serves on numerous peer review and expert panels. Her current research and writing focuses on sustainable design at the neighborhood scale.

Dr. Adrian Parr is dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Arlington. Parr also holds the UNESCO Chair on Water and Human Settlements. A cross-disciplinary scholar, Parr has published extensively. Her most recent book, Birth of a New Earth (2017), was published by Columbia University Press. She produced and co-directed the award-winning documentary “The Intimate Realities of Water.” The film chronicles the complex relationships between water, gender, sanitation and development in Nairobi’s shantytowns.

Charles Penland is a Senior Principal at Walter P Moore. His 35 years of experience includes serving as project manager on complex building site plans and campus plans with emphasis on cost control, sustainability, and master planning. Charlie’s special interest in Low-Impact Development, hydraulic design, hydrologic analysis, and flood protection has resulted in his being sought after by a variety of professional, industry, and educational organizations. He has made multiple presentations in the U.S. and Europe on flood protection design and emergency preparation and is a guest lecturer at universities. Charlie has been active on the Board of the Houston Water Authority Corporation and Council of Engineering Companies and currently on the Environmental Committee of EWRI, and participates on Rice University’s SSPEED Center. Receiving his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University, he is a licensed professional engineer in Texas, Kentucky, and Illinois.

Guy is an award-winning director, speaker and photographer, specializing in eastern philosophy, ecology and sustainable development. He has a masters degree in leadership in sustainable development from London's Forum for the Future, and also studied at SOAS in London with a focus on Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and the relationship between worldview and ecology.

Rob Rogers, FAIA, is the Founding Partner of ROGERS PARTNERS Architects + Urban Designers, a firm known for blurring the boundaries between urbanism, landscape, and architecture. Rob has more than 30 years of experience designing major civic and institutional projects and leads the firm’s offices in NYC and Texas. Designing in cities around the country, Rob is committed to creating work built on research, analysis, discovery, and shared experience. Rob has served as a critic and professor at academic institutions including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Rice University, and the SCI-Arc, among others.

Jonathan Salk is co-author with his father, the late Jonas Salk, of A New Reality: Human Evolution for a Sustainable Future. A graduate of Stanford University and the USC School of Medicine, he completed specialty training in psychiatry at UCLA Geffen School of Medicine where he is currently Assistant Clinical Professor. He is in practice in Los Angeles and is a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council as well as a member of the Advisory Board of the Population Media Center.