OPENING KEYNOTE

Welcome to 2020 MEGA Maryland

Mindy Hinsley, FSMPS, CPSM, Conference Co-Chair

Special Performance

Katrina Jones

Opening Keynote

Return of the Economist: COVID-19 Economic Update

Anirban Basu, Sage Policy Group

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MEGA Maryland welcomes back our favorite economist and keynote speaker, Anirban Basu, to kick off the 2020 conference. COVID-19 has rocked what had appeared to be a nearly invincible economy; one associated with substantial job growth, multi-decade lows in unemployment, sturdy compensation increases, robust retail sales, low inflation, and strong financial market performance. Underneath that strong performance, however, was a set of fragilities that have been exposed by the pandemic. This webinar speaks to our current economic circumstances, how difficult things are likely to become over the foreseeable future, and the contours of the brisk recovery to come thereafter.

Anirban is Chairman & CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm in Baltimore.  Anirban serves as the chief economist to Associated Builders and Contractors and as chief economic adviser to the Construction Financial Management Association.  In 2007 and then again in 2016, Mr. Basu was selected by the Daily Record newspaper as one of Maryland’s 50 most influential people. The Baltimore Business Journal named him one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders in 2010.

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CLIENT PANEL

The Howard County Courthouse: A New Way Forward

Moderator

Justin Kirk, Clark Construction

Client Panelists

Robert Jones, Owner's Representative, Arcadis

Annie Fulton, Clark Construction

Donald Gibson, Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate

The Howard County Circuit Courthouse is a precedent setting public-private partnership that will deliver a critically needed new facility. Currently under construction and scheduled to deliver June 2021, this path-breaking project combines public and private financing to create a new model for funding public buildings in Maryland. This webinar will explain how this unique Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) project was organized and launched by the County, the unique benefits of the public-private funding approach, and the collaborative design-build process used to design and construct the facility.

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workshop

Marketing + Business Development Primer for Small Businesses

Presenters

Mindy Hinsley, FSMPS, CPSM, Hinsley Collective

Carrie Ann Williams, F.SAME, CPSM, Andana Consulting

Join Mindy and Carrie Ann for the top ten things small businesses should be engaged in now to help position themselves for success in the future. These seasoned marketing professionals will provide their insight and tips and tricks for tackling proposals, business development, and digital marketing in today’s social-distanced environment.

client panel

Federal Agency Small Business Liaison Officers

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Details to be announced shortly ...

WORKSHOP

Federal + Joint Venture Updates

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Introduction

TBA

Speaker

Nick Solosky, Partner, Federal Government Contracts & Procurement Group, Fox Rothschild LLP 

Join us for a conversation on the effective use of Joint Ventures in government contracting, including recent developments in the case law and federal regulations. This will include a discussion concerning federal Joint Venture requirements and best practices for drafting Joint Venture agreements.  The presentation also provides an overview of small business Joint Ventures – including in the context of the Small Business Association’s “All Small” Mentor-Protégé Program.  Finally, we will address recent updates concerning HUBZone Joint Ventures, as well as proposed amendments that could change the requirements for all small business Joint Ventures.

CLIENT PANEL

SAME Mid-Maryland + MAREP Environmental Panel

Moderator

Samir A. Qadir, EIT, CC-P®, Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc.

Panelists

Gina Soscia, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, EPA Region 3

Lee Currey, Director, Water and Science Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment

Chris Rua, Senior Scientist, Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc.

Ryan Duckett, Project Engineer, SCS Engineers

Come and learn about current environmental topics from government and industry speakers, including US EPA, Maryland Department of the Environment, and local DC-area environmental consulting firms.  The panel will discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 on the environmental sector, including government and private-sector programs, and discuss the ways in which public and private sector organizations are responding to the pandemic.

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TUESDAY

10/13

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

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CLIENT PANEL

New Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model                                Certification (CMMC) Regulations

Moderator

Sean Kirwan, Commercial Insurance Associates

Panelists

Brian Hubbard, PMP, CISM, Director of Commercial and Cybersecurity, Edwards       Performance Solutions

Eric Levitas, Business Development, Edwards Performance Solutions

The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced the introduction of a new program called the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) to combat external cybersecurity threats. CMMC will serve as a framework for the enforcement of the department’s existing Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) requirements. All DoD contractors and suppliers—regardless if you’re the acting prime contractor or a subcontractor—will need to become CMMC certified by passing a CMMC audit. CMMC will become the standard on all DoD RFI’s and RFP’s with the goal of improving CUI security by introducing a formal audit program for compliance. Join Brian and Eric as they share how they are best preparing government contractors for these new requirements.  

tHURSDAY

10/15

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

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client panel

Airport Minority Council + Contractors Minority Program

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Details to be announced shortly ...

FRIDAY

10/16

9:00 AM - 11:30 AM

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SPONSOR

MASER CONSULTING

workshop

eMMA and BETA.sam.gov Training

Presenters

TBA

Get ready for a State of Maryland and Federal software training double header!  MEGA Maryland partners will provide eMMA training and BETA.sam.gov training in back-to-back sessions. Additional resources and Q&A with presenters will be available. 

client panel

MDOT + COUNTY DOUBLEHEADER

MDOT Client Panel

Moderator

Aneesha Griffin, PE, PTOE, Principal, CST Engineering, Inc.

Panelists

Lisa Grant, MDOT SHA Office of Equal Opportunity

Vashti Pyatt + Tracie Watkins-Rhodes, MDOT Office of Small and Minority Business Policy

William Parham, MDOT MTA Procurement

Joe Palechek, TSO Procurement

Abigail Alam + Paul Becker, MDTA Procurement

Valencia Hainesworth, MDTA Civil Rights & Fair Practice Division

Jada Wright, MDOT SHA Procurement

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Maryland Counties Client Panel

Moderator

TBA

Panelists

Scott Flanigan, Cecil County

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TBA

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workshop

Research + Planning: Setting the Stage for Success

Introduction

Mindy Hinsley, FSMPS, CPSM, Hinsley Collective

Speaker

Shannon Koop, Senior Market Researcher, GEI

Understanding the contextual environment our clients are working in is critically important going into 2021. In this session we’ll talk about how research can inform various levels of strategic planning from a market level to a project pursuit and ultimately impact your bottom line. We’ll talk about identifying research needs; consider internal and external sources of information and how they inform the research process; and talk about how to leverage this process to create value for your clients.

CLIENT PANEL

The Future of Design and Construction in Healthcare

Moderator

Joann Petillo, HGA

Panelists

Adam C. Smith, Esq., Assistant Director, Johns Hopkins Health System Facilities Design    + Construction

Norma Norris, President, Chesapeake Healthcare Planning, Women in Healthcare

Andree Yaap, Preconstruction Executive, Clark Construction Group, LLC

special event

A 3-Part Series Based on Inclusion + Diversity in AEC

Part 1:  Small & Minority Business Leaders:  Real Talk on Real Success

Moderator

Mindy Hinsley, FSMPS, CPSM, Hinsley Collective

Client Panelists

Mamo Assefa, PE, Delon Hampton

Tony Brudis, PE, Brudis & Associates

Brunson Cooper, Corenic Construction

E. Rodney Flores, PE, M.ASCE, Pinnacle Engineering Group

Aneesha Griffin, PE, PTOE, CST Engineering

Part 2:  Professional Organizations Inclusion + Diversity Mission Discussion

Panelists

Linda Darr, President, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 

Melanie Ray, National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)

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Part 3:  A Corporation’s Commitment to Supplier Diversity

Presenter

Ian MacFarlane, President, CEO, EA Engineering, Science & Technology, Inc., PBC

What do inclusion and diversity really mean?  Join us for this special event centered on the shared challenges, inspired stories, available resources, and corporate framework built around inclusion and diversity in today’s AEC industry and beyond.  

CLIENT PANEL

WTS’s Women Leading the Way

Moderator

Odessa Phillip, Assedo Consulting

Client Panelists

Angela J. Jones, PE, HNTB

Sutapa Samanta, PE, Maryland State Highway Administration

Jo Ellen Sines, DBIA, M. Luis Construction Co., Inc.

Caryn J. G. Brookman, Blackwater Environmental Group

Inspired by Governor Hogan’s 2020 “Year of the Woman” proclamation, MEGA Maryland partnering organization WTS has created a panel of inspiring female business leaders in the AEC industry.  Help us celebrate the achievements of these amazing women in the advancement of architecture, engineering, construction, science and management while learning what it takes to become effective and successful leaders in these fields today. 

WORKSHOP

Ethics Training

Introduction

TBA

Speaker

Jim Johnson, Wallace Montgomery