LAI Baltimore March 19th Presentation Regional Resiliency Perspectives

Please join Lambda Alpha International’s Baltimore Chapter for our
March 19th Presentation
Regional Resiliency Perspectives
Noon – Lunch
12:30 p.m. – Presentation

Over the past decades, the United States has experienced a growing number of natural disasters, affecting every corner of the country. From hurricanes in the Southeast to wildfires in the West and flooding in the heartland, no region is immune to the impacts of climate change. As extreme weather events become more frequent and temperatures continue to rise, the challenge of our time is to build resilient cities that can protect communities from these threats.Join us as we hear from local experts leading the way in resilience planning. Ava Richardson, Baltimore’s Sustainability Director, and Matt Fleming, Executive Director of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, will share their efforts to strengthen our region. Additionally, Kathleen Lane, Managing Director of Climate Action & Design Excellence at the AIA, will provide insights into national strategies shaping the future of climate resilience.

Matthew Fleming, Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County
Matt is the Executive Director of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. He has more than 25 years of experience in the areas of coastal restoration, natural resource management, and program administration. He comes to the County from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), where he recently served as Assistant Secretary for Aquatic Resources. Prior to that appointment, Matt also served as Maryland’s Coastal Zone Program Director, where he developed the state’s largest water quality financing program solely dedicated to abating non-point sources of pollution and oversaw the investment of more than $850 million in Chesapeake Bay restoration projects.

Kathleen Lane, Managing Director, Climate Action and Design Excellence, AIA
As Managing Director for Climate Action and Design Excellence at The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Kathleen works to advance the design profession toward achieving a zero carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy built environment. For ten years she served as Executive Director of the Baltimore Chapter of AIA and the Baltimore Architecture Foundation, where she worked to establish a new Center for Architecture and Design, and developed significant new programs for professional and public education, and collaboration with industry organizations. Previously, she was Director of Knowledge Communities at AIA. She brings over thirty years of experience in design, education, nonprofit, and professional association management. Kathleen is a licensed architect, and holds an M. Arch from Catholic University, MA in American Studies with a graduate certificate in Historic Preservation from University of Maryland, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ava Richardson, Baltimore City Director of Sustainability
Ava has over a decade of experience leading public health initiatives, advocating for environmental policies, and managing programs designed to address social, racial inequities and environmental justice. She previously served as the Sustainability Manager and a Food Matters Technical Advisor in the office, where she led the implementation of special projects, supported the Commission on Sustainability, and helped to pilot new sustainability programming such as the Farmer’s Market-based food scrap collection pilot. During her time with the city, Ava also served as the ReCAST Project Director at the Baltimore City Health Department, advancing efforts to address decades of trauma in west Baltimore. She holds a BS in Biology from Frostburg State University, an MPH from Morgan State University, and is currently obtaining a Doctor of Public Health with a focus on environmental health and engineering from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.