Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events (2026)
Chapter: Appendix B: Program Agenda
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Appendix A: Insight Event Registrants
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix B: Program Agenda." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29367.
Appendix B: Program Agenda
| Day 1 | Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | |
| Time (EST) | Topic |
| 8:30 a.m.–8:45 a.m. | Optional Breakfast |
| 8:45 a.m.–9:00 a.m. | Opening Remarks Melissa Sabatine, Marci A. Greenberger, Jordan Christensen |
| 9:00 a.m.–9:45 a.m. | Day 1 Keynote Address Sunny Wescott, United States Department of Homeland Security |
| 9:45 a.m.–11:00 a.m. | Panel Discussions Panel 1: Case Study: Hurricane Helene’s Impact on Airport Infrastructure Hurricane Helene disrupted operations and caused damage to many airports across the Southeast United States. This panel will feature the perspectives of airport personnel who dealt with the aftermath on the ground and their lessons learned for future preparedness. Panelists: Travis Bryan, Boca Raton Airport Authority, Moderator Jason Schronce, North Carolina Department of Transportation Lexie Farmer, Asheville Regional Airport Ricky Rushing, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport |
| 11:00 a.m.–11:15 a.m. | Networking Break |
| 11:15 a.m.–12:20 p.m. | Panel Discussions Panel 2: Opportunities for Stakeholder Coordination and Partnerships From airlines to public transportation to parking, airports interface with many stakeholders and partners in their day-to-day operations. Hear stories and methods of success from experienced experts in aviation stakeholder management. Panelists: Meredith Pringle, Converge Strategies LLC, Moderator Hollie Schmidt, Jacobs Jason Bird, Jacobs Peter Schultz, ICF Steve Nagy, Port of Portland |
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix B: Program Agenda." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29367.
| 12:20 p.m.–12:30 p.m. | Facilitated Large-Group Check-In Discussion Breakout groups facilitated by Converge Strategies LLC and HMMH teams |
| 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:30 p.m.–1:45 p.m. | Facilitated Large-Group Check-In Discussion Facilitated by Meredith Pringle |
| 1:45 p.m.–3:00 p.m. | Panel Discussions Panel 3: Funding Pathways for Infrastructure Projects This session will cover pathways to securing and procuring federal funding for airport infrastructure projects. Specifically, this panel will highlight innovative funding opportunities and strategies through federal and state funding, private investment, and partnerships. Panelists: Melinda Z. Pagliarello, Airports Council International–North America, Moderator Patty Clark, Project Gestalt, Patty Clark Aviation Advisors Danelle Peterson, Port of Portland TJ Schulz, Airport Consultants Council |
| 3:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. | Facilitated Small-Group Discussion Breakout groups facilitated by Converge Strategies LLC and HMMH teams |
| 3:30 p.m.–3:45 p.m. | Networking Break |
| 3:45 p.m.–4:15 p.m. | Day 1 Speaker Sessions Building Airport Resilience from Lessons to Action Speaker: Sandy Hertz, formerly with the Maryland Department of Transportation |
| 4:15 p.m.–4:30 p.m. | Day 1 Close Out & Transition to AI and Airport Infrastructure Session Close Out delivered by Melissa Sabatine |
| 4:30 p.m.–5:15 p.m. | Day 1 Speaker Sessions AI and Airport Infrastructure: Deep Dive Speaker: Brian Bothwell, United States Government Accountability Office |
| 5:15 p.m.–5:30 p.m. | Networking Session |
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix B: Program Agenda." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29367.
| Day 2 | Thursday, May 8, 2025 | |
| Time (EST) | Topic |
| 8:30 a.m.–9:10 a.m. | Optional Breakfast |
| 9:10 a.m.–9:15 a.m. | Welcome Welcome delivered by Melissa Sabatine |
| 9:15 a.m.–10:00 a.m. | Day 2 Keynote Address Speaker: Erin Cooke, San Francisco International Airport |
| 10:00 a.m.–11:45 a.m. | Small-Group Facilitated Discussion: Problem Statement Poster Creation and Sharing Attendees are broken into groups of approximately 10 participants each to brainstorm industry research gaps, drawing on themes and lessons learned during panel discussions. Breakout groups will be facilitated by Converge Strategies LLC and HMMH teams. |
| 11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks Remarks delivered by Melissa Sabatine and Marci A. Greenberger |
| 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. | Optional Networking Lunch |
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