Sustainability Luncheon: Blueprint for a Better World

Buckle up for 5 sessions that travel from the 250-acre solar "engines" powering our grid to the ancient, epic journeys of migratory birds.

Event sponsors – Sinclair Community College/City of Dayton / LPA/AIA Dayton

This program explores practical strategies architects can apply to advance public health, safety, and welfare through resilient design, renewable energy integration, ecological site planning, and equitable development.

Join us on April 14 at Sinclair in the Charity Early Auditorium (Room 172), Building 12; doors open at 11:00 AM. Buffet lunch; parking passes included.

Using a municipal-scale solar case study, biodiversity conservation strategies, and resilience-centered architectural leadership frameworks, participants will examine how infrastructure investment, building performance, and site design decisions affect long-term community well-being. The course emphasizes systems-based thinking, climate adaptation, environmental stewardship, and risk mitigation strategies that directly inform architectural planning, design, and decision-making in both public and private sector projects.

1 Continuing Educational Unit for AIA and GBCI- Pending

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the value of large-scale renewable energy systems and their impact on the community

2. Explore the evolving role of the architect as “Master Builder,” integrating principles of resilience, equity, to strengthen the built environment and community well-being

3. Illustrate how policy, economic systems, and environmental justice considerations influence sustainable development outcomes and community well-being.

4. Identify site design strategies that protect biodiversity and reduce ecological harm in developed environments.

SCHEDULE:

APRIL 14 Sustainability Luncheon:

Blueprint for a Better World

Buckle up for five high-octane sessions that travel from the 250-acre solar "engines" powering our grid to the ancient, epic journeys of migratory birds seeking safe passage. We will redefine the "Master Builder" for a resilient age, weigh the moral stakes of our shopping lists in a neoliberal world, and finally, reclaim the radical power of daydreaming to blueprint a world we actually want to live in.

It is time to stop just "surviving" the present and start constructing a thriving future!

The Little Engine That Glows: Dayton's 49.9 MW Solar Revolution

Meg Maloney

Sustainability Manager

City of Dayton

What happens when you transform 250 acres into a powerhouse for progress? You get Dayton’s 49.9-megawatt solar installation—one of the largest community solar arrays in the nation redefining what municipal sustainability can look like.

This isn’t just a sea of panels; it’s a living ecosystem protecting our wetlands, nurturing native plantings, and sparking a new era of workforce development. With $42 million in projected utility savings, Dayton is proving that green energy is as much about economic empowerment as environmental stewardship.

Join us for an inside look at the challenges and breakthroughs that transformed a bold vision into a powerhouse reality for our city.

Meg Maloney serves as Sustainability Manager for the City of Dayton, advocating for an equitable future through environmental justice and energy programs. In this role, Meg saved residents and small businesses over $10.5 million through energy initiatives and secured $35 million in sustainability grants during 2024. Additionally, she identified $6 million in savings via utility billing audits and curtailment for city facilities. Meg remains deeply passionate about redeveloping disinvested communities, transforming blighted sites into vibrant assets. Over the past two years, Meg has been recognized for her sustainability work as a Dayton Business Journal Innovator under 25, Best Sustainability Staff Member in the State by the Ohio Mayor's Alliance, and the top Sustainability Leader for Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio region.

Ethical Consumption in a Neoliberal World

Kathleen Gish, PhD

Associate Professor of Sociology

Sinclair Community College

Is our planet’s future really resting on your shopping list? In an age of neoliberalism, we are often told that the solution to global crises lies in our personal spending habits.

This fast-paced presentation explores how the burden of sustainability has shifted from systems to individuals, turning everyday acts of consumption into high-stakes moral dilemmas. We’ll explore how to navigate the pressure of neoliberalism while seeking a more authentic, collective impact that goes beyond the checkout aisle. Get ready for a candid, high-energy look at whether we can shop our way to a better planet, or if it’s time to rewrite the rules entirely.

Dr. Kathleen Gish (she/they) started at Sinclair Community College as a high school student, finished a BA at Wright State University, and then attended University of Kentucky for her MA. Later, she went back and completed her PhD at University of Cincinnati. She has taught at her alma mater (and spiritual home), Sinclair, since 2007. In 2025, her manuscript Let Them Eat Fair-Trade Chocolate Cake: Ethical Consumption, Responsibilization, and the Citizen-Consumer in the Age of Neoliberalism was published. She previously published Nativist Notions: The Effects of Anti-Immigration Parties on Mainstream Conservative Parties in Western European Democracies. Kathleen lives in Dayton with her lovely spouse, nine precocious cats, and six vacuums. Her areas of interest are stratification, social movements, and political economy.

The Soul of the City: Architecture, Resilience, and the Reimagining of the Master Builder

Veronica Pochet, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP, CPHC®

Senior Associate

Levin Porter Architects

For centuries, the architect served as the “Master Builder”—a steward of design, safety, craft, and a profound sense of place. Architecture was not just about constructing buildings; it was about shaping communities and giving physical form to culture and identity.

Today, in a world that often prioritizes speed, and short-term gains, the role of the architect is evolving. The Master Builder is not disappearing—it is being redefined.

Join Veronica as she explores the deep connection between architecture and resilience—not only in how buildings withstand storms, but in how they nurture belonging, equity, and the responsibility—of building a resilient future.

Bridging design vision with technical performance, Veronica embraces the "Master Builder" role, integrating beauty, safety, and resilience while leading projects that elevate human experience. She focuses on built environments that foster environmental durability and human well-being as she creates spaces that withstand disruption while sustaining the spirit of inhabitants. She serves as a Director for AIA Dayton, is an alumna of AIA Next to LEAD program, is an active member of Arquitectos Coalition National - a national network advancing mentorship, advocacy, and leadership pipelines across the profession- and also serves on the Planning Committee for Arquitina, mentoring emerging professionals and working to increase representation of licensed Latina architects. As HATCH Architects board member, she supports early exposure to design through K–12 education initiatives.

Small Wings, Epic Journeys: Leading the Way to Safe Passage

Nenita M. Lapitan

Senior Conservation Manager, Ohio Centers

Aullwood Audubon

For centuries, migratory birds have maintained an epic cycle of coming and going, connecting landscapes, countries and even continents through their incredible long-distance journeys. But today, these ancient routes are in jeopardy and there are perils along the way.

How does an animal, weighing mere ounces, travel thousands of miles through storms and over vast oceans? How does a tiny brain "know" how to navigate by the stars and the Earth’s magnetic field to find the same nesting spot year after year?

Join us to explore the challenges these epic travelers face and discover practical ways to support them—in our local habitats or our own backyards.

As Senior Conservation Manager for the Ohio Centers, Nenita oversees conservation strategy and on-the-ground implementation. Her work touches everything from land management and farm operations to community science. She collaborates closely with Audubon Great Lakes and conservation action centers across the network, as well as with the Senior Manager for Ohio Centers Community Building, to develop programs and projects that connect people with stewardship opportunities and deepen their understanding of conservation issues at local, regional, and hemispheric scales.

In her spare time, Nenita enjoys gardening, birding, hiking, spending cherished time with her grandchildren and getting lost in a good book.

Dare to Dream: Why Daydreaming is a Radical Tool for Resilience

Zachary Reizes

Founder

The Slowdown Summit

As children, we spent hours in vivid imaginary worlds, but somewhere along the road to adulthood, we were told to "stop dreaming" and get to work. But what if our daydreams are the blueprints for a better world?

When we allow ourselves the space to dream, we move beyond "surviving" the present and begin "envisioning" a resilient, sustainable future. Join us as we reclaim the power of the daydream—not as an escape from reality, but as a source of the hope, drive, and radical creativity needed to build the thriving world we all truly deserve. It’s time to buckle up and start dreaming of solutions!

Zach Reizes is an event planner, general strategist, and "idea vending machine." Having worked for nearly a decade across industries, roles and disciplines, Zach is currently applying his skills at "creating something from nothing" to The Slowdown Summit, a leadership development conference for introverted and neurodivergent leaders. In lieu of providing additional biographical information, Zach chose to write: "Trust your gut. Don't do things that suck. And don’t tell me what you believe, show me what you believe." Zach's venmo is @zach-reizes (important) and his website is zachreizes.com (less important).

Zack isn't a clinical psychologist, but his career is a masterclass in "Applied Hope." He has spent years taking the "dreams" of struggling communities and turning them into "pathways" through policy and strategy.