Network Across Industries, Gain Fresh Ideas, be Inspired by Local Changemakers Driving Real Impact.

This luncheon highlights how sustainability is not just about numbers, policies, or programs—it’s about us!

Inspired by Dr. Michael Shank’s call to make sustainability REAL—for Real People, meeting Everyday Needs, through Actualizable Visions, and Leveragable Actions—this luncheon brings those ideas to life. From tree equity and embodied wellbeing to plastic reduction and better building design, each talk reveals how local action and personal purpose together create resilient, thriving communities.

It's fast, it's impactful, and it's all Pecha Kucha style, so get ready to be inspired!

Meet Our Keynote Stars!

ANDREW GLASS, AIA

Architect

Drawing Dept

THE ICE BOX CHALLENGE

The Ice Box Challenge puts building science on display with two side-by-side structures—one built to standard codes and the other to ultra-efficient Passive House standards—each filled with a ton of ice and left in the summer heat. The results are dramatic and unforgettable, showing just how much smarter design can reduce energy use, improve comfort, and save money for homeowners and businesses alike.

Join Andrew as he unpacks the challenge’s findings and reveals how high-performance building standards can transform our communities into cooler, healthier, and more resilient places to live and work.

Andrew Glass is an architect in the Drawing Department and serves as Chair of the AIA Cincinnati Committee on the Environment (COTE). With degrees in architecture from Ball State University and the University of Cincinnati, Andrew’s work explores how technology and design intersect to shape contemporary culture. He is a strong advocate for high-performance and sustainable design, leveraging Integrated Design Practice and BIM to create resilient, people-centered spaces across civic, educational, and institutional projects.

CORINNE BRION

Associate Professor, University of Dayton

Founder, Turtle Up

PLASTIC, TURTLES, AND THE WORLD WE WANT

Every cup, bag, and bottle that escapes our waste stream contributes to a much larger crisis, clogging waterways, harming wildlife, and disrupting ecosystems across the globe. What we do locally—how we shop, recycle, and reduce—directly shapes the health of our planet.

Turtle Up, founded by Dr. Corinne Brion, bridges that connection between local action and global impact. Through education and cleanup initiatives in both the U.S. and Ghana, the organization empowers communities to cut plastic waste, protect sea turtles, and reimagine everyday choices as acts of conservation. By changing habits at home, we help restore balance to oceans and ecosystems everywhere.

Originally from Vernon, France, Corinne earned her master’s in education from Southern Oregon University, where she also founded a Waldorf-inspired charter school, and later completed a Ph.D. in Leadership at the University of San Diego—receiving the William Foster Outstanding Dissertation Award for her research in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Now an Associate Professor of Educational Administration at the University of Dayton, she also leads Turtle Up, a nonprofit based in the U.S. and Ghana dedicated to environmental education and ocean conservation.

JULIE HARRIS

Data, Reforestation, and Demolition Program Manager

Montgomery County Land Bank

TREE PROGRAM CULTIVATING RESLIENT COMMUNITIES

Discover how the Montgomery County Land Bank is transforming vacant lots and underserved neighborhoods through its innovative Tree Equity Reforestation Program—providing free trees to residents while addressing historic disparities in urban canopy cover.

More than shade and beauty, these trees deliver cleaner air, cooler streets, lower energy bills, improved health, and stronger property values, all while building climate resilience.

Julie is the Data, Reforestation, and Demolition Program Manager for the Montgomery County Land Bank, where she oversees demolition efforts, leads the Tree Equity Reforestation Program, and manages data strategy. With over 25 years of experience in financial wellness and affordable housing, Julie has guided programs in credit counseling, housing counseling, and emergency home repair across Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and Ohio. she previously served as Executive Director of the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton.

STEPHANIE MARSHALL

Associate Director Human Resources

Montgomery County

COULD SUSTAINABILITY BE KEY TO OUR DEEPEST FULFILLMENT?

This session connects Flow Theory, intrinsic satisfaction, and embodied individuation to explore how aligning our actions with purpose creates both personal well-being and community resilience.

When we find joy in the act itself—immersed in flow, guided by values, and rooted in wholeness—we naturally make choices that sustain ourselves, each other, and the planet.

Stephanie is a Doctoral Candidate, Human Resources Leader and an adept trainer and communicator with expertise in culture change and employee engagement. She is an expert in Training & Development, Labor Relations, Process Improvement, and Program Development, and able to build sustainable relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Free Parking for Attendees

Parking Directions

1 Continuing Education Unit for AIA and GBCI- Pending

Registration opens at 11:15 a.m.

Lunch served: 11:30 a.m.