MPM Connects Students with Industry Professionals

The staff and administrators of Northwestern Engineering's Master of Project Management (MPM) program are firm believers that one of the best ways to learn about succeeding in the built environment sector is to hear from professionals in the field. 

That is why MPM director Shelley Finnigan was so excited to line up speakers for the MPM Professional Development Seminar, a weekly series of talks from industry experts designed for MPM students and staff. Part of the core curriculum in the MPM program, the Professional Development seminar provides MPM students the opportunity to connect with individuals from a wide range of roles across the industry. 

In the past academic year, topics of conversation ranged from personal tales and experiences to advice on succeeding professionally.  

Learn more about the seminar speakers and their topics of choice below. To find out more information about them or to enquire about being a future guest speaker, contact mpm@northwestern.edu.  

Alternative Techniques for Agile Project Delivery 
Aaron Ford - Associate Vice President, PM/CM Digital Innovation Solutions 
HNTB (Chicago, IL) 

Anatomy of Air Traffic Delays 
Laurence Audenaerd - Lead Multi-Disciplinary Systems Engineer 
MITRE Corporation 

Building the Future: Exploring SOM's Project Management Journey 
Ian Kaminski-Coughlin - Associate Principal, Practice Leader & Project Manager 
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) 

Decarbonizing the Built Environment: Building Performance Standards 
Ajit Naik - Director of Building Performance Analytics 
Baumann Consulting 

How Can I Be of Service? Project Management as a Servant Leader 
Michael Murphy - Project Engineer 
Forefront Structural Engineers 

How to be Successful in the AE Industry, an Immigrant's Story as an Architect 
J.J. Tang - VP, Director of Federal Facilities 
HDR, Inc. 

Journey to Project Management 
Jim Tibble - Project Manager 
Civiltech Engineering, Inc. 

Lifecycle of Tenant Interior Projects 
Sultan Katrangi - Senior Project Manager 
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)  

Managing Sustainable Engineering Projects 
Andrew Regnery - Project Manager 
V3 Companies, Ltd.  

MEP Sustainability and Decarbonization 
Tyler Jensen - Studio Leader 
ESD 

Pink Hardhats & Green Hardhats: Words of Wisdom for People Entering the Construction Industry 
Diane Zimmer - Asst. Managing Director 
J.S. Held  

Plan The Work and Work The Plan 
Matt Streid - Principal 
MKA  

Project Management in Emerging Economies 
Hernan Levy - Retired / Formerly Lead Transport Economist, China Program 
World Bank 

Secret Sauce: The Intangibles of a Successful PM 
Eric Gould - Senior Project Manager 
Project Management Advisors 

The Quest for Quality - An Approach to Project Management for Consulting Engineering 
Ryan Biziorek - Associate Principal | Acoustics, Audiovisual 
Arup 

Very Large Project Management 
Bradley Schnee - Associate Principal / Studio Leader 
Solomon Cordwell Buenz