Construction Industry Leaders Featured on Activating Curiosity®

Erin Fantozz is a single mom and recovering corporate burnout who accidentally built a business that's changing how architecture firm's scale. She spent years doing the "right things"—going to classes at Kent State while working full-time, grinding through corporate roles, commuting two hours a day—until she hit a wall. She was stuck in production when she should've been leading. Missing bedtime with her daughter. Working weekends. And watching firms around her struggle with the same impossible math: too much work, not enough people or the alternative, too many people and not enough work. (ebbs and flows of business), and a hiring timeline that takes six damn months. So, she built the solution she needed. EFDesigns is a strategic BIM execution firm that gives growing architecture practices what they're actually asking for—senior-level production capacity, US-based, no hiring risk, no turnover drama, one flat monthly fee. Her clients scale from 6 projects to 50 without adding …

Jennifer is the Vice President of Innovation and Advancement at the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). Her background includes teaching high school English for 13 years and serving as the acting business manager for six years at the welding and fabrication company she and her husband founded and owned. She has been at NCCER for over 16 years where she has worked in multiple departments and positions. Jennifer actively presents about workforce development issues and resources, construction career pathways, industry-education partnerships, women in construction, and recruitment into the construction industry.

Helping builders understand their business as well as they understand construction. Jessica’s passion for the construction industry stems from its place in her childhood, growing up in the family sheet metal business. Her career began in public accounting before she eventually became CFO for a Commercial Electrical Contractor based in Kansas City. While in that position, she realized the need for a specialized accounting firm within construction, one that understood the industry’s complexities, processes, and people. From that discovery, Jessica founded her firm, New Lyfe Accounting (NLA), in 2017. Jessica holds a Masters of Science in Accounting from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and has been a Certified Public Accountant for 15 years. She’s been a member of CFMA since 2013, holds a CCIFP designation, and is an active member of the Specialty Trade Committee of CFMA.

Josh Dorfman is a climate entrepreneur, author, and media personality. He is the CEO and host of Supercool, a media company covering real-world climate solutions that cut carbon, increase profits, and enhance modern life. Josh was previously the co-founder and CEO of Plantd, a carbon-negative building materials manufacturer, which was named to Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2024. He has founded two modern design sustainable furniture companies, directed Vine.com, an Amazon e-commerce business specializing in natural and organic products, and served as the CEO of The Collider, the nation’s first innovation center for climate resilience and adaptation. Additionally, Josh was previously known as The Lazy Environmentalist, a media brand he developed into an award-winning television series on Sundance Channel, a daily radio show on SiriusXM, and two popular books.  His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, TechCru…

I started in commercial construction with a focus on prefab for over 20 years. Load Bearing LG Panels, Exterior Bypass Panels, Pods, Interior Finished Wall Panels and more. Success is a function of persistence. You can't give up the minute you hit a road block in this industry, you have to be willing to work hard to push through while everyone else has given up. I'm constantly reviewing change, to better equip myself and the company for the ever changing world around us. Motivated to exceed and excel in "everything" I do. Because my fear is not failure but succeeding at things in life that don’t matter!

Julie Riga is an award-winning executive leadership coach, international speaker, podcast host, and author dedicated to helping leaders and organizations thrive through change. With more than 20 years of experience leading global teams across Fortune 500 companies, Julie combines real-world leadership expertise with practical coaching strategies that empower individuals to lead with confidence, resilience, and authenticity. As the author of Stay on Course: The Life and Legacy of Ennio Riga, Chef to the Stars, Julie shares powerful lessons on perseverance, purpose, and personal growth. She is also the host of the Stay on Course podcast, where she interviews inspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers who share insights on leadership, mindset, and success. Through coaching, speaking, and consulting, Julie helps organizations develop stronger leaders, navigate transformation, improve communication, and build cultures where people can perform at their highest potential.

A nationally recognized expert in AI strategy and digital transformation for the AEC industry, Kristin helps firms move beyond hype to practical implementation. A Fellow of SMPS (FSMPS) and Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM), she works at the intersection of technology, strategy, and industry leadership. She specializes in AI education, change management, and strategic implementation through her AI First Steps framework. Her Minds & Machines symposiums, AI IQ Community, and consulting services equip firms with the clarity and tools to integrate AI competitively. Known for her direct, no-nonsense approach, she focuses on the operational shifts AI creates—from decision-making and workforce transformation to contracts and differentiation. Kristin makes complex topics accessible and actionable, inspiring leaders to think critically, act decisively, and stay ahead in the AI-driven future.

Conifer Advising is a mass timber consultancy dedicated to driving systemic change in the real estate, design, and construction industries by making mass timber the default choice for developers and architects. The firm is led by Kristin Slavin, a seasoned expert with over a decade of experience across the entire mass timber lifecycle, including development, architecture, construction, and prefabricated manufacturing. Conifer Advising is founded on the principle that sharing experience, knowledge, and collaborative processes to enable mass timber will increase the feasibility for developers to build innovative, low-carbon buildings. Conifer Advising partners with a diverse clientele, including government agencies, institutions, developers, design teams, and manufacturers, to overcome the critical barriers to mass timber adoption. The firm’s services are rooted in deep industry knowledge and critical thinking, providing expert guidance to streamline projects, reduce risk, and elimin…

Laura has been leading teams to discover and implement sustainability goals since 2008. She led Emerald’s growth to an internationally sought-after partner to clients and their architects and project teams. Laura excels at facilitating eco-charrettes and strategy sessions that align the client's business and financial objectives with their corporate sustainability strategy or for building projects. She excels at leveraging embedded expertise on teams to create actionable solutions. Her experience spans manufacturing, financial services, non-profit, and government entities. Laura is known for her thought leadership and pragmatic approach to risk mitigation, cost savings, and actionable strategies that achieve measurable results. Additionally, she serves on the boards of USGBC Ohio, Entrepreneur's Organization of Cleveland, and the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

Aligning construction with the future of work by putting people—not companies—at the center of opportunity. A Global Capital & Built Environment Strategist, tracking how money, talent, and technology flow through the built world—from skyscrapers and mixed-use developments to the workplaces and communities they shape. She bridges industries that rarely connect: corporate real estate, development, construction, private capital, and emerging tech. With over a decade advising Fortune 500 real estate teams, developers, contractors, and family offices, she translates insider trends into strategies that anticipate capital shifts, position portfolios to win in changing markets, navigate the decentralization of work, and apply AI, blockchain, and emerging tools for an edge. Founder & CEO of Aedifico ai and Host of Decentralized Everything, she shares unfiltered insights on the future of the built environment and the forces reshaping it—helping clients and audiences make bold, informed…