Construction Industry Leaders Featured on Activating Curiosity®

Melanie Taylor is the business leader and Vice President of Bildt. She sets strategy, steers growth, and owns end to end delivery across design integration, engineering, fabrication, and field installation. Under her leadership, Bildt is advancing industrialized construction through Lean, standardized work, and DfMA—scaling repeatable product platforms from slide in pods to full volumetric modules that enhance speed, safety, and quality. Known for her clarity, partnership, and manufacturing driven approach. Melanie works closely with owners and project teams to bring predictable, high performing modular solutions to healthcare, commercial, and industrial markets while driving Bildt’s growth and impact.

Nneoma Albert Benson is an international human rights lawyer, social impact developer, and Founder and President of BEFA Women and Child Care Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the rights and dignity of women and children facing poverty, violence, and systemic injustice. Founded in Nigeria in 2009, BEFA has provided legal aid, secured access to justice, and empowered vulnerable women to rebuild their lives with dignity. In recognition of its impact, the organization was granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Nneoma is also the Co Founder of Helichrysum Construction, a company with roots dating back to 1991, now expanding into the United States. Through her work at the intersection of construction, law, and social impact, she is leading the development of BEFA Haven, a multi-million dollar empowerment housing community designed to eliminate homelessness for working women and families by integrating housing…

Former Congressman Patrick Erin Murphy serves as CEO and Founder of Togal.AI, overseeing the company’s day to day operations. Additionally, he currently serves an Chief Innovation Officer of Coastal Construction, the largest General Contractor in Florida. Patrick was appointed to serve on the President’s Export Council in 2023 under President Joe Biden, where he advises the president on strategies to promote American exports and support job creation through trade. Patrick is proud to be the only appointee from the construction industry. Having been raised in the business, Patrick first started in the construction industry as a laborer, then project engineer, estimating assistant and accounting manager. After graduating from the University of Miami, Patrick worked at Deloitte where he earned his CPA license that he maintains today. Patrick served in U.S. Congress, representing Palm Beach and Treasure Coast in the House of Representatives for four years (2013-2017) and was the n…

Healthcare Planner, with more than 35 years experience in the design and construction of hospitals and the life science facilities. My specialty is the integration of advanced medical technologies which was always exciting, albeit challenging. Lived outside of Boston in a small suburban town with my wife and two daughters. Worked at Harvard teaching hospitals for nearly 20 years before signing on to help build the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and subsequently other hospitals in the region. Presently CEO of a start-up venture offering small pre-designed and fully equipped hospitals as a product. We believe our model will streamline the entire hospital building process and help make healthcare delivery more affordable and accessible.

Robb is the Managing Director for Overcast Innovations, a manufacturer of technology-integrated ceiling assemblies. His history includes being the General Manager of the Seattle-area branches of Johnson Controls and Siemens Smart Infrastructure, and a global role with Siemens for Technology Migration. In his Seattle-based roles, he oversaw the sales, engineering, installation and services for Fire and Life Safety systems, Security Systems, HVAC Building Automation systems, Digital Services, Mechanical Equipment and IoT Solutions for Smart Buildings. Robb began his technology career with the US Navy specializing in Electronic Warfare. He also globalized a Swiss-German start-up in the FinTech industry and co-founded a green building start-up in Washington and Oregon. Robb is President of the Board of the Smart Building Center Education Program, the Industry Lead for Washington’s West Sound STEM Network, Chairman of the Washington State Controls Apprenticeship Committee and is invested…

As a female founder, I am several years into building a business that is literally building.  We are purpose driven and environmentally mindful.  The mission is to build sustainable, quality constructed housing and commercial spaces that people can afford. Nothing could be more aligned with my beginings as a clinical social worker. My desire to build healthy buildings and community stem from my exposure to building a healthy mindset.

Ryan E. Smith is a Professor and Director of the School of Architecture at the University of Arizona. Professor Smith has been teaching, researching and consulting with respect to offsite construction, industrialized building, prefab and volumetric modular product R&D, factory setup and layout, design assist, and market analysis and focus group, for 18 years. Smith is author of numerous offsite construction reports, papers and books including the seminal text, Prefab Architecture (Wiley, 2010). He is the founding past chair and current board member of the National Institute of Building Sciences, Offsite Construction Council, a fellow of the Modular Building Institute and a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Offsite Construction + Innovative Structures at Edinburgh Napier University in the UK. He currently serves on the board of Ivory Innovation Housing Affordability Foundation. His doctoral work focused on creating frameworks for international knowledge management and exchan…

Ryan Sullivan, PE is the founder and principal wealth engineer of Off the Beaten Path Financial & Off the Beaten Path Advisors. Starting his career as a mechanical engineer, he built an engineering department from the ground up before launching his financial and business planning firms. Today, he helps architects and engineers build, grow, and ultimately use their wealth to create a life with no limits. Ryan believes cash flow is the foundation of a strong financial position, but true wealth comes from aligning money with purpose. Through structured systems and strategic planning, he helps clients gain clarity, make better decisions, and move forward with confidence. His approach combines engineering precision with dynamic investing, actively adjusting to changing market conditions rather than relying on static, set it and forget it strategies. The result is a more resilient path to financial abundance, giving clients the freedom and flexibility to live life on their terms.

Scott Reynolds is the CEO and co-founder of UpCodes, the developer of a comprehensive compliance and product research platform that makes code libraries more accessible. Scott’s background in architecture and extensive experience working in some of the largest cities in the world, including New York City and Hong Kong at world-class architecture firms, provides him with a unique perspective into the challenges AEC professionals face when accessing building codes and ensuring compliance.

Timber Barker is the CEO and founder of Boom Interactive, a multinational AI company developing advanced image recognition and generative AI to transform how the world designs and understands physical spaces. With over 25 years in design, technology, and cybersecurity, Timber began experimenting with programming and AI in the late 1990s and has since become a published inventor with 10 patents in machine learning and generative AI. His work focuses on 2D-to-3D spatial intelligence and layered AI models that democratize complex technologies for architects, builders, and creators worldwide. A proud member of the Pembina Ojibway First Nations and a father of four, Timber is passionate about mentoring innovators and shaping the future of applied AI in construction, FM and design.