Illinois Chapter

LEADERSHIP TEAM

President - Chuck Hardy, GSA
Vice-President - Open
Programming - Julia DeRosi, Mortenson |Elaine Lockwood-Bean, Cannon Design

COAA CARES - Shannon Tucker, University of Illinois
Marketing & Membership - John Holbert, IMEG Corp
Sponsorship - Mike Emerson, LJC

Need Training Between Conferences and Local Chapter Events?

In addition to COAA's highly valuable local chapter events and in-person national conferences, COAA also offers multiple opportunities for distance learning. Visit the COAA Owner Training Institute page to learn about training courses, live and on-demand webinars, and Lorman Education Offerings.

WE WANT YOU!

Up your project leadership game by joining COAA.
Sharpen your saw even further by helping lead the COAA-IL chapter.

The value of COAA membership is off-the-charts high. An entire Owner organization can join for $1,050/year. For an organization with 25 staff in the planning/design/construction department, that means a cost of only $42/person. Beyond the tangible benefits – especially for Emerging Pros (age 35 or younger) – membership opens the door to engagement and volunteer opportunities. Give back to the industry, network with like-minded and motivated peers, direct the organization's future, and build your resume.

The ball is in your court! If you are interested in learning more about COAA membership and/or volunteer opportunities, contact Jessica Bonin at jbonin@coaa.org

Designing Alignment: Integrating People, Process, and Technology in Project Delivery

COAA × BuiltX Collaboration

COAA is partnering with Northwestern BuiltX for a special Built Environment Exchange (BuiltX) session bringing together leaders from across the project delivery ecosystem.

Hosted by Northwestern’s Executive Management for Design and Construction (EMDC) program, BuiltX is designed as an industry forum where professionals can network, discuss best practices, and explore emerging trends shaping the built environment.

For this collaboration, COAA and BuiltX will take a 360° look at project delivery, examining how successful teams intentionally align people, processes, and technology to deliver better outcomes.

Session Overview

Alignment doesn’t happen by accident — it has to be designed.

This panel will explore how Owners, design professionals, contractors, and industry innovators work together to drive successful project outcomes. Panelists will discuss how trust, communication, decision-making culture, and technology adoption shape project performance across the lifecycle.

Rather than focusing on a single project, the conversation will draw from real-world experience across multiple sectors, offering practical insights that attendees can take back to their organizations and projects.

What You’ll Hear About

During this interactive discussion, panelists will explore topics such as:

How Owners set the tone for collaboration and alignment on projects
Where project teams most commonly lose alignment — and how to correct course
The role of technology in enabling better decision-making and transparency
How leadership and communication influence project outcomes
Strategies for integrating people, process, and tools across the project lifecycle

Audience Q&A and networking will follow the panel discussion.

Panelists

The panel will be moderated by Dr. Ivan Mutis and feature:

- John Nguyen, Vice President & Head of Life Sciences - Executive Construction Inc.
- Troy Hoggard, Regional Design Director - CannonDesign
- Sheryl Van Anne, Vice President & General Manager - Mortenson
- Larry Blouin, Senior Director Capital Programs - Facilities Northwestern University

Event Details

Date - Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Time - 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. CDT
Location - SLOAN Showroom
Address - 333 N. Green Street, Suite 1000, Chicago, IL
Please note the building entrance to 333 N. Green St. is around the corner on 810 W. Wayman Ave.

Agenda

7:30 a.m. - Continental breakfast and networking
7:50 a.m. - Opening remarks and introductions, EMDC program director Shelley C. Finnigan
8:00 a.m. - Panel discussion and Q&A
9:00 a.m. - Networking