KEYNOTES & OTHERS

Get to know our keynotes and speakers before you arrive! We have an exciting lineup of industry leaders, innovators, and creatives ready to share their expertise and insights. From groundbreaking design strategies to career-shaping advice, this is your chance to learn from the best.

Kelly Hayes McAlonie

Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, LEED AP is an architect and the Director of Campus Planning at the University at Buffalo. A leader in educational architecture, she has played a key role in UB’s transformative projects, including the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. A past President of AIA New York State (2012), Kelly’s career has been dedicated to shaping learning environments, from playgrounds to higher education spaces. She is also the founder of Architecture+Education, a nationally recognized program that introduces children to design, and a co-creator of the Architecture and Design Academy in Buffalo Public Schools.

Gregory Delaney

Gregory Delaney is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University at Buffalo, where he teaches architecture history, urban analysis, and design studios at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His work navigates the intersections of architecture, urban design, and critical preservation, fostering cross-disciplinary thinking and public engagement in design. Committed to experiential learning, he integrates site-based analysis, community engagement, and travel into his teaching.

Randy Fernando

Randy Fernando is a multi-faceted designer exploring the intersections of digital fabrication, material innovation, and sustainable technologies in architecture. His international travels have shaped his perspective, inspiring a conscious design approach that balances beauty with community impact. His research focuses on immersive environments, bio-based materials, ecological analysis, and AI-driven design workflows. Beyond architecture, Randy’s background in music, dance, photography, and film fosters interdisciplinary collaborations, pushing the boundaries of design exploration.

Albert Chao

Albert Chao is a designer working at the intersection of technology, art, and architecture. His expertise spans digital fabrication, computational design, and Building Information Modeling. He specializes in 2D drafting, 3D modeling, and environmental simulations using tools like Revit, Rhino, and Grasshopper. Albert resides in Coles House, an evolving experimental live-work space that explores adaptive reuse, material innovation, and the intersection of architecture and everyday life.

Dennis Maher

Dennis Maher is an artist and designer working at the intersection of sculpture, installation, and architecture. He creates immersive environments from found and built fragments, evoking dream-like spaces in constant transformation. As the founder of Assembly House 150 in Buffalo, he merges art, architecture, and education, repurposing an 1850s church into an evolving architectural dreamscape. His work explores themes of home, memory, and the surreal within the familiar, most notably in The Fargo House, his ongoing 15-year living experiment in reconstruction and assemblage.