October 28-30, 2026 |
Kansas City, MO

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Kristen Ambrose

Kristen Ambrose

Principal and Practice Leader, Education & PlanningHKS, Inc.

Kristen Ambrose is a Principal and Practice Leader, Education & Planning at HKS. An architect and educator, she drives the conception of innovative, award-winning facilities. Specializing in higher education design, analytics and strategy, Kristen leverages data-driven insights and evidence-based design to create sustainable, resilient environments that optimize outcomes.

Wed Oct 28•8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Operating in the Grey: Campus Safety, De-escalation, and Technology

Campus safety shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. This session explores a “grey” approach — promoting wellbeing, supporting neurodiversity, and…Campus safety shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. This session explores a “grey” approach — promoting wellbeing, supporting neurodiversity, and integrating physical safety so people feel secure, supported, and able to perform at their best. Us…Campus safety shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. This session explores a “grey” approach — promoting wellbeing, supporting neurodiversity, and integrating physical safety so people feel secure, supported, and able to perform at their best. Using real-life examples spanning K-12, higher education, and healthcare, attendees will learn layered strategies — passive design, intuitive planning, and scalable systems — that support inclusivity, e…Campus safety shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. This session explores a “grey” approach — promoting wellbeing, supporting neurodiversity, and integrating physical safety so people feel secure, supported, and able to perform at their best. Using real-life examples spanning K-12, higher education, and healthcare, attendees will learn layered strategies — passive design, intuitive planning, and scalable systems — that support inclusivity, engagement, and outcomes, while addressing evolving threats in order to transform safety into a proactive asset.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More

EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)Session TypeTRACK 5: Building for Safety & Well-Being—from Construction to CompletionSession Track
Ric Everett
Jennifer McKeel
Kristen Ambrose
Ric Everett
Ric EverettSenior Security Consultant, IMEG
Jennifer McKeel
Jennifer McKeelVice President and Senior Designer in Health Science + Interprofessional Education, HKS, Inc.
Kristen Ambrose
Kristen AmbrosePrincipal and Practice Leader, Education & Planning, HKS, Inc.
Ric Everett
Ric EverettSenior Security Consultant, IMEG
Jennifer McKeel
Jennifer McKeelVice President and Senior Designer in Health Science + Interprofessional Education, HKS, Inc.
Kristen Ambrose
Kristen AmbrosePrincipal and Practice Leader, Education & Planning, HKS, Inc.
Tags:Group B
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:This session addresses how the planning and design of campus environments directly impact occupant wellbeing, health and safety. Attendees will explore human-centered, layered security strategies, including passive design, intuitive planning, and integrated technology systems—that support inclusion and create a welcoming atmosphere while mitigating risk, supporting de-escalation, and responding to evolving threats. Through real-world case studies across K-12, higher education, and healthcare settings, the session demonstrates how design decisions can promote inclusivity and neurodiversity, enhance physical safety, and improve overall user outcomes in the built environment.
Learner Engagement:This session is structured to connect content to real-world challenges and leverage participant experience. Using case study examples from K-12, higher education, and healthcare environments, attendees will be prompted to evaluate and compare layered safety strategies—such as passive design, intuitive planning, and integrated technology—against their own project contexts. Interactive discussion will be incorporated throughout, encouraging participants to share perspectives on balancing inclusivity, safety, and operational constraints. Scenario-based prompts will invite attendees to consider how de-escalation strategies and security systems can be applied in different campus settings, reinforcing practical application and peer-to-peer learning beyond a lecture-style format.
Learning Objective 1:Identify practical approaches for balancing inclusivity, user experience, safety, and operational constraints in new and existing campus projects.
Thu Oct 29•2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Reimagining the Student Experience: Breaking Down Barriers Through Design

In this interactive session, participants will implement design thinking to break down learning barriers and create spaces that foster student success…In this interactive session, participants will implement design thinking to break down learning barriers and create spaces that foster student success and wellness. Through the lens of predefined student profiles, attendees will play an engaging card…In this interactive session, participants will implement design thinking to break down learning barriers and create spaces that foster student success and wellness. Through the lens of predefined student profiles, attendees will play an engaging card game to critically examine the unique barriers their learner may face, explore approaches to provide emotionally supportive spaces, and align design strategies with improved outcomes. Evidence-based …In this interactive session, participants will implement design thinking to break down learning barriers and create spaces that foster student success and wellness. Through the lens of predefined student profiles, attendees will play an engaging card game to critically examine the unique barriers their learner may face, explore approaches to provide emotionally supportive spaces, and align design strategies with improved outcomes. Evidence-based case studies will demonstrate the application of inclusive design strategies.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More

EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)Session TypeTRACK 4: Evidence, Impact & the Future of Practice — Research, systems, sustainability, and accountabilitySession Track
Jennifer McKeel
Jennifer McKeelVice President and Senior Designer in Health Science + Interprofessional Education, HKS, Inc.
Kristen Ambrose
Kristen AmbrosePrincipal and Practice Leader, Education & Planning, HKS, Inc.
Tags:Group C
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:The session focuses on heightening awareness of barriers for learners and exploring how the built environment can promote an atmosphere of inclusion and wellness to support a broad range of students. The session demonstrates the connection of a learner’s unique situation and individual challenges to emotionally supportive design strategies implemented in physical spaces to promote equitable access, create opportunity, and positively affect learner outcomes.
Learner Engagement:This engaging session explores design thinking as a gradated process, with the goal of developing supporting learning environments through an interactive card game activity. The game breaks down the development of an inclusive design strategy into the steps of barrier identification, support strategy development, experience ideation, and then application to the physical environment. The process encourages participants to consider the unique experiences and situations present in student populations to uncover design criteria that will shape inclusive and emotionally supportive design.
Learning Objective 1:Assess the risks of ignoring barriers for learners and understand how risk identification can increase learner success and inclusion while reducing uncertainty