October 28-30, 2026 |
Kansas City, MO

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Wed Oct 28•8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

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

EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)TRACK 5: Building for Safety & Well-Being—from Construction to Completion

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.

Speakers

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.

More Information

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.

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Wed Oct 28•1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Building Momentum: Leveraging Phase 1 Success to Ignite a Multi-Phase Campus Evolution

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EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)Session TypeTRACK 5: Building for Safety & Well-Being—from Construction to CompletionSession Track
Jamie Sartory
Rebecca Sibley
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Jamie Sartory
Jamie SartorySenior Associate, Lake Flato Architects
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Tags:Group B
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
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Learning Objective 1:Describe key strategies for designing a holistic process in a master plan that prioritized renovation over new construction
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Felix Kabo
Sarah Holton
Sean McCarty
Jeremy Dwyer
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Felix Kabo
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Tags:Group B
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:N/A
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Learning Objective 1:Explain how micro environmental workspace features influence organizational communication networks and why these relationships matter for collaboration, wellbeing, and school performance.
Wed Oct 28•4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

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EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)Session TypeTRACK 5: Building for Safety & Well-Being—from Construction to CompletionSession Track
Eric Risinger
Steve Moore
Laura Gabel
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Eric RisingerManaging Partner; Principal; Strategic Programming Lead, Holabird & Root
Steve Moore
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Tags:Group B
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:not applicable
Learner Engagement:The active-learning techniques we plan to incorporate in this presentation include peer-to-peer discussion, audience polling, a media clip, and potentially a small activity.
Learning Objective 1:Begin assembling the information, resources, and team members you’ll need for the school design & construction planning process and launch that process with the appropriate professionals and scope.