Login
Desirée Patno, NAWRB CEO and President, commenced Day 2 of the 2017 NAWRB Nexus Conference with opening remarks, describing the wonderful work leading up to the conference and recognizing the professionals who made time for the diversity and inclusion (D&I) movement.
Smiling faces filtered into the Catalina I ballroom as Dr. Tanya Wattenburg Komas prepared to deliver her keynote speech.
Dr. Komas outlined her speech’s main points:
- Don’t be afraid of accountability and personal responsibility
- Be silly and be home when you’re home
- Go for it in business
- Unlikely characters are leading infrastructure and growth for veterans
The Concrete Preservation Institute (CPI) is a nonprofit educational foundation, and a partner of the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Military.
Dr. Komas affirmed that Alcatraz is the best place in the world to learn what can go wrong with concrete because it was all built with concrete. She emphasized what a serious problem deferred maintenance is; in fact, the National Parks Service has $12 billion in deferred maintenance.
Dr. Komas chronicled various different repairs and structures that beckon repairs, from Alcatraz to the Pearl Harbor Mooring Quays. She reminded us that most of the concrete problems in our country are over 75 years old and the issue of how they are managed is becoming increasingly prevalent.
Regarding concrete problems, Dr. Komas suggested working with someone new with new ideas rather than someone who’s been in it for 30 years, because the concrete projects of today necessitate modern solutions. “Get someone new who doesn’t have preconceived ideas,” stated Dr. Komas. “Putting in new concrete is different that fixing something old.”
For example, in condominiums, especially near oceans in Florida and California, balconies are the first things that needs repair. There’s not much advocacy in the U.S. for condominium owners, and there should be more. Balconies are expensive and an instance of a design flaw.
Dr. Komas concluded by discussing her journey leading to CPI. Safety and caring about students motivated her to leave her tenured position as a professor to work for a nonprofit. She fought the university for years and she stepped down as chair of her department as her pleads for increased safety and accountability were pushed aside time and time again.
She described learning about work-life balance from her husband who is an orthopedic surgeon, joking that when you’re on vacation, you shouldn’t only take pictures of concrete.
What a powerfully engaging session providing abundant food for thought to kick off our Monday morning. Stay tuned throughout the day for our upcoming sessions and panels!