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Home2024 APA National Conference

2024 APA National Conference
Program & Speaker Info

Austin skyline with a textbox in the lower left corner saying 2024 APA National Conference January 24 - 26 2024

A special thank you to all the speakers, attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and volunteers who joined us at the conference in January. We hope that you can join us again in January 2025!

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2024 APA National Conference Schedule           Conference Program

 

Keynote Speaker



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Julie Sawchuk

Principal at Sawchuk Accessible Solutions


After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2015, Julie became aware of the everyday challenges of living in a world not built with accessibility in mind, and so began her journey as an accessibility strategist. She earned the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification and launched Sawchuk Accessible Solutions, where she consults, completes accessibility ratings and educates folks in the design and construction industry all across Canada.




Speakers



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Kaylan M. Dunlap, CASp, ADAC

Principal and Director of Technical Services with Evan Terry Associates


Kaylan has been with Evan Terry Associates since 2003 and serves as the firm’s primary technical access specialist for the US Capitol Complex, the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, a number of US Department of Justice projects, and others. Kaylan is a subject matter expert for the California Division of State Architect, serves on the Board of Directors of the Certified Access Specialists Institute, and was a charter member of the California State Architect’s Access Code Collaborative, having represented the interests of people with disabilities. Kaylan has also served on the U.S. Access Board’s Advisory Committee on Standards for Medical Diagnostic Equipment.





 


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Marsha Godeaux

Program Specialist VI at the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation


Marsha has worked within the Architectural Barriers program at the Texas Department for Licensing & Regulation for the last 15 years. She started as a plan reviewer and has worked her way up to program Team Lead. She has a bachelor’s in environmental design from A&M University and a master’s in architecture from Texas Tech University. She is a mother of 3 and in her spare time volunteers with the Scouts BSA.




 


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Mark J. Hulme, AIA, CASp, APAC-BE, LEED AP BD+C 

Assistant Vice President at Marx|Okubo


Mark Hulme performs architectural consulting, sustainability reviews, property condition assessments, owner’s representation-related services, and disabled-accessibility reviews. For over two decades, he has been involved in diverse construction and architectural projects, including retail properties, offices, and interiors, as well as community college and K-12 educational facilities. As a Certified Access Specialist (CASp), Mark has conducted CASp and other disabled accessibility reviews of office, shopping center, hotel, and multifamily properties.









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Mark J. Mazz, AIA

 
More than 40 years ago, Mr. Mazz started his accessibility career with the University of Maryland's Section 504 Transition Plan. Since then, he has been responsible for the accessibility projects in his private practice and in the offices of Edwin F. Ball, AIA, and Celentano Esposito & Associates. For the past 21 years, Mr. Mazz has focused exclusively on the ADA, the Fair Housing Act (FHA), Section 504, the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), and accessible design issues. Prior to federal employment, he belonged to several disability organizations and donated services through the Spinal Cord Injury Network of Metropolitan Washington and Independence Now, Inc. He continues to donate services through Disability Rights Maryland and as a board member of CALMRA, a community-based residential service provider for adults with cognitive disabilities.






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Nanette Odell, Ed.D.
Founder and CEO at Life Quest Training & Consulting, LLC

 
Nanette Odell has lived and/or worked with individuals with disabilities most of her life and in a professional capacity for over 40 years. After working in the public sector for 15 years, she started her own consulting business in 2010 then was hired as the Disability Service Manager/ADA Coordinator for the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012. Since then, she has become a content expert on accessible areas of assembly and has recently developed the Venue Access Academy. Having non-visible disabilities of her own, Nanette speaks passionately from both her professional and personal experiences.







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Kimberly Paarlberg
Senior Staff Architect in Technical Services with the International Code Council (ICC)

 
Kimberly's experience with ICC includes work in the plan review and code development departments with responsibilities for code development, providing code interpretations, instructing technical seminars, and authoring and reviewing instruction materials, code commentary, and publication articles. Kimberly serves as code development secretariat for the General and Means of Egress/Accessibility committees for IBC and IRC Building committees for the I-codes. She is the ICC representative for the development of the referenced technical standard, ICC A117.1 “Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.”  Kimberly is the staff secretariat for the ICC Health Care Committee (HCC) and the Building Code Action Committee (BCAC). She is also the secretariat for the ICC 300 - Bleachers, Folding and Telescopic Seating and Grandstands, and the ICC 500 - Design and Construction of Storm Shelters.  





 


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Rex J. Pace

Senior Advisor for Accessible Design at U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development


Rex Pace has over 30 years of experience making the built environment accessible to people with disabilities. He is currently at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity's Senior Advisor for Accessible Design. He works on issues related to the Fair Housing Act, Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Rex came to HUD from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), where he managed their National Accessibility Program to ensure the accessible design of federal facilities. Before GSA, Rex worked at the U.S. Access Board, where he was a senior accessibility specialist and oversaw the technical assistance program. 






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Sarah Presley

Accessibility Specialist at the U.S. Access Board

 

Sarah Presley is an Accessibility Specialist with the Access Board. Presley provides technical assistance and training on design standards for accessible buildings and facilities and accessible public rights-of-way. Before joining the Access Board, Presley served as a Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Presley previously worked at the D.C. Department on Disability Services as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist and at the U.S. Census Bureau as a Statistician. Presley also served in the Peace Corps in Morocco as an English instructor at a school for students who are blind. She holds a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from George Washington University.







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James L.E. Terry, AIA, CASp 

CEO of Evan Terry Associates and Corada

 

Jim is the CEO of Evan Terry Associates (ETA). He joined the firm after receiving his B.S. in Architecture from the University of Southern California and his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan in 1977. Since July 27, 1990, he has led ETA’s team focused on accessible design and, in particular, the Americans with Disabilities Act and various state accessibility standards’ requirements. Seven years ago, he and ETA launched Corada.com, the Comprehensive Resource for the ADA, as a free service for ADA professionals and others. He serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of ADA Coordinators and the national expansion committee of the Accessibility Professionals Association and their certification exam SME team. Under his leadership, ETA serves clients like The Architect of the U.S. Capitol, The U.S. Department of Justice, The Los Angeles Housing Department, the City of New York, CVS, Sutter Health, and others.

 







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Jonathan White

Director of Design Consulting at the University at Buffalo’s Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA Center)


Jonathan is a licensed architect in the State of Ohio and has worked for the University at Buffalo’s Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA Center) since 2007. His current projects include the innovative solutions for Universal Design (isUD) certification program, Universal Design Education Online (UDEO), stock plans for universal design housing, as well as ongoing ADA and Fair Housing compliance audits and evaluations.




 

Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors

Gold Sponsor
green and white ICC logo

International Code Council

Exhibitors
Ascension Wheelchair Lift Logo

Ascension Wheelchair Lifts

 

TAVCO


 
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TDLR Elimination of Architectural Barriers Program


Curious about exhibiting at or sponsoring the 2025 APA National Conference? Find out how by emailing FrancesEllington@AccessibilityProfessionals.org

Continuing Education 

APA is a registered provider with the American Institute of Architects (AIA/CES, #G583) and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR, Provider #0007855 / license #PVD312) and is a preferred provider for the International Code Council (ICC, #1321). APA provides pre-verified ACTCP credits for the ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program (ACTCP) and has previously awarded an APA-ADA Specialist Designation, an APA-ADA Assembly Area Designation, and an Accessibility Standards completion certificate. APA partners with APAC (Accessibility Professionals Association Certification Program) to provide CE credits. Members/guests can meet the CE/LU requirements of numerous organizations, including the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, by attending APA Training and verifying with organizations when a course has been registered.