Robert Dietz, Ph.D.
Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Economics and Housing, NAHB

Robert Dietz, Ph.D., is Chief Economist for NAHB, where his responsibilities include housing market analysis, forecasting and industry surveys, and housing policy research. Prior to joining NAHB in 2005, Dr. Dietz worked as an economist for the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. He has testified before Congress on housing, economic and tax issues and is an expert on home construction analysis and trends. He has been cited and appeared on CNBC, the Wall Street Journal and other news media. Dr. Dietz is a native of Dayton, Ohio and earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the Ohio State University in 2003.

Solomon Greene
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

Solomon Greene leads HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research, which informs policy development and implementation to improve life in American communities through conducting, supporting, and sharing research, surveys, demonstrations, program evaluations, and best practices.

Mr. Greene has dedicated his career to improving people’s lives and strengthening communities through evidence-based and community-driven housing and urban development policies. Prior to joining HUD, Mr. Greene held leadership positions in research institutions, affordable housing and community development organizations, local and federal governments, and philanthropy. For over seven years, he was a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, where he led research on fair and affordable housing, land use, technology and inclusive growth and recovery in cities. Before joining the Urban Institute, Greene served a senior adviser at HUD, where he helped develop policies to reduce segregation and expand neighborhood choice and he served as HUD’s principal adviser on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr. Greene received his BA from Stanford University, his MCP from the University of California, Berkeley, and his JD from Yale Law School. He grew up in Ulster County, New York and currently lives in Washington DC.

Chris Herbert, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Chris Herbert is Managing Director of the Center. Dr. Herbert has extensive experience conducting research related to housing policy and urban development, both in the US and abroad. A key focus of his research has been on the financial and demographic dimensions of homeownership, and the implications for housing policy. Having previously worked at the Center in the 1990s, Chris rejoined the Center in 2010 from Abt Associates, to serve as the Director of Research. In this role, he led the team responsible for producing the Center’s annual State of the Nation’s Housing and its biennial America’s Rental Housing reports, essential resources for both public and private decision makers in the housing industry. Chris was named managing director of the Center in 2015, and oversees the Center’s diverse sponsored research programs, its local and national conferences and symposia, as well as its student fellowship programs, designed to help train and inspire the next generation of housing leaders. He holds a PhD and Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a BA in History from Dartmouth College.

Tyler Pullen
Senior Technical Advisor, Terner Center for Housing Innovation, UC Berkeley & The Housing Lab

Tyler Pullen has backgrounds in research and practice across numerous fields in the built environment industry. These include civil and environmental engineering, construction management, energy efficient architectural design and analysis, urban planning and data science, climate change impact assessment, and housing development and policy. His research includes work both in the U.S. and abroad, particularly on the topic of innovative and industrialized construction as a means of expanding and improving housing production. This interdisciplinary experience and curiosity are critical in his research, which hopes to align policies and industry towards critical housing, environmental, and social goals. At Terner, Pullen also leads the program design and impending launch of the Builders Lab program, which will help companies pursuing innovative and industrialized construction methods refine and scale their impact.

Eric Werling
Building America National Director, Building Technologies Office, Dept. of Energy

Eric Werling is national director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building America program. He is a recognized expert in residential energy efficiency, indoor air quality (IAQ), and the building sciences. Since 2011, he has worked with more than 20 Building America partnership teams and four DOE national laboratories to transform building science knowledge and innovations into proven best practices for the housing industry. A 2018 independent analysis estimated that Americans save over $30 for every $1 spent on Building America research. Werling and the Building America program are currently focused on healthy, efficient home technologies, improving construction productivity, bringing deep energy retrofits to scale, and emerging technologies that can make our homes smarter and more resilient.

Werling began his adult life as an E-2C Hawkeye Naval Flight Officer aboard the USS Kitty Hawk and USS Ranger, based in San Diego, California. He holds a master's degree in architectural engineering and an MBA, both from Penn State University, and a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Yonah Freemark, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute

Yonah Freemark is a senior research associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute. He is the research director of the Land Use Lab at Urban. His research focuses on the intersection of land use, affordable housing, transportation, and governance. He has published peer-reviewed scholarship in numerous journals, including Urban Affairs Review, Politics & Society, Housing Policy Debate, and the Journal of the American Planning Association.

Previously, Freemark worked for Chicago’s Metropolitan Planning Council and has written for the New York Times, Next City, and CityLab, among other publications. He holds master’s degrees in city planning and in transportation, as well as a PhD in urban studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ivan Rupnik, Ph.D
Founding Partner, MOD X & Assoc. Professor, Northeastern University

Ivan Rupnik is an architect, scholar, consultant and Associate Professor of Architecture at Northeastern University. Over the last decade, Prof. Rupnik has collaborated closely with Prof. Ryan E. Smith on a series of research and consulting projects related to the global volumetric modular industry, including the “5 in 5 Modular Growth Initiative” Report for MBI. Last year, Rupnik and Smith launched MOD X, a platform for international exchanges related to the volumetric modular industry, with events in Boston, New York and Tokyo. Rupnik’s doctoral work at Harvard University has focused on the development of design and project management tools as well as regulatory frameworks specifically suited for offsite construction. He is a fellow of the Modular Building Institute.

Justice Favor
Director of Strategic Partnerships of the Greater New York Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (GNY- LECET)

Justice focuses on developing and strengthening relationships with Developers, Contractors, workers, politicians, and community. Justice primary goal is to increase market share for laborers. Before working at Lecet, Justice worked for General Building Laborers Local 79 as an Organizer where he empowered construction workers from disadvantaged communities to fight for better wages and better working conditions while encouraging them to strive for a stable career path in the NYC construction industry.

Justice started his career in construction as an apprentice for the Laborers Local 79, he graduated the apprenticeship program and went on to become a shop steward and Forman. Justice has a Bachelor’s Degree in Labor studies from SUNY Empire State college, where he received the prestigious Chancellor Award for Academic Excellence and the Student Service Award. Justice also is a graduate of the Cornell university union Leadership institute.

Brian Pallasch
EVP & CEO, IIBEC

Vicki Worden
President & CEO, GBI

Thomas W. Smith III
CEO, ASCE