Smart Cities MIAMI 2026: 10 Years of Lessons, Leaps, and the Road Ahead 3/26

Keynotes

Dr. Frangopol is the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture Emeritus, and Professor Emeritus at Lehigh University. Before joining Lehigh in 2006, he was Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he is now Professor Emeritus. From 1979-83, he was a Structural Design Engineer with A. Lipski Consulting Engineers in Brussels, Belgium. In 1976, he received his doctorate in Applied Sciences with highest honor from the University of Liège, Belgium.

According to ASCE (2012) “Dan M. Frangopol is a preeminent authority in bridge safety and maintenance management, structural system reliability, and life-cycle civil engineering. His contributions have defined much of the practice around design specifications, management methods, and optimization approaches. From the maintenance of deteriorated structures and the development of system redundancy factors to assessing the performance of long-span structures, Dr. Frangopol’s research has not only saved time and money, but very likely also saved lives. Dr. Frangopol is a renowned teacher and mentor to future engineers.” He is also “widely recognized as a leading educator and creator in the field of life-cycle civil engineering.” (ASCE 2015). “Frangopol’s groundbreaking research into infrastructure from a holistic perspective has earned him a reputation in the civil engineering community” as the “Father of Life-Cycle Analysis.” (ASCE 2020). In 2023, ASCE created the “Dan M. Frangopol Medal for Life-cycle Engineering of Civil Structures.”

Speakers

Tom Merrick, Assistant Director of VR/AR Initiatives, is a seasoned educator and technology enthusiast. He holds a BS in Information Engineering from Cornell and an MA in Independent School Leadership from Columbia. With 15 years of experience in education, including roles as a Math Director and School Administrator, Tom brings a unique perspective on technology’s role in learning.

Tom’s journey led him to accept a fellowship at Stanford University’s Distinguished Career Institute (DCI), where he discovered the potential of Virtual Reality to revolutionize education. He taught VR courses at Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab and continued as an educator with Stanford Continuing Education. Now, at the University of Miami, Tom is passionate about teaching “Intro to VR” while exploring innovative ways to support faculty and students in harnessing immersive technologies for transformative learning experiences. His expertise and vision are integral to our mission of reshaping education through VR and AR.

Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele is a Professor at the University of Miami Department of Environmental Engineering where she teaches courses in environmental measurements, environmental engineering microbiology, and in water treatment systems.  Her research focuses on problems that relate the environment to human health.  She conducts studies to identify sources of microbial contamination, uses wastewater to understand the spread of disease in communities, and evaluates sources and movement of arsenic in the environment.  Her current active projects focus on evaluating the use of ultraviolet light for disinfecting street and sidewalk surfaces, using wastewater to track dengue virus spread, and evaluating the fate of arsenic at beaches from the seaweed called sargassum.

Dr. Deborah Franqui is a healthcare research and planning leader whose work integrates rigorous methodology with innovative design solutions. With a B.Arch, MS, and PhD from Cornell and Clemson University, she has conducted more than 30 post-occupancy evaluations across diverse healthcare departments, translating findings into actionable, evidence-based design guidelines. Her expertise spans Lean planning, operational and space-efficiency optimization, and user experience enhancement. Dr. Franqui’s research-driven design frameworks and design-checklist methodologies—presented at nationally recognized healthcare design conferences—continue to influence best practices and elevate outcomes for healthcare facilities and the communities they serve.

With more than thirty years of experience committed to achieving strategic growth and technology objectives for MIA, Maurice Jenkins has been a keen adopter to self-service technologies and has encouraged airlines serving the airport to embrace innovation also. Prior to his role as a CIO, Mr. Jenkins was responsible for defining and managing IT capital assets and IT management processes to ensure their successful implementation and project integration. In addition, he served as the Aviation Department’s Chief Information Officer/Director of Information Systems, responsible for the development and implementation of standards‐based policies and procedures that support business operations which improved the overall quality of service of enterprise IT systems. His strategic vision has successfully culminated in the integration of new technology in the opening of the new South and North Terminals at Miami International Airport. In addition, the success of these new system implementations such as Biometrics, Virtual Queuing and new innovating technologies show his technical acumen and dedication to serve the residents of Miami‐Dade County.

Mr. Jenkins has implemented an area wide marketing information service to both hotels and conventions centers using current flight information data from Miami International Airport. AAAE and ACI best in practice initiatives are strictly adhered to that display his commitment to providing the highest level of service governed by industry standards. He graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Computer Information Systems. He also earned certifications in Strategic Management from Florida International University and Human Resources Management from Nova Southeastern University. He served as the Chairman of the Business Information Technology Committee (BIT), which was established by Airports Council International (ACI) to set strategic objectives future technology direction for airports. He was also served as Chairman of the Florida Airports Council’s Information Technology Committee from February 2019 until December 2021. Mr. Jenkins has given presentations on implementation solutions to key IT leaders and airport IT conferences in the U.S. and internationally sharing his proven successful practices with his peer group.

Brian Freed, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), has a career path that reflects a unique blend of experience in business analysis as well as successful operational execution in the establishment and growth of new businesses focused on data-centric applications.

As the CEO of Illuminex AI, Brian is committed to democratizing the implementation of Computer Vision and AI with a focus on bespoke applications where challenges such as data scarcity and technical integration hinder the development of precise and cost-effective solutions. He has a proven track record of driving growth in both startup and globally established environments. His extensive financial background and broad technical knowledge make him a proven leader in solution development, strategic alliances, go-to-market strategies, and sales.

Before joining Illuminex AI, Brian held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Eagle Aerospace, a company specializing in Airfield Technology solutions. He also served as the COO for Phizzle, a developer of IoT software that facilitated remote monitoring and control of quality and compliance solutions used in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Prior to these roles, Brian was the General Manager of the High-Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) business unit at SGI. He established this unit from scratch and successfully grew it to a $50M annual run rate.

In addition to his experience in the tech industry, Brian spent 13 years on Wall Street as a Chartered Financial Analyst. During this time, he focused exclusively on research, financial modeling, and stock recommendations for companies specializing in High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Data Lifecycle technologies.