Podcast Summary: Construction Leaders Podcast

Episode: Beyond Sustainability: Why Resilience Matters for Construction Managers

Date: December 1, 2025
Host: Construction Management Association of America (CMAA)
Guests:

• Dita Bernstein, Group Manager at Concertis
• Joyce Dawson, CCM, Assistant Director of Facilities Planning and Construction at Anne Arundel Community College
• Randy Britt, Director of Climate Adaptation and Resilience at Terravanta

Episode Overview

This episode explores the evolving focus in construction management from sustainability to resilience. With an expert panel from CMAA’s Sustainability Subcommittee, hosts Karlie Trout and Evan Hendershot discuss why resilience matters, how it differs from sustainability, the role construction managers (CMs) play, and best practices for adapting to increasing environmental and infrastructure challenges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introductions & Pathways to Sustainability

[01:21 - 05:59]

• Each guest shares how they entered the field and their passion for sustainability in construction.
• Notably, Joyce Dawson addresses changing industry perceptions:

  “I was tired of hearing ‘how much is being sustainable going to add to the cost of the building.’ That was the worst question I ever heard. … Now the conversation is turning to how do we be resilient?" — Joyce Dawson [03:41]

2. Defining Resilience vs. Sustainability

[06:16 - 08:34]

• Randy Britt:

  “Sustainability … emphasizes resource management, environmental protection, and social equity. In contrast, resilience refers to the capacity of systems, communities or ecosystems to withstand, adapt to, and recover from adverse conditions...” [06:16]

• Joyce Dawson:
  “Resilience … needs to be as intentional as sustainability. … Look at what's going on environmentally in your area where you're building. Look at the history of what's happened in your area.” [07:17]
• Dita Bernstein:
  “Most powerful when you put the two together and think about them each individually, intentionally, but then also what happens when you consider them at the same time.” [08:11]

3. Why Resilience Matters for Construction Managers

[08:48 - 12:34]

• Dita emphasizes the need to incorporate resilience into every project phase, highlighting the value of early CM involvement:

  “CMS have lessons learned, both positive and negative. … Engaging a CM early in the process … can help a team more fully evaluate risks and cost out potential strategies.” [09:14]

• Joyce notes the economic realities and practical expertise CMs bring:

  “You've only got what you've got. So you've got to be very careful how you allocate your spending and get everything covered and protected.” [11:10]

• Randy underlines knowledge as a differentiator for CMs in the marketplace [12:05].

4. Types of Stressors Facing the Built Environment

[13:23 - 17:41]

• Randy breaks down acute (e.g., hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes) vs. chronic (e.g., sea level rise, aging infrastructure, heatwaves) stressors:

  “Acute shocks have short term duration and lower predictability … chronic stressors have long term duration and higher predictability.” [13:35]

• Joyce shares examples from her campus—mitigating stormwater, roof loads, and areas of refuge [14:35].
• Dita elaborates on Chicago’s unique stressors:

  “We do have flooding and high temperatures, which sometimes happen at the same time. … repeated freeze/thaw cycles, which shorten the life of many materials and systems.” [16:12]

5. Education Initiative: ‘Resilience Means Bouncing Better’ Course

[17:41 - 21:07]

• Joyce details the evolution of CMAA’s resilience training:

  “We ran the class like a casino … every time Elvis was in the building, some change happened that meant the CM had to respond in a way that kept the goals of the project intact.” [19:10]

• The new 2026 course aims to help participants “bounce ideas off of everyone and… come together” to learn and network around the topic of resilience [20:06].

6. Why This Focus, and Why Now?

[21:07 - 23:17]

• Randy:

  “It’s undeniable that as a global industry, we're living in a time of turbulent, acute and chronic stressors. … Bouncing back just isn't good enough. We need to elevate our efforts to a greater level and focus on bouncing forward.” [21:22]

• Dita notes:

  “Funding is tight, always and always shrinking. … The best way to improve our outcome is to think strategically and evaluate those options as early as possible.” [22:40]

• Joyce shares a powerful story of Ellicott City, Maryland:

  “They began to bounce back … but it happened again two years later, the same event. … Now, they bounced forward. … That water is now being channeled … it is mitigated, is managed.” [23:17]

7. Advice for CMs New to Resilience

[25:08 - 26:40]

• Randy recommends leveraging new CMAA webinars and existing resources:

  “Our goal is to provide them with easy to understand information, but to challenge them to be able to solve these problems going forward. … For additional information, … American Institute of Architects, the US Green Building Council, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.” [25:32]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The question isn’t if disruption will happen, it’s how prepared we are when it does. And more importantly, are we just bouncing back to where we were before an event, or are we bouncing forward to build better?” — Karlie Trout [00:18]
• “CMS have lessons learned, both positive and negative. … Engaging a CM early in the process … can help a team more fully evaluate risks and cost out potential strategies.” — Dita Bernstein [09:14]
• “Bouncing back just isn't good enough. We need to elevate our efforts to a greater level and focus on bouncing forward.” — Randy Britt [21:22]
• “Don’t just bounce back, but bounce forward.” — Joyce Dawson [24:16]

Important Timestamps

• Introductions: 01:21 – 05:59
• Defining Sustainability vs. Resilience: 06:16 – 08:34
• CMs’ Role in Resilience: 08:48 – 12:34
• Types of Stressors: 13:23 – 17:41
• ‘Bouncing Better’ Course Discussion: 17:41 – 21:07
• Current Urgency of Resilience: 21:07 – 23:17
• Ellicott City Case Study: 23:17 – 25:08
• Advice for Newcomers: 25:08 – 26:40

Key Takeaways

• Resilience and sustainability are distinct but interconnected. Both need to be deliberately addressed at every phase of the built environment’s lifecycle.
• Construction Managers bring unique, practical insights, especially when involved early, contributing to risk assessment, value engineering, and resilience strategy.
• Awareness of local stressors is critical, as acute and chronic events are increasing; adaptation strategies must be context-specific.
• Industry education is evolving, with CMAA providing new forums and courses designed to move managers from reactive to proactive, “bouncing forward” rather than simply restoring status quo.
• Multiple professional resources (CMAA, AIA, USGBC, ASCE, ISI) are available for CMs seeking deeper knowledge on resilience.

For more resources or to join resilience education sessions, visit cmaanet.org.