Innovations for a Changing Climate: Weathering the future
Panel 2: Conquering Cloudbursts
Intense rain events, specifically cloudbursts or enormous amounts of precipitation in short periods of time, have become increasingly common and pose significant challenges for cities. Complex urban infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to excessive rainfall, which can overwhelm existing drainage systems, causing flooding, more frequent sewage overflow, and utility damage. Understanding these impacts and implementing effective solutions—from green and grey infrastructure and permeable surfaces to innovative technologies like AI-driven prediction models and smart drainage sensors—is critical to fostering resilient urban environments.
Samantha Maldonado (Moderator)
Senior Reporter, The City
Karen Appell, P.E. (Panelist)
Vice President & Climate Change Lead, New York Metro, AECOM
As the Climate Change Lead for the New York Metro Water group, Karen oversees the Extreme Weather Initiative for the region. With more than 25 years of experience, she leads multidisciplinary teams that develop strategic solutions for the planning, design, and construction of complex infrastructure projects focusing on climate adaptation. Currently, Karen manages the Kissena Park Cloudburst Hub, part of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Cloudburst Program to implement innovative and adaptive methods of absorbing, storing, and transferring stormwater in flood-prone communities. She previously led Rebuild By Design – Hudson River, a coastal flood risk reduction project for one of the country’s densest and most transit-oriented areas. Karen earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University with a concentration in Environmental Systems Engineering and a graduate certificate in Water Resources Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Angela Licata (Panelist)
Deputy Commissioner of Sustainability, NYC Department of Environmental Protection
The range of programs under Angela’s purview reflects the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) broad mandate as a public utility providing high-quality drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater services. Angela guides the City’s practices for improving harbor water quality through the abatement of combined sewer overflows and the reduction of stormwater pollution. She is a pioneer in proactively strengthening the city’s and utility’s resilience to increasingly severe weather. By overseeing the planning for the utility’s services to support economic vitality and growth, Angela has been key in guiding DEP contributions to many large neighborhood rezonings that have unlocked the potential for substantial new housing units across the city. She was also instrumental in modernizing the New York City Air Code in 2016, the first major overhaul since the 1970s. Angela has served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, including two years as President, and the Board of Directors for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for nine years. She has dedicated her career to public service and plays a crucial role in envisioning, developing, and implementing programs aimed at improving the health and quality of life of all New Yorkers.
Iris Tien, Ph.D. (Panelist)
Williams Family Associate Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Iris joined the faculty of Georgia Tech in 2014 after receiving her Ph.D. in Civil Systems Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on creating new methods to increase the reliability and resilience of complex civil infrastructure systems. Iris’ work on interdependent infrastructure systems modeling has twice won 1st Place Paper Awards in resilient critical infrastructure. She was selected by the National Academy of Engineering to organize the session on Resilient and Reliable Infrastructure at the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium; and speak on Community Resilience at the National Academies Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium. Iris was awarded the prestigious Early Achievement Research Prize by the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability (IASSAR), and her published work has been recognized as Editor’s Choice Selection Papers in multiple journals.
Dion Harris (Panelist)
Senior Director of Accelerated Data Center, NVIDIA
Dion is NVIDIA’s Senior Director of Accelerated Data Center Solutions, guiding product strategy for scientific computing, cloud, and AI infrastructure. He also serves on the corporate sustainability steering committee, focusing on data center energy efficiency. Previously, he held product leadership roles at Dell/EMC and Symantec. Dion holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Berkeley.
Copenhagen Representative (Panelist)
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