Roy Abernathy, Senior Managing Director of Workplace Strategy and Analytics at Studley, the leading global commercial real estate services firm, was a panelist at the Contract Design Forum in Paradise Valley, Arizona, The Forum took place October 31- November 2, 2013.

An invite-only event, Contract’s annual Forum is an opportunity for key design industry leaders to gather for two days of discussion and networking, with a total of about 60-75 attendees. The theme of this year’s Forum was Repositioning Design with discussions centered on the evolving role of design in society and how designers can seize opportunities to be change-agents for their clients, communities, and profession.

Abernathy was part of the panel discussion: The Brokers and Project Managers. He joined Sean Black, Senior Vice President at Jones Lang LaSalle; Peter Ferzan, Principal at Turner Townsend Ferzan Robbins; and Jenny Haeg, President of Custom Spaces Commercial Real Estate; in a discussion on the challenges in working with clients and designers in today’s new economy.

Abernathy brings more than 20 years of experience as a workplace strategist, architect and corporate real estate executive. His areas of expertise include office/workplace strategy, sustainability, energy usage, business process and change management.