Yusheng (Sam) Dent is an Associate at SWA Group with interdisciplinary background of architecture and landscape architecture . His expertise empowers him to devise innovative design solutions that integrate built and natural environments. Sam is a strong advocate for sustainability as the linchpin for the next generation of design. In his view, design must rise to meet pressing challenges such as climate change, population growth, and social justice. "Pride x ASLA" is an initiative he volunteers to elevate awareness of LGBTQ+ issues within the landscape architecture practice.

Chad Lord serves as a Senior Director for climate and environmental policy, where he leads a team focused on NPCA’s climate, energy, air and water advocacy. Chad has 27 years of government affairs experience building campaigns and advocating on diverse issues. Before joining NPCA, he worked for Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) as a legislative assistant. Chad also worked for AIDS Action Council and the Human Rights Campaign. He was raised near Pipestone National Monument and now lives with his husband and 10-year-old daughter in Washington, D.C.

Amy Syverson-Shaffer is passionate about connecting people to nature and to each other. Her past work as a landscape architect and in business development frames her collaborative approach to taking on big challenges. Today, she is lending her design acumen and contextual understanding to leading sustainability for the modern craft manufacturer, Landscape Forms. Since 2023, she’s served on the ASLA Biodiversity and Climate Action Committee, working to bridge between key efforts by Landscape Architects and their industry partner community. On any given day, you'll most likely find her working in the garden.

Meg Calkins, FASLA, SITES AP, is a Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at North Carolina State University. Meg’s scholarship focuses on the environmental and human health impacts of site construction details and materials. She is the author of the book "Materials for Sustainable Sites" and editor of the "Sustainable Sites Handbook". She is currently writing a book with the working title of "Details and Material for Resilient Sites: A Carbon Positive Approach" (Routledge 2025). Meg has taken an active leadership role in development and implementation of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) since 2003.

As a landscape architect and urban designer at Field Operations, Megan specializes in leading multi-disciplinary teams and collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups to realize visionary public realm projects across the country. During her nearly 15 years with the firm, Megan has managed many of Field Operations’ best-known and most celebrated projects, including the High Line, Waterfront Seattle, the Reimagine Middle Branch Plan, and the Presidio Tunnel Tops.

Megan earned her Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was awarded the prestigious Ian L. McHarg Prize for Excellence in Ecological Design.

Nate helps lead the landscape architecture practice at RIOS with a focus on immersive environments for art, culture, and hospitality. His interest in landscape design as a form of storytelling drew him to Los Angeles in 2015 after two decades of practice in Seattle and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Harvard. Nate’s current research interests center on landscape strategies for wellbeing and on contemporary applications of Picturesque aesthetics to inspire curiosity. Recent project work includes Palm Springs Downtown Park, Tulsa's Philbrook Museum of Art & Gardens, Denver's Skyline Park, Boulder Civic Area, and the 1 Hotel West Hollywood.

Cindy is Toole Design’s national Urban Design Practice Leader and has focused her career at the intersection of transportation and the built environment. She blends a background in organizational management with years of experience in planning and landscape architecture, equipping her to drive project success from both design and policy perspectives. Her project experience ranges from complex streetscape and urban design projects to large statewide and national initiatives centered on improving experience in our transportation system. Cindy is a dynamic speaker and facilitator often leading trainings for organizations like Smart Growth America and the Mayors Institute on City Design.

Pamela Conrad is an internationally recognized landscape architect and climate advocate. She is a senior fellow with Architecture 2030, and a 2023 Loeb Fellow and Faculty Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She founded Climate Positive Design to enable climate action by providing guidance and an app to support design teams in drawing down carbon while creating environmental, social, cultural, and economic co-benefits. She is a farm girl from Missouri, inspired by the richness and ingenuity of nature.

Sarah's research and design work reflects her conviction that public space design plays an indispensable role in advancing environmental justice. She is passionate about leveraging firm work to better address the climate crisis, and advocates for the necessity of landscape architects’ voices in shaping environmental policies. Sarah joined SWA Group in 2020 after earning a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of California Berkeley.

Amanda Bailey, PLA, ASLA with MxM Landscape Architecture works tirelessly to bend the built environment toward justice. She utilizes her training as a landscape architect, urban designer, design-builder, and artist to deliver places that empower people to thrive. Amanda brings the designer’s greatest tools to each project: empathy, humility, and a probing curiosity about the community’s hopes, needs and aspirations. Her passion lies in listening whole-heartedly, investing in client-focused outcomes, and impacting people’s well-being. Her depth of experience in physical and mental health, inclusivity, and accessibility cultivates her inclusive project management style while designing constructible and maintainable civic spaces.

Karen provides the unique combination of personal experience as a registered Architect and member of the disabled community. She has made accessibility consulting and design services her focus area since 1990. Karen serves local governments, architects, engineers, companies, and individuals concerned with complying with Federal laws and State codes, and creating spaces that work for the unique needs of individuals. Karen is a nationally known speaker/educator whose presentations dive deep into the outcome of generations of disability activism, legislative history impacting the architectural profession, and project examples in which architects chose to create noteworthy designs enhanced by accessibility requirements.

Peggy has worked in disability accessibility and inclusion for all while focusing on the needs of the blindness/low vision community since 1996. In 2015, she launched Creative Inclusion, responding to requests from designers and planners to share her professional and lived experience, expanding her solutions-oriented approach to wayfinding, walkability, entertainment, and recreation. Creative Inclusion combines existing legislation and best practices to develop customized accessibility solutions promoting safety, independence, enjoyment, and dignity, enhancing projects from concept through completion. Peggy teaches accessibility and inclusion strategies, so people of all abilities receive the highest quality experience when interacting with their chosen environments.

Kofi Boone, FASLA is a professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at NC State University. His work is in the overlap between landscape architecture and environmental justice with specializations in democratic design and interpreting cultural landscapes. He leads the Just Communities Lab. Along with M. Elen Deming, Kofi is co-editor of Empty Pedestals: Countering Confederate Narratives Through Public Design, forthcoming from LSU Press.

Sarah Konradi, PLA, ASLA, is Executive Director of Design Workshop Foundation in Denver, CO. Sarah has dedicated her career to developing and scaling evidence-based initiatives that advance equitable access to nature. In 2018, Sarah delivered a TEDxMileHigh talk, “Designing playgrounds for happier, healthier kids”, to draw attention to the need for innovation in parks and playgrounds.

Sarah holds a BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and an MLA from NC State University. Prior to joining Design Workshop in 2022, she was Director of Design and Engagement at National Wildlife Federation.

Chris J. Suggs, Founder & CEO of Kinston Teens, empowers youth and fosters community development in Kinston, NC. His organization revitalizes neighborhoods, engages youth in government, and operates Kinston's first resilience hub. Born and raised in East Kinston, Chris is dedicated to creating positive change. At 23, he manages a real estate portfolio of over 20 properties, focusing on equitable economic advancement. Chris testified before Congress on climate change's impact on his flood-prone community and was elected to the Kinston City Council in 2021, currently serving as the youngest elected official in North Carolina.

Mouna Andraos is the co-founder of the award-winning, art and design studio, Daily tous les jours, encouraging citizens to play an active role in the transformation of their cities. She is an adjunct professor in design and computation arts at Concordia University and is also on the board of directors at the Société des arts technologiques. Mouna is also a graduate from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and an alumna of Eyebeam Center for Art and Technology in New York City. Past recognitions include a Best of Show at the SXSW Festival and a Cyber Lion in Cannes.

Joshua Bloom is a leader in the revitalization of historic commercial districts. He uses local data to craft market-based strategies that help cities and communities build economically differentiated, dynamic places. Josh also has deep interest in social enterprise and community-owned businesses. He is board vice president of Weavers Way Cooperative, a community-owned grocery store in Philadelphia with four retail locations and $40 million in annual sales.

Leyla’s work is guided by the desire to build a better collective future. As the business development associate, she uses her skills and knowledge in international public relations to spread Daily’s magic signature across the world.
As in most Daily projects, music plays a central role in Leyla’s life. She has been a world music appreciation teacher and has hosted several radio shows. She was a Public Affairs Attachée at the Canadian Embassy in Paris, and a consultant in communication and public relations in the cultural field. She holds a Masters in International Relations from the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Bryce Carnehl has been in the landscape industry for over 20 years working in construction, landscape architecture, sales, corporate social responsibility, and marketing. Throughout these years he has dedicated himself to promoting the value of green spaces.

Every project begins with a plan, and better planning leads to project success. Bryce now works to create business opportunity for landscape stakeholders through design, planning, and specification efforts. He believes that together we can build business prosperity, increase the value of landscapes, and ensure healthy communities in which we all live, work, and play.      

Chris focuses on the integration of ecology and culture, with a commitment to craft in the built environment. Chris led Sasaki’s CarbonConscience research project team from 2019 to the present and serves as a current co-chair of the ASLA CAC Carbon Drawdown & Biodiversity subcommittee. Through these efforts, Chris has been translating literature reviews and decarbonizing design strategies into tools and educational resources for designers and planners. Chris is actively applying these tools and research to projects in the USA and EU. Chris believes that every project is not only a design opportunity but an opportunity to experiment and learn.

As Sustainability Specialist within LPA’s Sustainability + Applied Research (S+AR) Team, Alejandra is focused on process and progress. LPA Design Studios is a multidisciplinary firm that prioritizes an integrated approach to sustainability which allows Alejandra a unique window of opportunity effect change at a project, discipline, and firm-wide level. Her passion for environmentalism fuels her capacity to advocate for solutions that drive decarbonization and consider the triple bottom line: people, planet, prosperity. She serves on ASLA’s National Climate Action Committee and has been collaborating with her committee members to publish educational material focused on decarbonizing design and construction specifications.