José de Jesús Leal Loera is a truth teller, landscape architect, and bridge-builder who believes laughter is good medicine. A lifelong student of land and culture, his work is grounded in humility and spiritual awareness. As Co-Founder and Director of the Native Nation Building Studio at MIG, he advances Indigenous self-determination through sovereignty-forward planning and culturally responsive design. José partners with Native Nations to support community capacity, climate resilience, and cultural resurgence. Through his presentations and practice, he positions landscape architecture as a vehicle for healing, restoration, and collective transformation rooted in truth and relationships.

Paul Fragua is a firekeeper, runner, architect, and cultural interpreter who has dedicated his life to keeping the fires of Indigenous inherent sovereignty and self-determination burning. A cord between cultures and communities, he is known for bringing visibility to the invisible and translating Indigenous values into meaningful action. With more than four decades of experience, Paul specializes in strategic planning, master planning, resource development, and technical assistance that strengthens Native Nations and Indigenous communities. His work has earned the respect of Tribal leaders, federal agencies, philanthropic organizations, and community partners alike. Through his practice, mentorship, and advocacy, Paul advances Indigenous leadership, cultural continuity, and community resilience with wisdom, humility, and a deep commitment to future generations.

José de Jesús Leal Loera is a truth teller, landscape architect, and bridge-builder who believes laughter is good medicine. A lifelong student of land and culture, his work is grounded in humility and spiritual awareness. As Co-Founder and Director of the Native Nation Building Studio at MIG, he advances Indigenous self-determination through sovereignty-forward planning and culturally responsive design. José partners with Native Nations to support community capacity, climate resilience, and cultural resurgence. Through his presentations and practice, he positions landscape architecture as a vehicle for healing, restoration, and collective transformation rooted in truth and relationships.

Paul Fragua is a firekeeper, runner, architect, and cultural interpreter who has dedicated his life to keeping the fires of Indigenous inherent sovereignty and self-determination burning. A cord between cultures and communities, he is known for bringing visibility to the invisible and translating Indigenous values into meaningful action. With more than four decades of experience, Paul specializes in strategic planning, master planning, resource development, and technical assistance that strengthens Native Nations and Indigenous communities. His work has earned the respect of Tribal leaders, federal agencies, philanthropic organizations, and community partners alike. Through his practice, mentorship, and advocacy, Paul advances Indigenous leadership, cultural continuity, and community resilience with wisdom, humility, and a deep commitment to future generations.

José de Jesús Leal Loera is a truth teller, landscape architect, and bridge-builder who believes laughter is good medicine. A lifelong student of land and culture, his work is grounded in humility and spiritual awareness. As Co-Founder and Director of the Native Nation Building Studio at MIG, he advances Indigenous self-determination through sovereignty-forward planning and culturally responsive design. José partners with Native Nations to support community capacity, climate resilience, and cultural resurgence. Through his presentations and practice, he positions landscape architecture as a vehicle for healing, restoration, and collective transformation rooted in truth and relationships.

Paul Fragua is a firekeeper, runner, architect, and cultural interpreter who has dedicated his life to keeping the fires of Indigenous inherent sovereignty and self-determination burning. A cord between cultures and communities, he is known for bringing visibility to the invisible and translating Indigenous values into meaningful action. With more than four decades of experience, Paul specializes in strategic planning, master planning, resource development, and technical assistance that strengthens Native Nations and Indigenous communities. His work has earned the respect of Tribal leaders, federal agencies, philanthropic organizations, and community partners alike. Through his practice, mentorship, and advocacy, Paul advances Indigenous leadership, cultural continuity, and community resilience with wisdom, humility, and a deep commitment to future generations.

José Juan Terrasa-Soler is a partner and landscape architect at Marvel, based in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He is also an environmental scientist and university professor. He is a practicing Buddhist and enjoys hiking, nature exploration, amateur astronomy, photography, and fountain pens. 

Originally from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, he holds degrees from Mount Saint Mary’s College (Maryland), The University of Michigan, Yale University, and Harvard University. He has led teams in corporate, governmental, and nonprofit sectors. His work focuses on the intersection of ecology and design, including green infrastructure and sustainable urban design. José Juan is also a founding faculty member at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico's Master of Landscape Architecture program.

Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck is the co-founder of Seven Directions of Service, an indigenous grassroots environmental nonprofit, with her husband. She is a citizen of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation in Burlington, North Carolina. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Social Sciences department at Salem College in Winston Salem, North Carolina. 

Crystal has dedicated the past five-plus years to defending her homelands against the Mountain Valley Pipeline/Southgate Extension. Crystal received the 2022 FracTracker Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship. She is leading a campaign to bring Rights of Nature laws to North Carolina to protect the waterways and communities in the pipeline's path. Crystal co-authored NC House Bills 795 and 923, the Rights of Nature/Rights of the Haw River, prioritizing environmentally impacted communities around the watershed. 

Crystal serves on the boards of Movement Rights, the Haw River Assembly, and the Women’s Resource Center and Benevolence Farm. Crystal is a Sequoyah Fellow with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and a lifetime member of the National Congress for American Indians.

Pamela Martin is a Professor of Political Science and the HTC Distinguished Honors Fellow at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, where she teaches courses in International Relations, Environmental Politics, Sustainability and Coastal Resilience. Martin is also the Executive Director of the RISE Center, a United Nations University Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. 

She has published numerous articles and books on global environmental policy, energy, and sustainable development. Her book co-authored with Craig Kauffman by MIT Press entitled, The Politics of Rights of Nature: Strategies for Building a More Sustainable Future, examines new policies and tools for sustainable development based on Rights of Nature approaches within communities. 

Aaron Hernandez is a registered landscape architect and Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development. His research investigates how landscapes inform relationships between cultural values, socioecological systems, and public policy, with a focus on regional urbanization and climate adaptation.

Aaron’s work has been featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine, exhibited at the Toronto Biennial of Art, and has been awarded by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture and the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation. Aaron was awarded the 2024-2025 Landscape Architecture Foundation Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership.

MaFe Gonzalez is a landscape designer and botanist with a strong interest in ecology, taxonomy, and conservation of plants. Her journey into landscape architecture was inspired by her studies in botany where she saw a need to participate in world-making—especially to create spaces that re-establish reciprocal relationships between people and the environment.

MaFe is a passionate and purposeful practitioner that initiates and supports a variety of projects and visions. Her practice framework is “Nature as Client”, which includes nature’s needs and rights as part of the design process. She is also a lecturer in the United States and Colombia, and is a leader and researcher of academic and pro-bono initiatives.

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.

José de Jesús Leal Loera is a truth teller, landscape architect, and bridge-builder who believes laughter is good medicine. A lifelong student of land and culture, his work is grounded in humility and spiritual awareness. As Co-Founder and Director of the Native Nation Building Studio at MIG, he advances Indigenous self-determination through sovereignty-forward planning and culturally responsive design. José partners with Native Nations to support community capacity, climate resilience, and cultural resurgence. Through his presentations and practice, he positions landscape architecture as a vehicle for healing, restoration, and collective transformation rooted in truth and relationships.

Paul Fragua is a firekeeper, runner, architect, and cultural interpreter who has dedicated his life to keeping the fires of Indigenous inherent sovereignty and self-determination burning. A cord between cultures and communities, he is known for bringing visibility to the invisible and translating Indigenous values into meaningful action. With more than four decades of experience, Paul specializes in strategic planning, master planning, resource development, and technical assistance that strengthens Native Nations and Indigenous communities. His work has earned the respect of Tribal leaders, federal agencies, philanthropic organizations, and community partners alike. Through his practice, mentorship, and advocacy, Paul advances Indigenous leadership, cultural continuity, and community resilience with wisdom, humility, and a deep commitment to future generations.

Dr. Ebru Özer, FASLA, is professor and chair of Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design at FIU and a principal and partner at LandscapeDE. Her book, Best Practices in Sustainable Building Design, and publications in leading outlets, including Landscape Journal, LAM, and Urban Ecosystems, focus on landscape performance, green infrastructure, urban mobility, and gender equity. She served as ASLA National Vice President of Education and CELA Treasurer. She collaborates with nonprofits, government agencies, and communities to enhance urban environments, volunteers in K–12 career initiatives, and leads schoolyard greening projects. She holds a BArch, MLA, and PhD in Civil Engineering.

Patricia Matamoros is a landscape architect bringing seven years of experience in designing large-scale climate-resilient public infrastructure in Miami, a global frontline for sea-level rise. Her award-winning projects, including "The Barnacle Historic State Park Master Plan" and "Miami Baywalk-Riverwalk Design Guidelines," demonstrate her proven expertise in translating climate science into implementable, community-centered solutions. As a licensed architect in Venezuela with five years of experience across Latin America and the Caribbean, Patricia offers critical perspectives on regional adaptation strategies. Former Miami Chair for FLASLA and past Game Changers presenter, she holds SITES AP, Envision SP, and WEDG Associate certifications.

Rutusha is a landscape architect currently working with Evergreen Design Group. She brings professional experience from both Florida and California. Originally from Bangalore, India, her exposure to art and culture inspired her journey into architecture and ultimately landscape architecture. Her work focuses on fragile ecosystems, explored through art, architecture, and landscape architecture, and has been acknowledged internationally by organizations such as the ASLA FL, EPA US, UNEP, and UNESCO. As an emerging professional, Rutusha places great value on embracing her cultural roots, which continue to shape her approach to creating ecologically thriving spaces.

Cara Critchlow is a Human Resources leader at EDSA, specializing in global talent acquisition, immigration strategy, and workforce development. She works closely with firm leadership to build high-performing teams while fostering a culture of engagement, empowerment, and professional growth. Her focus on developing workforce solutions that expand access to global talent while ensuring compliance with evolving immigration and employment regulations is a top priority. This approach supports organizational growth and the successful recruitment, integration, and retention of international professionals across the firm. Cara holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Villanova University. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Madeline is a former Akronite living in Orlando, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture degree with a French minor from The Ohio State University in 2010. After the recession, she found her way back to landscape architecture with a position at Nimrod Long & Associates in Birmingham, Alabama. She gained experience in both public and private work then obtained licensure in June 2017. Later that year, Madeline joined Dix.Hite + Partners where her current project focus includes campus, roadway and streetscape design, multi-family developments, residential design, community hardscape and landscape renovations, and exterior building color studies.