Claire Agre is Cofounder of Unknown Studio Landscape Architecture & Urban Design. Bringing with her a background in oil painting and ecology, she has led design and implementation for a diverse portfolio of projects, including Governors Island Park, Miami Beach Soundscape, Longwood Gardens, Duke University Sculpture Park, The Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve, and Houston Botanic Garden. Her design and intellectual interests range from the large-scale, long-duration works on coastal resilience, to the wondrous and immersive scale of the garden. Claire holds an MLA from the Harvard University and a degree in Environmental Science from Duke University.

Alexis Landes is a designer, urban planner, and Managing Principal at SCAPE, where she has overseen the firm’s expansion from 12 to 90 staff members within the past eight years. Within SCAPE, she plays a critical role overseeing firm-wide operations, strategy, project management, business development and finances.

She has also served as Principal-in-Charge of several portfolio-defining projects. Externally, she manages client relationships and firm partnerships, developing tailored design solutions, teams and strategies to meet ever-changing needs. Alexis has taught professional practice courses and presented nationally at numerous conferences discussing collaborative approaches to business management and firm building.

Patricia Matamoros began her career in architecture and after a few years working in the field, made the decision to return to graduate school and study landscape architecture. She started this degree in Caracas, Venezuela and finished it in Miami while interning at SMDS. Upon graduation she accepted a full-time position at the studio and has since engaged in a number of public and private projects as a project manager and design associate.

Patricia is particularly passionate about recovering unused or misused public spaces for community enjoyment, as well as increasing the resilience of coastal cities against sea-level rise.

Brad McCauley is the Managing Principal at site design group, ltd., who specializes in construction detailing and contract documentation. Brad’s expertise in construction documentation, detailing, and business operations has led to more carefully crafted, iconic, and well-loved public spaces throughout Chicago and the Midwest. Brad is actively involved in a number of professional and service organizations, including serving as the Vice President of Membership at the American Society of Landscape Architects and a member of the Stewardship Council of The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

Sahar Teymouri, ASLA, is a landscape designer interested in learning and applying the socio-cultural aspects of design in her work. Her work focuses on utilizing landscape architecture design as a tool to celebrate art, culture, and nature for different projects. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University (2017). Sahar completed her Bachelor of Architecture in Iran (2010) where worked in this field before narrowing down her focus to landscape architecture. She is a recipient of 2019 WxLA scholarship.

Nina Chase is the co-founder and Principal of Merritt Chase, a Pittsburgh-based landscape architecture and urban design firm dedicated to planning and designing meaningful public spaces. The firm works locally and has been recognized nationally for their public space designs, placemaking initiatives, and research. Formerly of Sasaki in Boston and the non-profit Riverlife in Pittsburgh, Nina is an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Architecture and Board Emeritus of the Landscape Architecture Foundation.

As Deputy Chief of Urban Design, Diana Fernandez Bibeau will elevate the importance of urban design, and champion the transformative power of sustainable and walkable communities for all ages and abilities. Fernandez works to strategically transform existing BPDA urban design processes to promote predictability and quality for both the community members and the development industry. With over a decade of private practice experience, Diana has built a design portfolio that reassesses the policies that have perpetuated race, gender, environmental and socioeconomic inequality, and created design methodologies that can respond to and correct them.

Whitney began her career in television, working as a communication and marketing professional for almost 10 years. Wanting to blend her love of communication with her passion for urban spaces, art, and science, she pursued a career in landscape architecture, earning an MLA, becoming licensed, and practicing for around 5 years. Her career took another turn when she took on the role of Marketing and Business Development Manager for Dix.Hite. Her background in communication and marketing, and training as a landscape architect, give her a unique perspective on design and storytelling within the profession.

Sahar Teymouri, ASLA, is a landscape designer interested in learning and applying the socio-cultural aspects of design in her work. Her work focuses on utilizing landscape architecture design as a tool to celebrate art, culture, and nature for different projects. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University (2017). Sahar completed her Bachelor of Architecture in Iran (2010) where worked in this field before narrowing down her focus to landscape architecture. She is a recipient of 2019 WxLA scholarship.

Aida Curtis has over 35 of experience as a landscape architect, arborist, certified landscape inspector and leader of her firm Curtis + Rogers Design Studio. Leading the Hispanic/Woman-owned landscape architecture firm in South Florida has allowed her to create sustainable spaces that are economically and socially inclusive. Aida’s portfolio includes award-winning transportation, recreational, institutional and civic projects. She serves on the American Society of Landscape Architects National Climate Action Committee and lectures on landscape architecture’s ability to address climate change. Her commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainable development and resilient landscapes has benefitted hundreds of municipal, transportation and other civic projects.