Ed Thompson is the Director of Business Development for Cherry City Electric in Oregon. Ed's experience on many Lean projects in the preconstruction phase for the last 10 years has motivated him to inspire as many people as will listen about the benifits of Lean Construction. 

Ed has presented many times at the Lean Construction Institute Congress and also at DBIA and CMAA Focus Conferences. The passion and story telling you will get from attending one of his presentations will be worth your time.

Ed is a Certified Practitioner from the Lean Construction Institute with the LCI-CPC Certification.

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.

Amy Clements has been working in the Portland A/E/C community for 20 years. Currently as a Senior Lean Specialist for JE Dunn Construction, training and coaching project teams on lean practices, behaviors, and the use of Last Planner System. Amy is the Lean Construction Institute Cascadia-Portland CoP Leader. She is happy to share her knowledge of lean practices, enjoys working collaboratively with project teams to define expectations and the value of the project and find efficiencies in the work, while working in a team environment where the skills of individuals are pulled together for the success of a common goal.

Toshi is devoted to exploring the meaningful places that ground people to their cultural and ecological landscapes shaping their individual identities. From residential gardens to campus master plans, he strives to create places that are beautiful and resilient with a focus on the ephemeral experiences. Drawing on his background in history and engineering, he is passionate about integrating performative projects in broader narratives of place.

He received his Masters of Landscape Architecture and Masters of Architecture from the University of Virginia and his work has been recognized by the ASLA and ICAA. While in New York, he served on the board of NYSCLA and ASLA-NY Chapter advocating for the profession and its public service.

Toshi enjoys exploring the local cultural and natural offerings, as well as traveling near and far—often visiting the landscapes he grew up with in Japan and Germany.

Jeremiah is a licensed architect, Six Sigma Black Belt and lean practitioner. His experience has been in design and project management, delivering Healthcare, Civic, Education and Commercial projects from concept to completion.

For Jeremiah, every project starts with respect for people and is a chance to learn and grow. He is passionate about delivering value, developing good processes, continuously improving and removing systemic waste where possible.

Shawn Balon, PLA, ASLA, is the Studio Director at Timmons Group in Richmond, VA, where he leads creative, collaborative teams dedicated to design innovation and delivery excellence, uses his unique design perspective to bring new approaches to design process and strategy, and develops next-generation talent.

Shawn has worked in the design, education, and non-profit sectors throughout the United States. As a landscape architect, Shawn has collaborated on national and international projects with award-winning firms in Florida, Texas, Washington, DC, Virginia, and Beijing, China. His design skills combine graphic communications, conceptual design, community engagement, placemaking, master planning, and project management. 

Gabriella is a registered Landscape Architect with over eight years of experience in the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions. Educated at the Pennsylvania State University, her studies abroad have helped shape an appreciation of different cultures, demographics, and ecosystems. She is currently interested in the agency of place and how design can be a transformative factor for both communities and ecosystems and continues to apply that interest to a variety of scales at DAVID RUBIN Land Collective.

Mandi has a background in art, landscape, and architecture. She is passionate about shaping public space at the intersection of the three and exploring narrative through design. Her professional project experience includes cultural landscapes; state, regional, and urban parks; conservation agriculture projects; higher education; and botanic gardens. In addition to her professional project experience, Mandi has taught undergraduate studios and seminars focused on temporary urbanism in Berlin and public space along Scandinavian waterfronts. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture with Highest Honors from Pratt Institute.

Lauren Biales Wise (LEED Green Associate) is a Project Manager for Grunley Construction and a part time student pursuing an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University. She is originally from Ohio and relocated to the Washington D.C. area five years ago. Prior to starting her career, she earned her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University (Go Bucks!). Lauren's most recent and meaningful construction projects both required careful coordination with the projects' Landscape Architects. She really enjoys working on diverse project teams and collaborating to construct impactful architectural features and structures.

Casey Cloonan, LEED Green Associate, is a Project Engineer with Grunley Construction Company, based in the Washington, DC area. Casey graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 2019. Since her graduation, she has been lucky enough to work on several challenging and rewarding projects including the construction of the National WWI Memorial, the Hirshhorn Museum Envelope Repairs, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts Building Renovation.