Designing the Pulse Memorial and Museum: Mending a Community - 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

A Principal at Dix.Hite + Partners, Kody Smith brings 15 years of experience in landscape architecture to the team. Smith joined Dix.Hite in 2013 and quickly grew into a respected leader within the company. With a knack for envisioning how to transform an existing space into something special, Kody has been tapped for high-profile projects, such as The Pulse Interim Memorial and Starkey Ranch, a 2,500-acre master-planned community in Odessa, Florida. Kody is known by his teammates and colleagues for his intense respect and passion for the environment and culture of the places he designs.

Christina (Chris) Hite, FASLA, LEED AP, serves as President and CEO of Dix.Hite + Partners, bringing more than 30 years of extensive experience in landscape architecture and planning and for both public and private clients. As co-founder of Dix.Hite, Hite has been with the company since its inception in 1996, building the Women-led Orlando-based practice into an award-winning leader and expanding offices to Birmingham and Atlanta. Chris has been recognized with multiple leadership awards including the 2017 CEO of the Year in the Orlando Business Journal and i4 Business Magazine, and the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award at University of Florida.

Barbara Poma, owner of Pulse Nightclub, the site of one of the worst mass shootings in American history, now serves as the CEO/Executive Director of onePulse Foundation, Inc, which has been established to oversee a community initiative to create a permanent memorial and museum to honor those who perished, the survivors, and all the affected. She has been named one of NBC Universal's 2018 ChangeMakers, received the 2018 Point Foundation Leadership award, recognized as Ally Ambassador of the year for the 2018 LGBT Allies Diversity Summit, and 2017 LGBT Champion of Equality at the Harvey Milk Diversity Awards.