Flexibility for Solutions-Driven Creative Offices - 1.0 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)

Beth Claseman, SHRM-SCP, strongly believes that human talent is a company’s greatest asset. She is rooted in aligning business strategy and employee strengths to help create an incredibly powerful organization. Employee experience is impacted by many facets, and she enjoys understanding and shaping culture to reflect an organization’s values. Taking into consideration the wellness of individuals and teams is a key component to the overall wellness of an organization. Beth spent 14 years in the medical device start-up space in both domestic and international markets prior to joining the Landscape Architecture Industry. This background afforded her experiences in global work cultures, leadership, and business acumen by working alongside influential business leaders around the world. She also spent three years in the home-building industry—experience which introduced her to building project management (BIM). Advancing the Human Resources function both within an organization and the profession, is something she is passionate about. Beth is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and holds a SHRM (Senior Certified Professional Certificate). She also participates in local SHRM chapter activities and she served on the board of directors for a local chapter for two years.

Diane Jones Allen, MLA, D.Eng., FASLA, PLA, is Professor and Program Director for Landscape Architecture, College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs, at the University of Texas at Arlington. As Principal Landscape Architect with DesignJones LLC she became elevated to Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2019. Design Jones LLC also received the 2016 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Community Service Award under her leadership. Diane also served on the Board of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), serving as Vice President for Education for 2021. Diane is part of one of two cross disciplinary teams that won 2020 SOM Foundation Research Prize focused on examining social justice in urban contexts through research titled “Reclaiming Black Settlements: A Design Playbook for Historic Communities in the Shadow of Sprawl.” Her research and practice are guided by the intersection of environmental justice, identity, and sustainability in cultural landscapes, including “Nomadic” responses to “Transit Deserts,” places of increasing transportation demand and limited access, as discuss in her book “Lost in the Transit Desert: Race, Transit Access, and Suburban Form” published by Routledge Press in 2017. Diane, co-edited “Design for Democracy: Techniques for Collective Creativity”, published by Island Press in 2017. She was a 2021-2022 fellow for Garden and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks working on her upcoming book “The Maroon Landscape: A Cultural Approach to Climate Resiliency.” In 2017, she served on the ASLA Blue Ribbon Panel on Climate Change and Resiliency, and in 2022 she served on ASLA’s Climate Task Force to develop the ASLA Climate Action Plan and Field Guide.

Om Khurjekar is the Principal, Partner and Board Member of Hord Coplan Macht, bringing over 23 years of experience in designing diverse landscapes and architectural projects. He is known for his expertise in creating public parks, interpretive play environments, campus landscapes, and urban streetscapes, all while emphasizing the seamless connection between landscape and architecture. Om's clients and colleagues appreciate his passion for design, attention to detail, and candid nature. His remarkable work has earned numerous awards and accolades, notably from the Maryland and Potomac chapters of the ASLA, Preservation Pennsylvania, Maryland Recreation and Parks Authority, and LUXE interior design magazine. Before his successful career in the United States, Om practiced as an Architect in Pune, India, primarily focusing on residential and institutional projects. Actively involved in the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Om has served in various leadership roles, including President of the Maryland Chapter and the Chapter President's Council at National ASLA. He currently represents MDASLA as the Chapter Trustee, and serves on the Board of Trustees at National ASLA. Additionally, he also serves in various educational advisory boards and award juries for ASLA chapter programs. Om enjoys sharing his knowledge with the next generations and has served as a lecturer and design critic at Morgan State University, University of Maryland College Park and other notable institutions in the United States of America and India.

Wanqin Su is a landscape architect based in the Seattle area. With a deep-rooted passion for uncovering the relationship between environment, history, and culture, she is passionate about improving the lives of communities through thoughtful designs. For the past six years, Su has been working with interdisciplinary firms. Her design experience includes public parks, master-planned communities, mixed-use and commercial developments. As an emerging professional, she has worked and lived in Shanghai, Southeast China, New Orleans and the San Francisco Bay area, before arriving in Seattle in 2017. Su is a WxLA scholar, and a member of the City of Redmond Design Review Board, the Women in Landscape Architecture PPN Leadership Team, and University of Washington’s Professional Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Washington Chapter ASLA as the treasurer.

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.