Influencing Federal, State, and City Policies: Success Stories and New Opportunities - 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Hayden Akana is the Landscape Designer for the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), where she has been a part of the Planning Unit within the Engineering Department for two years. Her work is centered on implementing nature-based solutions (NBS) that enhance water quality and urban environments within SARA’s four-county jurisdiction, reflecting her commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Hayden holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Hayden’s academic background emphasizes sustainability within the built environment.

With an emphasis on resiliency and promoting local multi-benefit solutions, Hayden has contributed to significant SARA projects such as the Leon Creek BMP project for the Watershed Master Plan Program, the Nature-Based Solutions program, and the new Water Quality Improvement Strategies in the San Antonio River Basin project. Her efforts aim to foster safe, clean, and enjoyable rivers while addressing environmental and community needs.
Alongside her professional work, Hayden is dedicated to community engagement and education. She volunteers at local events to inform the public about the San Antonio River Authority's efforts, emphasizing the importance of small-scale actions in contributing to larger environmental goals, as well as empowering and educating individuals to make a positive impact on their surroundings. Through her work, Hayden strives to create meaningful connections between people and nature, underscoring the importance of landscape architecture in building resilient, sustainable communities that are prepared to face the environmental challenges of the future.

Michelle has 12 years of experience in the environmental science and sustainable energy fields and 13 years in business management. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where she focused on geology and worked for the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute. Ms. Garza has been part of the Sustainable Infrastructure/Planning Unit in the San Antonio River Authority’s Engineering Department for nine years, where she works to educate the community on nature-based stormwater solutions to improve water quality and the urban environment. Ms. Garza is the development coordinator for SARA, working with developers in mandatory coordination areas, such as the River Improvement Overlay District and Westside Creeks Water Quality Overlay, on their LID/green stormwater infrastructure to protect our community's investment in the health and recreation of our creeks and rivers. Ms. Garza has project managed, working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on the Upper San Antonio River (SAR) Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Master Plan 319 Grant and as the representative on contractual matters for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on the Upper SAR WPP Implementation - Stormwater Retrofit Best Management Practices (BMPs) 319 Grant. She is actively involved in the community as Co-chair of the US Green Building Council (USGBC)-South Texas Regional Chapter, President of the University of Texas at San Antonio Urban Planning Student Association, a SARA Watershed Wise Warrior, a Texas Master Naturalist, and a Texas Waters Specialist. Ms. Garza works with SA Tomorrow’s Regional Center Plan and Community Plan areas, SA Climate Ready-Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and the SA 2030 District.   

Jessica is a Partner at OLIN where she leads the Los Angeles Studio and directs planning and design projects that seek to create socially and environmentally resilient infrastructure including the Los Angeles County LA River Master Plan and the Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan. Her other significant projects include the reimagination of the Truman Presidential Library and Museum Grounds, the Colburn School of Dance, Chicago’s Willis Tower Roof Park, the new U.S. Embassies in London and Brasilia, the O’Hare Global Terminal, and the SELA Cultural Center. 

Jessica’s work explores the relationships between hydrological, cultural, and social contexts. Specifically, she explores how landscape architects can create anticipatory design solutions that create more equitable communities in both urban and rural settings and respond to issues relating to flooding and water resources. In her design, teaching, and research she seeks to broaden the scope of the profession by thinking holistically about the places we live, why we live there, and the environmental, economic, and social effects of our settlement patterns. She leads the OLIN Labs @Scale project and is the author of “Wet + Dry: Rethinking the Mississippi River Cross-Section,” a study on Upper Mississippi communities exploring the relationships between income, topography, and flooding along the river.  

Jessica is a registered landscape architect and certified planner. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design where she won the Laurie D. Olin Award and a Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in structural engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Jessica has also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she also served as the Undergraduate Programs Chair in the Department of Landscape Architecture. She is currently an Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California where she teaches the Master of Landscape Architecture Urban Design Studio in the School of Architecture. 

April Philips, FASLA, is the national chair of the ASLA Biodiversity & Climate Action Committee (BCAC), a registered landscape architect in California, a thought leader, artist, author and climate advocate. Founder of April Philips Design Works (APDW), an award-winning landscape architecture firm in California, April is now refocusing her energies exploring new horizons in art, ecology, climate action advocacy, lecturing, traveling, and making art that speaks to the experiential beauty and sprit of place. @AprilPhilipsDesign

Eileen Takata is the Environmental Manager for the South Pacific Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where she leads initiatives in Cultural Resources, Environmental Justice, and Public Involvement, and supports regional programs focused on environmental compliance and drought resilience. She has also worked extensively with the USACE Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise (CPCX) and is a leader in the Landscape Architecture Community of Practice.

Before joining the South Pacific Division in 2022, Ms. Takata spent over a decade with the Los Angeles District, where she led significant projects such as the Los Angeles River and East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Studies and played a key role in the $3 billion Santa Ana River Mainstem flood risk management project. Her work included strategic communications, public engagement, and facilitating numerous planning and safety exercises.

A licensed landscape architect in California, Ms. Takata also has experience in private practice and public sector roles, including serving as a Watershed Planner for the County of Orange. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in landscape architecture and resides in a historic farmhouse in southern California with her family, where she enjoys speed puzzling, arts and crafts, and is actively involved in her church community.

Megan is a licensed Landscape Architect and SITES Accredited Professional in Montana. Much of her philosophy is rooted in a childhood spent in the forests of Montana in a multi-generational logging family, and then as a wildland firefighter throughout the Western US. This background influences her work and understanding of high mountain deserts, the impacts of climate on the land, and the influence of humans in nature. 

Megan’s focus is on resilient, long-term solutions that address regional and local challenges, as well as considerations for the people and animals that call these places home. Megan has experiences that ranges from large remediation and reclamation projects like the Silver Bow Creek Conservation Area to planning documents like Climate Action Plans that are based in implementable actions.

Megan holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Idaho and studied abroad in Italy and Germany. She currently serves on the Executive Committee as the Montana Vice President for the Idaho-Montana chapter of ASLA and volunteers on several community boards including the municipal ADA committee and the Center for Performing Arts. As a foster parent and reunification proponent, Megan believes that landscape architects hold a unique position to advocate for those whose voices are often not heard, and to convey the impacts of the built environment on social connection and belonging within our communities.