The PM Playbook: Leadership Across Scale and Sector - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)

Recorded On: 09/16/2026

Project management leadership is shaped by context—public accountability, funding systems, regulatory pressures, and organizational structure. Through perspectives from public agency, interdisciplinary, and single-discipline practice, this session examines how PMs navigate different systems of decision-making and responsibility—offering practical insight, tips, and direction for leading effectively across sectors.

Learning objectives:

Recognize how project management challenges are addressed differently across public and private practice at varying scales.
Apply perspective-based leadership advice to navigate authority, accountability, and complexity within your own organization.
Adjust project management strategies based on your firm's structure, resources, and culture.
Leverage project management as a platform for leadership influence, professional resilience, and healthier team culture across practice environments.

Sarah Evans, ASLA, PLA

Midwest Landscape Architecture Group Leader

V3 Companies

Sarah Evans is a Group Leader of Landscape Architecture at V3 Companies, where she leads multidisciplinary teams delivering parks, recreation, and public realm projects across the Midwest. With a background in park planning, natural resources integration, and community‑focused design, she brings a strategic, pragmatic approach to creating resilient public spaces. Sarah oversees project delivery, helps guide firmwide standards and quality, and mentors a growing team of professionals dedicated to connecting people to nature and each other. She is passionate about fostering a culture of learning and thoughtful design. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, yoga, and hiking with her family.

Adrian L. Smith, FASLA

Team Leader, Capital Projects Division

City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation

Adrian Smith, FASLA, has over 40 years of experience in the planning and design of parks, academic, residential, resort, and cultural institution projects in the US and internationally, with a commitment to socially vibrant and ecologically resilient spaces. His connection to nature and the designed landscape was shaped by his Chilean American mother, a master gardener, and his father, an agricultural economist and farm manager. He currently serves as Team Leader at NYC Parks, where he oversees landfill-to-park conversions, coastal resiliency projects, and the delivery of urban parks, playgrounds, and athletic facilities that unify ecological performance with community-centered design.

Clare Johnson, ASLA

Project Manager

Site Design Group, ltd.

Clare Johnson, ASLA, is a Project Manager at Site Design Group with more than fourteen years of experience spanning public gardens, commercial landscapes, and residential design-build projects. Raised in the Midwest and shaped by childhood road trips to national parks, Clare’s early love of wide-open landscapes continues to inform her work in the public realm. She specializes in guiding multidisciplinary teams, managing budgets and schedules, and navigating regulatory processes to deliver thoughtful, buildable landscapes. Known for her collaborative and steady leadership style, Clare excels at aligning stakeholders, mentoring emerging professionals, and maintaining clarity throughout the life of a project.