Plenary Speakers

Mayors Forum

Speakers

Allison Abel

Director of Marketing, Greenfields Outdoor Fitness

Jesús Aguirre

Director, City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department

Melody Alcazar

Cities Connecting Children to Nature Program Manager, City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department

Stacie Anaya

Director, City of Lewisville Parks and Recreation Department

Sue Arndt

Program Director, Park People

Julio Badin

Executive Director, GGP Parks

Blue Baldwin

Green Stormwater Infrastructure Program Manager, City of Tucson Water Department

Philip Barash

Founder & Principal, Public Sphere Projects

Shelly Barrick Parsons

Executive Director, Capital Trees

Jérôme Barth

Principal, Belleville Placemaking

Rebecca Bear

President and CEO, Seattle Parks Foundation

Madge Bemiss

Principal, Brocade Studio

Stephen Bentley

Director, City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department

Gideon Berger

Program Director, City Parks Alliance

David Berman

Design and Construction Project Manager, Parks & People

Larry Berry

Campus Manager, City of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department

Brandon Biederman

Principal, PORT

Merritt Birnbaum

President & CEO, Riverside Park Conservancy

Jason Bocarro

University Faculty Scholar, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University

Tara Buckner

Urban Planner, City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation

Todd Burley

Sustainability Advisor, City of Seattle Parks & Recreation Department

Matt Carusona

Associate Director of Professional Development & Partner School Director, North Carolina State University Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management

Anna Cawrse

Chair of Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Ecology, Sasaki

Jasmine Chan

Capital Planning and Development Administrator, City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department

Angelyn Chandler

Vice President – Planning, New York Power Authority/New York State Canal Corporation

Elizabeth Class-Maldonado

Pennsylvania State Director, Trust for Public Land

Kelly Coffman

Principal Planner, Cleveland Metroparks

Deborah Cohen

Research Scientist, Kaiser Permanente

Diana Colangelo

Assistant Director of Programs, City Parks Alliance

Michelle Colvard

Director, Office of Research Administration, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Miriam Conner

Founder, Creative Policy

Marc Coudert

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Manager, City of Austin Office of Climate Action & Resilience

David Cowan

Chief Program and Public Spaces Officer, Downtown Detroit Partnership

Justin Cutler

Commissioner, City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation

Jazmine da Costa

Program Officer, William Penn Foundation

Mark Davison

Senior Planning Manager, City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department

Caitlyn Denham

Senior Events & Partnerships Manager, Austin Parks Foundation

Eli Dickerson

Director of Education, Park Pride

Ben Donsky

Principal, Agora Partners

Neamatallah Elsayed

Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Grant England

Community Programs Manager, Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms

German Enriquez

Founder / CEO, KOEN Consulting

Julie Fisher

CEO, The Trail Conservancy

Adam Forman

Assistant Director, City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department

Charles “Chuck” Foster Jr.

President, Capital Area Master Naturalists

Thennie Freeman

Director, District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation

Christopher Frelke

Director, City of Richmond Richmond Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities Department

Valerie Friedmann

Associate Director, Policy and Public Affairs, Trust for Public Land

Homer Garcia

Director, City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department

Colleen Garland

Outdoor Learning Specialist, Austin Independent School District

Giles Garrison

Programs and Operations Manager, City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities

Meredith Gauthier

Sustainability & Resilience Program Manager, City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department

Layla George

Principal, byGeorge Consultants

Andisheh Ghofranitabari

Senior Designer, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Elizabeth Gilbert

Managing Principal, Clark Condon

David Goldstein

Competitive Programs Manager, Land and Water Conservation Fund, National Park Service

Mikey Goralnik

Trails and Transportation Planner, Great Springs Project

Tonnetta Graham

President, Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation

Lisa Graiff

Senior Project Manager, Houston Parks Board

Matthew Gray

Senior VP of Program, Student Conservation Association

Tara Green

Principal, Public Realm Strategies, OJB Landscape Architecture

Ryan Greenstein

Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, YMCA of Metro Atlanta

Tarana Hafiz

Associate Urban Designer, Design Workshop

Michael Halicki

President & CEO, Park Pride

Courtney Hall

Conservation Director, Memorial Park Conservancy

Heywood Harrison

Senior Capital Projects Manager, City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities

Will Harrison

Community Partnerships Leader, Kaizen Labs

Josh Harskamp

Senior Manager of Planning & Design, The Bentway

Sonja Hartmann

Senior Civil Engineer, Arup

Justine Heilner

Capital Planning Manager, New York State Canal Corporation

Claire Hempel

Principal, Design Workshop, Inc.

Darío Herrera

Community Programs Manager, Clockshop

Nathan Hilmer

Associate Landscape Architect, SmithGroup

Cassie Hoeprich

Director of Planning & Economic Development, Downtown Houston+

Jeremy Hoffman

Director of Impact Evaluation and Community Science, Groundwork USA

Laura Holbrook

Recreation & Community Inclusion Coordinator, City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department

Nick Jabs

Associate Principal, PORT

John Jackson

Principal, RATIO

Kerstin Johansson

Environmental Program Coordinator, City of Austin Watershed Protection Department

Kelly Johnson

Land and Water Conservation Fund Compliance Inspector, DC Department of Parks and Recreation

Louis Johnson

Executive Vice President – Land Planning, Gresham Smith

Cleveland Justis

Principal, Potrero Group

Rukmini Kalamangalam

Program Specialist, National Recreation and Park Association

Sabina Kasumova

Performance and Operations Specialist, City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation

Elaine Kearney

Managing Principal, TBG Partners

Brenda Kessler

Program Manager, Children & Nature Network

John Kett

Partner and Managing Principal, Reed Hilderbrand

Sarah Kevorkian

Deputy Chief of Wildfire Resilience, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority

Erin Kirkpatrick

Recreation Manager, City of Tempe

Will Klein

Director of Research, The Trust for Public Land

Brenna Laffey

Landscape Architect and Planner, Design Workshop

Eric Landau

President, Brooklyn Bridge Park

Shava Lawson

Director of Fiscal Sponsorship, Seattle Parks Foundation

Anna Laybourn

Principal, Design Workshop

Andrea Leitch

VP of Marketing, Gathering Place

Erin Lonoff

Principal, HR&A Advisors, Inc.

Heather Lubov

Executive Director, City Parks Foundation

Madeline Macdonald

High Line Network Coordinator, Friends of the High Line

JP MacFadyen

Executive Director, Moncus Park

Lindsey Machamer

Park Development Division Manager, City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department

Rob Maddrey

VP of Development, Dix Park Conservancy

Mark Maldonado

Founder/ CEO, The Urban Alchemy Collective

Scott Martin

Board Member, World Urban Parks

Sean Maxwell

Client Engineer, Google

Lannie McClelen

SWMD Transformation Project Director, Texas Trees Foundation

Sherazad Mehta

Associate Principal, Arup

Julia Meltzer

Founding Director and Senior Advisor, Clockshop

Sam Mendelsohn

CEO, Greenfields Outdoor Fitness

Cecily Mendie

Park Manager, DowntownDC Business Improvement District

Jen Mergel

James & Audrey Foster Executive Director, Esplanade Association

Daniel Millikin

Executive Director, Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy

Morgan Monaco

President & Administrator, Prospect Park Alliance

Jill Moore

Inclusive Play Specialist, Landscape Structures

Ryan Mottau

Director of Digital Engagement, MIG

Dara Murray

Director of Learning & Evaluation, Trust for Public Land

Catherine Nagel

Executive Director, City Parks Alliance

Shweta Nanekar

Parks Practice Lead, McAdams

Nicole Netherton

Chief Executive Officer, Pease Park Conservancy

Sarah Newbery

Director of Parks and Greenspace, Kinder Foundation

Christopher Ng-Hardy

Senior Associate, Sasaki

Abby Oliveira

Sr Land Use and Sustainability Planner, Longwood Collective

Anne Olson

President, Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Eileen Ong

Director of Programs and Outreach, Greenway Conservancy

Angela Osborn

Chief Development & Marketing Officer, Austin Parks Foundation

Bithia Palmer

Director of Housing Solutions, Enterprise Advisors

Kate Pearce

Executive Director, Dix Park

Allison Peck Lankford

Chief Executive Officer, Gatton Park Conservancy

Chris Peiffer

Director of Urban Forestry Strategy, PlanIT Geo

Jason Peters

AI & Data Solutions Lead, VC3

Matt Piccone

Senior Landscape Architect and Project Manager, Greenworks

Patrick Piuma

Director, Urban Design Studio, University of Louisville

Riley Piva

Community Planner, DC Department of Parks and Recreation

Alexandra Pollock

Landscape designer and planner, Design Workshop

Angel Ponce

Director, City of Houston Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities

Rebecca Ratz

Executive Director, Friends of Shelby Park and Bottom

Ali Rhodes

Director, Boulder Parks and Recreation

Daniel Rice

President and Chief Executive Officer, Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition

Nissa Richardson

Deputy Director, City of Richmond’s Parks Department

John Rigdon

Chief Planning and Design Officer, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy

Ryan Rinn

Capital Projects Planner, City of Richmond, Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities

Pam Rivas

Community Engagement Manager, Petaluma River Park Foundation

Kevin Roche

Chief of Staff, Fairmount Park Conservancy

Ian Rosenberg

Senior Vice President for Capital Projects and Planning, Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Alec Sabatini

Urban Forestry Consultant, PlanIT Geo

Dabney Sanders

Project Manager, Greensboro Downtown Greenway, Greensboro Downtown Greenway/Action Greensboro

Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon

Sam Savin

Director of Technical Assistance, Trust for Public Land

Craig Sears

President, Sears Pool Management Consultants, Inc.

Sona Shah

Equity & Inclusion Program Manager, City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department

Gullivar Shepard

Partner, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

Cary Simmons

Director of Community Strategies, Trust for Public Land

Rhiannon Sinclair

Urban Planner, Principal, Agency Landscape + Planning

Caroline Skuncik

Executive Director, I-195 Redevelopment District

Kara Slocum

Senior Civil & Resilience Engineer, Arup

Shonnda Smith

Executive Director, Mobile Public Works

Nick Stephens

Community Planner/Parks Planner, Perez Planning + Design

Peggy Stewart

Assistant Director, Culture, Arts and Nature, Chicago Park District

Rebecca Stoner

Executive Director, Milwaukee Parks Foundation

Kira Strong

Senior Director, High Line Network, Friends of the High Line, Inc

Daniel Student

Managing Director of Consulting, Potrero Group

Jason Su

Founder and Owner, Common Place Practice

John Surico

Senior Fellow for Climate and Opportunity, Center for an Urban Future

Hashim Taylor

Director, City of Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities

Mandi Thomas

Chief Marketing Officer, The Trail Conservancy

Shajra Thrasher

Assistant Director, City of Douglasville Parks and Recreation

James (J.J.) Tighe

Senior Director, Parks and Trails, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Charlotte Tonsor

Executive Projects Director, The Trail Conservancy

Peggy Turner

Athletics Community Liaison & Adapted Sports and Recreation Community Programs Coordinator, TIRR Memorial Hermann

Julie Waterman

Advocacy Director, City Parks Alliance

Mindy Watts

Principal, Interface Studio LLC

Michele White

Senior Program Manager, National Recreation and Park Association

Samantha Whitney

Principal | Director of Urban Design, TBG Partners

Gaylan Williams

Deputy Commissioner, City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation

David Wilson

Director of Parks & Community, LAND studio

Joanna Wolaver

Executive Director, Travis County Parks Foundation

Ernest Wong

Principal, Site Design Group, Ltd.

Michelle Woods

Senior Advisor, Public Sphere Projects

Paris Yates

Sr. Planning and Development Specialist, Seattle Parks and Recreation

Kyung Jin Zoh

Professor of Landscape Architecture, Seoul National University

Tour Leaders

Jesús Aguirre

Director, Austin Parks and Recreation

Melody Alcazar

Cities Connecting Children to Nature Program Manager, City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department

Melissa Ayala

Vice President of Government Relations, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy

Drew Carman

Director of Park Planning & Design, RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture

Melinda Chow

Co-Executive Director, Austin Youth River Watch

Marc Coudert

Manager, City of Austin, Office of Climate Action and Resilience

Lara Eakins

Sr. Program Coordinator, University of Texas Department of Astronomy

Julie Fisher

CEO, The Trail Conservancy

Colleen Garland

Outdoor Learning Specialist, Austin ISD

Meredith Gauthier

Consulting Engineer, Austin Parks & Recreation

Mandi Golman

Supervisor Schoolyards and Grounds, Austin ISD – Sustainability Office

Jose Guerrero

Consulting Engineer, Austin Watershed Protection

Kendall Henry

Events Manager, Austin Sunshine Camps

Julia Hill

Program Development Coordinator, Austin Parks & Recreation

Amy Jackson

Night Sky Program Director, Travis County Parks Foundation

Allison Johnson

Director of Community Engagement, Pease Park Conservancy

Ivey Kaiser

Executive Director, Shoal Creek Conservancy

Sarah Marshall

Program Manager, Austin Parks and Recreation

Carrie McDonald

Assistant Director of Learning and Engagement, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of the College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas

Kim McKnight

Division Manager, Historic Preservation, Austin Planning, City of Austin

Brooke Mellen

Founder, Cultured Forest

Martin Nembhard

Vice President of Park Operations, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy

Grady Reed

Chief of Park Operations, The Trail Conservancy

John Rigdon

Chief Planning and Design Officer, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy

David Roberts

Chief Development Officer, Austin Sunshine Camps

Marilu Tavagna

ADA Project Coordinator, Austin Parks and Recreation

Mandi Thomas

Chief Marketing Officer, The Trail Conservancy

Charlotte Tonsor

Executive Projects Director, The Trail Conservancy

Janie Trevino

Education Coordinator, Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy