2024 Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Jacqueline Lu
President & Co-Founder
Helpful Places
Jalonne White-Newsome
Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer
White House Council on Environmental Quality

Mayors Forum Speakers

Mary-Ann Baldwin
Mayor
City of Raleigh
Bruce Harrell
Mayor
City of Seattle
Lynne Robinson
Mayor
City of Bellevue
Jess Zimbabwe
Executive Director
Environmental Works

Plenary Speakers

Marc Berejka
President, REI Cooperative Action Fund
REI Co-Op
Mari Horita
Senior Vice President, Social Impact & Government Relations
Seattle Kraken
Sally Jewell
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Shannon Loew
Vice President of Global Corporate Real Estate and Facilities
Amazon
Maya Mendoza-Exstrom
Chief Business Officer
Seattle Reign FC

Speakers

Jesús Aguirre
Board Chair
National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA)
Heather Ramsay Ahndan
Land Conservation Initiative Program Manager
King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Melody Alcazar
Program Manager
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
Rachel Dowley Alexander
Urban Planner/Designer
Longwood Collective
Julieta Altamirano-Crosby
City Council Vice President
City of Lynwood, WA
Ilana Altman
Co-Executive Director
The Bentway
Christian Amaral
Associate
SALT Landscape Architects
Jessica Andersen
Urban Ecology Supervisor
Denver Parks & Recreation
Sue Arndt
Program Director
Park People
Shellye Arnold
President & CEO
Memorial Park Conservancy, Houston, Texas
Daniel Arrubla
Horticulturist Assistant
Friends of The Underline
Rachel Banner
Strategic Advisor
City of Seattle Parks & Recreation
Amanda Barnett
Senior Planning and Development Specialist, Liaison
City of Seattle
Chris Bass
Parks and Recreation Director
City of Douglasville
Katie Bassett
Vice President of Parks
Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority
Oliver Bazinet
Strategic Advisor
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Meagan (Patterson) Beattie
Volunteer Manager
Gateway Arch Park Foundation
Helen Beck
PhD Candidate
University of Washington
DeAnn Beck
Senior Outdoor Grants Manager
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office
Gideon Berger
Program Director
City Parks Alliance
Belen Bernal
Executive Director
Nature for All
Ruth Blaw
Human Services Manager
Bellevue Parks & Community Services Department
Alina Bokde
Chief Deputy Director
County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
Michael Boland
Chief Park Officer
The Presidio Trust
Tonya Booker
Land Stewardship Division Manager
Portland Parks and Recreation
Raechel Bosch
Youth Technology and Career Skills Manager
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Lisa Bransten
Director of Partnerships
San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
Todd Burley
Sustainability Advisor
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Colin Campbell
Planning & Development Specialist
City of Seattle, Seattle Parks and Recreation
Russ Carson
Research and Community Impact Strategist
PlayCore
Jennifer Casillas
VP, Public Realm & Ambassador Operations
Downtown Seattle Association
Joy Casnovsky
Chief Mission Officer
Austin Parks Foundation
Jerome Chou
Senior Planning Principal
Kounkuey Design Initiative
Christine Chute Canul
Partnership Manager
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
Christie Ciabotti
Acting Division Chief for Park Planning and Stewardship
Montgomery Parks, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Jeffrey Clark
Senior Manager of Applied Climate Research
Natural Areas Conservancy
Wilbur “JC” Clark
Chief Operating Officer
Pacific Pile & Marine
Diana Colangelo
Assistant Director of Programs
City Parks Alliance
Shanti Colwell
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Manager
Seattle Public Utilities
Katrina Coots Ward
Director of Partnerships and Development
Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of Baton Rouge
Grace Cotangco
Program Manager
Prevention Institute
Nina Coveney
Senior Project Manager
Biederman Redevelopment Ventures
Vanessa Curtis
Bureau Safety Officer
Portland Parks & Recreation
Jacob Daley
Sustainable Operations Manager
Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation
Shaughnessy Daniels
Director, Civic Engagement
Great Rivers Greenway
Taylor Davis
Landscape Designer; Curator
TBG Partners
Michelle DeGrand
Chief Communications Officer
City of Bellevue, WA
Danielle DeMarsh
Senior Project Manager
City of Toronto
Alison Mariella Désir
Author; TV Host
Running While Black/PBS
Tricia Diaz
Staff Analyst
City of Seattle Parks & Recreation
Eli Dickerson
Director of Education
Park Pride
Anya Domlesky
Director of Research
SWA Group
Cincere Eades
Assistant Director of Urban Ecology and Trails
City and County of Denver Parks and Recreation
Kate England
Director, Office of Green Infrastructure
City of Boston
Toni Esparza
Assistant Director
City of Bellevue
Rachel Felice
City Nature Manager
Portland Parks & Recreation
Joëlle Fontaine
Director of Communications & Community Partnership
Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI)
James Foster
Senior Manager of Youth Programs
Groundwork USA
Kate Foster
Mid-Atlantic Director for Trail Development
Rails To Trails Conservancy
Lakita Frazier
Senior Consultant
BerryDunn
Rachel Frierson
Senior Director of Programming and Public Spaces
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
Daniel Fusca
Manager of Public Consultation
City of Toronto Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Division
James Gagliardi
Director
Bellevue Botanical Garden, City of Bellevue, WA
Kaela Geschke
Parks for People Program Director
Trust for Public Land
Jalisa Gilmore
Senior Manager of Environmental Justice Programs
Groundwork USA
David Goldberg
Strategic Advisor
Seattle's Office of Sustainability and Environment
Nancy Goldenberg
President & CEO
Laurel Hill
Eoanna Goodwin
Project Manager
San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Tara Green
Principal of Public Realm Strategies
OJB Landscape Architecture
Anne Grossmann
Director of Community Engagement
Forest Park Forever
Deb Guenther
Partner
Mithun
Thomas Guentner
Director of Land Stewardship
Landforce
Veronica Hahni
Executive Director
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
Michael Halicki
Executive Director
Park Pride
Amanda Hallauer
Watershed Manager
City of Atlanta
Nicole Seahorne Hameen
Education and Engagement Specialist
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Mami Hara
Chief Executive Officer
US Water Alliance
Owen Harrang
Management and Operations Advisor, Waterfront Park
Seattle Center
Warinda Harris
Organizer
Central Texas Interfaith
Vicente Harrison
Health, Safety, and Emergency Manager
City of Portland Parks and Recreation
Monica Haugen
Center City Parks Activation
Seattle Parks & Recreation Department
Allegra “Happy” Haynes
Retired Executive Director
Denver Parks and Recreation
Claire Hempel
Principal
Design Workshop, Inc.
Lisa Hernandez
Senior Engagement Manager
Houston Parks Board
Angela Hill
Deputy Administrator
Shelby County Government, Environmental Health, and Sustainability
Annie Hindenlang
Planning Manager
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Jeffrey Hou
Professor
National University of Singapore
Zaheen Hussain
National Capital City Director
Student Conservation Association
Hana Ishikawa
Design Principal
site design group, ltd.
Cayce James
Senior Planner
City of Seattle
JJ Jimenez
Parks Manager
City of Anaheim Parks Division
Kia Johnson
Equitable Development Manager
11th Street Bridge Park
Allison Johnson
Director of Community Engagement
Pease Park Conservancy
Rachel Johnson
Manager of Administration & Special Projects
Friends of the High Line
Abbie Judice
Environmental Coordinator / Arborist
Moncus Park
Sarah Katz-Hyman
Senior Project Manager
San Francisco Parks Alliance
Maggie Keller
Program Manager
Office of Community Planning and Development of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (
Sarah Kevorkian
Project Manager
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA)
John King
Manager , Recreation
Dallas Parks and Recreation Department
Stephanie Kiouses
Park Director
Levy Park Conservancy
Erin Kirkpatrick
Community Services Manager
City of Tempe Parks and Recreation
Maya Klem
Green Burien Partnership Coordinator
Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department
Gina Kotos
Community Manager
San Francisco Parks Alliance
Jennifer Kovecses
Assistant Director of Programs
Salazar Center
Ryan Kurtzman
Technology Partnerships Officer
City of Long Beach Technology and Innovation Department
Nick Kushner
Community Planner
DC Department of Parks and Recreation
Jennifer LaFontaine
Manager, Indigenous Placekeeping
City of Toronto, Indigenous Affairs Office
Vania Laguerre
Senior Vice President, Local Market Executive
Bank of America
Eric Landau
President
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Anna Laybourn
Principal
Design Workshop
Quentin Leborgne
Client Consultant
Eco-Counter
Julie Lehman
Horticulture and Open Space Manager
City of Denver
Taylor Leonard
Program Manager, Community Partnerships
Charles River Conservancy
Alana Lewis
Federal Policy Manager
Dream.org
Bronwyn Nichols Lodato
Board Member
Olmsted Network
Erin Lonoff
Principal
HR&A Advisors, Inc.
Stefanie Loomis
Associate Landscape Architect
Walker Macy
Jacqueline Lu
President & Co-Founder
Helpful Places
Allison Lukacsy-Love
Senior Director, Major Projects (Downtown and Waterfronts)
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Abigail Maher
Deputy Director of Partnerships
San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
Bryan Matsumoto
Project Manager
Nature For All
Moses Mbeseha
Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director
The Conscious Connect CDC
Theresa McArleton
Chief Parks Planner
General Services Department, City of Detroit
Charlie McCabe
Parks, Open Space & Placemaking Consultant
Dana McDonald
Environmental Stewardship Coordinator
Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation
Jared Edgar McKnight
Senior Associate and Designer
WRT
Kim McKnight
Program Manager, Historic Preservation and Tourism Program
Austin Parks and Recreation Department
Christian Merfeld
Director of Communications and Public Relations
Boston Harbor Now
Michael Messner
Trustee
Speedwell Foundation
Liza Meyer
Chief Landscape Architect
Boston Parks
Marie Millares
Facility Director
Veggielution
Jayne Miller
CEO
Jayne Miller Consulting
Shelly Miller
Supervisor, Ecological Services and GIS Teams
Eugene Parks and Open Space
Sedrick Mitchell
Deputy Director, Community Engagement
California State Parks
Chaka Mkali
Director of Organizing and Community Building and Interim Co-Executive Director
Hope Community
Jill Moore
Inclusive Play Specialist
Landscape Structures, Inc.
Missy Morrison
Chief, Recreation Programs Branch (Acting)
National Park Service
Anita Morson-Matra
Director of Community Partnerships
Emerald Necklace Conservancy
Jake Moskowitz
Chief Innovation Officer
The Underline
Sharon Musa
Urban to Wild Program Manager, Los Angeles
The Wilderness Society
Shweta Nanekar
Landscape Architect
McAdams
Anne “Dede” Neal Petri
President & CEO
Olmsted Network
Charles Neer
Principal
WRT
Christopher Ng-Hardy
Senior Associate
Sasaki
Lisa Nielsen
Athletic & Event Scheduling Manager
Seattle Parks & Recreation
Laura Niemi
Community Gardens Program Manager
Portland Parks & Recreation
John O’Gorman
Senior Vice President of Development & Community Initiatives
Forest Park Forever
Funmi Ogunro
Film Director and Editor
Art Is Cool
Sarah Olson
Deputy Director
Lynnwood Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts
Dianne Palladino
Director of Research and Evaluation
National Recreation and Park Association
Elitsa Panayotova
Coordinator, Sofia Green
Sofia Development Association
Brooke Perry Pardue
President & CEO
Parks Alliance of Louisville
James Pasternak
Councillor
City of Toronto
Brandi Peacher
Director of Project Management
Office of the Mayor, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Tyler Pederson
Design Project Manager
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Paul Pereira
Program Manager
Beautify San Jose
Carlos Perez
President
Perez Planning + Design
Leslie Pool
Mayor Pro Tem
City of Austin
Kyla Prendergast
Senior Environmental Planner
City of Pittsburgh
Megan Price
Manager, Parks Standards and Innovation
City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation
Suzanne Quinn
Manager, KOMPAN Play Institute
KOMPAN Playgrounds & Fitness
Susan Rademacher
Origin Park Park Curator
River Heritage Conservancy
Teresa Rayburn
Human Resources Manager
Seattle Parks & Recreation Department
Chris Reed
Founding Director
Stoss Landscape Urbanism
Bill Reininger
Executive Director
Tower Grove Park
Abbey Roberson
Vice President, Campus Planning
Texas Medical Center
Almariet Roberts
Project Manager
Groundwork Bridgeport
Gordon Robertson
Director- Parks Planning, Design and Construction
Denver Parks and Recreation
Trent Rondot
Conservation and Maintenance Director
Houston Parks Board
Christopher Roog
Executive Director
City of West Palm Beach
Lara Rose
Principal
Walker Macy
Mash Salehomoum
Program Manager, Vancouver
Park People
Sam Savin
Technical Assistance and Pilots Program Manager, 10 Minute Walk
Trust for Public Land
Autumn Saxton-Ross
Chief Education and Equity Officer
National Recreation and Parks Association
Nathan Schleicher
Design Lead
Earthscape Play
Alayna Schmidt
PhD Student
Clemson University
Taj Schottland
Senior Climate Program Manager
Trust for Public Land
Emily Schwing
Public Affairs Director
Veggielution
Carolyn Scotchmer
Executive Director
TD Friends of the Environment Foundation
Laurel Severt
Director
Hellman Foundation
Elizabeth Sewell
Trail Manager
City of San Jose
Sona Shah
Equity & Inclusion Program Manager
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
Dawn Siff
Executive Director
Alliance for Paseo Park
John Sigmund
Director of Public Programs
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Mitchell Silver
Principal
McAdams
Cary Simmons
Director of Community Strategies
Trust for Public Land
Cameron Smith
Ph.D. Student
Clemson University
Shaquan Smith
Strategic Advisor | Planner | Program Manager
City of Seattle Parks and Recreation
Tierney Sneeringer
Cultural Outreach and Enrichment Manager
City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources
Katrina Spade
Founder and CEO
Recompose
Doreen Stoller
President
Hermann Park Conservancy
Rebecca Stoner
Executive Director
Milwaukee Parks Foundation and Milwaukee County Parks
Kerrie Stoops
Management System Analyst Supervisor
City of Seattle Parks and Recreation
Ana Straabe
Principal Project Planner
City of Anaheim
Desiree Tabares
Human Resources Director
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Andrea Tacdol
Community Partnerships Manager
The Presidio Trust
Tim Tompkins
Marron Institute Fellow & Wagner Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning
New York University
Charlotte Tonsor
Executive Projects Director
The Trail Conservancy
Joaquín Torres
Assessor-Recorder, City and County of San Francisco
Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy
Justin Trezza
Senior Director of Healthy Neighborhoods
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Arif Ullah
Executive Director
South Bronx Unite
Kirkwood Vangeli
Program Coordinator, Streets and Public Spaces
The Memphis Medical District Collaborative
Mike Velonas
Manager of Planning and Conservation
Meewasin Valley Authority
Sandra Viera
Director, Healthy Equitable Communities
Prevention Institute
Jamie Rae Walker
Associate Professor & Extension Specialist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Curt Warber
Eastrail Program Manager
King County
Sean Watts
Principal
SM Watts Consulting, LLC
Leslie Weber
Interim Executive Director
Hamilton Partnership for Paterson
Lilly Weinberg
Senior Director
Knight Foundation
Michael Williams
Trails Program Manager
Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
Ayanna Williams
Director of Community and Environmental Resilience
National Recreation and Park Association
Corey Wilson
Superintendent
Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC)
Ernest Wong
Founding Principal
site design group, ltd.
Sean Woods
Chief of Planning
County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
Thea Yang
Assistant Project Manager
San Francisco Park Alliance
Paris Yates
Urban Food Systems Manager
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Sharon Yazowski
CEO
The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation
Tanner Yess
Executive Director
Groundwork Ohio River Valley
Alyssa Young
Programs and Partnerships Manager
KABOOM!
Selina Young
Director of the Indigenous Affairs Office
City of Toronto
Zulma Zabala
Senior Fellow, Community & Racial Equity
The Center for Community Solutions
Rebecca Zapata
Executive Director
The Skyway Coalition
Bz Zhang
Project Manager
Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

Tour and Workshop Leaders

Kim Baldwin
Director of Operations for Planning and Capital Development
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Amanda Barnett
Senior Planning and Development Specialist, Liaison
City of Seattle
Oliver Bazinet
Strategic Advisor
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Rebecca Bear
President and CEO
Seattle Parks Foundation
Michelle Benetua
Director of Strategic Partnerships and Programs
Seattle Parks Foundation
Todd Burley
Sustainability Advisor
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Jesse Canedo
Chief Economic Development Officer
City of Bellevue, WA
Belinda Chin
Recreation Division Partnership Coordinator
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Lisa Ciecko
Ecology Team Manager
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Shanti Colwell
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Manager
Seattle Public Utilities
Pasqual Contreras
Construction Project Manager
University of Washington
Joel DeJong
Regenerative Transformation Leader
Priya Marita Diaz
Artist
Anthony-Paul (AP) Diaz
Superintendent/Director
Seattle Parks and Recreation
James Gagliardi
Director
Bellevue Botanical Garden, City of Bellevue, WA
Shameka Gagnier
Paula Hoff
Strategic Advisor and City Council Liaison
Superintendent’s Office, Seattle Parks and Recreation
Jason Huff
Project Manager
Office of Arts & Culture, City of Seattle
Shava Lawson
Director of Fiscal Services
Seattle Parks Foundation
Joey Manson
Director
Seward Park Audubon Center
Guy Michaelsen
Principal
The Berger Partnership
Jordan Ng
GIS Analyst
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Jennifer Ott
Environmental Historian and Assistant Director
HistoryLink
Christina Owen
Director
University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Camron Parker
Assistant Director
Bellevue Parks & Community Services
Shanoa Pinkham
Enrolled Member
Yakama Nation
Paige Reischl
Inclusion Coach
Haring Center for Inclusive Education
Susanne Rockwell
Public Art Manager
Office of Arts & Culture, City of Seattle
Miriam Roskin
Former Advisor
City of Seattle Office of Housing
Robin Schwartz
Lead Staff Member
Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition
Andy Sheffer
Deputy Superintendent of Operations
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Angela Smith
Owner
Seattle Cultural Food Tours
Julie Stonefelt
Senior Public Education Specialist
Watershed Management Division, Seattle Public Utilities
Erin Sullivan
Animal Care Manager and Entomologist
Woodland Park Zoo
Rebecca Whitham
Vice President of Engagement
Woodland Park Zoo
Christopher Williams
Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Staff
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Amir Williams
OOC Sr. Trails Coordinator
City of Seattle Parks and Recreation