2022 Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Lena Chan
Senior Director, International Biodiversity Conservation Division
National Parks Board of Singapore
Deb Haaland
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
Shawn McCaney
Executive Director
William Penn Foundation

Plenary Speakers

Kathryn Ott Lovell
Commissioner
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Thoai Nguyen
CEO
SEAMAAC
Sue Mobley
Director of Research
Monument Lab
Saad Amer
CoFounder
Plus1Vote
Andrea Batista Schlesinger
Managing Partner
HR&A Advisors

Mayors Forum

Daniella Levine Cava
Mayor
Miami-Dade County, FL
Jim Kenney
Mayor
City of Philadelphia, PA
Leirion  Gaylor Baird
Mayor
City of Lincoln, NE
Miguel Treviño
Mayor
San Pedro Garza García, Mexico
Mitch Landrieu
Senior Advisor to the President for Infrastructure Coordination
The White House

Speakers

Latifah Abdullah
Community Leader
North Richmond, CA
Brenda Aguirre
Superintendent of Emergency Operations and Citywide Aquatics
LA Parks
Adam Arvidson
Director of Strategic Planning
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Al Bangoura
Superintendent
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Paul Bauknight
Project Implementation Director
Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Cristina Bejarano
Planner and Urban Designer
WRT
Shanequa Benitez
Artist, Activist and Entrepreneur
Self
Stephen Bentley
Assistant Director
City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources
Gideon Berger
Program Director
City Parks Alliance
Cassie Bethoney
Project Manager and Registered Landscape Architect
Weston & Sampson
Mary Bogle
Principal Research Associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center
Urban Institute
Alice Brown
Chief of Policy and Planning
Boston Harbor Now
Benjamin Bryant
Director of Special Projects
Interface Studio
Todd Burley
Sustainability Advisor
City of Seattle Parks and Recreation
Kimberly Burrowes
Technical Assistance Manager
Urban Institute
Grady Bussey
Community Center Director, John Chavis Memorial Park
Raleigh Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resource Department
Keelin Caldwell
Director of Programs and Community Engagement
Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
Ginger Carter
Lead, Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP)
National Park Service
Sarun Chan
Executive Director
Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia
Lauren D Chavez
Project Manager
San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
Deborah Cohen
Research Scientist
Kaiser Permanente
Carol Coletta
President and CEO
Memphis River Parks Partnership
Amanda Colón-Smith
Community Engagement Director
Rebuild Philadelphia
Nina Comiskey
Associate
VMDO Architects
AeLin Compton
Environmental Restoration Crew Chief
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Priya Cook
Green Schoolyards Consultant
Children & Nature Network
Patricia “Tish” Corbett
Land Revitalization Coordinator
US EPA
Rebecca Cordes Chan
Executive Director
Friends of the Rail Park
Nathaniel Cormier
Managing Studio Director
RIOS
Keiko Cramer
Principal
Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC
Stephanie Crockatt
Executive Director
Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
Richard Crockett
Principal
SWA Group
Charmaine Dahlenburg
Director of Field Conservation
National Aquarium
Samir Dalal
Planning Manager | Philadelphia LandCare Program
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Meg Daly
CEO/Founder
Friends of The Underline
Zachary Damato
Co-Founder/Co-Director
Urban Rivers
Jen De Melo
Senior Strategist of Organization Innovation and Strategic Partnerships
KABOOM!
Michelle Delk
Partner & Director of Landscape Architecture
Snøhetta
Marisa Denker
Founder & CEO
Connect the Dots
Julia Diamond
Director, Grand Park
The Music Center
Anthony-Paul (AP) Diaz
Executive Officer & Assistant General Manager
Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
Justin DiBerardinis
FDR Park Director
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Ashley DiCaro
Senior Associate
Interface Studio
Emily Dickinson
Climate and Sustainability Initiative Manager
Madison Square Park Conservancy
Alex Doty
Executive Director
Philadelphia Parks Alliance
Alvaro Drake-Cortez
Entrepreneurship Program Manager
The Welcoming Center
Cincere Eades
Resiliency Principal Planner
City & County of Denver Parks & Recreation
Brad Eckert
Mountain Parks Program Manager
City and County of Denver
Ted Enoch
Director of Catalyst
Partnerships for Parks
German Enriquez
Parks Senior Advisor
City of San Pedro Garza García
Mickey Fearn
Professor of Practice
North Carolina State University School of Natural Resources
Cara Ferrentino
Program Officer
William Penn Foundation
Libertad Figuereo
Policy Analyst
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Jacqueline Flin
Executive Director
A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco
Elisabeth Fondriest
Chief of the Recreation Grant Programs Branch
National Park Service
Gina Ford
Principal and Co-Founder
Agency Landscape + Planning
Rachel Frierson
Director of Programming
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
Emily Galfond
Designer
Studio Ludo
Matthew Galluzzo
President and CEO
Riverlife
Adam Ganser
Executive Director
New Yorkers for Parks
Melanie Gárate
Climate Resiliency Manager
Mystic River Watershed Association
Patrice Gillespie Smith
Chief Operating Officer
Friends of The Underline
Nicole Gillett
Urban Forestry Program Manager
City of Tucson
Nancy Goldenberg
President & CEO
Laurel Hill Cemetery and West Laurel Hill Cemetery & Funeral Home
Elizabeth Goldstein
President
The Municipal Art Society of New York
Sonia Gonzalez Banks
Director, External Affairs
San Francisco Parks Alliance
Tonnetta Graham
Founder & President
Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation
Matt Gray
Senior VP of Programs
Student Conservation Association
Dionne Grayman
President and Co-Founder
We Run Brownsville
Brigitte Griswold
Executive Director
Groundwork Hudson Valley
Thomas Guentner
Director of Land Stewardship
Landforce
Chris Guillard
Founding Partner
CMG Landscape Architecture
Veronica Hahni
Executive Director
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
Michael Halicki
Executive Director
Park Pride
Robert Hanifin
Project Development Lead, Build America Bureau
U.S. Department of Transportation
Ian Hanou
Founder & CEO
PlanIT Geo
Peter Harnik
Author
Self
Nikki Hasani-Ferrera
Partnerships Manager, Too Small to Fail
Clinton Foundation
Allegra “Happy” Haynes
Executive Director
Denver Parks and Recreation
Clyde Higgs
CEO & President
Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
B Hill
Strategic Advisor
City of Seattle Parks and Recreation
Bryan Hill
Principal Planner
Community Development Partners
Julia Hillengas
Executive Director
PowerCorpsPHL
Lesley Hoffarth
President & Executive Director
Forest Park Forever
Elizabeth Hollister
Executive Director
Upper Westside Community Improvement District
Erika Hood
Director of Social Equity and Engagement
Syatt
Ellen Hwang
Director/Philadelphia
Knight Foundation
Asima Jansveld
Managing Director
High Line Network
Laura Jasinski
Executive Director
Charles River Conservancy
Robin-Eve Jasper
President
NoMa Parks Foundation
Vina Kay
Vice President of Movement Capacity Building
Race Forward
Željka Carol Kekez
Principal
PLACE
Wilson Kimball
President & CEO
Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Yonkers
Kyle Kutuchief
Program Director, Akron
Knight Foundation
Michael Lampariello
Director, Domino Park
Two Trees Management Company
Eric Landau
President
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Allison Lukacsy-Love
Senior Director, Major Projects, Downtown and Waterfront
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Rachel Maher
Director of Communications and Policy
Park Pride
Chris Matthews
Division Director, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department
Erme Maula
Member
Friends of Mifflin Square Park
Maura McCarthy
Executive Director
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Emily McCoy
Principal Landscape Architect
Design Workshop
Damaris McGlone
Parks and Recreation Department Director
City of Brownsville
Jen Mergel
Project Lead and Curator
Olmsted Now
Jayne Miller
Chair
World Urban Parks
Vaidehi Mody
Urban Designer, Capital Projects Design Department
New York City Housing Authority
Tim Mollette-Parks
Partner
Mithun
Patrick Morgan
1st Deputy Commissioner, Strategy & Engagement
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Rasul Mowatt
Department Head of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management
North Carolina State University
Sadiya Muqueeth
Director of Community Health
Trust for Public Land
Catherine Nagel
Executive Director
City Parks Alliance
Jennie Nam
Bilingual Business Service Manager- Khmer
Philadelphia Department of Commerce
Maria Nardi
Director of Miami Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces
Miami Dade County
Charles Neer
Senior Associate
WRT
Michael Nichols
Executive Director
Esplanade Association
Dara O’Byrne
Chief Parks Planner
City of Detroit
Josh Otero
Trails Community Engagement Coordinator
Natural Areas Conservancy
Brooke Pardue
President/CEO
Parks Alliance of Louisville
Brandi Peacher
Director of Project Management
Office of the Mayor, City of Lexington, KY
Hamil Pearsall
Associate Professor in Geography and Urban Studies
Temple University
Carlos Perez
President
Perez Planning + Design
Vaughn Perry
Director of Equity
11th Street Bridge Park
Anne “Dede” Neal Petri
President/CEO
National Association for Olmsted Parks
Jamie Phillips
Principal
CMG Landscape Architecture
Lorne Possinger
Regional Recreation and Conservation Manager, Eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resource’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation
Clara Pregitzer
Deputy Director of Conservation Science
Natural Areas Conservancy
Akiima Price
Family & Community Engagement Specialist
Self
Emily Proudfoot
Principal Landscape Architect
City of Eugene, Oregon
Carolyn Ramsay
Executive Director
Los Angeles Parks Foundation
Tara Rasheed
Senior Project Manager
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Julia Raskin
Senior Trails Program Manager
Natural Areas Conservancy
Chris Reed
Design Director
Stoss Landscape Urbanism
Dan Rice
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition
Cassandra Rice
Landscape Architect and Planner
Site Design Group, Ltd.
Damon Rich
Designer, urban planner, and partner
HECTOR
Eric Riley
Planning Associate
Kounkuey Design Initiative
Stephanie Rivera Fenniri
Stephanie Rivera Fenniri
Community Advocate and Ph.D. Student in City and Regional Planning
Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania
Yadiel Rivera-Díaz
Partner
Marvel
Maya Rodgers
Senior Project Manager
San Francisco Parks Alliance
Andrew Ronan
Assistant Director - Public Space - Partnerships and Programming
NYC Department of Transportation
Scott Roschi
Creative Director
Landscape Structures
Amanda Ross
Division Manager Natural Resources
City of Austin
Chukundi Salisbury
Manager, Environmental Sustainability, Education and Engagement Unit
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Autumn Saxton-Ross
VP of Education & Chief Equity Officer
National Recreation and Park Association
Nathan Schleicher
Playground Designer
Earthscape Play, Inc.
Nakasha Shoyinka
Program Manager, Central Atlanta Progress
Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
Mitchell Silver
Principal and Vice President of Urban Planning
McAdams
Julie Snell
Principal
TEND landscape architects
Jim Sonnhalter
Planning Manager, Design & Implementation
Cuyahoga County Planning Commission
Stephanie Stanov
Project Manager
Park People
Adri Stark
Project Manager
Park People
Alden Stoner
CEO
Nature Sacred
Kristine Stratton
President & CEO
National Recreation and Park Association
Carter Strickland
New York State Director
Trust for Public Land
Daniel Student
Senior Consultant & Director of Business Development
Potrero Group
Seema Thomas
Deputy Director
U.S. Dept of HUD, Community Planning & Development, Office of Block Grant Assistance
Susan Trautman
CEO
Great Rivers Greenway
LaJuan Tucker
Interim Project Manager, Civilian Conservation Corps
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
Jill Valdés Horwood
Director, Boston Waterfront Initiative
Barr Foundation
Hillary Van Dyke
Co-founder
Green Book of Tampa Bay
Colin Wallis
CEO
Austin Parks Foundation
Julie Waterman
Advocacy Director
City Parks Alliance
Mindy Watts
Principal
Interface Studio
Linden Weiswerda
Data Insights Analyst
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
Amy Whitesides
Director of Resilience and Research
Stoss Landscape Urbanism
Phillip Wiley
Recreation Facility Director
City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks
Christopher Williams
Acting Superintendent
Seattle Parks and Recreation
David Wilson
Project Manager
L.A.N.D. studio, Inc.
Sean Woods
Chief of Planning
Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation
Chris Young
Professor, Project Manager
Urban Ecology Center
Yves Zsutty
Former Division Manager for Capital Improvement Program
City of San Jose

Tour and Workshop Leaders

Carlos Alvarez
Assistant Director of Industry Training
PowerCorpsPHL
Jessica Baumert
Executive Director
The Woodlands National Historic Landmark District
Michael Burch
Founder and Editor
The Parkside Journal
Amanda Charles
Senior Program Associate, Great Learning
William Penn Foundation
Liam Cleary
Landscape Architect
Independence National Historical Park
Michael Connor
Director - Philadelphia Office
NV5
Rebecca Cordes Chan
Executive Director
Friends of the Rail Park
Tony Croasdale
Environmental Education Program Specialist
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Joanne Dahme
Former Deputy Commissioner, Communications and Engagement
Philadelphia Water Department
Ryan Debold
Managing Director
Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation
Julie Donofrio
Managing Director
PennPraxis
Christopher Dougherty
Planner and Project Manager
Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
Kelsey Edelen
Navy Yard Project Manager
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC)
Darren Fava
Communications Content Manager
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Joseph Forkin
President
Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
Owen Franklin
Pennsylvania State Director
Trust for Public Land
Jane Golden
Founder and Executive Director
Mural Arts Philadelphia
Lamar Gore
Refuge Manager
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
Keith Green
Senior Director of LandCare and Workforce Development
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Shawn Green
Director of Field Stewardship
Friends of the Wissahickon
Frances Hoover
Executive Director
Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse
Kiasha Huling
Project Manager
Deeply Rooted
Andrew Jacobs
Urban Designer
Center City District
Brannon Johnson
Head Coach and Owner
BLJ Community Rowing
Mary Margaret Jones
President and CEO
Hargreaves Jones
Thomas H. Keels
Author and Tour Guide
Laurel HIll Cemetery
Stefan Kosovych
Historian
Independence National Historical Park
Joe Lex
Former Professor, Emergency Medicine
Temple University
Ashley Lippolis
Communications Associate
Association for Public Art
Amy Liu
City Planner
Philadelphia Water Department
Kathryn Ott Lovell
Commissioner
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Sarah Lytle
Executive Director
Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network (PLLAN)
Sarah Marley
Development Director
Friends of the Wissahickon
EmmaKate Martin
Coordinator
FarmPhilly, Fairmount Park Conservancy
Brad Maule
Photographer and Writer
Krithika Mohan
Designer
Studio Ludo
Matt Rader
President
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Lindsay Reul
Landscape Architect
Philadelphia Water Department
Ash Richards
Urban Agriculture Director
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Drew Rinaldi Subits
Natural Lands Field Coordinator
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Maitreyi Roy
Executive Director
Bartram’s Garden
Elisa Ruse-Esposito
Park Stewardship Administrator
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Bill Salvatore
Deputy Commissioner, Program Division
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Allison Schapker
Chief Projects Officer
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Julianne Schrader Ortega
Chief of Programs
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
John Sigmund
Public Programs Coordinator
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Raymond Smeriglio
Chief of Staff
City of Philadelphia, Rebuild Initiative
Erica Smith Fichman
Community Forestry Manager
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Shawanda Spivey
Environmental Education Planner
Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
Danielle Stollak
Outreach Specialist
Philadelphia Water Department
Nick Stoughton
Green Infrastructure Industry Academy Foreman
PowerCorpsPHL
Kay Sykora
Board Member
Roxborough Manayunk Conservancy
Ruffian Tittmann
Executive Director
Friends of the Wissahickon
Marc Wilken
Director of Business and Event Development
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Vivian Williams
Educational Consultant
Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
Lizzie Woods
Vice President, Planning and Capital Programs
Delaware River Waterfront Corporation