It’s time for our annual meeting and you may have noticed an interesting change. It’s now the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, a new name that conveys more clearly what this has long been: the largest gathering of landscape architects and allied professionals in the world—all coming together to learn, celebrate, build relationships, and strengthen the bonds of our incredibly varied professional community. Those of you who have attended before will also note some adjustments to the daily schedules, designed to better respond to your needs.

In my many years of attending I’ve found that the energy flows from the first day to the last, and then continues through the rest of the year in my practice and teaching life. Although we often share the “why” of what we do, in education sessions and presentations we can discuss the “how and what” in meaningful dialogues. The professional development hours don’t hurt, either. And it’s always exciting to visit the EXPO and engage in productive face-to-face interactions with product vendors and suppliers. The conference is also a chance for students and emerging professionals to be welcomed into their new profession and begin to build connections that will last a lifetime.

For me, the delight of coming together in a large space filled with professionals who don’t require me to explain what I do is, in itself, refreshing. And meeting new and old friends is a joy. I learned long ago that the myriad opportunities experienced may add up to a few days in November, but can be transformative experience that can be far greater than the sum of their parts.

Although in 2019 there’s a new name and a new schedule, one thing that won’t change is the fact that this event—as always—is the most important and rewarding gathering of landscape architects anywhere. It will be good to see you in San Diego!

Shawn T. Kelly, FASLA
President

ASLA Annual Meeting Education Advisory Committee

Shawn T. Kelly, FASLA
Kelly Design Group, LLC
& University of Wisconsin,
Madison

Wendy Miller, FASLA
Wendy Miller Landscape
Architecture, PLLC

Vicki Estrada, FASLA
Estrada Land Planning

Martin Flores, ASLA
Carrier Johnson

Robb (Robert) Berg, ASLA
Design Workshop – Denver

Kevin Burke, ASLA
Atlanta Beltline Inc.

Chad Danos, FASLA
Duplantis Design Group, PC

Christopher Della Vedova, ASLA
Confluence

Gina Ford, FASLA
Agency Landscape + Planning

Todd Hill, ASLA
DTJ DESIGN

Mark Hough, FASLA
Duke University

Janelle Johnson, ASLA
Omni Ecosystems

Glenn LaRue Smith, ASLA
PUSH Studio

Steven Spears, FASLA
GroundWork Development Company

Michael Stanley, ASLA
Site Design Group, LLC.

Chip Trageser, FASLA
The Office of James Burnett

Thaisa Way, FASLA
University of Washington

Ernest Wong, FASLA
Site Design Group, Ltd.

David Yocca, FASLA
Biohabitats

San Diego Host Chapter Leaders

Host Chapter Co-Chairs
Vicki Estrada, FASLA
Martin Flores, ASLA

Field Sessions Co-Chairs
Rick Barrett, ASLA
Kenya Huezo, ASLA

ASLA/ACE Mentor Program
Legacy Project Co-Chairs
Jaime Sandoval, ASLA
Trista Silvia

Host Chapter Booth
Co-Chairs
Joy Lyndes, ASLA
Chris Roesink

Communications Co-Chairs
Jonathan Avila, ASLA
Brooke Whalen, ASLA

Women in Landscape Architecture
Walking Tour Chair
Kathleen Brand, ASLA