OPENING LECTURE

Michael Grove, FASLA PLA
Principal / Chair of Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering,
and Ecology

Michael is the Chair of Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Ecology and sits on the Board of Directors at Sasaki, a global design firm with offices in Boston, Denver, and Shanghai. Leading much of the firm’s international work, he offers unique insight into the environmental and social impacts of urbanization around the world. Michael is a fierce advocate for the vital role that landscape architects play in shaping contemporary cities. Informed by a rigorous inquiry of economic, ecological, and cultural influences, he believes that the role of the designer is to make cities more livable, equitable, resilient, and just.

Michael's distinguished career spans a variety of project types and scales including regional planning, urban districts, and waterfronts. He collaborates closely with clients, consultants, stakeholders, and a host of allied professionals to generate planning and design strategies that are inclusive of financial, cultural, and environmental perspectives. This integrated approach results in visionary yet pragmatic solutions that balance development needs with ecological and social imperatives.

Michael is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in landscape architecture and a focus on planning and urban design. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, sits on the Placemaking council of the Urban Land Institute, and serves on the board of the Landscape Architecture Foundation. His work has been recognized with numerous national and international awards, and he is a frequent speaker at conferences and universities around the world.

Closing Lecture

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PORTFOLIO REVIEW

Mark Smith, RLA

Mark Smith is a Vice President/Principal and practicing Landscape Architect with RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture in Austin, Texas. With four decades of practice, his responsibilities include concept development, firm-wide design oversight, site planning and master planning, strategic marketing, and firm operations. Focus areas of his practice currently include Transportation Aesthetics, Community Design, and Veterans Cemetery Design.

A graduate of Louisiana State University, Mark is a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast region of the US. He has worked with design offices in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Austin during his career and has practiced throughout the U.S., as well as internationally in Canada and the Caribbean. Mark is a Registered Landscape Architect in Texas and other states. He is also an ISA-Certified Arborist and a trained Public Involvement Specialist.