Texas ASLA

2018 Texas ASLA Conference

The Texas ASLA Conference was held last week in Galveston and was a great success. As always, we thank all of the Texas Chapter members for attending the conference and we welcome any feedback to help us continue to improve. There are so many people that work together to plan a conference and I want to recognize and thank. Thank you to the 2018 Conference Committee who worked tirelessly planning for this conference giving of their time and talent.

Special thanks to our Keynote speakers Chad Pregracke and Todd Watson, PhD and ASLA 2018 President Greg Miller, FASLA; and all the session speaker for sharing their time, experience and knowledge with us.

The conference sponsors continue to support Texas ASLA and Landscape Architects with their generous sponsorship's. When you see representatives from these companies please take time to thank them.

This year’s sponsor are:

Title Sponsor -Diane Collier Group

Awards Lunch Sponsor- PAVESTONE

Keynote Sponsor Landscape Structures, Inc

Classroom A Sponsor fun abounds, inc.

Classroom B Landscape Forms

Classroom C Sponsor BrightView Landscape Development, Inc.

Charging Station - Verdant Tree Farm

Lanyard Sponsor - Form and Fiber

Welcome Reception - Choate USA

Leah Park and Play

Maglin Site Furniture

Synlawn Texas

Victor Stanley

Vortex Aquatic Structures International

And thaks to all of the vendor companies that come to the show to exhibit and bring their products so that the ASLA members can see what opportunities and solutions are available for their projects.

Mark your calendars, the 2019 conference will the in Irving, Texas at the Irving Convention Center, April 24-26.

Texas MemberS assuming roles with National

Lisa Horne, PLA, ASLA, in Dallas, Texas, assumed leadership as the national ASLA Professional Practice Network Council Chair for 2017-2018. She has volunteered with PPN since 2010 through early involvement in activating the Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN, one of the most prolific and active PPNs within ASLA. ASLA has approximately 15,000 members and each ASLA membership offers a free membership for one PPN. There are a total of just over 13,000 member counts within the PPNs with some potential overlap for individuals in more than one PPN. These 20 networks provide opportunities to connect with like-minded experts and delve deeper on specific topics from Digital Technology to Water Conservation to Campus Planning and Design and more. In 2017, the PPNs collectively published 82 posts to The Field, the PPN blog, with an average of 258 views per day and hosted over 10 online learning presentations. As Chair, Lisa advises ASLA staff on quarterly conference calls and the PPN Council Meeting at the Annual Meeting. Her emphasis for 2018 is to mentor incoming PPN chairs and activate PPNs to develop more robust leadership teams and further increase content and discussion. If you are interested in further involvement or leadership within one of the many PPNs, please contact her at lhorne@studiooutside.us.

Lara Moffat, ASLA, in Dallas, assumed leadership as the National Public Awareness Coalition Co-Chair representing large Chapters. Her previous responsibilities over the last three years serving as the Texas PR Chair and two terms on the National Public Relations and Communications Advisory Committee placed her as a qualified selection to fulfill this role. The National Public Relations and Communications Advisory Committee was sunset this past October, the National Public Awareness Coalition formalized the 49 Public Awareness/Public Relation chapter representatives as an advisory group to ASLA on all public awareness initiatives. Convening January in Austin, the coalition continued the annual ASLA Public Awareness Summit that was founded in 2011. The summit continued to bring together representatives from all chapters to plan the coming year’s public awareness initiatives; discuss the latest trends and techniques in social media and public relations to utilize on a chapter level; participate in group discussions to determine public awareness strategies and tactics ASLA will implement nationally and locally; and present case studies to share successful chapter-level public awareness campaigns. This year Lara presented on how Texas ASLA showcases and publishes the work of its members. In addition to the summit, she will advise the ASLA Public Relations and Communications’ team as needed and on quarterly conference calls with the coalition.

If you are interested in learning more about the Public Awareness Summit in Austin, please visit: https://www.asla.org/land/LandArticle.aspx?id=52484 or the previous summits: https://www.asla.org/publicawarenesssummit.aspx.

Melissa Henao-Robledo, ASLA, and Past Chair for the Central Section, is currently serving on the ASLA National Committee on Education (COE) and has also recently assumed the role as Chair for the Texas Chapter Committee on Student Organizations. The ASLA COE supports ASLA education programs; provides input on matters relating to education policy, growth and maintenance of landscape architecture programs, and education and employment trends; and promotes collaboration within those programs and faculty in support of ASLA strategic objectives. Melissa’s focus, while serving in this Committee position, is promoting diversity within the profession and has attended the ASLA Diversity Summit in Washington D.C. from 2015-2017. The ASLA Diversity Summit convened in 2013 with the goal of developing a deeper understanding of why landscape architecture is failing to attract a more diverse profile. Each summit has brought together a group of experienced and emerging landscape architects who identify as African American or Latinx to develop strategies that address diversity issues in the field. Her commitment to diversity inspired her to spearhead the Designing for Diversity / Diversity in Design panel at the 2017 Texas Chapter State Conference in Austin. If you would like to learn more about the ASLA Diversity Summit including applying for 2018 visit https://www.asla.org/diversitysummit.aspx