SPEAKERS Keynote Speaker

Mette Skjold

Chief Executive Officer / SLA

Ms. Skjold is CEO of the Danish nature-based design studio SLA. As the head of SLA, Mette Skjold is responsible for designing cities, public spaces, and nature on all scales: From city-wide masterplans to neighborhood pocket parks. From national biodiversity strategies to local citizens’ engagement processes. Ms. Skjold graduated from Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark in 2001. She went on to become head of urban planning at Henning Larsen Architects, before founding Markstudio in 2008. In 2010 Ms. Skjold joined SLA, and in 2021 she became a member of the board of directors at The Danish Architecture Center (DAC).

Mark Fusco

National Sales Manager / Bison IP

Mike Aziz, AIA, LEED AP, is a partner at Cooper Robertson and a leader of the firm’s urban design and campus planning practice. With more than 15 years of experience working across the United States and internationally, his portfolio includes large-scale waterfront master plans in San Francisco, New York, and New Jersey, along with planning projects for the University of Maryland, the George Washington University, and the MunsonWilliams-Proctor Arts Institute.

ALEXANDRA SUTHERLAND-BROWN

Principal / Karp Strategies

As Principal at Karp Strategies, a NYC-based urban planning consultancy, Ali is a trusted adviser to City agencies and private firms including NYCEDC, NYCHA, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ), Two Trees Management, the SoHo Broadway Initiative (SBI) and Brooklyn Public Library. Since joining Karp Strategies as the firm’s first full-time employee in 2016, Ali has played a key role in the firm’s growth from a one-woman startup to one of the leading WBE-certified community-economic development advisory firms in the region.

Mark Fusco, LEED AP, GRP is the National Sales Manager for Bison Innovative Products and has comprehensive rooftop deck and green roof construction experience. A decade of experience with Bison and a decade of experience at Denver Botanic Gardens have given Mark the expertise to assist architects, developers, designers, and installers with all their project needs. The synthesis of combining rooftop amenity spaces, pools, pergolas, and green roofs has now become the focus of Mark’s work. Mark is most fulfilled when working with the Bison Sales Team, assisting clients with solutions for their projects. His vision and ability to nurture relationships lead to longterm solutions and success. Mark has degrees in Landscape Design, Environmental Science, and Marketing.

ALBERT HARRIS

Brand Development Manager / mcité street furniture

Albert is Brand Development Manager for mmcité USA & Canada. He has a background in architecture, planning and was practicing Landscape Architect. He has 14+ years in design experience. He has been a bartender, truck driver, commercial photographer, & helped grow 3 successful business along the way. Albert understands the value of wonderful open spaces and the public realm. He is well traveled and has a love for words and artful expressions.

Marek Kozikowski

Director of Land Use / City of Middletown

Marek Kozikowski, AICP, MPA is the Director of Land Use for the City of Middletown, Connecticut with 18 years professional experience working in municipal and regional planning and development. Marek oversees the administration of land use policies and regulations in the areas of planning, zoning, wetlands, open space, and agriculture for the City of Middletown.

Tony Kostreski

Senior Landscape Product Specialist / Vectorworks

Tony Kostreski, PLA is a landscape technology enthusiast bringing municipal, institutional, mixed-use, and high-end residential site design proficiency to his role as senior landscape product specialist at Vectorworks, Inc. Kostreski has consulted dozens of designbuild and landscape architecture firms to help increase their efficiency by implementing best practice workflows in design, modeling, documentation, GIS, and BIM for landscape. Kostreski has also provided universities with customized workshops showcasing essential workflows students can take into the workforce.

Mark Lamster

Architecture Critic / Dallas Morning News

Mark Lamster is the architecture critic of the Dallas Morning News and a lecturer and Loeb fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His biography of the late architect Philip Johnson, The Man in the Glass House (Little Brown, 2018), was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography.