Diane is Principal Landscape Architect with DesignJones LLC which received the 2016 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Community Service Award. Diane is part of one of two cross disciplinary teams that won the 2020 SOM Foundation Research Prize focused on examining social justice in urban contexts. She was a 2021-2022 fellow for Garden and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks, where is undertook research on Maroons in coastal Louisiana. Her research and practice are guided by the intersection of environmental justice, identity, and sustainability in cultural landscapes, as also discussed in her book “Lost in the Transit Desert: Race, Transit Access, and Suburban Form” published by Routledge Press in 2017. In 2017, she served on the ASLA Blue Ribbon Panel on Climate Change and Resiliency, and currently serves on ASLA’s Climate Task Force.

Kelly Fleming is a professional landscape architect with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from University of Maryland and Master degrees in Landscape Architecture and Design Studies from the Graduate School of Design (GSD) at Harvard University. Her experience spans more than 25 years of academic and professional work within the public and private sectors. She has worked for award‐winning firms in New York and the Baltimore‐Washington region bringing a unique perspective to the profession infusing function into form through her work and experience managing stormwater in communities with the Low Impact Development Center. Now with the non-profit Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) in Prince George’s County and Baltimore, Kelly’s professional and academic background has given her an understanding of ecological principles that she uses to guide the design, planting and maintenance of landscapes and their integration in support of communities and resilience within the built environment.

Robin Seidel has been at the forefront of integrating resilience into design and planning. Robin is the Resiliency Team Leader at Weston & Sampson, a multi-disciplinary engineering firm where she focuses on not only addressing climate change, but also ensuring that her projects benefit environmentally disenfranchised populations. Her technical expertise in city resilience, building and infrastructure adaptation, vulnerability assessments, transportation, and stakeholder engagement. She is the 2022 Co-Chair for the AIA National Resilience & Adaptation Advisory Group.

Melissa Wackerle is a climate action strategist with a 20+ years of experience in sustainable design and construction plus Master’s degree in Sustainability and Development. Her background ranges from green building certification management to enterprise and community consulting, Carbon Disclosure Project reporting, energy and water efficiency recommendations and green construction practices. She has contributed to numerous AIA programs, including the launch of the award-winning A&D Materials Pledge since joining the AIA in 2014.