President

Bel St. John, ASLA, PLA, AICP, LEED AP

Landscape  Architect, Bradley Site Design

Bel has more than eighteen years of experience in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning with twelve years now at Bradley Site Design located in Washington, DC. Her experience ranges from US Embassy projects across the globe to education and redevelopments in Washington, DC and surrounding areas. She loves the challenges each new project brings and provides a holistic approach that addresses them with innovative solutions. As part of her research at BSD, Bel has pursued a particular interest in sustainable, renewable energy implementation methods that work seamlessly with Landscape Architecture design principles.

Mentorship has been a consistent part of Bel’s career. She has developed and implemented mentorship programs connecting university students with alumni professionals and helped expand those programs to multiple universities. Her volunteer work spans the full student journey—from introducing elementary and middles school students to landscape architecture and STEM concepts, to connecting university students with practicing professionals, to mentoring emerging professionals as they navigate their careers. Through this work, Bel is committed to helping the next generation build connections, confidence, and pathways to leadership.

Immediate Past President

Kara Lanahan, PLA, ASLA

Landscape Architect, MNCPPC

Kara has practiced Landscape Architecture in the DC area for over 12 years, leading diverse projects ranging from intimate residential gardens to complex commercial sites. Throughout her career, she has focused on weaving a site’s history into spaces that are experientially rich, ecologically grounded, and timelessly beautiful.  In her current role with Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), she designs and manages a diversity of parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces for Montgomery County.  Before entering the public realm, Kara was a Principal at Horn & Co., where she ran the commercial practice and oversaw key residential projects.  She is particularly proud of her work at Oehme van Sweden,  where she rose to the position of Senior Associate and designed a range of landscapes, including the recently completed WWII FDR Prayer Memorial on the National Mall.  Licensed in Maryland, she holds a degree in Biology from Colby College and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia.

President-Elect

Kal Almo, ASLA

Landscape Architect, AECOM

Kal Almo is a landscape architect, architect, and urban designer in AECOM’s Buildings + Places group. He discovered landscape architecture during graduate school, captivated by its potential to address ecological, resiliency, and equity challenges. His journey began under the mentorship of Diana Balmori at Balmori Associates, where he first explored the integration of landscape design with architecture, urbanism. ecological principles.

Currently, Kal works in AECOM’s Buildings + Places group, where he leads and collaborates on projects that transform urban spaces, including park design, streetscape re-envisioning, and the public realm . His diverse portfolio encompasses commercial, health care, arts and culture, government, and higher education sectors, with a consistent focus on creating landscapes that honor context, serve communities, and benefit local ecologies.  Kal also contributes to publications on urban design, technology, sustainability, and resilience. Kal is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Potomac Chapter and is looking forward to continuing his service.”

Trustee

Stephanie Pankiewicz, ASLA, PLA

Partner, Land Design

Stephanie directs a number of LandDesign’s large-scale urban design and long-range master planning projects for some of the nation’s leading developers. As a creative project leader, she applies her knowledge by offering innovative approaches with state-of-the-art design tools to engage diverse stakeholders for building consensus and understanding. She enjoys working at a variety of scales throughout the design process and remains uniquely involved in all stages of a project. Her experience as a landscape architect includes urban design, park planning and design, community master plans, site planning, design guidelines, and streetscapes with a focus on utilizing green infrastructure techniques.

An example of LandDesign’s success under her leadership has been the number of significant projects in which Stephanie has been involved along the evolving redevelopment of the Washington DC area Metro Silver Line transit area sites. Located in Tysons, Fairfax County’s new downtown, and the urbanizing core of Reston, Virginia, these developments are transforming the region. Stephanie has been instrumental in creating the dynamic public realm and private amenity spaces that seamlessly integrate office, entertainment, and urban parks by interweaving pedestrian connectivity, flanked with amenities, commercial and residential spaces, all while emphasizing each’s unique client, program and character. Of note is The Boro – a 17-acre, transit-oriented mixed-use project in Tysons, Virginia that began in 2010 with several blocks already completed. The center crown jewel of this multi-functional hub is the popular Boro Park and its thoughtfully designed public open spaces for activities that enrich the community.

Treasurer

Amy Sommer, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP

Division Manager, CPJ

Amy is relatively new to the DMV area, having moved to Maryland five years ago from the New York City area to join Charles P. Johnson & Associates and is the Division Manager for the Silver Spring Planning Department. At CPJ, Amy enjoys collaborating on projects with multiple disciplines and mentoring junior staff. She has over 20 years of experience in the industry, having worked on a wide range of complex projects from housing developments to green roofs, waterfronts, campus masterplans, transit stations, historic sites, schoolyards, and public parks throughout the East Coast. Amy currently holds licenses in Maryland and New York and is a LEED AP. Before moving, she served on the Hoboken (NJ) Shade Tree Commission for 6 years and was Chair for 3 years.

Amy grew up on Long Island, NY and holds an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and an MLA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Outside of work, she is a huge history buff and has been enjoying working on her house in Kensington and exploring the DMV area with her husband and two daughters.

Secretary

Isabella Jimenez, ASLA, SITES AP

Associate, Moody Graham

The Potomac Chapter region is where Isabella first developed a foundation in landscape – both as a discipline and a lived experience. Some of her earliest memories include picnicking on the National Mall, biking the steep hills of Rock Creek Park, and celebrating holidays with family along the Old Town Alexandria waterfront. Growing up in and around Washington, D.C. was a profoundly formative experience, shaping not only her sense of design but also instilling a strong sense of civic responsibility and a deep appreciation for the power of place. Grateful to have been raised in this cultural hub and iconic city, Isabella seeks to honor that upbringing by using the skills gained through practice and study to serve the region’s diverse, resilient communities and environments.

Formally trained at the University of California, Davis—in a landscape markedly different from her home, Isabella has since worked on a broad range of project types, both locally and internationally. This diverse exposure has provided her with a wide-angled understanding of the built and natural environments and fuels her ongoing pursuit of translating space into place. She is committed to approaching each design with a focus on authenticity, integrity, and the intention of leaving every landscape imbued with purpose, beginning with her own garden, which she tends to with joy.

Danielle Alexander, PLA, ASLA

Founder and Principal, Studio AKA

Dani Alexander founded Studio AKA in 2018 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC. She leads a team serving public, institutional, residential, and nonprofit clients. In her firm’s short tenure, she has won multiple awards and been featured as one of Home and Design’s Top 100 Designers in the region. Additionally, she is a fellow with a Tory Burch Foundation. Dani’s commitment to communicating the impacts of design, climate change, and resilience efforts is additionally supported through volunteering, teaching, and writing. She is the editor of Food Urbanism, published through Birkhauser Press.

Before founding Studio AKA, Dani worked at Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects, Verzone Woods Architects, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. While at Reed Hilderbrand, Dani contributed to the implementation of multiple projects set forth in Harvard University’s Allston Institutional Master Plan, the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. In all projects, she enjoyed collaborative relationships with architects, engineers, naturalists, and stakeholders.

Lesley Conroy, PLA, ASLA

Principal, Conroy Landscape Architecture

Lesley Conroy is a licensed landscape architect, certified arborist, and LEED accredited professional. In 2021, she founded Conroy Landscape Architecture to work on community-driven design projects in the DC region. 

Lesley has designed and managed projects that span a diverse range of scales, including federal agency campuses overseas, commercial roof terraces and green roofs, public parks, campus vision plans, urban open space planning, and residential gardens. She has practiced in the DC area for the entirety of her career and is leading the Potomac Chapter’s advocacy effort to eliminate the sales tax on landscape architectural services in the District of Columbia. Through this experience, she became more involved with the Potomac Chapter and she is seeking the member at-large position to continue to advocate for the interests of DC firms.

Lesley earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Virginia Tech’s Washington Alexandria Architecture Center. She strives to find collaborative approaches to design problems and excels at working in complex urban environments. 

Jake Fettig, ASLA

Associate, Rhodeside Harwell Inc

For projects both close to home and overseas, Jake Fettig designs landscapes that reflect a sensitivity to culture, context, and long-term sustainability. He believes in landscape architecture as a vital ingredient in creating communities that are vibrant, equitable, and healthy. Jake advocates for the thoughtful integration of ecological measures within the urban realm, and in connecting people with the natural environment in ways that inspire, heal, and delight.

Jake holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech, a Master of Science in Technology Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Science and Technology from James Madison University. His work has ranged from the design of parks and public gardens to urban residential settings and American embassies.

Jake’s prior career with the World Bank enabled him to travel extensively and develop a deep appreciation for the wonders of different climatic and cultural regions of the world.

Mark Haney, PLA, ASLA

Senior Landscape Product Specialist, Division 32, Inc.

Mark received a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from The Pennsylvania State University. Mark possesses nearly a decade of design work, ranging from high-end residential to US Embassy master planning, as well as recreational planning, planting design, and place-making in the urban fabric. Mark has lived in and studied Mid-Atlantic and New England urban environments and plant ecologies. He believes there is an influential energy to vernacular design – that by using local materials and inspiration, a properly designed place can invigorate a prideful local identity and comfort its individual users.

Mark now helps designers realize their design intents through product specification with Division 32.

Lan Hogue, PLA, ASLA

Senior Associate, Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd

Lan has nearly 30 years of experience working as designer and project manager for a wide range of projects, in scope and scale and in both the private and public realm. She received her Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia and is a licensed Landscape Architect in Virginia. Her works at Michael Vergason Landscape Architects have received both local and national awards. Beyond design and project management, Lan continues to advocate for gender equity in the design of the built environment. She presented on this topic at the Association for Community Design conference, American Institute of Architects Design DC conference, and Women in Architecture lecture series. To promote awareness of design in the urban environment in her local community, she partnered with local organizations to lead Jane’s Walks through DC and Arlington neighborhoods.

Jules Krinsky, PLA, ASLA

Landscape Architect, Rhodeside Harwell Inc

Jules Krinsky is a creative problem solver, landscape architect and urban designer who has worked in the Washington Metropolitan area since 2012.  Currently, Jules works as a Landscape Architect with the multi-disciplinary firm Rhodeside & Harwell in Alexandria, VA.  At Rhodeside & Harwell, Jules works on projects ranging from small local parks to US Embassy projects around the world and everything in between.

Jules received a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Georgia and a Master’s of Science in urban design at Georgia Tech.  He is a licensed Landscape Architect in the State of Maryland.

Matthew Sellers, PLA, ASLA, LEED GA

Smithsonian Gardens

Matthew Sellers is a 26-year resident of the DC area, moving here from Ohio for graduate school at Virginia Tech in Alexandria, VA. His education is in urban planning and landscape architecture, and he is a landscape architect licensed in the state of Maryland. His professional history includes work with the landscape architecture firms Stephenson + Good and Clinton & Associates. He was also an instructor in the Landscape Design and Sustainable Landscapes program at George Washington University. Matthew’s experience includes the design and construction administration of residential gardens, public plazas, playgrounds, perimeter security master plans, multi-acre mixed-use neighborhood developments, and animal habitats. He currently works for the Smithsonian Institution providing thoughtful and creative planning and design solutions for the public gardens surrounding the Institution’s museums in Washington DC. 

Executive Director

Christine Cotter

Before joining the Potomac Chapter of ASLA as Executive Director, Ms. Cotter was Vice President, Public Relations at American Professional Agency, Inc.  She brings more than 20 years experience in managing and working with membership organizations, as well, including the American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians, American Psychiatric Association district branches, Maryland and District of Columbia Society of Clinical Oncology, and others.  Cris works with our boards and volunteers and is responsible for the administration of the association, as well as membership retention and services.