Arturo is a Project Manager at Westwind Landscape Construction, Inc. He also teaches "Professional Skills for Landscape Architecture" in the MLA program at the University of New Mexico. Arturo's interests revolve around water conservation and implementing new technologies and workflows to increase accuracy and efficiency.

Brian is a Landscape Architect working on a wide variety of projects at Dekker Perich Sabatini. As a native New Mexican, he has gained a broad familiarity and love for both the built and natural environment of our state. Brian enjoys navigating the balance in Landscape Architecture between quantifiable elements such as grading, programming, and accessibility with qualitative aspects such as creating place, paying homage to historical contexts, and shaping beautiful places. Professional interests include Green Infrastructure, Low Impact Development, and accessible design.

Kristina is an Principal Landscape Architect at MRWM Landscape Architects where she has worked for more than fifteen years. Her passion for landscape architecture’s wonderful fusion of creativity and science, people and places, and past and present has been fueled by a variety of exciting projects for public and private clients including master plans, campus designs, parks, streetscapes, and historic landscape renovations. Kristina has worked on projects throughout the region and beyond, including in the Coachella Valley in California, the Philippines, Colorado, and throughout New Mexico. She delights in seeking out the unique story within each project and finding thoughtful ways to express it in the landscape. Kristina is a graduate of UNM’s MLA program and served as an Associate-At-Large and Secretary for NMASLA from 2010-2016.

Richard is a native to the Southwestern United States, having been born in Arizona and grew up in New Mexico. School drew him first to the Illinois Institute of Technology for a BS in City and Regional Planning, and then on to the University of Illinois for his MLA. That first job out of Graduate School took him to the University of Chicago where he remained for 35 years as the campus landscape architect, becoming well versed in what makes the university campus environment an asset for attracting the best faculty, students, and staff. In that role, he oversaw the development of the campus as a botanic garden. Upon his retirement in 2019, he headed back home to the high desert and his beloved New Mexico.

A Senior Landscape Architect at Anthropopulus in Albuquerque, Emily draws on her background in environmental science to create unique places that intertwine the pragmatic, the natural, and the beautiful. Her experience as a landscape architect spans project phases from concept through construction on public, institutional, and residential projects. She is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a past member of the Maryland ASLA Executive Committee. Emily completed undergraduate work at Oberlin College and holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from University of Virginia.

Abby Feldman received her Masters in Landscape Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design where she was awarded the Jacob Weidenman prize for outstanding ability and talent in design. After over a decade of working for award winning firms in Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles, as well as dedicating five years to directing a Post-Katrina recovery project in New Orleans, she has returned to her hometown, Santa Fe. She is currently in her sixth year at Surroundings as an associate. Abby has designed and managed a wide variety of projects from edible gardens to public parks and private estates. Her passion is focused on community redevelopment, committed to the belief that every person deserves access to beautiful and productive environments. Her work straddles the tension between the wild landscape and the tidy infrastructure that underpins it all.

Claudia Meyer Horn, PLA, LEED AP is a founding principal of Design Office, a small regionally-focused landscape architecture and planning firm based in Santa Fe, NM. Since settling in New Mexico in 2000, she has committed to delivering conscientious landscape and planning projects in the public realm that benefit communities and rehabilitate degraded environments. She believes landscape architects play a pivotal role in creating engaging spaces that bring people outside and help develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the natural environment. She was educated at the University of Texas at Austin (B.Arch. and B.A.-Plan II) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.L.A.).

Chet Lawton earned a BFA in sculpture from Arizona State University and an MLA from University of Idaho, where he was an Olmsted Scholar and a graduate instructor of landscape architecture and fine art studios.

In the past decade he has worked as a public art installer, WWOOFer, window display artist, muralist, drummer, line cook, motel maintenance guy, nursery waterer, lumber salesman, and historic preservation drafting intern at the National Park Service.

Chet sees landscape architecture as an extension and a culmination of all these trades and experiences; a way to continue learning, stewardship and contribution to a planet with ever expanding horizons.

He is currently an Assistant Project Manager at Westwind Landscape Construction, where he has worked since arriving in Albuquerque in 2022.

Thea is a Landscape Designer at Pland Collaborative in Albuquerque where she is committed to engaging with landscapes through collaborative efforts that foster greater understanding, participation, and connection between communities and water. As a member of the Arid LID Coalition (former Steering Committee member), she seeks to support healthier waterways through her volunteer work and professional engagement with green stormwater infrastructure and low impact designs. Thea received her Bachelor of Arts from Earlham College and Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of New Mexico. She is a LAF 2024 Olmsted Scholar.

Joseph Charles graduated from Rutgers University where he received his Bachelors of Science in Landscape Architecture. He is a Senior Associate at Surroundings Studio, and previously he was an Associate at the Santa Fe office of Design Workshop. As a landscape architect, Joseph looks to balance the functional and aesthetic requirements of a project with the responsibility of creating environmentally sound landscapes that positively enhance our quality of life. Joseph has been working within the Southwest region for over twenty years, and has designed and managed a wide variety of urban, institutional, streetscape, and residential landscape projects. 

Gabe is an East Mountains native who grew up watching scant clouds roll by during the day and shooting stars at night. He played in swaying sweet clover and wild sunflowers that grew in the primitive roadside ditches. He collected insects, plant materials and crafted fortresses with loose materials from around the neighborhood. He has backpacked around many parts of the US and explored the heights and depths of the cities and their intriguing people. Now as a designer by trade and hobby, he works to tie all these varied experiences together in a way the benefits and honors all life, human and nonhuman.

Norma's interest in landscape architecture in the United States and Europe stems from her love of travel and the outdoors. She enjoys working on all aspects of a project, from the tiniest detail to the overall layout and design. Norma's relentless curiosity and meticulous attention to detail enable her to follow the project from start to finish, despite any setbacks. Norma places a strong priority on teamwork, enthusiasm, and embracing the uniqueness of each project. She is passionate about designing spaces that benefit the environment as well as the people who will use and live in them.

Norma has the advantage of having worked on a wide range of projects in the United States and Europe for the past ten years. She brings a wealth of design and construction experience to a wide variety of projects. She is passionate about design and creating both functional and beautiful spaces. Her work focuses on the built-environment-natural-environment interface, resource-efficient design, and historical context. Her ability to prepare thorough construction documents, combined with her broad design talents, makes her particularly qualified for both large and small projects.

Abby Kuchar recently graduated with distinction from the MLA program at the University of New Mexico. She is passionate about exploring emerging technology, engaging with communities, and promoting ecologically responsive design. As an Associate at Large for the NMASLA chapter, Abby is excited to advocate for the profession and help foster a vibrant community of landscape architecture practitioners in New Mexico.