2026 Education Symposium

The 2026 ASLA-MN Education Symposium will take place on Friday, June 5 at the American Swedish Institute (2600 Park Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407) from 8:30am-4:00pm. The program will offer 6 Professional Development Hours (PDHs), including 1 Ethics PDH.

2026 Speaker Information and Schedule

Session 1 – The Life and Health of Urban Trees by Chad Giblin, Certified Arborist, Trees & Me, LLC

Session 2 – (1 Ethics PDH) Rules of Profession Conduct for Minnesota Landscape Architects by Kate Van Etta-Olson, Executive Director, Minnesota Board of AESLAGID

Session 3 – Advancing Site Sustainability Through Minnesota’s Evolving B3 Framework by (moderator) Lydia Major, Landscape Architecture and Planning Leader, LHB; Matt Tierney, Research Fellow at University of Minnesota Center for Sustainable Building Research; and additional panelists from University of Minnesota Center for Sustainable Building Research.

Session 4 – Resilience by Design: From Process to Practice by Leah Wirgau, Sr. Sustainability Specialist, HGA and Patrick Cipriano, Design Coordinator, HGA

Session 5 – How the Garden Grows: Behind the Scenes at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden by Susan Wilkens, Garden Curator, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Session 6 – (Keynote Speaker) The Broad Horizon View by David Rubin, Founding Principal, DAVID RUBIN_Land Collective

2026 Education Symposium

The 2026 ASLA-MN Education Symposium will take place on Friday, June 5th at the American Swedish Institute (2600 Park Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407) from 8:30am-4:30pm. We hope you will join us for a day full of learning and networking!

Sessions & Speakers - TBA

  • David Martini
    Director of People & Culture / Senior Principal, Bolton & Menk

  • Shawn James
    Senior Planner, Met Council

    Gina Bonsignore
    Steering Team Member, Metro Conservation Network

  • Patrick Seeb
    Executive Director, Destination Medical Center

    Jamie Rothe
    Director of Community Engagement and Experience, Destination Medical Center

    Wafa Elkalifa
    Equitable Development Coordinator, Destination Medical Center

  • Kathleen Anglo
    Director of Landscape Architecture, HGA

    Nikki Schlepp
    Senior Landscape Architect, LHB

    Anna Springer
    Senior Project Landscape Architect,  Bolton & Menk

    Moderator: Laura Kamin-Lyndgaard, Director, Coen+Partners

  • Jane Kansier|
    Senior Planner, Bolton & Menk

    Nathan Fuerst
    Senior Planner, Bolton & Menk

  • Michelle Delk
    Partner, Snøhetta

Education
Symposium

The Education Symposium is held annually and aims to provide professionals across the state with the opportunity to gather, interact, and learn about current topics in the fields of planning and landscape architecture. The Symposium provides a forum for the exchange of information and research between private, public, and academic practitioners.