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Alli Baird
Warren T. Byrd Jr.
Kody Cario
Leslie Hunter-Cario
Charlene Harper
Gerald H. Johnson
Douglas M. Mensing
John Newton
Ridge Schuyler
Keith White

Alli Baird, LA, ASLA, Chesapeake Bay Special Project Coordinator, Division of Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Program, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, www.cblad.state.va.us
Alli Baird got her Master's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia. She worked in the private sector for many years before entering the public sector. She has been with the Division of Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance since October 2001 where she developed the Riparian Buffers Modification and Mitigation Manual. Alli provides technical assistance to the Division's liaisons and to local government staff and provides education and training on riparian buffers. Back To Top

Warren T. Byrd Jr., CLA, FASLA, Principal, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, Charlottesville, www.nbwla.com
Warren Byrd has practiced and taught landscape architecture in the state of Virginia since 1979. Raised in northern Virginia and overseas in Cyprus and Okinawa, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture with Distinction from Virginia Tech in 1975 and his Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Virginia in 1977. Prior to founding his own practice in 1985 with his partner Susan Nelson, he worked with Meade Palmer, Landscape Architect in Warrenton, Virginia.

Warren recently retired as Professor Emeritus after teaching at the University of Virginia for over 26 years, serving as Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture for six and a half years. He has received numerous awards for design, teaching and writing and continues to maintain an active professional practice as Senior Partner in the 25-person firm of Nelson Byrd Woltz. The firm has won over 40 national, regional and state design awards in the past eight years.

Warren's teaching and practice emphasize the importance of knowing the specific qualities of the physiographic regions within which one works. His particular expertise-beyond site planning, drawing and teaching design-is his knowledge of natural systems and plant communities, especially as they might influence design ideas for particular sites and programs. His work extends to projects in the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, South America and the Caribbean, as well throughout the United States. Yet he remains a regionalist at heart. Back To Top

Kody Cario, Construction Manager, Environmental Concern Inc., St. Michaels, Maryland, www.wetland.org
Kody holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and an M.S. in Agroecology, and has extensive experience designing and installing native landscape in both commercial and residential settings. As Construction Manager at Environmental Concern Inc., he supervises field operations, with a focus on wetland restoration/creation activities. Prior to joining the firm, Kody worked for six years in southwestern Pennsylvania as a nursery manager. Back To Top

Leslie Hunter-Cario, Nursery Manager, Environmental Concern Inc., St. Michaels, Maryland, www.wetland.org
Leslie holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and is a Certified Professional Horticulturist through the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association. In addition to her nursery manager role, Leslie teaches several plant-related courses for the Education Department at Environmental Concern and presents talks and tours for special audiences. Back To Top

Charlene Harper, PE, Senior Project Engineer/Stormwater Specialist, Timmons Group, www.timmons.com
Charlene Harper began her career in water resources 12 years ago in Prince George's County, Maryland. While there, she won multiple awards from the Civil Engineering Council of Maryland for innovation in design. Among many other projects, she worked on the County's first Low Impact Development feasibility studies as well as their bioretention demonstration projects. Charlene moved to Richmond in 1999 where her focus shifted to educational and institutional site design throughout Virginia. In addition to receiving kudos from the DCR Division of Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance for her water quality designs, she has had the distinction of working on the first LEED certified K-12 school and LEED certified federal prison. Since 2003, Charlene has served as a technical resource to Timmons Group by providing training, mentoring, and stormwater concept consulting. Back To Top

Gerald H. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Geology, College of William & Mary
Dr. Johnson, born and raised in rural northeastern Indiana, studied at Purdue, Manchester College and Indiana University, earning his B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. in geology. He taught basic geology course and advanced courses, including Environmental Geology, Geomorphology, Paleontology and Hydrogeology, at the College of William and Mary from 1965 and 2001. His specialization is Coastal Plain stratigraphy and paleontology but he has worked with NASA on the early history of Mars, the U.S. Geological Survey in the Carolinas and Utah and on the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, with teams of archeologists in northern Ethiopia and at Jamestown Island, and with both the Indiana Geological Survey and the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources. He has been active in environmental issues relating to groundwater, sedimentation and conservation problems. Back To Top

Douglas M. Mensing, Senior Ecologist, Applied Ecological Services, Inc. and Spring Lake Nurseries, Prior Lake, Minnesota, www.appliedeco.com
Doug has over 15 years of professional and research experience in the ecological and environmental fields. He has applied expertise in: ecological inventory, assessment, restoration and management; conservation design and development / low impact development (LID); alternative stormwater management techniques (including rain gardens); flora and fauna surveys; bioassessment techniques; natural resource damage assessments; wetland determinations, delineations, assessment, permitting and mitigation; wetland mitigation monitoring; wetland vegetation and water chemistry monitoring; environmental review documents (e.g., EAW, AUAR); lakeshore and streambank restoration and bioengineering techniques; and geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies. As a consulting ecologist, Doug manages and provides technical support for a broad range of these types of ecological projects. Many of Doug's recent projects have focused on working with clients to design projects in a more ecologically sensitive fashion, conserving natural features and functions. Back To Top

John Newton, Environmental Engineer, Henrico County, Virginia
John graduated from Virginia Tech in 1991 with a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering. From 1993 to 1994 he worked in the Planning Department of New Kent County. He joined the Henrico County Public Works department in 1994. Back To Top

Ridge Schuyler, Director, Piedmont Program, The Nature Conservancy of Virginia, www.nature.org
Ridge Schuyler was born in Orange County, Virginia in 1961. He received his undergraduate degree in U.S. history in 1983 from the University of Michigan, and in 1987 received his juris doctorate at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as co-director of a program to support law students pursuing careers in public service.

Ridge first practiced law in a 425-attorney firm in New York City, where he represented a major global corporation victimized by industrial espionage and served on Harry Helmsley's defense team. He returned to Virginia in 1989 to practice law and, seeking a more expedient way to effect change, pursued job opportunities on Capitol Hill. In February 1991, U.S. Representative Rick Boucher of Southwest Virginia hired Ridge to serve as his legislative assistant focusing on environment and energy issues, and eventually he was promoted to Chief of Staff. In June of 1993, U.S. Senator Charles S. Robb of Virginia tapped Ridge to serve as his legislative director. As Senator Robb's chief policy advisor, Ridge formulated and guided the Senator's legislative agenda, and maintained focused oversight on the Senator's environmental record. After the 2000 election, Ridge returned to Charlottesville and since 2001 he has served as Director of the Piedmont Program of The Nature Conservancy, leading efforts to protect and restore the region of his birth and the home of his two sons. Back To Top

Keith White, Senior Engineer, Henrico County, Virginia
Keith graduated from the University of Virginia in 1989 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. From 1989 to 1992, he was associated with the Hanover County Public Works department. For the next five years, he was employed by the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department. Since 1997, Keith has been a staff member in the Public Works department, Henrico County. Back To Top