2024-2025 Ballot Information
The Nominating Committee unanimously recommends the following slate of candidates for the 2024-2025 term. Each candidate has indicated their willingness to serve and has agreed to have their name placed on the ballot. Information on each candidate follows.
President-elect
(candidate 1 of 1)
Amy Peron, Norris Design
Amy Peron is a licensed Landscape Architect and Senior Associate at Norris Design. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments from the University of Arizona. Amy is strongly rooted in and has been actively involved with AZASLA since she was a student, volunteering in events like the annual Gala, Park(ing) Day, and the Tucson High Schools Science Olympiad. Her engagement has grown over the years, holding positions such as U of A Student ASLA Chapter President (2017-18), Membership Committee Chair (2018-2020), Emerging Professionals Co-Chair (2018-2020), Southern Section Chair (2019-2020), and currently serving as the U of A Student Chapter Liaison. In 2019, Amy was named of the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture’s Young Alumni of the Year. She has also been recognized by AZASLA for her efforts as the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year in 2019 and the Emerging Professional of the Year in 2023. Amy’s passion for the industry led her to mentor high school students through the Arizona ACE Mentoring program, where she teaches them about the AEC industry and landscape architecture, and she is working to establish the ACE program in Tucson. Amy’s experience with both private and public sector clients in Tucson and across the Southwest gives her valuable insight into the challenges faced by landscape architects, design professionals, and municipalities in Arizona. She is a strong believer that landscape architects should be leaders in efforts to mitigate climate change, assist local governments with design guidelines, and advocate for sustainable practices. Amy hopes to continue to align AZASLA’s efforts with National ASLA and strengthen the AZASLA community by engaging landscape architects statewide and expanding partnerships with allied organizations. She hopes to work with the entire AZASLA executive committee and members to ensure the organization meets the needs of all its members.
Trustee
(candidate 1 of 1)
Kenneth R. Brooks, Arizona State University
I have been an active member of ASLA for 47 years, working on committees and serving in leadership positions at Section, Chapter and National levels. In addition to regular participation in Chapter events, my activities have included: Arizona Chapter Trustee, 2022-2024 Section Chair in the Washington and Arizona Chapters Prairie Gateway Chapter President-Elect, President, & Past President Co-Chair of Arizona Chapter Fellows Committee Member of AZ Chapter Awards Jury National ASLA service activities have included: Served on 2005 National Awards Jury Served on National Committees of: Membership, Policy, Education Chaired National Membership Committee Attended ASLA BOT Meetings, CLARB National Conference, and LAF National Conference as the Representative for the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture and the Landscape Architecture Accrediting Board Other national and international landscape architecture organizations: Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture – Regional Representative, VP-President-Elect, President, Past-President Landscape Architecture Accrediting Board – Appointed for two terms (2014-2019), Chair of the LAAB Board in 2018 Educational Leadership: Landscape Architecture Program Coordinator at WSU & ASU Graduate Director at Kansas State University Associate Dean & Director of the PhD Program, ASU I pledge to continue to pursue educating, mentoring and advocating for design and environmental quality, responsibility, resilience and justice among students, peers, colleagues, clients, and communities. I desire to advance the national ASLA goals to make the Society more effective at resilient design, more visible and respected to the public and more responsive to members. If reelected as AZASLA Trustee, I would commit to continuing to serve the missions, values and aspirations of members.
Treasurer
(candidate 1 of 1)
Veronica Luna, ABLA
Veronica Luna is a project manager at ABLA and the current Treasurer for AZASLA. Known for her exceptional leadership, she has been honored with the Emerging Professional of the Year award and previously served as the Central Section Chair. Veronica’s dedication and impressive track record make her the ideal candidate to continue guiding AZASLA, and she is currently running for reelection.
Central Section-elect
(candidate 1 of 1)
Brandon Sobiech, DIG Studio
Brandon Sobiech is a founding Principal and Landscape Architect at Dig Studio. A skilled communicator and collaborator, Brandon’s recent design work has been focused on reimagining of community public open spaces, ranging from dynamic park environments to civic event destinations. His work is also purposely diverse in scale and type, reaching from broad regional vision plans to focused school courtyards. He facilitates a studio founded on values of humility, openness, boldness, curiosity and a shared desire to do great work. His context specific approach to practice often involves synthesizing complex layers of information, systems and dynamics to create places that are uniquely local to the communities they are serving. Brandon's vision is to continue the elevation of the profession and to facilitate robust dialog between practitioners and our collaborators. We live and work in an extremely demanding environment with issues of water use, heat island, shade and equity all integrated into our work. I’d like to work to recognize the vast scale and impact we have as a group. As a state of practitioners, we offer different perspectives, lessons learned, roadblocks encountered and success stories. We can learn from one another and elevate the depth and quality of our own practices. I’d work to find ways to open-up dialog through events, panels, tours that not only celebrate new work, but dive into the topics, research and strategies we are all taking to improve the quality of the built environment.
Southern Section-elect
(candidate 1 of 2)
Chris Laria, Bowman
Chris is an active participant in mixers and events, showcasing a strong commitment to the ASLA and its mission. Chris is a dedicated advocate for introducing young people to the field of Landscape Architecture. This passion is demonstrated through involvement in career days, the construction of tortoise habitats, and efforts to incorporate landscape architecture into Southern Arizona Construction Career Days. Chris's work highlights the importance of nurturing future talent and raising awareness about the diverse opportunities within the field of Landscape Architecture.
Southern Section-elect
(candidate 2 of 2)
Paige Anthony, McGann and Associates
Paige brings with her a diverse background in landscape design, art and project management. Originally from the midwest, Paige spent 17 years in Portland, Oregon where her love for the natural environment and gardening grew under the damp grey skies of the Pacific Northwest. After relocating to Tucson in 2017 with her family, she started a professional career in landscape design. She has experience working on healthcare, higher education, parks and recreation, multifamily housing, retail, commercial and streetscape projects. A nature-loving urbanite, Paige uses place-making to design public spaces with biophilic benefits. Paige earned a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from Pitzer College. Paige is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector and is actively working towards licensure. Paige is dedicated to building upon the achievements of past Southern Section Chairs, with a clear focus on diversifying member participation in chapter events. She aims to inspire our members and foster creativity by expanding outreach and offering diverse event venues. Paige has seen firsthand how inclusive events can engage and develop our diverse membership, and she is committed to continuing this effort to enrich our professional community.
Secretary
(candidate 1 of 1)
Dionna Hatch, WLB Group
Dionna Hatch is a dedicated landscape architect with four years of professional experience in Tucson, following her graduation from the University of Arizona's MLA program. Her time as a Peace Corps volunteer and her master's degree in public health inspired her to pursue a career in landscape architecture. Through her diverse experiences and her work at WLB Group, Dionna passionately supports ASLA's mission of designing a sustainable and equitable world. Dionna has been actively involved with ASLA since her student days and continues to contribute as an emerging professional and leader in Tucson. She is eager to become more involved in the Southern Section to help it grow, and she is committed to advancing the chapter's role as advocates for sustainability and landscape architecture.