Keynote Speech by Matt Arnn, ASLA, the U.S. Forest Service’s Chief Landscape Architect

“100 Years of Landscape Architects in the U.S. Forest Service”

Matt Arnn, ASLA provides professional leadership to the agency’s 120+ landscape architects practicing on over 190 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands. His work stresses the integration of social and ecological places and processes, creating physical and emotional points of entry and engagement for visitors to public lands. Matt has worked across the continent and abroad, designing and planning visitor centers, trails, campgrounds, interpretation experiences, scenic overlooks, night sky viewing areas, and other recreation infrastructure. His work after September 11, 2001 with the Forest Service Living Memorials Project led to the creation of over 50 new parks and open spaces to help affected communities regain traction through investment in their public places.

Click here to read about the Forest Service’s first landscape architect, Arthur Carhart.

Lifetime Achievement Award to be Presented to Alain C. deVergie, FASLA

During his twenty-four years of public service with OBO (Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations of the US Department of State), Mr. deVergie was actively involved in more than 175 major OBO Embassy, Consulate design, MSGR (Marine Security Guard Residence), CMR (Chief of Mission Residence), and construction projects on five continents. He visited project sites in most of those countries and became familiar with the cultural significance as well as native flora of many regions of the world. His chief project related duties included site and local data analysis, preparation of Site Planning documents which form the basis of the Statements of Work and Requests for Proposal, Master Site Development Plans, and design review of A/E construction documents, interpretations of OBO Design Standards and International Zoning and Building Code Supplements, and construction phase technical questions. Design/build projects required him to conduct on-board critiques and evaluations of the A/E’s interpretation of the planning documents that he prepared. These standards included specific requirements for overall site planning, and specifically, pedestrian plazas, Consular, Staff, and Representational gardens, Service District including parking and internal vehicular/pedestrian circulation, warehouse, utility and office support buildings, and Post Recreation Areas.  Mr. deVergie retired in 2017.