Since 2020, Torey Carter-Conneen has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the 16,000-member professional association that represents landscape architects in the U.S. His primary objective and vision since joining is to elevate the profession of landscape architecture in all communities. Committed to advancing the organization to reach its full potential, he led the development of ASLA’s “2030 Vision,” which affirms the association’s focus on raising awareness of the interaction of people and the environment, thereby better positioning ASLA to take on such challenges as climate change and social equity.

Torey feels passionately about amplifying the story of landscape architecture because of its benefits to people, communities, and the environment. He advocates for the profession through strategic coalition partners, large media platforms, and discussing key issues on domestic and international panels. In the short time since he started, the Library of Congress now archives all ASLA Professional Award winners. Torey enjoys collaborating with ASLA members and helping them promote the work they do.

Richard Roark, Partner and Chief Purpose Officer at OLIN, embeds sustainability and environmental justice into his design practice. His work ranges from community projects to large-scale initiatives like the Los Angeles River Master Plan. Roark's approach emphasizes public enrichment, ecological balance, and has earned accolades including the ASLA/IFLA Global Impact Award and the ASLA Urban Design Award of Excellence. His innovative research projects, such as the Circular Soil initiative, have received EPA grants and ASLA honors. Roark's contributions to rewilding and urban resilience demonstrate his commitment to creating spaces that foster community well-being and environmental sustainability.

Carissa Hussong has served as Executive Director of the Metal Museum since 2008. Hussong is currently leading a $35 million capital campaign to support a major expansion that will transform the Museum, advance the field of metalworking, and have a lasting impact on the greater Memphis community. Prior to joining the Metal Museum, Hussong was Executive Director of the Urban Art Commission, a Memphis-based non-profit managing public art for the City of Memphis and private clients. Hussong holds an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis, a B.A. in English Literature from Boston University, and a B.A. in Art History from the University of Washington.

In her 20 years of practicing architecture, Krissy has established a reputation grounded in her belief that good design is about celebrating the history of a community and working within the existing fabric to create the perfect blend of old and new. It is because of this passion for preservation, adaptive reuse, and sustainability that she boasts her own scorecard of 30 projects certified to a variety of green building rating systems, meanwhile encouraging all of LRK’s designs to strive for design excellence. She is the first LEED Fellow, WELL Accredited Professional, and NGBS Green Verifier in the Mid-South region. Krissy is the design team project manager for the Metal Museum.

Lissa Thompson helped build a landscape architecture, urban design and planning practice recognized for design excellence and commitment to public landscapes, community revitalization, and land stewardship. At RSA she is a lead designer and has managed complex planning projects such as the Memphis Park System Master Plan and Shelby County HUD Resilience Projects. Lissa has helped clients earn LEED certification, notably for the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center (LEED Silver). She is a design landscape architect for the Metal Museum project. Lissa has been a full-time visiting instructor in landscape architecture at the UofA School of Architecture. She earned her MLA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

J. Ritchie Smith is a principal with Ritchie Smith Associates (RSA) a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm based in Memphis. In his over 40 years of managing the firm he has directed numerous award-winning projects including Shelby Farms Greenline, Memphis International Airport Ground Transportation Center Pedestrian Plaza, Big River Crossing, and numerous projects in Overton Park. He earned his BSLA from the University of Virginia and MLA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. For the Metal Museum's new facilities in Overton Park, RSA collaborated with WHY throughout the design process. As the LA of record, RSA prepared preliminary and final design documents and is covering construction administration.

Taze is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Mississippi State University, whose teaching and research sit at the intersection of ecological design, regenerative landscapes, and emerging digital practices. His work focuses on integrating artificial intelligence into design pedagogy and evaluation, exploring AI as a thinking partner, reflective tool, and critical object within studio culture. With experience developing curricula aligned to accreditation standards and experimenting with AI-assisted visualization, assessment, and iteration workflows, Taze brings a rigorous yet exploratory perspective to contemporary landscape education. His research further examines how AI is reshaping landscape architecture, challenging authorship, accelerating design thinking, and opening new ethical and creative questions for the discipline.

Simon Powney is a landscape architecture educator and visualization specialist whose path into the field began with professional architectural training in the United Kingdom. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture with Honors (1988) and a Royal Institute of British Architects Part II/Diploma (1991) from Plymouth Polytechnic, practiced professionally in both the UK and the United States, and later completed a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture at Mississippi State University (2020).

In his teaching and applied work, Powney focuses on how AI can strengthen—not replace—design thinking in landscape architecture: accelerating iteration, improving design communication, and supporting clearer decision-making across concept, visualization, and documentation. His American Society of Landscape Architects conference presentation highlights practical, studio-ready workflows for integrating AI responsibly, with attention to authorship, transparency, and the craft of translating ecological and cultural intent into compelling, buildable proposals.

A Garden Clubs of Mississippi scholarship to attend the Horticulture Summer Seminar at Mississippi State University in 1976, along with a part-time job at a nursery in his hometown of Brookhaven, Mississippi, helped cultivate Michael Hatcher’s interest in the landscaping industry. Those experiences eventually led to his degree in Landscape Contracting and Management from Mississippi State in 1982 and a storied career as the Founder of Michael Hatcher & Associates.

Headquartered in Olive Branch, Michael Hatcher & Associates has provided commercial landscape services throughout the Mid-South for 40 years. The company today employs over 200 people in the Memphis and Huntsville markets.

Michael and his wife, Mary, recently established the Michael L. and Mary B. Hatcher Endowed Professorship for the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design at Mississippi State, which will prepare the next generation of green industry professionals.

The couple has three children and four grandchildren, and Michael’s family and faith in Christ are the foundation of his success.

Sophorn Olsen is a licensed architect and associate at LRK with over 20 years of experience in commercial, office, and retail design. She has played a key role in transformative projects across Memphis, working as an architect, interior designer, and environmental graphic designer, leading teams and managing projects throughout all phases through completion. Her completed project includes the Orion FCU Headquarters at the historic Wonder Bread Bakery, Downtown Mobility Center, and Renasant Convention Center. She received her dual degree in architecture and interior architecture at Auburn University and is a proud alumna of Auburn’s Rural Studio.

Roy is co-owner of Northwind Perennial Farm located in Burlington, Wisconsin.  He has been growing traditional and native perennials since 1978.   His garden designs emphasize plant relationships to stewardship strategies and costs.   Roy’s design and planting projects include the Louis Sullivan Arch at the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago and the lakeside plantings at the Shedd Aquarium.     Recently designed the perennial plantings for Scott Byron’s new garden design for the Chicago History Museum and a 12,000 s.f. gravel garden for the building at Argonne National Laboratory housing the worlds biggest computer.   His book ‘The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden’ highlights his perennial gardening practices.

Sophorn Olsen is a licensed architect and associate at LRK with over 20 years of experience in commercial, office, and retail design. She has played a key role in transformative projects across Memphis, working as an architect, interior designer, and environmental graphic designer, leading teams and managing projects throughout all phases through completion. Her completed projects include the Orion FCU Headquarters at the historic Wonder Bread Bakery, Downtown Mobility Center, and Renasant Convention Center. She received her dual degree in architecture and interior architecture at Auburn University and is a proud alumna of Auburn’s Rural Studio.

Rachel Helton has spent the past 7 years at LRK exploring West Tennessee through community engagement, placemaking, and architectural design. She is an advocate for design that listens to, learns from, and draws upon the experiences of the people who live in the communities each project touches. Her experience with community engagement has instilled a passion for contextual, human-scaled design that encourages exploration and enjoyment of built space.  Rachel joined LRK’s Memphis office as an architect and planner and has since worked on a variety of projects ranging from county-wide planning to adaptive reuse and urban infill site studies. She is a registered architect in the state of Tennessee and earned her MARCH from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Spence Ray is a Memphis-area real estate developer and President of McNeill Commercial Real Estate, known for leading several high-profile residential and mixed-use developments in Germantown and the greater Memphis region. He is the developer of the Thornwood mixed-use community, a European-inspired project combining residential, retail, dining, hotel, and public gathering spaces.  He is also leading the Glasgow residential development on the former Germantown Country Club property, a multi-phase neighborhood. Ray has also been involved in hospitality and commercial projects connected to these developments, including hotel and restaurant properties within Thornwood, and is known for emphasizing walkable design, traditional architecture, and community-oriented planning in his projects.