"Turning a New Leaf" Conference
November 3, 2006

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John L. Knott, Jr. is President and co-founder of the Noisette Company, LLC. John Knott leads the Noisette Project development team, which is collaborating in a public-private partnership with the City of North Charleston to restore 3,000 acres of the city's historic urban core. Knott has 36 years of experience in the urban redevelopment, historic preservation and community rehabilitation fields. He is an internationally recognized leader in the redevelopment of cities, and has served as an advisor to municipalities throughout the United States and Canada, in addition to cities in China and Russia.
Mr. Knott is a third generation builder and developer, with extensive experience in the holistic development of planned communities, sustainable development, Green Buildings, commercial offices, hotels, and renovation and restoration of historic properties and urban revitalization. He also specializes in ecologically sound and efficient energy design, and ranks among the nation's leading advocates of development that preserves, protects and enhances the natural environment.
Recently, John served as CEO and Managing Director of the 1,206-acre Dewees Island, community near Charleston, South Carolina, an oceanfront island retreat dedicated to environmental preservation and recognized as one of the leading eco-friendly residential developments in the world. In 2001, Dewees won the Urban Land Institute's prestigious Award for Excellence.

Bryan Arnold is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in horticulture. He is quickly becoming one of the leading installers of green roof systems in Northern Virginia because of his ability to understand and implement the many types of green roof systems available. Brian has a broad knowledge of the technical specifications of soils that are used to develop green roof systems and their interaction with the climate of the mid-Atlantic region. Currently, Bryan is operations manager in Chapel Valley Landscape Company’s Virginia office completing the 230,000 sf greenroof at the Howard Hughes Medical Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Keith Bowers, RLA, PWS, is the founder and president of Biohabitats, an ecological restoration design, planning and assessment firm whose mission is to Restore the Earth and Inspire Ecological Stewardship. He has a broad and comprehensive background in restoration ecology, ecological planning, and landscape architecture, which he has applied to more than 400 ecological restoration projects throughout North America. These projects have involved tidal and non-tidal wetlands, deciduous woodlands, streams and rivers, meadows and prairies, and coastal habitats.

Keith is also the president and founder of Ecological Restoration and Management, Inc., a restoration construction and land management firm that complements the talents of Biohabitats by providing professional installation and management services for restoration projects.

Keith actively volunteers for organizations supporting ecological restoration. He is current Chair of the Society for Ecological Restoration International, has been appointed by the Governor of Maryland to the State of Maryland Wetlands Restoration Steering Committee, and is currently on the board of several local and regional environmental organizations. Keith is a registered Landscape Architect and a Professional Wetland Scientist. He holds a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from the West Virginia University.

With more than 22 years of experience and innovation in the ecological restoration field, Keith has been instrumental in integrating conservation planning, ecological restoration and regenerative design initiatives throughout the country.

Jennifer Brophy-Price, E.I.T., LEED® AP, received her Masters of Engineering degree from Cornell University, where her focus was on Low-Impact Development in residential planning. She is currently a civil engineer with Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI), the leading natural and cultural resources consultant in Northern Virginia. Ms. Brophy-Price was a participant in the Fairfax County LID Stakeholders Committee meetings in 2005, and is currently a member of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) LID Workgroup. She has led tours and spoken to numerous groups on the practical aspects of both LID and LEED.

Francis R. Gouin, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, served on the Faculty of the University of Maryland, Department of Horticulture from 1965 to 1995 as Extension Specialist in Ornamental Horticulture. He served as Chair of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture from 1990 through 1995. He has served as advisor to the Maryland Nurserymen's Association, Maryland Christmas Tree Association, Landscape Contractors Association of MD. DC. VA. and Maryland Greenhouse Growers Association. He pioneered the development of a number of horticultural products used in nursery and greenhouse c crop production as well as composting. He has been a consultant to numerous composting facilities, landscape professionals and private clients in the U.S.A. and Canada. Dr. Gouin has received numerous awards, and has published and lectured widely.

Debbie Herr Cornwell is a registered landscape architect and owner of Herr Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design in Cambridge, Maryland. Debbie specializes in shoreline and wetland restoration projects on commercial and residential properties.

Janet Harrison has been doing sustainable design since before the term was coined. Trained at the University of Maryland School of Architecture, she integrates design and nature in commercial, educational, and residential projects. She is perhaps best known for her work with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, green design consultant for the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, which won the first LEED Platinum Award from the US Green Building Council.

Stephen T. Lange is owner of Integrated Turf Management Systems in Newark, Delaware. For over 23 years he has developed systems for virtually every climate in the U.S. that utilize 100 % natural organic principles for lawn and plant care.

David Lundberg, of Chapel Valley Landscape Company, is a 16 year veteran of the green industry. He has developed wide-ranging green roof knowledge over the last 4 years building such projects as NOAA, a 2 acre green roof located in Suitland, Maryland. His continuing education in soil media and drought/heat tolerant plants has made Dave a sought-out consultant by many architects and developers working on this rapidly growing area of environmentally friendly buildings.

Rich Pais, of Pais Ecological Services, Inc, is a certified wildlife biologist with over 20-years of experience in integrating wildlife habitats with new development. Rich was instrumental in the development of the Maryland Forest Conservation Act and was an instructor of Forest Stand Delineation, Forest Ecology and Forest Conservation and Site Planning at the John's Hopkins School of Continuing Studies and at community colleges throughout Maryland. Rich has been responsible for the creation of dozens of certified wildlife sanctuaries and is currently pioneering an integrated approach to hemlock forest restoration.

Paul W. Steinbeiser is principal of Paul W. Steinbeiser, Inc., a full service outdoor environment design and build firm. Mr. Steinbeiser's "business philosophy mirrors his personal land ethic. A dedicated outdoorsman, Paul got into landscape design and construction as a way to remain close to the earth in his work and his life. Having always valued the natural look of wild lands, he believes we can — and should — mitigate the environmentally degrading effects of development through the management of our own properties."

Ed Snodgrass is owner and president of Emory Knoll Farms Inc. and Green Roof Plants. He is a fifth generation farmer and nurseryman specializing in plants and horticultural consulting for green roofs. Emory Knoll Farms Inc. has supplied plants for over 1,250,000 square feet of green roof on over 170 roofs in 25 states and the District of Columbia as well as green roofs in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. Ed has lectured widely on green roofs at regional, national and international conferences. Ed is a member of The Royal Horticulture Society, The American Horticultural Society, The Sedum Society, and The International Plant Propagators Society. Ed is on the board of The Maryland Nurserymen’s Association, and will have a book on green roof plants coming out from Timber Press in the fall of 2006.

Richard Stanford is an Ecological Engineer at ATR Associates in Virginia with over 30 years experience in hazardous waste investigations and remediation, risk assessments, and water resources engineering.

Jean Tufts, W.P.I.T., is a horticulturalist/biologist trained in ecological landscape design, planning, and environmental education. Currently she is with Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI). She is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Virginia Native Plant Society, and the Society of Wetland Scientists. Prior to joining WSSI, Ms. Tufts worked for the National Wildlife Federation, where her duties included development and management of a national volunteer program promoting environmentally friendly landscaping practices. Ms. Tufts designed the native landscape plans for the Wetland Studies’ site, including the green roof and rain garden.

Mary Tod Winchester has been with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for 35 years, serving for the last 13 years as Vice President for Administration and Operations. Ms. Winchester has traveled the nationally and internationally giving presentations on the Merrill Center’s successes. In addition, she has developed an extensive tour program for the facility with a long-range goal of making the Merrill Center the norm instead of a model as others adopt green techniques and use of sustainable materials.

Tim Zastrow has been a certified arborist for 21 years. He currently works for Bartlett Tree Experts in Fulton, Maryland.