State Conference 2026
WELCOME TO THE 2026 OK ASLA State Meeting, hosted in OKC!
Join us on Friday, October 9 at The Yale in historic Capitol Hill for a day of inspiration and education!
add to calendar and register!
SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, OCT. 8 2026
5:30 - 7:30 Welcome Reception at Parlor OKC
FRIDAY, OCT. 9, 2026
8:00 - 8:30 Exhibitor Setup
8:30 - 9:00 Check-in & Exhibitor Booths Open
Morning Session: Introduction and Speakers (CEU)
9:00-10:10 CEU Session 1
Culture as Infrastructure: Mapping Knowledge and Making Place as an Act of Resistance
Charles Cross
10:10-10:30 Vendor Break
10:30 - 11:45 CEU Session 2
Culture in Motion: Using Public Realm to Connect and Create Place(s)
Daniel Church, Sasaki
11:45 - 12:00 Vendor Break
12:00 - 1:00 Relaxed buffet lunch
1:00-2:00 CEU Session 3
Dana Miller, Seminole Council
2:00 - 2:20 Vendor Break
2:20-3:30 CEU Session 4
Afternoon tour of Plaza Calle Dos Cinco Plaza (CEU)
Geoff Evans, PDG - Heidi Brooks, Capitol Hill District
3:30 - 5:00 Happy hour & Awards Ceremony
THEME
The places we inhabit are more than physical spaces—they are expressions of the people, histories, traditions, and communities that shape them. At the same time, the places we design influence how culture is experienced, shared, and carried forward.
Culture Takes Place explores this reciprocal relationship and asks how landscape architects can create places that respond to community identity, foster belonging, and allow culture to take root, evolve, and thrive.
Speakers
We’re excited to welcome a diverse group of speakers bringing national, regional, and local perspectives to the conversation, including:
Daniel Church | AICP | Senior Associate | Sasaki
Daniel is an urban planner who works at the intersection of public planning, private development, and urban design. He is a Senior Associate for Sasaki in Denver where he leads private master planned projects, numerous downtown and civic plans, and institutional campus planning efforts across the country.
Prior to joining Sasaki, Daniel worked for Dallas’s Planning and Urban Design Department, managing the city’s Urban Design Review Panel, and leading design and stakeholder engagement on infrastructure and area planning efforts.
Daniel is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is an adjunct professor at CU-Denver. He holds a Master in City Planning degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Policy from Sewanee: The University of the South.
Charles Cross | Director of Landscape & Urban Design, Detroit Collaborative Center | Adjunct Professor, University of Detroit Mercy SACD
Charles Cross, ASLA, is the Director of Landscape and Urban Design at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture & Community Development (SACD). Charles holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Western Michigan University, a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture and a Master of Urban Design degree from The City College of New York. He has experience in the public sector, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Michigan Department of Natural Resources as well as private sector work with SmithGroup/JJR.
His research interests include GIS and cultural asset mapping in Afro Brazilian communities. Charles contributes to the design profession through presentations, lectures and as a guest critic throughout North America. He has been published and exhibited
nationwide.
Charles has served on multiple boards and as a panelist with the Rose Center on Public Leadership/National League of Cities, the Mayors Institute for City Design, Detroit Mayor SheSield’s Transition Committee, and the Lincoln Institutes Legacy Cities Community of Practice faculty. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Black Landscape Architects Network, and the American Planning Association. Charles is a 2018 Fulbright-Hays Fellow.
Dana Miller | Seminole Nation of Oklahoma | Seminole City Council
With a passion for advocacy and serving her community, Dana has dedicated both her professional and personal life to public service. Since 2021, Dana Miller has served as the Ward 1 Councilperson for the City of Seminole. Dana has been recognized nationally for efforts to address health care disparities in tribal communities. After a long tenure within the Oklahoma state government, she now owns Dana Miller Consulting (DMC) where she provides expert guidance and advocacy for tribal health care programs.
As a tribal citizen, Dana is committed to her Seminole and Ojibwe culture including history and education. As the Board Chair for the Seminole County Health Department, and AARP executive council member she firmly believes in the goal of improving the quality of life for all Oklahomans. Dana is also a founding member of the Indigenous Voter’s Caucus, which focuses efforts on voter registration and political engagement in tribal communities. In addition, she is passionate about progressive community growth and creating opportunities for citizens to thrive and achieve success.
Heidi Brooks | Interim Executive Director, Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill
Heidi Brooks brings experience in community engagement, nonprofit management, arts programming, and events to her role as interim executive director of Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill. She holds a master’s degree in Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Oklahoma and is fluent in English and Spanish.
Shannon Entz | Housing Strategy Implementation Manager, City of Oklahoma City
Shannon Entz serves as Housing Strategy Implementation Manager in Oklahoma City’s Planning Department. Her background includes housing, neighborhood revitalization, community engagement, and public-private partnerships. During the Plaza Calle Dos Cinco project, she worked with the City’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, supporting the revitalization of historic Capitol Hill.
Mike Clark | Project Manager, City of Oklahoma City Public Works Department
Mike Clark is a project manager with Oklahoma City’s Public Works Department and served as the City’s project manager for Plaza Calle Dos Cinco. His municipal project experience also includes the NE 23rd Street Enhancement Project, bringing a public works perspective to the planning and delivery of community improvements.
Felicia Jackson | P.E., CFM | Civil Engineer, CEC
Felicia Jackson is a professional engineer and certified floodplain manager with CEC who served as project lead and engineer for Plaza Calle Dos Cinco. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Prairie View A&M University and brings experience serving public agencies on municipal infrastructure projects.
Geoff Evans | Principal, Planning Design Group
Geoff Evans is a principal at Planning Design Group and a graduate of Oklahoma State University. His landscape architecture and project management experience includes parks, streetscapes, recreation facilities, and campus planning. He was part of PDG’s landscape architecture team for Plaza Calle Dos Cinco.
Monica Concienne | Landscape Architect, Planning Design Group
Monica Concienne is a licensed landscape architect with Planning Design Group and a graduate of Oklahoma State University. She gained experience working on projects of varying sizes and types in Dallas before returning to PDG in 2019. She was part of the landscape architecture team for Plaza Calle Dos Cinco.
Day Zimbelman | Project Manager, Downey Contracting
Day Zimbelman is a project manager with Downey Contracting and served as construction project manager for Plaza Calle Dos Cinco. His municipal construction experience also includes the Little River Drainage Improvements project in Moore, Oklahoma. He brings the contractor’s perspective on delivering public improvement projects.
CEU SESSIONS
CEU SESSION 1
Culture as Infrastructure: Mapping Knowledge and Making Place as An Act of Resistance
Charles Cross
The Design process begins with documenting what is visible-landforms, vegetation, buildings, circulation, land use, and infrastructure. But the character and value of a place are also influenced by histories, relationships, memories and traditions. These assets are not always visible and can often be overlooked, especially in underserved communities. This lecture will draw from projects in communities that have suffered through urban renewal, redlining, disinvestment, racist policy and erasure. The discussion will explore the role that community engaged design and cultural asset mapping play in amplifying the diminished voice, making the intangible tangible.
CEU SESSION 2
Culture in Motion: Using Public Realm to Connect and Create Place(s)
Daniel Church
Downtown Oklahoma City is planning for the next generation, with major investment coming soon that will create new destinations and opportunities to define the experience. Just as critically, connecting these assets better to each other and connecting people to each other presents a generational opportunity to transform Downtown OKC and shape and be shaped by its incredible cultural strengths in the process.
The Downtown OKC Strategic Development Plan, slated to be adopted in Fall 2026, lays out a vision for new cultural trails, public realm projects, and programs and policies that will support culture, placemaking, the creative arts, and local businesses. Daniel will provide an overview of the draft plan's deep emphasis on culture, connectivity, and placemaking, while also highlighting how his other work in Arkansas, Colorado, Texas, and elsewhere.
CEU SESSION 3
Native American Connectedness to the Land
Dana Miller
Dana explores how land, plants, and ancestral places shape Native American identity and culture, and how forced displacement disrupted these relationships. With a focus on Oklahoma tribes, the session highlights efforts to sustain cultural traditions and encourages landscape architects to understand local tribal histories and engage tribal communities through meaningful consultation.
CEU SESSION 4
From Concept to Construction: Plaza Calle Dos Cinco
Geoff Evans, Monica Concienne, Shannon Entz, Mike Clark, Felicia Jackson, Day Zimbelman, Heidi Brooks
The Design process begins with documenting what is visible-landforms, vegetation, buildings, circulation, land use, and infrastructure. But the character and value of a place are also influenced by histories, relationships, memories and traditions. These assets are not always visible and can often be overlooked, especially in underserved communities. This lecture will draw from projects in communities that have suffered through urban renewal, redlining, disinvestment, racist policy and erasure. The discussion will explore the role that community engaged design and cultural asset mapping play in amplifying the diminished voice, making the intangible tangible.
