William D. Almond, FASLA, CLARB is a licensed Landscape Architect with 41 years’ experience on a wide range of residential, commercial, municipal, military, and institutional projects. Prior to establishing the landscape architectural division at WPL, Mr. Almond was Senior Associate at the Norfolk based architectural firm of Shriver and Holland Associates for over 21 years. He has extensive ties to his local community, serving on city council appointed boards and commissions and local neighborhood civic leagues. Mr. Almond received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture with Distinction degree from Virginia Tech in 1978.

Dr. Timothy Baird recently retired as superintendent of Encinitas Union School District (EUSD). His retirement caps 10 years of service to EUSD, 16 years of service as a superintendent, and 39 years of service as a public educator. During Dr. Baird’s tenure at EUSD, the district was recognized as a 2014 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School District and won recognition for its innovative use of technology, being one of the first districts in the nation with a one-to-one iPad program starting in 2011. EUSD also received state and national awards for developing learner personalized teaching practices and for its focus on teaching to the whole child. Since retiring, Dr. Baird has remained active as a writer, presenter, and educational leadership consultant. He is a frequent presenter at environmental, technology, and curricular conferences.

Geoff Deigan is Executive Director of the highly acclaimed, award-winning Prairie Crossing Charter School, an environmentally-centered public school in Grayslake, Illinois. In 1997, Geoff founded and serves as President and CEO of WRD Environmental, an ecological consulting firm. Well-versed in sustainable development, Geoff has led a variety of large-scale environmental projects, job training programs, and community-engagement initiatives focused on environmental best practices. Geoff’s extensive board experience includes service for land conservation organizations, public libraries, and charter schools. He has spoken at numerous national conferences on environmental education, sustainable land use, green infrastructure and more.

Caroline Hill is a thought leader who lives, works, and designs at the intersection of education, innovation, and equity. Her work inspired the creation of equityXdesign, a design framework that merges the values of equity work and innovation with the intentionality of design. Her latest venture, 228 Accelerator, catalyzes the redesign of relationships that normalize mistreatment and oppression, builds bridges between the powerful and the powerless, and accelerates our journey to a more inclusive society.

Caroline’s work is rooted in more than 20 years of experience in public education, education innovation, management consulting, and engineering. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia, a Master of Education in Learning and Teaching from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an M.S. in Administration through New Leaders for New Schools, a principal training fellowship.

As Acting Global Managing Director, Global Lands at The Nature Conservancy, Jennifer Tabola leads performance management, operations, and talent across a diverse portfolio of land-based conservation strategies. She also plays a leading role managing across communications, policy, and land-based natural climate solutions to elevate nature-based climate solutions as a critical component for achieving international carbon mitigation commitments. Jennifer is a member of her local Environmental Services Council and is a certified Master Naturalist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Ecology and completed the Humanities Honors Program, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, at the University of California, Irvine. She also holds a master’s degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University.