Mark McKinnon is a landscape architect and the founding principal of McKinnon Associates, a landscape architecture firm based in Houston, Texas. Mr. McKinnon is a native Houstonian, a lifelong part time resident of Galveston, and received a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from Texas A&M University in 1980.  Mark became familiar with John Fairey and the garden while a student at Texas A&M. Mark writes and lectures extensively in the Houston area and has a deep involvement with the College Park Cemetery in Houston, as a landscape architect, President of the Board, volunteer organizer, fund raiser, and a decade-long sweat equity volunteer. 

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Tom McCasland is an attorney, real estate investor, and affordable housing professional. During his tenure as director of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department, he leveraged over $1 billion in affordable multifamily development, formed the Houston Community Land Trust, and managed the nation’s fastest response to the eviction crisis caused by COVID-19. He previously served as the CEO of the Harris County Housing Authority, prioritizing homeless veterans, low-income seniors and working families living in poverty. While he has gardened since childhood, his passion for Texas native landscape developed from a prairie restoration project in Washington County that he oversees with his partner, Elena.

Jane Curtis is an experienced landscape architect who was most recently the Director of Horticulture, Hermann Park Conservancy. Previously, she worked as a landscape architect on various commercial and residential projects, including landscape renovation and historical research for the Menil House, Houston. Ms. Curtis has worked in Washington, D.C., Montana, and Virginia before moving to Texas. She has lectured widely and published articles in magazines and journals, including the article,”Fairey’s Garden: A Botanical Wonder Takes Root in Hempstead,” for Cite, The Architecture and Design Review of Houston, in 2000. Ms. Curtis has a BA in American Studies from Yale, and a MLA with honors from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and serves on various other boards.

Ann Thompson has spent most of her professional life as an educator and non-profit leader. She
was president and CEO of Project GRAD Houston for 16 years, and served in leadership
positions with the organization since 1997. Before retiring, she completed the successful merger
of Project GRAD with a larger community-based organization, resulting in strengthened capacity
for expanded reach. She has provided leadership consulting to school district and non-profit
organizations across the U.S., supporting their collaborative efforts at the community level.

Dr. Thompson is an adjunct professor for the University of Houston Clear Lake, and has held
adjunct positions at the University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown, and
University of St. Thomas. She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Houston, master’s
and bachelor’s degrees from the University of St. Thomas. Her research has focused on the
impact of community-based efforts to improve educational attainment for youth from
communities of low-income.

She is a fourth generation Houstonian and avid gardener.

Antonia Adezio is a non-profit leader with a specialty in the development and stewardship of small cultural organizations and public gardens. She served as Executive Director of the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross, California from 2015-2023, creating new public programs in the

arts and gardens and developing a master plan for the renovation of this beloved 11-acre site, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Antonia was the founding President and Executive Director of the Garden Conservancy, a national organization formed in 1989 to identify and preserve America’s exceptional gardens.

Antonia served as chair of the Peckerwood Garden Conservation Foundation in 2013 and taking on the role of Acting Executive Director in 2014-15, completing the process of the property’s ownership transfer to the Foundation and helping lay the groundwork for asuccessful new public garden.

Adele Bentsen received a BS in Interior Design with a Minor in Photography from Purdue University. She was an interior designer at Brown and Root and later a Partner at Gensler and Associates in their Interior Design practice. She has served as the President of The Garden Club of Houston, 2nd Vice President, and Prior-President. She has also volunteered for The Kinkaid School, the Children’s Defense Fund, River Oaks Country Club Beautification Committee and the Community Contributions Committee at The Garden Club of Houston.

Satara Henry is the Environmental Director for Daikin, where she has led the implementation and execution of award-winning sustainability programs at Daikin Texas Technology Park and several other sites. She earned her Chemical Engineering degree from Drexel University and is a Certified Hazardous Material Manager. Mrs. Henry has over 25 years of industrial environmental, health and safety experience. She is most passionate when teaching elementary and high school students about the importance of biodiversity, impacts of climate change and conservation.

David Klein is a fifth-generation Texan who lives on the original 150-year Klein family farm certified by Governor Rick Perry as a Historical Heritage Farm.  He graduated with three degrees from Rice University and is a CPA, real estate broker, appraiser, and commercial developer.

He has served on the Board of Klein Bank,  Boy Scouts of America,  The Mercer (botanic garden) Society, and the Mercer Endowment Fund.  Mr. Klein has his own private botanical garden at his home which has over 3500 different species of rare and exotic plants from around the world. David and his wife, Mary, have twins, Shannon and Dawson.

Eric Mullens is the Chief Administrative Office for Hempstead Independent School District. Mr. Mullens holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Southern A&M University and a Master’s Degree from The University of Houston-Victoria in Education Administration. Mr. Mullens has served in the Texas School Systems for over 21 years as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and director. Mr. Mullens is passionate about educating our youth and helping students bridge their future to careers after high school including college, trade school, military or the workforce.

Isaac Stein, ASLA, RA

Isaac Stein is a landscape architect originally from the Florida Panhandle. He is the design principal of Dept., a landscape architecture and urban design studio based in Houston, where he leads projects at various scales, from the garden to the bayou. Prior to founding Dept., Isaac worked for West 8 in New York and Rotterdam. Isaac holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Miami where he was awarded the AIA Alpha Ro Chi Medal. He also holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Design Studies in Risk and Resilience from Harvard Graduate School of Design where he received the ASLA Certificate of Merit.

Ron Stricklin joined Curtis and Windham Architects in 2018, and leads the Landscape Architecture Department. He graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture.  He has planned landscapes for civic, park & recreation, retail, institutional, healthcare, hospitality, and educational clients – as well as numerous residences. Ron is a registered landscape architect with T.B.A.E and CLARB, and a member of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art.

Maggie Tsang, ASLA, RA

Maggie Tsang is an assistant professor at Rice School of Architecture and managing principal of Dept., a landscape architecture and urban design studio based in Houston. Her research and practice focus on the relationship between landscape, infrastructure, and ecology. She is currently managing a 10,000-square-foot test garden on Rice campus called Prairie Plots and an interdisciplinary research project on community-oriented stormwater infrastructure. Prior to Maggie holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Architecture from Yale University and a Master of Design Studies in Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Wally Wilkins earned a Chemical Engineering degree from Arizona State University in 1985 and worked for more than 30 years in the energy industry leading  a variety of research and manufacturing organizations for Shell Oil Co.   After retiring from Shell, he returned to school, earning a Bachelors in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. Wally has a long history with the garden as a visitor, volunteer and docent.

Susan Young is widely traveled community and deeply experienced activist for neighborhoods, arts and culture, and civil rights and civic engagement. She has years of experience in public transportation and public finance, and served for twenty years as the President and CEO of the South Main Alliance, a neighborhood organization advocating for more than fifty member institutions including the Texas Medical Center. In addition to serving on the board of The John Fairey Garden Conservation Foundation, Ms. Young is Board President of Sister Cities of Houston. Previously she has served on nine non-profit boards.