FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - HERNDON, VA (September 29, 2026) - At its recent annual meeting, the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) announced its 2026-27 board of directors and committees, introducing a diverse team of volunteer leaders who will work to advance landscape architecture regulation and public protection. The organization also recognized outgoing volunteers for their service.

Allison Fleury, PLA, CLARB, ASLA assumes the role of president. A licensed landscape architect since 2001, Fleury is principal and owner of Inside Out Landscape Architecture in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Her portfolio spans residential, commercial and campus design, reflecting more than 20 years of experience and a strong commitment to thoughtful landscape architecture. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with architects, engineers, contractors and clients to create landscapes that are responsive to their environment.

Allison brings a collaborative, hands-on approach to each landscape architecture project, with a particular interest in landscapes that connect people to place. Her work ranges from high-end residential landscapes to larger institutional and community projects, always balancing design intent with practical considerations of long-term stewardship.

"Allison leads with relationships," said Matt Miller, CLARB's CEO. "Over more than a decade of volunteer service, she's built genuine trust with member boards across our jurisdictions, and that people-first approach is exactly what will carry the board forward this year."

 

Beyond her practice, Allison has been actively involved in the profession through leadership and volunteer service with CLARB since 2010 and other professional organizations. She is passionate about strengthening the profession of landscape architecture, supporting emerging professionals, and building greater understanding and collaboration among landscape architects and allied disciplines.

CLARB has elected licensed landscape architect Edward Kinney, PLA, MLA as president-elect. Kinney has served as principal landscape architect and manager of the Urban Design Division for the city of Greenville, South Carolina since 2013. He brings more than 20 years of licensed practice, including 10 years as a private consultant, with project experience spanning the Southeast, New England, the Western US and Canada. His practice has included urban planning, master planning, housing, parks, streetscape design, resort design and zoo design. Kinney is the chair of the South Carolina Board of Landscape Architectural Examiners, where he has served since 2015. Kinney's CLARB volunteer service also includes two terms as director-at-large; board liaison to the Exam Committee; board liaison to the Member Board Executives Committee; and three years on the Leadership Advisory Council.

Licensed landscape architect Brian Verardo, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP will complete his three-year leadership service term as past president and chair of CLARB's Leadership Advisory Council. He is a principal landscape architect and the managing partner of Pland Collaborative, a 35-person landscape architecture and planning firm. Verardo began his CLARB volunteer service as an L.A.R.E. grader and Exam Committee member in 2010. Verardo has also worked alongside colleagues, CLARB staff and stakeholders from across the CLARB community in roles on the MBE Committee, L.A.R.E. Cut Score Committee and a variety of other work and focus groups.

Nicole Cheng is a city planner with the New York City Department of Transportation, where she works as a borough planner on capital projects in the Bronx. She previously worked in the agency's Public Realm Unit on greening initiatives, cargo bike delivery incentives and street improvement projects prioritizing safety and accessibility. Currently pursuing licensure, Cheng said she wanted to help shape the future of landscape architectural regulation "with a future-oriented organization."

Blair Parker, PLA, ASLA founded Blair Parker Design in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2009. The firm focuses on landscape architecture, low-impact development and master planning.[AT1.1] He is the landscape architecture representative on the Tennessee Board of Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors. Blair has been active in ASLA for many years and has worked most of his career in a multi-discipline design environment. He remains active locally through past board and committee service with the Memphis Botanic Garden, the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and Overton Park Conservancy.

Brad Smith, OALA, FCSLA, ASLA is a partner and senior landscape architect at SDG Landscape Architects, bringing more than 20 years of experience across practice, education and industry leadership. His work focuses on parks, trails, waterfronts, institutional landscapes and public realm projects, and he also serves as a sessional instructor at the University of Guelph. Smith holds OALA, FCSLA and ASLA credentials and was inducted into the CSLA College of Fellows in 2025.

View the complete list of new and returning CLARB volunteer leaders.

About CLARB
The Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization that designs and promotes standards to ensure that the world's people, places and environment are protected by landscape architecture. Our members are the licensure boards that regulate the practice of landscape architecture across the United States, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands and Canada. Together, we forge pathways that enable landscape architects to transform spaces into thriving places where every community benefits from safe, sustainable and inspired design.