DETAILS
START:
END:
VENUE
ADDRESS
ASLA-NY’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI) presents a Quarterly Webinar Series with a focus on the work, career, service, and leadership of prominent and lesser-known BIPOC professionals. Set in a dialogue format between an established and an emerging BIPOC professional, the webinar aims to highlight and celebrate the diversity of our landscape architecture community and advocate for the talents and contributions of BIPOC members.
* This webinar is free; however, registration is required to get a link to the event.
Our Fall 2026 BIPOC Webinar features three Persian Landscape Architects.
Please join us for a lively conversation as three Iranian Landscape Architects, Sama Azadi, Sara Hadavi, and Jila Keshavarz-Miller swap stories and share how their experiences and cultural background have shaped the designers they’ve become today.
Zoom Link: will be sent to all registrants
Sara Hadavi | Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Penn State University
Sara Hadavi earned a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Engineering and a master’s degree in Environmental Design and practiced in private firms in Iran for five years before coming to the U.S. to pursue her PhD in Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan in 2009. After earning her PhD, she decided to do an MLA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she both taught and did research as well. Then she landed at Kansas State University as an Assistant Professor. After five years, she moved to Penn State where she teaches upper-level courses and conducts research on urban greening, well-being, and quality of life.
Jila Keshavarz-Miller | Associate, MPFP
Jila holds a graduate degree in Landscape Architecture from the City College of New York and a Bachelor of Science in Urban Design and Environmental Science from Florida Atlantic University. She brings 14 years of collective experience in the landscape architecture and architecture industry, with design work spanning dense urban environments and historic sites, and a particular emphasis on sustainable design and waterfront adaptation and redevelopment. Over the past six years, she has also expanded her practice to include historic interior design projects primarily in the Northeast.
Sama Azadi, PLA, ASLA | Senior Associate, LaGuardia Design Group
Sama Azadi is a Senior Associate at LaGuardia Design Group, where she brings a multidisciplinary approach to landscape architecture and a passion for creating meaningful connections between people and place. Her work spans residential, cultural, and institutional projects, from conceptual design through construction.
Sama holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Cornell University and a Bachelor’s in Urban Design from the University of Tehran. Her design approach is informed by an interest in the intersection of landscape, architecture, and the social and cultural narratives embedded within a place. She is also passionate about education and mentorship and served as Chair of the ASLA-NY Education Committee for two years, leading outreach initiatives that introduced K–12 students to landscape architecture and design. She continues to advocate for education, mentorship, and opportunities that support the next generation of designers.