Bill Neumann
President | Managing Principal
Bill has a 38-year proven track record in the planning and design of parks, trails and greenways. He understands the importance of creating spaces that benefit communities, while respecting natural systems, sensitive landscapes, habitats and cultural/historical sites. On every project, Bill considers the construction phase of a project equal in importance to the design process. Bill has managed and been part of large multi-disciplinary teams, including planners, engineers, surveyors and ecologists. Bill believes in producing high quality designs and illustrative graphics to help clients visualize the design intent.
Jason Jaynes
Managing Principal
Jason has been involved in a broad range of projects, including hospital campus planning, community centers and parks, single family residential design, neighborhood master plans, and affordable housing projects. Jason has been directly involved in numerous LEED Certified and sustainably focused projects in the region. He believes that the components of environmental stewardship, functionality and human comfort are inextricable from the design process and the ultimate, lasting quality of a built project.
Ann Christensen
Managing Principal
Ann is a licensed landscape architect with over 25 years of experience. Her work focuses on redevelopment and urban design. Ann also leads many of DHM’s National Park Service contracts. She has a strong emphasis on economic and ecological aspects of projects, seeking ways to emphasize creative design solutions that balance economic, social, and environmental sustainability. She recently participated in the design of a transit hub for the Grand Canyon and a master plan for the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center campus in Cortez, CO. Ann has managed the Durango studio since 2004, growing a diverse portfolio of projects and a staff of 8 talented employees.
Mark Wilcox
Principal
Mark’s passion lies in his sketching ability. Through pencil and paper he is able to communicate to clients that the design idea is possible. He has been involved in a variety of projects; planning and designing athletic fields, parks, trails, public facilities and residential communities. Mark’s contributions to DHM showcase his many diverse talents from managing projects to creating beautiful color renderings, planning and designing parks, trails and greenways and understanding the technical aspect of implementing these designs. His outstanding abilities have led to DHM’s success with the award-winning Sand Creek Greenway.
Walker Christensen
Principal
Walker Christensen is a Principal with DHM Design in Durango, Colorado. His valuable professional experience specializes in public parks, hot springs, stream and wetland restoration, stormwater reuse, adaptive reuse and sustanable design. Walker has worked on many projects through Colorado and the West that involve community planning, detailed landscape architectural design, drainageway restoration, sports park, trail and wayfinding designs. He has a special affinity for projects in small towns and the positive impact they have on these rural communities.
Eileen Kemp
Principal | Federal Projects Manager
Eileen is a leader in recreational facility planning and design with twelve years of experience helping communities and federal agencies develop effective and sustainable solutions. Her dedication to responsible design and excellent client service has led to a wide range of successful projects. Throughout the design process she is always thinking about the visitor experience and how each project fits within the overall fabric of our park systems. Eileen believes that with each type of project the end user, a child playing soccer, or a family visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, entrusts us to enhance our open spaces and conserve our nation’s treasures.
Matthew Whipple
Principal
Matthew is a leader in parks, recreational, open-space, and educational campus facility planning & design with over two decades of experience helping communities and government agencies develop effective and sustainable solutions. His dedication to responsible design and excellent client service has led to a wide range of successful project types and scales. Matthew’s extensive experience with existing and proposed recreational facilities, knowledge of natural resource issues, detailed design and construction experience, understanding of development costs and outstanding communication skills allow him to exceed project management expectations.
Marc Diemer
Principal
Marc is a licensed landscape architect and urban planner whose diverse project experience includes mixed-use communities, parks, estate properties & gardens and world-class resort destinations around the world. He brings a well-rounded perspective and keen insight to project teams with additional experience in construction management and economic development planning. Marc values a collaborative design process and is adept at building consensus among project stakeholders while leading teams towards sustainable and artful design solutions.
Karen joined DHM in 2001 with experience in both private and public communications, PR, business communication and design. With a degree in Communications, and two decades of experience, Karen creates and implements marketing materials, publications, collateral, and online strategies. Karen also manages the firm’s competitive proposal and interview process, with team building that supports public sector pursuits and has helped win numerous regional and nationwide National Park Service contracts.
Jennifer Dicuollo
Principal
With a strong background in architectural studies, art, and landscape architecture, Jen believes in the transformative value of detail. She uses color, texture, and materiality to shape the client’s experience and to define the personal expression of the space. She focuses on nature and uses natural elements as inspiration for the built environments that she helps shape.
Jeremy Allinson
Associate Principal | Senior Natural Resource Planner
As a Senior Environmental Planner and Natural Resource Programs Manger, Jeremy has extensive experience in environmental project planning; NEPA compliance; natural resource investigations; aquatic and hydrological assessments; Impact assessment and analysis; permitting compliance; restoration design; mitigation planning and construction administration. His experience involves managing a wide range of planning and development projects both in the public and private sectors. A native to Colorado, Jeremy gets his inspiration from being outdoors, hunting and fishing. Professionally, he believes in striking a balance between environmentally responsible development and protection of natural resources.
Ashleigh Quillen
Associate Principal | Ecological Specialist
Ashleigh is an Associate Principal at DHM Design with years of professional experience in landscape architecture and ecological restoration. She has a keen understanding for the overall vision of a project and has successfully managed numerous complex projects from concept through construction. Her portfolio of work includes ecological restoration projects throughout the Rocky Mountain region and the Colorado Front Range, urban drainage improvement projects, Federal work with the USFS and the NPS, schools, ranch master planning and design, and urban parks. Having lived in the southwest her entire life, Ashleigh intimately understands Rocky Mountain landscapes. Her background in earth sciences and interpretive tour guiding inspire her to integrate projects with the surrounding ecology, geology, and social landscape.
Aicha Menendez
Senior Associate
Aicha is a professional landscape architect with previous experience in architecture and interior design. As a designer, she seeks site-specific solutions that respect the social and environmental fabric of a place while balancing constructability and maintenance. She approaches projects through the eyes of users, emphasizing safety and accessibility, comfort and security while enhancing and celebrating the built environment. Committed to sustainability, native plant palettes and water sensitive design. Aicha’s project experience includes landscape architecture work at the Visitor Center at Little Bighorn National Battlefield Monument, West Gateway at Big Cypress National Preserve, Terreplein at Statue of Liberty and parks and recreational facilities throughout the Colorado Front Range.
Alena Gagnon
Senior Designer
A valued member of DHM’s ecological and landscape design team, Alena has a passion for open space design honed through engagement with our communities. Her background in a close-knit Vermont town and outdoor adventures in Colorado reflects dedication to community and environment. From her leadership as a Drone Pilot to her instrumental contributions in educational campuses, affordable housing, and recreation projects, she demonstrates an unwavering dedication to excellence. Her expertise includes GIS certification and graphic communication, which brings innovative spatial analysis, ecological sensitivity, and community engagement expertise to our work.
Ali Palmer
Senior Designer
Ali grew up on skis in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where she developed a love for the outdoors. Thanks to the abundant chlorophyll in the Pacific Northwest, Ali discovered the profession of Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon. To this day, Ali still takes notable inspiration from when she studied abroad in Kyoto, Japan where she lived in a 15th century Buddhist monastery, studying Japanese gardens and watercolors. She loves that, as a landscape designer, she has the power to orchestrate the way people move through the world. Ali continues to find inspiration in mountain biking, open water swimming and traveling, where she spawns ideas for ways to insert experiences of beauty and wonder into her designs. When she’s not in the office, you’ll catch her making bouquets from her garden and breathing fresh air with the people she loves.
Allyssa Williams
Designer
Allyssa’s experience includes high-performance university campuses, socially centered civic plazas, and pedestrian-centered street design in the Sonoran Desert. In addition to conceptual design for concrete and steel, her contributions include the creation of publications and project books, the research of social identities, and tools for public engagement. She holds an MLA degree from Harvard GSD, coursework from MIT, and a BSLA from Arizona State University. Her areas or study included contaminated hydrological systems and community-led design. She is dedicated to the creation of poetic and community-led environments that communicate the ecological and cultural conditions of their region.
Amelia Kane-Hester
Associate
An experienced landscape designer and planner with a demonstrated history working in the public and private sectors. Amelia’s career has enabled her to create an urban placemaking program, to design sports complexes and higher education campuses and to learn the inner workings of residential development. An athlete by nature that loves to paint and draw, Amelia hopes that her love for the outdoors, adventures and creative solutions shines through to her work.
Andrew Ehat
Marketing and Administrative Coordinator
Andrew Ehat is a graduate from New Mexico State University with a degree in Business Administration. Having been living in the desert for the last few years, the Mountains were calling. Durango is home and having interned for DHM a few years ago it was a perfect fit. With an impressive customer service background, photography skills and willingness to learn Andrew adds extra value that is hard to find. In his free time he tries to stay outdoors as much as he can with passions including golfing, hiking, fishing, snowboarding and snowshoeing.
Audrey McLaughlin
Senior Associate
Audrey develops responsible and innovative design solutions for public and private landscapes that respect and intuitively consider the ecological, social, historical, economic and aesthetic integrity of a place. Audrey is passionate about understanding how natural and cultural systems work and how they can be created, enhanced, and revitalized through thoughtful design solutions. She communicates through computer graphics and is incredibly talented with 3D modeling.
Bill Gotthelf
Senior Associate
Bill has a broad range of design and project management experience across the public and private sectors, from the densest urban settings in the East to the wide expanses of western national parks. As a landscape architect with the New York City Parks Department, he gained extensive experience designing and constructing city parks, playgrounds, piers, and promenades, as well as restoring coastal wetlands and preserving historic structures and landscapes. Bill’s work in the West includes projects with the National Park Service and National Forest Service, state and local governments, and developers of commercial, residential, and resort properties. Bill’s diversity of experience is a valuable resource in developing solutions that enhance the unique qualities of each project.
Cammie Willis
Associate
Cammie hopes to inspire others to respect and care about the environment through landscape design. In order to achieve this objective, she strives to incorporate sustainable and artistic design solutions that positively impact the environment while simultaneously improving human quality of life. Her personal interests in the field of landscape architecture include planting design, preserving natural systems, designing for the public sector, and creating stimulating learning landscapes for children.
Cara Frihauf
Administrative Assistant
Having recently worked for the Durango School District in various positions, Cara has lived in Durango for most of her life and loves hiking and paddleboarding. As grandma to two adorable kids, she loves any time they can be together. DHM has sparked a new appreciation for landscape architecture and the many talented people who collaborate to produce beautiful outdoor spaces!
Chris Brandt
Senior Associate
As a landscape architect, Chris has substantial experience in design, in-depth construction detailing, and hand drawn graphics. A native Oregonian transplanted to Colorado, his professional interests gravitate towards the sustainable use of water and the thoughtful inclusion of rainwater as a design amenity. His knowledge of materials paired with a strong understanding of construction methods has contributed to a richly diverse group of built environments.
Christopher Fortin
Associate
Christopher joined DHM Design as a graduate of Colorado State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. He was a 2015 Student Merit ASLA Award winner for showcasing outstanding projects throughout his time at Colorado State. Christopher is interested in designing landscapes that allow the user to interact, learn, observe nature and implement unique artistic elements of design. When he’s not at work he enjoys fishing, golfing, and being a handyman at home. Christopher also leads the Denver office’s Sketch Club which aims to provide encouragement, motivation and inspiration for sketching in public.
Dayton Knutson
Natural Resource Specialist
Dayton has worked in the conservation and natural resource management field for his entire career. He has spent the last 6 years conducting field investigations, technical resource analysis, and conservation planning for private and public lands. He specializes on invasive species ecology and management, applied soil health practices, and rangeland ecology and restoration. Dayton has planned and implemented large scale irrigation and grazing infrastructure projects, as well as smaller organic certified niche operations – all throughout the western slope of Colorado. With extensive experience working with a variety of stakeholder including, municipalities, private landowners, federal agencies, and NGO’s, he has a depth of knowledge on natural resource management and geospatial applications.
Erin Anderson
Senior Designer
Erin joined the DHM Denver office as a 2020 graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture. She is interested in landscapes that inspire and provide for people that surround them, both mentally and physically. Her design philosophy is that landscape is not only art, but a shaped form creating bigger pieces of a system. In her free time, you can find Erin exploring Colorado, kayaking, or line dancing.
Garrett Watkins
Senior Associate
Garrett is a graduate from the University of Oregon. He received his Bachelor Degree in Architecture with a minor in Environmental Studies. His interest in Landscape Architecture revolves around the understanding of place and how designers can create meaningful solutions for people and their surroundings to engage with one another. With a degree in Architecture, Garrett’s early work focused on the interaction between the built environment and systems of landscapes. With three years of professional work in the field, Garrett has become passionate in how 3D modeling can help quickly communicate the many challenges and solutions designers face throughout various phases of design.
Grace Chapel
Marketing/Proposal Coordinator
Grace joins DHM with a background in public engagement and proposal development, having graduated with her Masters in Economic Policy and moved from New Orleans to Denver in 2023. She is learning to knit and lives with her adorable but slightly destructive cat Louie.
Jacob Nester
Project Manager
Jacob is a creative and competent project manager with years of design and construction experience. He is a driven designer with innovative approaches towards fulfilling functional needs. His inventive project approach, with roots in construction application lends a unique product that is aesthetically appealing while remaining pertinent to the project goals. His inventive project approach, with roots in construction application, produces a unique product that is aesthetically appealing while remaining pertinent to each project’s goals.
Jess Farrier
Proposal Manager
Jess is a graduate of CSU Fort Collins and joined our DHM marketing team as a Proposal Coordinator in 2018. Her previous experience includes work at a local engineering firm and she has a degree from CSU in Business Administration and Management. When she’s not working she is with her family and friends enjoying the outdoors. Jess also loves watching her baby girl learn and grow.
Josh Spinner
Associate
Josh is inspired by people. As a designer, creating places for people is a priority he considers in every project. He believes design is the tool that can solve problems at any site or scale, helping close inequality gaps and promoting higher levels of social and environmental justice. From hand sketches to three dimensional models, Josh is great at seamlessly working between software programs to produce the most dynamic and compelling graphics to convey a design idea. He remains involved with students at his alma mater, the University of Colorado Denver, assisting in portfolio workshops, sharing experiences in professional practice, and providing graphic tips and tricks.
Kaitlin Weber
Associate
Kaitlin joined our Denver office in 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from Colorado State University. She has a passion for landscapes that create a connection between people and the nature around them through thoughtful design and aesthetic. Having grown up in Colorado, she understands the significance of the American West and strives to reflect that in her work. Kaitlin finds inspiration not only in nature but in the healing aspects that our work can embody. In her free time, Kaitlin loves spending time with her husband and their families. Together, they enjoy going on outdoor adventures with their dog Bosko.
Kirsten Penick
Senior Designer
Kirsten is a graduate from Ball State University with a degree in Landscape Architecture. She fell in love with the profession because of the merging of art and science and how they can influence creating impactful public spaces. She hopes to inspire others to care and respect about the environment through landscape design. She bikes to work every day and in her free time is an avid pickleball player.
Meg Robie
Associate
Meg is a licensed landscape architect and seasoned project manager with a passion for connecting people to the outdoors through design. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Meg is drawn to projects that infuse green space into communities that directly benefit from this increased access to the environment. She has eleven years of experience predominantly focused on public sector landscape architecture and planning projects. Meg’s expertise as a project manager spans all phases of the design process, from schematic design through construction administration. Meg’s diverse background from small scale gardens and trails to large scale public sector work make her a valuable asset to the DHM Design team.
Melissa Belmar
Senior Environmental Planner
Melissa has worked on the conservation and management of natural resources in the Western US for the entirety of her career. Her experience includes conducting field investigations concerning wildlife and plants, technical report writing and impact analyses for environmental compliance, GIS data analysis and mapping, and planning recreational opportunities with natural resources in mind. Melissa has worked for clients in the government, private, and non-profit sectors, including a variety of federal and state land management agencies. As an avid recreationist herself, Melissa is passionate about exploring public lands while working to understand and conserve the natural resources that depend on their existence.
Michaela Kaiser
Senior Associate
Michaela has a deep appreciation of nature and the built environment along with a commitment to resourcefulness. Her passion for land stewardship and conservation began with her rural background and drew her to the profession of Landscape Architecture. Michaela strives to design creative, functional and engaging spaces for all and has worked on projects ranging from the Pikes Peak Summit Complex to Aurora Sports Park Expansion. Her travels continue to heighten her awareness of cultural values and the power of place.
Paige Ida
Senior Associate
Driven by her passion to connect people to the outdoors, Paige is a skilled landscape architect specializing in recreation, civic, and community projects. With projects spanning across the country, Paige plays a key role in project coordination, design, and construction documentation. She is motivated to transform sites to positively impact both the user experience and natural environment. From the initial site visit to the final punch walk, she is inspired by the design process and collaborative nature of the profession. She actively engages with the local ASLA Colorado chapter and enjoys volunteering at community events.
Sheena Kerstiens
Associate
Sheena joined DHM Design in June of 2016 with an interest in landscapes that allow us to interact and explore the world around us. She likes to connect people to the land and brings a thoughtful aesthetic to recreation and civic projects. Most recently, Sheena has worked on historic trails at Gettysburg National Monument, a meaningful Veterans Memorial for Adam’s County in Colorado and all abilities playgrounds within some of our region’s most interactive local parks. On her own time, she enjoys the outdoors with her dog Shelby and is an avid photographer as she explores our beautiful state.
Susan Chism
Landscape Architect
Licensed in Colorado, Susan has over 22 years of experience specializing in high end residential projects and has extensive construction administration experience. A Maryland native, she attended Penn State University where she earned a BS in Landscape Architecture. Since moving to Colorado in 1999, she is finally getting to try living on the grid and is excited to take up bike commuting. In her free time she enjoys yoga, skiing, cheering on her son at BMX races, and having a vegetable garden.
Stephanie Treacy
Designer
Stephanie is a landscape designer committed to designing beautiful, innovative, and regenerative environments. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture, a minor in Sustainability, and studied environmentally-based philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her passion in the field is creating sustainable plans that keep the planet’s natural resources intact and provide a better quality of life for future generations. Her admiration for nature continues through her love for hiking. She also enjoys sewing, baking, and caring for animals.
Todd Myers
Visualization and Website Specialist
Todd joins the Durango studio team with expertise in 3D visualizations and website development. He holds a degree from Colorado State University – Pueblo and has lived in Durango for almost a decade. Todd combines creativity with practicality to inspire and inform his design processes. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors, working on personal art projects and spending time with his family.
Tommy Swenson
Designer
Tommy is a recent graduate from North Dakota State University. As a designer, he enjoys experiencing and observing how people interact with their environment. Tommy is passionate about spending time outdoors which is what led him to the profession of Landscape Architecture. With a strong focus on recreation and civic spaces, Tommy combines creativity with practicality to inspire and inform the design process.
Whitney Bretz
Senior Designer
Originally from Golden, CO, Whitney moved to Bozeman, MT to attend Montana State University. She worked in Boise for a few years before moving to Carbondale to join DHM. Whitney volunteered for the STEM Future City Competition earlier this year and is a trained pastry baker!