The right people make all the difference.

Teska's team of innovative planners, placemakers and landscape architects come fully charged with the skills and ethos to deliver winning solutions! As individuals, our team is composed of an array of talents and perspectives. As a team, we share a common set of values and interests, and really dig each others' company. We love what we do and apply that passion on the daily.

Passionate

dependable

Creative

Engaging

Responsive

Communicators

AllAssociatesSenior AssociatesPrincipals
Principal

Michael Blue

President

Lee Brown

Senior Planner

Carol Brobeck

Associate Landscape Designer

Lacey Carlson

Associate Landscape Designer

Alisa Courey

Principal

Erin Cigliano

Associate Urban Designer

Greta Diaz

Associate Planner

Yuchen Ding

Andrew Bio Photo
Associate Planner

Andrew Dunham

Associate Planner

Benito Garcia

Principal

Scott Goldstein

Vice President

Mike Hoffman

Associate Principal

Pete Iosue

Senior Landscape Architect

Christen Little

Jodi Mariano, PLA · Principal Urban Designer
Principal Urban Designer

Jodi Mariano

Associate Principal

Danny O’Brian

Senior Vice President

Nicholas Patera

Senior Planner

Francesca Sallinger Lawrence

Senior Landscape Architect

Dominic Suardini

Associate Planner

Emma Swanson

Senior Landscape Architect

Jillian Troiani Benoist

Associate Urban Designer

Gabi Ebikeme

Principal Financial Officer

Sara Voelz

Principal

Michael Blue

Michael Blue, FAICP · Michael’s time working in both the public and private sectors of planning have given him an eclectic perspective of the field and how consultants can best serve communities.  Prior to joining Teska in 2013, Michael was the Director of Community Development in Highland Park, IL for 11 years. There he managed a department of 30 staff, worked on a range of planning projects, refined the Department’s organization, supported City Council and Commission activities, and managed passage and implementation of the City’s affordable housing ordinance. Prior to Highland Park Michael was Deputy Community Development Director for the Village of Mount Prospect, IL, managing planning, building permit and code enforcement efforts.

Now as a consultant (having also worked as a planning consultant out of college), Michael brings an implementation oriented approach to his work. As he is fond of saying “Plans must absolutely be aspirational, but there has to be a practical side to them”. In addition to comprehensive and area plans, Michael’s work at Teska involves updating zoning and development codes, preparing strategic plans, and providing organizational and staff development.

Michael has long been active in the local and national leadership of the American Planning Association. He currently is the Planning Officials Development Officer for the IL – APA; that committee holds Plan Commissioners training sessions throughout the State and is a program for which he and others received the organization’s Distinguished Service Award. Michael regularly shares his work experience through sessions at state and national conferences, and guest lecturer opportunities in university classes.

Professional Affiliations
Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP)
American Planning Association (APA)
Lambda Alpha Economics Society
Planning Officials Development Officer for the Illinois Chapter of the APA

Email:mblue (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9722

Hometown:Evanston, IL

Spent:Lots of time as a kid collecting stamps at the Chandlers Building

Loves:Visiting LA (Lower Alabama)

Considers:College basketball the best of all sports

Confession:Happily admits to being a Parrothead

President

Lee Brown

With more than thirty-five years of professional experience in planning, Lee Brown, FAICP has a diverse background in comprehensive community planning, urban design, development regulations and real estate economics and is particularly adept at facilitating public/private partnerships for community revitalization.

As President of Teska Associates, Inc., Mr. Brown serves as principal-in-charge on a wide variety of projects which utilize his extensive site planning skills and considerable economic development experience including real estate feasibility analysis, Tax Increment Finance, fiscal impact analysis, market analysis, capital improvement programming, municipal budgeting and financing.

In both public service and as a consultant planner for municipalities, he has developed special expertise in drafting, administration and enforcement of zoning and subdivision controls, growth management strategies, and design review regulations. His work with communities on infill and redevelopment has allowed him to apply his expertise in both conventional and traditional neighborhood environments.

Professional Affiliations
Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners

Email:lbrown (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9721

About:Unabashed urbanite

Prefers:Backpacking to car camping… it’s the original social distancing

Enjoys:Public engagement meetings; less chaotic than dinner at home

Sister:Will never forgive him for disassembling her radio

Senior Planner

Carol Brobeck

Carol Brobeck, AICP joined Teska after earning her Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before becoming a planner, Carol was a farmer, barista, and ESL teacher. Now short stints compared to her time in the planning world, those experiences taught her the importance of (1) small, local businesses, (2) our “third” places and spaces, and (3) that people from very different places are often no more different than you and your neighbor. Carol is first and foremost an observer whose background in sociology and deep commitment to forging greater symbiosis with nature lead her to focus on long-term, equitable solutions.

At Teska, Carol spends her time on data analysis, zoning evaluation, translation, distilling objectives, and sustainable and realistic strategies. Carol’s experience lies most prominently in long-range planning processes, feasibility studies, and designation of economic development tools (TIFs, SSAs), and making the planning process more accessible via Spanish translation.

Professional Affiliations
American Planning Association
American Institute of Certified Planners


Email:cbrobeck (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9725

Hometown:Wilder, ID (younger years), Las Vegas, NV (older years), Berea, KY (college years)

Hobbies:Tango, rescuing items from secondhand stores and keeping her houseplants alive

Superpowers:Can recognize most languages by their script

Secretly:Wants to breathe life back into buildings like Nicole Curtis

Obsession:Collecting friends from every corner of the world

Associate Landscape Designer

Lacey Carlson

Lacey Carlson, ASLA joined Teska with a background in residential site design and landscape architecture, including suburban and large estate. She gained a strong horticultural base while working at Craig Bergmann Landscape Design where she learned about creating lush and intricate planting designs. Lacey is a passionate person and she is eager to learn about anything and everything, both within the field of landscape architecture and outside of it. Within the field she is interested in green systems, streetscape design, urban design, park design, and art in the landscape.

She graduated from Purdue University with her Bachelors in Landscape Architecture and a minor in Studio Fine Arts in 2014. She is an active member of the Illinois Chapter of the ASLA and enjoys volunteering for events and advocacy opportunities. She has a strong love for history and believes the preservation of historic landscapes and architecture is very important.

Professional Affiliations
American Society of Landscape Architects

Email:lcarlson (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9735

Addiction:Beach combing

Teaches:Color guard on the weekends

Random Fact:If she could be on any show it would be Flea Market Flip

Associate Landscape Designer

Alisa Courey

Alisa Courey has always been drawn to the outdoors. As a kid growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, afternoons were spent scaling trees and building survivor-style “shelters”. Her interest in and connection to our natural environment continued to take root while attending Iowa State University, earning a Bachelors in Landscape Architecture with Minors in Urban Studies and Sustainability. Today, Alisa applies her passion for preservation and revitalization so many more generations of children (and adults alike) can explore and enjoy the splendors of our natural playground. 

Her skills as a landscape designer traverse a broad range of software terrain and technical topography; from the flatlands of CAD and precision-based line work, to 2D illustrative renderings and bringing site plans to life in the 3rd dimension. With prior experience working for community visioning and design build firms, Alisa recognizes the important relationship between landscape design and built form. How plans look and feel when they come off the page and into reality, and what spaces and places feel like when you move through them. 

Alisa is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and is actively working towards visiting every National Park in the United States. Over a baker’s dozen down and 50 to go!

Email:acourey (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 868-9902

Hometown:Sioux City, Iowa

Pet:Cat named Kida

Hobbies:Hiking, Biking, Hammocking, Camping + Board Games

Bucket List:Visit every US National Park

Principal

Erin Cigliano

Erin Cigliano, AICP is a people place planner and creative strategist that has been engaging communities for 15+ years. Her expertise focuses on bridging human-centered communication tools with thoughtfully structured events to build community involvement and consensus. From neighborhood and downtown plans, to comprehensive engagement efforts, strategic visioning and site specific developments, Erin has worked on a diversity of project types and sizes. Specialties include facilitation, mind mapping, data visualization, web development, graphic design, youth engagement, video production, writing, and information architecture. Erin is an expert in the Adobe Creative Suite, website development, CSS, HTML, and a range of video production platforms. By merging the application of outreach mediums with tech and creative thinking, Erin builds project momentum and ensures processes and plans are inviting, inclusive, and inspired.


Recent projects include the Frankfort Comprehensive Plan (APA-IL Daniel Burnham Award for Comprehensive Plan), Imagine Dubuque Comprehensive Plan (APA-IA Outreach Award Winner), Wicker Park Bucktown Master Plan (APA-IL Outreach Award Winner), Evanston Central Street Special Service Areas, Deer Park Strategic Plan, Winnetka Downtown Master Plan, Historic West Des Moines Master Plan, Lincoln Square Master Plan, and has served as the planner for the Village of Deer Park, Illinois since 2015.

Erin graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with a Bachelors in Urban Planning. She is an active member of the American Planning Association Illinois Chapter and serves on the Board for The Wabash Lights, a non-profit public arts initiative. A lover of historic preservation, Erin lives in a Chicago bungalow (built in 1923) in the Old Irving Park neighborhood with her husband, son, and rescue pup, Lou Dog.

Professional Affiliations
American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
American Planning Association
Wabash Lights Board Member


Email:ecigliano (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9733

Mantra:More fun, more done

Likes:Bringing ppl together for a good time

Roots:Edgewater, Chicago - Whitney Young Alum

Hobbies:Plant propagation, camping, power tools

Associate Urban Designer

Greta Diaz

Greta Diaz is a passionate urban designer who believes the little details shape how we experience and interact with places. Equipped with a design obsession and architectural degree from the Central University of Venezuela, Greta hones in on the intersection of development patterns, local history and culture to celebrate the multifaceted nature of projects. Experienced in Lumion, AutoCAD, Sketchup, and Adobe, her software chops and visual eye bring big ideas to life.

Prior to moving to Chicago from her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, Greta worked on a variety of projects including the coastal development of Venezuela’s Vargas State, the renovation of the seashore and its connection with the city. A proud resident of Lakeview, Chicago, when not busy helping shape great places and communities, you can find Greta out exploring them on foot, bike or roller skate!

Email:gdiaz (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9731

Hometown:Caracas, Venezuela

Pets:A handsome cat named Papelón

Happy Place:Isla Margarita

Hobbies:Board games, photography, tennis, biking and learning new skills (newest: roller skating)

Associate Planner

Yuchen Ding

Yuchen Ding, AICP, LEED AP ND is known for pairing his creativity in urban planning and design with his technical background. He joined Teska after having served as Associate Planner for the Village of Plainfield. Working in the heart of a growing community allowed Yuchen to manage a full array of planning cases—from those involving large national developers to others involving longtime residents and businesses. He regularly served as staff liaison to the Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic Preservation Commission, and Board of Trustees. In addition, he conducted municipal planning affairs such as amending zoning ordinances, reviewing and processing all types of planning applications, facilitating historic preservation requests and landmark identifications, and responding to planning inquiries. Yuchen drew upon his technical experience to design numerous publications for the Village’s presentations, community events, media posts, and economic development outreach.

While pursuing his master’s degree in Urban Planning with a concentration of Physical Planning and Design at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Yuchen interned with the Cities of Ferndale and Dexter in Michigan. Prior to his time in Michigan, he graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning and a minor in Landscape Studies.

Yuchen has a wide interest in planning and design and a persistent passion to remain on the cutting-edge of new practices in the field. His life experiences have drawn him toward transit-oriented development, complete street design, and mixed-use development, among many other pursuits. His academic background and professional experience feature sophisticated technical skills, including Adobe Create Suite, SketchUp, V-Ray, Lumion, AutoCAD, and ArcGIS. Yuchen is certified by the AICP and is a LEED Accredited Professional for Neighborhood Development.

Professional Affiliations:

American Planning Association
American Institute of Certified Planners
U.S. Green Building Council

Email:yding (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(815) 439-1368

Hometown:Shanghai

Hobbies:Traveling, riding public transit when available in a new city, cooking, collecting die cast jet models, fencing (looking to join a club in Chicagoland)

Goal:Visit every state in America (so far 30)

Believes:Country music and ballads are the best

Associate Planner

Andrew Dunham

Andrew Dunham (but you can call him Andy) specializes in urban design, with a keen focus on community engagement and putting ideas to paper throughout the planning process. Skilled at a variety of communication tools, technology and techniques — Andy shapes vibrant multimedia dialogues with clients. From hand drawn sketches to Rhino modeling and ArcMap, he demystifies data and helps communities visualize their collective goals.

Having worked at local, state and non-profit levels across the Midwest and South, Andy approaches planning from a variety of angles. He has assisted in placemaking efforts, transportation planning and modeling, numerous economic development initiatives, entitlements, and the development coordination of residential, mixed-use, and commercial projects.

Before joining Teska, Andy worked as a planner at Norris Design in Aurora, Colorado, and Cumberland CID and Central Atlanta Progress, both based in Atlanta, Georgia. Applying this experience with his skills and passion, he helps create impactful, vibrant, and resilient spaces.

Experienced in graphic communication, skills include Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator; modeling in SketchUp, AutoCAD, and Rhino; and geographic and quantitative communication through ArcMap, ArcGIS online, and QGIS.

Andrew graduated with his Masters in City & Regional Planning from Georgia Tech, with a specialty in Urban Design. He earned his B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Email:adunham (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 881-8700

Hometown:West Rogers Park, Chicago

Enjoys:Visiting old buildings, drawing them, then finding a geocache

Aspirations (superpower):Getting the White Sox to win another World Series

Eats:Banh Mi

Happy Place:Dominica (particularly the Layou River)

Collects:Bobblehead wooden turtles

Associate Planner

Benito Garcia

Benito Garcia, LEED AP BD+C · Benito’s professional career has been an experimental and insightful journey through architecture, sustainability, and planning + design. Working his way up from the nonprofit, public, and private sectors has provided him experience in understanding the development process at different scales. Identifying the objective of a project and laying out a blueprint is one of the first steps to coming up with the solution.

Benito was a project manager at Transwestern Sustainability Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin supervising construction projects pursuing LEED certification before joining Teska. He also spent time with the Department of Planning and Development in Chicago, Illinois focusing on the TIFWorks Program while also working at the West Town Chamber of Commerce carrying out sustainability initiatives and streetscape/corridor improvements as part of the West Town Five-Year Master Plan.

In his spare time, you can catch Benito sketching, building at-home projects, bike riding, and listening to 80s music.

Professional Affiliations
U.S. Green Building Council LEED AP BD+C

Email:bgarcia (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9730

Hometown:Bridgeport, Chicago

Pet:Turtle named "Taco"

Likes:Motorcycles

Superpower:Meme and GIF Master

Alias:Teska's In-House Weatherman

Principal

Scott Goldstein

Scott Goldstein, FAICP, LEED AP specializes in mobilizing implementation of projects at the intersection of community and economic development. Since his first job at a large community development corporation in New York to his dozen years at the Metropolitan Planning Council, and now as a principal at Teska, he brings his passion and commitment to help communities reach their potential.

Since joining Teska, Scott has led plans and community development strategies throughout the Chicago region and across the U.S. Past projects have included leading quality of life and community development plans in a dozen Chicago neighborhoods. His work has led to the creation of new organizations that have grown out of local planning efforts, including the West Bloomington Revitalization Projects in Bloomington, IL and the Lake County Land Bank which is repurposing vacant and abandoned properties. He has also jump started implementation efforts including the Aspire Initiative, a multi-organization effort around early childhood, affordable housing and workforce training in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago.

Nationally, he has provided technical assistance and facilitated planning efforts with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), NeighborWorks America, Habitat for Humanity International and Vectren Foundation. He has also led several plans in Greensboro, NC including an award-winning sustainability plan and the redevelopment of a large former public housing development into a mixed-income community.

Professional Affiliations
Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners
U.S. Green Building Council LEED AP
Chair of Mission Advancement and Advisory Board member for the Urban Land Institute Chicago
Teaches urban policy in the MPPA program at Northwestern University in Chicago and Evanston
Past Chair of the Village of Wilmette Plan Commission
Chicago Advisory Committee for North Park University

Email:sgoldstein (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9724

Special Skill:Translating Jargon into English

First Job Location:Banana Kelly Community Improvement Assoc., Bronx, NY

Vice President

Mike Hoffman

Mike Hoffman, PLA, AICP has been helping communities define and achieve their vision for over 35 years, including the last 29 with Teska. He has served as project manager for over 30 comprehensive plans, predominately for small and mid-sized communities and counties. His practice has focused on business district and corridor revitalization, development review, and preparation of modern zoning and appearance codes. Landscape architectural assignments have ranged from large scale land planning for a 1,500 acre mixed use development to Graves Family Park in Seneca and landscape design for the Morris City Hall. Creation and management of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts is also a specialty of Mr. Hoffman, having helped create over 20 TIF’s.

Mike holds an MBA from Texas A&M University and a BLA from the University of Illinois. He served as Chairman of the Mount Prospect Plan Commission and the Downtown Strategic Plan Ad Hoc Committee. Prior to joining Teska, he held positions with J.T. Dunkin & Associates in Dallas TX and with the City of Allen TX. He has completed the National Charrette Institute (NCI) training course. Example projects include Comprehensive Plans for Dubuque, Iowa, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Zoning Ordinances for Diamond and Plainfield, Illinois, and serving as on-going planning consultant to Morris, Olympia Fields, and Kankakee.

Professional Affiliations
Professional Landscape Architect (PLA)
American Institute of Certified Planners
American Planning Association (APA)
New Life for Haiti Board Member

Email:mhoffman (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(815) 436-9485

Favorite Concert:Van Morrison in Newcastle, Ireland

Loves:Long-term relationships (over 20 years in Kendall County and 10 years in Morris and Olympia Fields)

Freetime:Helps direct the annual Joliet Cares free clinic (10+ years)

Talents:Plays three different instruments (not at the same time), and even sings a little on the worship team at church

Recent Travel:Mission trip with ‘New Life for Haiti’

Associate Principal

Pete Iosue

Pete Iosue, AICP is a community planner with advanced expertise in Tax Increment Financing, development review, and zoning code / ordinance rewrites. With over 20+ years of experience, Pete has led dozens of successful economic development projects throughout the Midwest. Recent client communities in Illinois include Bedford Park, Beecher, Berkeley, DeWitt County, Lyons, North Aurora, Palos Heights, Rochelle and Woodstock. Prior to joining Teska, he served as the Assistant City Planner for the City of Hammond, Indiana where he provided staff support for the Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Historic Preservation Commission, and lead a joint project in cooperation with the City of Chicago for the designation of the Illinois – Indiana State Line Boundary Marker as an historic landmark.

Professional Affiliations
American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)

Email:piosue (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(815) 436-9485

Side Hustle:Amateur Astronomer

Likes:Heavy metal, ancient Rome, greyhounds, whiskey and baseball

Mantra:Everything Italian

Senior Landscape Architect

Christen Little

Christen Little, PLA, ASLA is a landscape-nerd through and through. The world is her playground and somewhere along the way she wants to design the best swing set. To Christen, a successful landscape is the marriage of the user and the environment; one that threads together moments and events into a narrative. The beauty of that narrative is that its ever evolving giving the user a new experience each time – art at its finest.

Before joining Teska Associates, Inc., Christen Little worked in landscape maintenance which has proven invaluable to the way she designs today. That experience informs both plant selection and placement, ensuring that designs perform well, mature beautifully, and improve the environment. Christen then ran the design department at Moore Landscapes, Inc where she contributed to a wide variety of projects ranging from seasonal color for Chicago Park District’s Annual displays to award-winning, corporate campus landscape renovations.

Christen holds a Bachelors in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University (2013) with a minor in Entrepreneurism and is certified landscape architect in multiple states in the Midwest.

Professional Affiliations
Professional Landscape Architect (PLA)
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

Email:clittle (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 869-2015

Motto:The water is calling, I must go...

Side-Hustle:Woodworking business with her husband

Fact:I’m a landscape-nerd? Ask my backyard...

Believes:Live music is an energy that feeds the soul

Principal Urban Designer

Jodi Mariano

Armed with a design addiction and a passion for people places, Jodi Mariano blends her backgrounds in architecture and landscape architecture to guide the firm’s public place practice, including the development of vibrant streetscapes, plazas, parks, and signage programs. Since joining Teska, Jodi’s work incorporates engaging community processes that guide creative public place design.

Notable community-based placemaking projects completed under Jodi’s supervision include the Wilmette Downtown Streetscape (APWA Chicago Metro Public Works Project of the Year), Evanston Fountain Square Plaza (APA-IL Implementation Award), Lockport Downtown Streetscape (APWA Southwest Branch Public Works Project of the Year), Skokie’s Talking Farm (APA-IL Sustainability Award), Lincoln Square Master Plan / Ainslie Arts Plaza and Wilmette Public Library Renovations,

Jodi has instructed at the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, teaching in the Garden Design Certificate Program. A fan of music, the lakefront and gardening, Jodi lives with her husband, two kiddos and a pair of kitties in the Ravinia neighborhood.

Professional Affiliations
Professional Landscape Architect (PLA)
Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB)

Email:jmariano (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9734

About:Big picture thinker with an eye for detail

Superpowers:Drawing (and writing) upside down

Happy Place:Potter’s wheel and my garden

Motto:Since kid-hood, I always got a lot of joy from making things and am so lucky to be doing that still!

Associate Principal

Danny O’Brian

Danny O’Brian, PLA, ASLA employs the design process and the principles of landscape design to discover creative and thoughtful solutions for every scale of project. He believes well planned landscapes are dynamic, alive, and ever-changing. To Danny, it is his responsibility to create healthy and safe environments that improve the welfare and success of all of its users.

Since joining Teska Associates, Inc., Mr. O’Brian has worked on a wide variety of projects including: land planning, residential infill, residential site planning, planned use developments, mixed used developments, healthcare campus planning, senior residential, a various other real estate marketing developments.

Before joining Teska, Mr. O’Brian acquired 6 years experience as a Landscape Architect and Designer primarily focusing on a wide variety of projects including highly detailed urban and suburban residential design, rooftop gardens, church memorial gardens, and corporate campuses, and a variety of other site design opportunities in the Chicago-land Area, Lake Geneva, and Milwaukee.

Mr. O’Brian holds a Bachelors in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University (2010). He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and since 2014, is a registered Landscape Architect in the state of Illinois.

Professional Affiliations
Professional Landscape Architect (PLA)
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

Email:dobrian (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9729

Design + Culinary Mantra:“Keep it Simple, Keep it Fresh”

Every Solution:Is a fresh marker and a roll of trace paper away

Successful Design:Should respect the past and look to the future

Believes:“Patience is a Virtue”

Senior Vice President

Nicholas Patera

Nicholas Patera, PLA · Nick is known for creative ingenuity and collaborative problem-solving. For over four decades he has demonstrated a unique ability to provide distinctive site and landscape architectural design solutions to enhance his clients’ ambitions. Using a fresh creative approach allows each assignment to express its own unique personality and provide a memorable user experience.

Nick started his professional Landscape Architectural and Site Design career in San Francisco, where he worked as a registered California Landscape Architect for ten years. Nick returned to his Midwest roots and brought his talent to Teska Associates in 1987. He has worked across the country and overseas creating plans for a wide range of scales from new towns and mixed-use communities, conservation planning, hospitals and healthcare, senior residential, resorts, camps, and clubs to parks, plazas, streetscape, waterfronts, and individual residences.

As Senior Vice President in charge of landscape architecture for Teska Associates, Inc. Mr. Patera is responsible for a wide range of diverse site planning and design projects. His scope of experience ranges from land planning for a new planned community of 35,000 residents to downtown and streetscape design, site planning, and testimony for traditional neighborhood developments and a wide range of residential, commercial, regional shopping centers, resort, and industrial land planning, and landscape architectural designs.

Highlight projects include planning for resorts in Jamaica West Indies, California, and Lake Geneva, Wi., campgrounds in Canada, Virginia, and Maine, community planning on the Gulf of Mexico and south Texas, over 50 planned conservation open space and senior community neighborhoods in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Michigan, over 1,000 acres of properties in Chicago’s North Shore communities including historic landscapes, Parks, Clubs, and several senior and healthcare campus plans in the Chicago metropolitan area, Evanston, Highland Park, Skokie and Glenview, Il.

Mr. Patera holds a B.L.A., Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts from the School of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois (Urbana). He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and is a registered Landscape Architect in both Illinois and California.

Professional Affiliations
Professional Landscape Architect

Email:npatera (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9720

Superpower:Being partly an aquatic creature allows me to get in touch with land and sea

Measures:The success of a design by seeing people enjoying it

Mantra:Design begins as a vision; close your eyes, feel the spirit, engage your mind and soul, your pencil will follow

Senior Planner

Francesca Sallinger Lawrence

Francesca Sallinger Lawrence, AICP interests and experience span from community and economic development to neighborhood planning and transportation equity. She enjoys combining data analysis, mapping, and research to understand communities and collaboratively plan for their futures.

Francie has worked in the non-profit, public, and private sectors and with communities of all sizes, from rural towns to large cities. In all places, she has seen the importance of authentic and wide-reaching engagement. She passionately pursues this goal with the rest of the Teska team through the firm’s commitment to creative and meaningful community outreach.

Prior to joining Teska, Francie worked on transit-oriented development initiatives at the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), at Alta Planning + Design as a bike + pedestrian planner, and in Washington D.C. as a Transportation Policy and Finance Fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation. While pursuing her master’s degree, she also worked as a Community + Economic Development Graduate Assistant with the University of Illinois Extension. An experienced user of the Adobe Creative Suite, ArcMap, and ArcGIS Online, Francie loves to create compelling and fun graphics and maps. She is currently working towards AICP Certification.

Professional Affiliations
American Institute of Certified Planners
American Planning Association (APA)
Women in Planning + Development


Email:fslawrence (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9728

Hometown:Rogers Park, Chicago

Once:Spent 2-weeks in an RV traveling the western half of the United States

Credits:Her mom for her love of cities, developed early on while exploring neighborhoods in a stroller

Senior Landscape Architect

Dominic Suardini

Dominic Suardini, PLA brings 20 years of work experience and graphic communication to the drawing board with a skillset versed in urban design, land planning, construction docs, and planning. Detail-oriented with ability to put on the planner hat, Dom understands ‘big picture thinking’ of community visioning and smaller-scale needs of vibrant streetscapes. His ability to execute projects from schematic design through construction, provides clients with a streamline experience and multiple creative solutions no matter how large or small the project.

Professional Affiliations
Professional Landscape Architect (PLA)

Email:dsuardini (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 869-2015

Official:“Yooper” and Tribal member of the “Pit River Tribe”

Hobbies:Biking, cooking, playing guitar, enjoying a nice craft beverage but certainly not at the same time, that would just be too much fun

Loves:The impact we have as designers and planners

Associate Planner

Emma Swanson

Emma Swanson enjoys using her skills in data analysis, community assessment, mapping, and research to fully understand communities and plan for their futures. Since joining Teska Associates Inc. in 2018, Emma has worked on a variety of projects including comprehensive plans, feasibility analyses, zoning updates, and assistance with ongoing municipal services and consulting. She has also developed and refined her design skills alongside her planning experience. Her abilities allow her to produce engaging outreach materials, effective project branding, compelling data visualization, and unique plan design.

Prior to joining Teska, Emma started her career at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) where she completed a year-long Local Planning internship while completing her graduate degree at DePaul University. In this role, she assisted staff with providing technical assistance to municipalities and non-profit partners throughout the Chicago Region.

Emma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Geography with a certification in Geographic Information Systems from DePaul University (2017) and a Master’s in Sustainable Urban Development from DePaul University (2018).

Emma is an experienced user of the Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, as well as ESRI mapping software, including ArcMap Desktop and ArcGIS Online, and SketchUp Pro. Emma also assists with Teska’s digital marketing and social media management.

Professional Affiliations
American Planning Association

Email:eswanson (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(815) 436-9485

Hometown:Mount Prospect, IL

Pets:A cat named Bilbo

Ask Me About:My Taylor Swift theories

Happy Place:Elkhart Lake, WI

Senior Landscape Architect

Jillian Troiani Benoist

Jillian Troiani Benoist, PLA, ASLA joined Teska after earning her Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado Denver. During her studies in Denver she held a position with Colorado Center for Community Development. At CCCD she worked with towns on the western slope of Colorado and through a series of community meetings, designed streetscapes, signage and wayfinding systems, community parks, playgrounds and regional parks. Prior to CCCD, she interned with the Chicago Park District cataloging their extensive historical archives of drawings and photos of Chicago Parks.

Jill’s background in painting and printmaking has translated well into her graphic visualization of spaces. She is proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, Sketchup Pro, drone photography/videography, and enjoys illustrating spaces through colorful visualizations and perspective renderings. Her interests in design include living walls/roofs, therapeutic landscapes, urban design, mutlimodal transportation and environmental justice.

Since joining Teska, Jill has become involved with projects such as Lincoln Square Master Plan, Ainslie Arts Plaza, Wilmette Downtown Streetscape, Kankakee’s Schuyler Avenue Streetscape project and gateway signage, Winnetka’s Streetscape and Signage Plan, Lake Zurich School District, Morris Downtown Masterplan, North Aurora Riverfront Park Plaza, Westminster Place Cottage Homes and Northwestern University’s landscape enhancements.”

Professional Affiliations
Professional Landscape Architect (PLA)
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

Email:jbenoist (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9742

Hometown:Chicagoland native raised on mostaccioli and pierogies

Owns:A mint green vespa

Loves:Traveling to new cities and trying out their public transit system

Arm Candy:Botanical tattoo of native Illinois wildflowers, grasses and ferns

Hobbies:Avid crafter

Associate Urban Designer

Gabi Ebikeme

Gabriela Ebikeme (or as we call her, Gabi!) is passionate about understanding the relationship between form and function, and enjoys the challenge of finding innovative ways to incorporate the unique characteristics of a site into the project. Her background in drawing and painting, combined with tech savvy computer skills, allows her to utilize Adobe Creative Suite and AutoCAD to produce captivating and well-balanced graphics. Since joining Teska, she has been involved on many projects including Mount Prospect’s Rand Road Wayfinding project, Joliet’s Olympic Boulevard Bridge and Streetscape project, and Evanston’s Chicago Ave Corridor project.

Gabi graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies and a minor in Urban studies. Prior to joining Teska, she worked at a full-service architectural firm in Des Plaines, Illinois creating renderings and leading marketing and website initiatives. While there she gained valuable insights about the construction and design process, and how to bring to life the many factors involved in a client’s vision.

Email:gebikeme (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9736

Loves:Any sport that involves water

Superpowers:Cooking sans recipe

Mantra:If you can DIY it, I've tried it

Left:Poland to move to the most polish city in the country

Principal Financial Officer

Sara Voelz

Sara Voelz joined Teska in 2004. From her first high-school job working at a bank, she has enjoyed accounting, and today she enthusiastically manages the financial side of Teska’s client relationships and internal operations. Over the past several years, she has worked with clients and partner firms to ensure that all of Teska’s billing documentation is precisely what clients need. Sara has also streamlined the firm’s internal bookkeeping and reporting procedures, so that Teska’s design professionals can spend more time serving clients and less time serving paperwork.

Email:svoelz (at) teskaassociates.com

Phone:(847) 563-9739

Fact:Probably hasn’t gone a day without using Excel since 1991

Superpower:Could happily eat pizza for dinner every night

Motto:Degree in Psychology more useful than you might expect

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