NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 23, 2006
Contact: Diane Brossart
Valley Forward Association
(602) 240-2408

VALLEY FORWARD ANNOUNCES JUDGES
FOR 26th ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

PHOENIX, AZ (August 23, 2006) – Win Holden, publisher of Arizona Highways and a longstanding community leader, has been named Lead Judge for Valley Forward’s Environmental Excellence Awards, Arizona’s oldest and most prominent competition of its kind. A Valley resident since 1980, Holden is the sixth publisher of Arizona Highways, a travel magazine circulated to 225,000 subscribers in every state and 122 countries.

A record number of entries were received for this year’s program, held inpartnership with SRP to recognize outstanding contributions to the sustainability of Valley communities. Dubbed the “Academy Awards” of the environmental community, the program will be presented on Friday, October 13 at the Phoenix Convention Center, the city’s newest green building.

Other jurists include: Art Jordan, director of commercial construction for Linthicum; Michael Pyatok, principal of Pyatok Architects and executive director of Stardust Center for Affordable Homes & the Family; Jeff Kratzke, vice president of Olsson Associates; Diane McClosky, a landscape architect and principal of McCloskey Peltz, Inc.; Philip J. Lagas, vice president of Brown & Caldwell; Charlene Saltz, water/natural resources agent at the University of Arizona’s Maricopa County Extension Office and with the Water Sustainability Program; Jeff Williamson, executive director of The Phoenix Zoo; and Laurie Lundquist, an artist, educator and principal of Willco Art and Design.

“We are privileged to have such a diverse and knowledgeable group of judges for this year’s competition,” said Diane Brossart, president of Valley Forward. “The group’s collective expertise represents each of the awards categories and lends additional credibility to this already established program.”

Entries in the competition encompass the following categories: buildings and structures; site development and landscape; open space and connectivity; art in public places; environmental technologies; environmental education/communication; environmental stewardship (SRP Award); and livable communities.

Nearly 700 business and civic leaders throughout the state are expected to attend the awards gala, which will feature a museum-quality exhibit of finalist entries, a multi-media presentation and gourmet dinner, followed by a reception.

Veteran newscaster Robin Sewell will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the program. After starting Lonetree Productions in 2003, Sewell acquired broadcast rights to the internationally known Arizona Highways magazine and created the first locally produced statewide syndicated show, Arizona Highways TV. Now in its second season, the show is number one in the ratings.

For reservations or additional information on Valley Forward’s Environmental Excellence Awards program call (602) 240-2408 or visit www.valleyforward.org.

Valley Forward is a non-profit organization that brings business, civic, and community leaders together to convene public dialogue on regional issues and to promote cooperative efforts to improve the environment and quality of life in the Valley.

Summarized biographies of the judges participating in Valley Forward’s 2006 Environmental Excellence Awards program follows:

ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS JUDGES:

Win Holden joined Arizona Highways Magazine as its sixth publisher on May 4, 2000. A Valley resident since 1980, Holden has held positions as general manager of the Publishing Division of MAC America Communications, Inc.; publisher and editor-in-chief of PHOENIX Magazine; and executive vice president and general manager of Philips-Ramsey Advertising & Public Relations. In addition, Holden has operated his own publishing and marketing consulting firm, The Win Holden Company. Holden is active in many charitable and community organizations and has served as chair of: the Fiesta Bowl, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Endowment Board of the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunications and the Phoenix Pride Commission. He is currently president of the executive council of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Tempe and serves on the Phoenix Citizen’s Transit Commission, as well as on the board of the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau Association. Holden is president emeritus of Valley Big Brothers/Big Sisters, past president of Silent Witness, co-chair of Success by Six, and past chair of the City and Regional Magazine Association.

Art Jordan is director of commercial construction for Linthicum. He has extensive design and construction experience, and chaired the city of Mesa Design Review Board for four years. He is involved with several LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects and is active in the American Institute of Architects, Rio Salado Chapter and the American Institute of Architects. He graduated from the School of Architecture at Arizona State University.

Michael Pyatok is principal of Pyatok Architects and executive director of Stardust Center for Affordable Homes & the Family. Since graduating with honors from Harvard University and Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture, Pyatok has been an architect and professor of architectural design for the past 37 years. His practice serves non-profit organizations and private developers in building market-rate and affordable housing, mixed-use developments and community facilities. Since opening his office in 1984, he has designed over 20,000 units of affordable housing for lower-income households in the US and another 5,000 in the Philippines and more recently in Malaysia.

Jeff Kratzke has 22 years of experience as a registered landscape architect in Arizona, California and Nevada, and serves as vice president and team leader for the Phoenix office of Olsson Associates. He specializes in parks and recreation master planning, feasibility studies, environmental assessments, urban revitalization planning and construction administration. Kratzke has completed several high profile projects throughout Arizona.

Diane McCloskey is co-owner and president of McCloskey Peltz Inc., a Tempe based landscape architectural firm formed in 1983. Originally from upstate New York, she graduated from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University with degrees in environmental studies and landscape architecture.

Philip Lagas is vice president of Brown & Caldwell. He has more than 22 years of experience managing multidisciplinary waste management and environmental projects. Lagas earned a Master of Science degree in geological sciences and a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental sciences and resource management, both from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He provides oversight on environmental projects throughout the southwest, and serves on the board of directors of the Arizona Association of Industries and on several stakeholder committees of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Charlene Saltz is the water and natural resources agent at the University of Arizona’s Maricopa County Extension Office. Before joining the University of Arizona in June 2006, she was the environmental education coordinator at Arizona State University’s Global Institute for Sustainability. Her teaching experience is varied and includes positions at a Phoenix middle school, absorption center in Israel and an outdoor education center in Indiana.

Jeff Williamson has been chief executive officer, president and executive director of The Phoenix Zoo since 1996. He is a life-long conservationist who grew up on farms and has spent his career integrating the interests of people and nature. He is involved in many conservation organizations and is routinely a panelist on state lands, water, urban development and wildlife habitat conservation issues.

Laurie Lundquist is an artist and educator, who brings a deep interest in natural systems and engineering to the design process. Environmental issues are often a subtext in her sculptural installations and planning process. As a design team artist, Lundquist has collaborated effectively with architects, engineers and planners to integrate art into the overall design of numerous public projects throughout the Valley.