Cocktails & Conversation at Hammetts Wharf

We’ll gather on the deck in between the hotel and Guisto. 

Special thanks to Giusto for opening a satellite bar for us — and to Peregrine Group and Behan Bros for buying the drinks!

Kris Bradner has been a Principal at Traverse Landscape Architects since 2011, when she co-founded its predecessor, Birchwood Design Group with Arthur Eddy. Over that time, she has helped to grow the business from two people to nine.  Kris holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Rhode Island and is a Registered Landscape Architect in Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Development Corporation and is a member of the Women’s Principals Group in Boston.  Kris has worked as a practicing landscape architect, project manager, and mentor for over twenty years. Prior to Traverse Landscape Architects, she worked at small landscape architecture firms as well as a large multidisciplinary consulting firm, where she honed her design and management skills on projects ranging from residential landscapes and urban design projects to larger-scale commercial and transportation projects.  A New England native, Kris returned to Rhode Island after a decade of practicing landscape architecture in the Baltimore and DC metro area. Many of those years were spent working for a woman-owned firm.  That experience stayed with her and kindled her desire to start her own firm.

Ashley Iannuccilli is a registered Landscape Architect in Rhode Island and a Principal at Traverse Landscape Architects. Her work has taken her from RI to Maine to the Middle East and back; leading a broad range of projects that include schools, urban re-development, parks and recreation facilities, residences, universities, and public streetscapes. A firm believer in the collaborative process, Ashley is adept at bringing together diverse groups of stakeholders to engage in shared discourse, working in collaboration with professionals, communities, and clients to provide creative and valuable design solutions.  Ashley is a LEED Accredited Professional, a Rhode Island CRMC Certified Invasive Manager, and is currently serving a 5-year term on the Warwick Planning Board.  She holds a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture from the University of Rhode Island and has over 12 years experience in design and construction administration.

Libby Slader founded her namesake firm in 2010. Since then, Libby has been focused on a design approach that creates a unique and positive experience for every project, her clients, and her team. Prior to founding LSD, Libby worked at prestigious firms in Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Rhode Island including Morris Nathanson Design and as Manager of Design in the Architectural Services Department at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Los Angeles.

She is an active member and advocate of the art and design community in Rhode Island. She is the chairman of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), and a co-founder of DESIGNxRI, a non-profit economic development organization that creates opportunities and galvanizes the design community in Rhode Island. She was also a teacher for 7 years at the Rhode Island School of Design | Continuing Education interior design program.

She has her certification in interior design from the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) and is a Professional Member of the International Interior Designer Association (IIDA).

She is a Cohort 4 graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business’ Program and of Leadership Rhode Island’s Theta II class of 2012.

Libby began her career in 1988 after graduating from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University, where she earned a B.S. in Environmental Design (Interiors).

She has been honored with various awards, such as Flicker’s Producers Circle award for her contribution to the arts, Alumni of the Year in 2018 from her alma mater, Ponaganset High School, and Providence Business News’ 2015 Women in Business-Industry Leader-Creative Services. She has also been featured in several articles and stories, including Providence Journal 12 to Watch in 2012 and Go Local Prov 12 to Watch in 2012.

As Managing Partner at Union Studio, Douglas Kallfelz works directly with client leaders on a wide range of residential, institutional, and civic projects. With more than 20 plus years of experience across a broad range of client and project types, Douglas brings a unique blend of business acumen, technical expertise, and design skill to the projects and clients he serves.

Douglas has been the primary architect and Principal-in-Charge for many of the firm’s award winning sustainable communities, civic buildings, student housing, and residences. With a background in both design and business, Douglas blends his project leadership and design responsibilities with overall management and strategic planning for Union Studio.

Douglas is committed to enduring quality and lasting cultural value as the foundation of sustainable planning and design. He has spoken nationally on a variety of subjects and is committed to bringing lasting contributions to Union Studio’s clients and the civic realm.

Jennifer Skaife believes the process of reaching successful design solutions is enriched by participation of all team members. “I want to hear from every voice on my team and I want them to continually to inspire themselves—and others—with ideas that are truly worth remembering,” she says. As Senior Associate, Jennifer leads project teams, engages with clients, contributes to the development of DiLeonardo’s global design vision —and mentors designers through their careers. Jennifer studied Fine Art & Sculpture at Banbury School of Art, Oxfordshire, England and received a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design (UK.) She has served as a guest critic at California State University Long Beach and the Rhode Island School of Design. She holds a Wilderness Advanced First Aid certification and tries to spend at least one week a year on silent meditation retreat.

Sam Bradner joined Peregrine in 2009 and brings more than 25 years of land-use planning, development, policy and construction experience in both the public and private sectors. Sam has worked on projects nationally and throughout the southern New England market totaling more than $700 million over the last 15 years. 

Serving as the Project Executive on the new East Providence High School, Sam is providing oversight and management on budget, contract, bond referendum coordination, programming and planning with the project leadership teams.  Sam was the project lead for all activities on the completed $120 million Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol, Rhode Island and the $30 million Hammetts Wharf project in Newport.

Prior to Peregrine, Sam was a development director for a national developer specializing in historic tax credit development in seven cities throughout the United States. His responsibilities included managing and negotiating the commercial development process, including design, acquisition, scheduling, New Market and historic tax credit financing and implementation for redevelopment projects throughout the New England region.

A graduate of the University of Rhode Island and the University of Maryland, Sam serves on many boards and committees including GrowSmart RI, Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island, the Distributed Generation Board and is a proud 6 year rider of the Pan Mass Challenge.