Bio of Jason Bernagros + Focus of Talk
Jason Bernagros (BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences 2005, MLA Illinois 2009) is a highly experienced water resources planner, landscape architect, project manager, and team leader. His work focuses on developing and applying integrated, resilient, urban green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and nature-based design and planning solutions for public and private development projects, at watershed and site scales; fostering collaborative partnerships; and delivering team-based transformative and equitable technical assistance (design, capacity building, and policy) programs for domestic and international communities.
In 2007-2008, Bernagros served as an Environmental Management Fellow in the Office of Research and Development of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He was then hired immediately by that same division first as an Environmental Protection Specialist/Landscape Architect, then as a Water Quality Implementation Team Leader, and ultimately as a Senior Water Resources Planner/Landscape Architect. During his 15 years at the EPA, Bernagros won the 2013 Science Achievement Award in Environmental Economics for his analysis of the costs and benefits of controls in urban stormwater discharge. He also won the 2014 Bronze Medal for Superior Service for the National Stormwater Calculator he developed for public use.
In this talk, Bernagros will discuss the Campus Rainworks Challenge and how it relates to green infrastructure technical assistance that the EPA provides to communities. Bernagros helped develop the competition and judge design entries during its first few years. As part of the talk, he will also share how the EPA is currently focusing on resilient green infrastructure design for natural disasters. As part of that effort, Bernagros led projects in San Juan, PR, and Asheville, NC.
While working at the EPA, Bernagros held professional service positions with the Washington Architectural Foundation, DC Greenworks, and the National Capital Region Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. From September 2013 to July 2014, he stepped away from his work in DC temporarily to serve as a rainwater harvesting engineer and designer for Peace Corps Response in Puebla, Mexico. Since January 2022, he has been a green stormwater infrastructure project manager in the Portland, OR, office of Jacobs.
The Projects in Practice series of talks by alumni-practitioners is made possible with support from the Visiting Practitioner Fund in the Department of Landscape Architecture.
If you require accessibility accommodation(s) to participate in this event, contact our Office Administrator Marti Gortner by phone at 217-333-0176 or by email at ladept@illinois.edu.
For more information about this and other events in our spring 2023 series, please contact Prof. David L. Hays.