Our Team

Cassie Kaslon is the owner and principal of Valerian with over 15 years of experience. Having grown up in the Colorado AEC industry, Cassie has a deep love and understanding of the complexities associated with designing in the arid west. Cassie has a varied and diverse background including both public and private projects which include water resource design, park redevelopment and design, urban design, land planning, regional trail master planning and natural play environments as well as extensive experience in the field. She uses her gained knowledge from past projects to lead the Valerian studio through successful project completion.

Brent is a true jack-of-all-trades and is an integral part of the design and management team. As a certified floodplain manager, certified planner, and landscape designer, Brent is a versatile asset leading the Valerian team on stream corridor restoration, parks and open space, and community planning. While his expertise is vast, his passion lays in plant selection and ecological design. He has a love of Colorado native vegetation and strives to ensure the correct plant selection for each project’s specific micro-ecosystem.

Kristen Ruberg is a versatile landscape designer with eight years of experience designing and managing projects throughout the Front Range of Colorado. With roots in residential design, Kristen has moved towards more public community spaces and stream corridor restoration work as she continues to progress projects through design development, construction documentation and construction administration. Her keen eye for composition has also allowed Kristen to become an essential part of the Valerian marketing team preparing proposals, creating graphics and managing website content.

Lindsay is a landscape designer with an interest in sustainability, parks and open space, and ecological restoration. With a professional background in high-end residential design in the northeast, Lindsay exhibits an eye for detail and a knowledge of dynamic and functional plant palettes. She strives to create spaces in which communities can appreciate Colorado’s native ecosystems through restoration and preservation efforts. Lindsay draws much of her inspiration from nature and through the diverse landscapes that she’s experienced in her travels.

Based out of Fort Collins, Brent has over twenty years of professional experience in the landscape and irrigation industry. He is a certified irrigation designer and has managed a wide range of landscape irrigation and water conservation projects in Colorado, throughout the US, and internationally. Brent Jeffery works for Valerian on a part time basis assisting primarily in the review and oversight of complex irrigation systems.

Susan Brown was the founding principal of Valerian. She retired in the spring of 2021 after transitioning ownership to Cassie in 2017. She is continuing her work with the Five Point Youth Ambassadors to expand the ambassador program.